Page 10 of Gary
He murmured in amusement. “This ought to be good.” Without thinking about it, he pulled the door open and stepped into the past. Whoever designed the place had gone for the Victorian era, with old-fashioned antique furnishings decorating the space.
All along the wall on his left, were stacks of books, mostly fiction with a leaning towards romance. A derisive smile touched his face as he made his way forward past a comfortable sofa and a grouping of chairs and tables with wrought iron etchings. It was almost afternoon, and he was the only one present.
He was about to touch the old-fashioned bell on the counter when a musical voice sounded to his left.
“No need for that.”
He had been so intent on studying the décor, he had failed to see the woman lounging on a comfortable sofa. Turning only his head, he watched as she rose gracefully and felt the slow, one-two punch inside his stomach.
He was accustomed to beautiful women, hell, he had been around beautiful women his entire life. Tuscany had its fair share, and he had dated quite a few.
This one was exquisite and exotic at the same time. She was willowy, slender without being a bag of bones. Her heart shaped face was intriguing, with its blend of large dark brown eyes, tapered brows, cocoa brown complexion, and a mouth – Good Christ!
The unadorned lips were curved and was so alluring, he had to suck in a breath, The lust flowed freely straight to his loins and settled there. For the first time in his life, he was speechless.
“I had my headphones on and was reading at the same time. I am sorry. Welcome to Coffee and Books. How may I help you?”
“Er…” He had to clear his throat and felt like an awkward teenager with his first crush. “I was just exploring…”
“And you wanted to check out if it was as the name says.” Her smile was dazzling, white teeth against rosy lips. Her perfume was subtle and exotic like her and he felt the brush of her sarong style dress as she brushed past him to walk the length of the counter to go to the cash register.
“What do you think?”
“About what?” He asked foolishly, still finding it difficult to get his bearings.
“The shop?” Chocolate brown eyes appeared to be laughing at him.
“Oh.” Needing time to gather his composure, he pretended to look around. “Very cozy. Makes one wants to settle in and relax.”
She looked pleased with the comparison. “What can I get you.”
He scanned the displayed menu and decided on the pumpkin spice latte. Usually he drank straight black coffee, but he did not want to leave. “And a cranberry muffin.”
“Very good choices. Feel free to look around, I have to prepare the latte.”
“Of course.” He stood rooted to the spot and watched as she turned towards the machine. Her hair was a riot of dark brown curls on top of her head in a careless bun.
Forcing himself to move from his position, he wandered around staring at titles with disinterest. He was so acutely aware of her; he could not bear it. The scent of coffee permeated the air, but all he could think of was the smell, it was her perfume. This was getting ridiculous.
“Would you like it to go?”
“Pardon?” He turned to see her looking at him and felt his knees going to liquid.
“To go or do you intend to sit and have the meal? We have some other titles if you are interested. Around the back.”
“Oh, I am having it here.” He walked over to the counter and took his card out. His surname was not on it, because he had started using his mother’s maiden name when he went to Italy.
He handed her the card and watched as she did the transaction. Her fingers were long and elegant as they flew over the keys. “Here we go.” She gave the card back to him and handed him his coffee and a plate with the muffin. “I warmed it up for you.”
“Thanks.”
Taking the meal with him to the nearest table, he sat down.
“How long have you been in business?”
“Since the place opened.”
“About a year?”