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“Listen. This was delicious.” Joan touched her empty mug, then nodded at the fridge. “And you made that cold brew chilling in there that smells like vanilla paradise. You’re teaching me about tasty beverages. I can tell it’s your passion.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Sadie said, staring at her lap. “I’d rather talk about your food truck.”

“We’ve talked plenty about that. Today’s about you and your dreams.”

“That’s just it. A far-fetched dream.”

“What you want is important,” Joan told her. “Don’t discount it because you think it’s not possible. I can help you figure out the business part of things. The loans and money stuff. We can learn about it together. But honestly, you already know way more than you’re giving yourself credit for.”

Sadie wrapped loose arms around Joan’s torso. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“No really, thank you.” She dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “You make me feel like it could be possible.”

“Good. That’s our deal.” Joan tucked Sadie’s hair behind her shoulders. Her insides twisted at the fact that she was also making today about Sadie to take the focus off herself. It’d been just boring old Joanie with no discussion of the Supers. The normalcy she’d been craving for so long. How could she give that up?

A shy smile spread across Sadie’s beautiful face. “I don’t talk about my café with anyone. Not even my friends. But I like talking about it with you.”

“I’m here whenever you want to toss ideas around.” Joan ran a thumb down Sadie’s cheek. “And for taste-testing.”

Her grin intensified, warming Joan’s heart. “It’s so nice to trust each other with our secrets.”

Joan wrenched her lips up and forced out, “Yeah.”

Sadie kissed her cheek before sliding off her barstool with a sad sigh.

“Do you need to get going?” Joan said.

“Soon. Thursdays are pretty busy. It’s Amit’s day off, and I’m de facto in charge when he’s not there. But I’ll help you clean up.”

She stood, too. “Don’t worry about it. I toss everything in the dishwasher.”

“Then I’ll help you toss everything in the dishwasher so you can walk me to work.”

Sadie tilted her head up, signaling she didn’t have to leave just yet. Joan took her time meeting her for a soft kiss. God, she could kiss Sadie for a decade straight and not get tired of it. Their kisses weren’t the usual feverish rush toward getting naked. They were for fun, for exploration.

For Joan, not Spark.

She kissed Sadie deeper, their tongues meeting with equal need. The heat that rushed through her body wasn’t fire. It was sweeter, lighter. Something like delight. Joy. Excitement at a true connection. She had no doubt Sadie sex would be amazing sex, but it was okay to wait and enjoy the anticipation.

Sadie hummed, pressing her fantastic breasts into Joan’s. Ooookay, now the heat was turning molten with desire.

“Dishes,” Sadie moaned miserably. “Day job.”

“Boo.”

They slowly separated, letting their fingers linger as long as possible. As they gathered the dirty dishes, Sadie’s phone chimed. She read the screen, shaking her head. “I swear, next she’ll tell me our near record number of days without rain is a result of Super activity.”

“We don’t control the weather,” Joan said. “At least not the Vector City Supers. Oceanview has Ether, that one Villain who can manipulate clouds and moisture in the atmosphere.”

His name was Derek and he was kind of a tool, but he threw kickass parties on the beach.

“My family’s part of that group of people I told you about,” Sadie said. “The ones who think Supers are overrated and destructive and are why it’s so dangerous in the city. My mom especially doesn’t trust them. Well, you.”

Joan carried her plate and mug toward the dishwasher. “I don’t blame them.”

“She’s gotten more paranoid since Lunk crashed into VCC. Apparently, I work at the most dangerous coffee shop in the world.”