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“Only if you excuse the mess. I’ve got a big dog, and she’s one hell of a shedder.”

I keep my pace easy and languid despite my growing excitement. Without thinking twice about it, I decide she’s going to be my friend and seal the deal with a nickname.

“Sounds good to me, Della.”

“So, you mentioned a girlfriend?”Delaney asks. The mug in her hand is full to the brim with a steaming latte decorated with an elegant sketch of a leaf made from cream.

I went with a shot of espresso and a croissant to soak it up with after contemplating ordering a drink infused with more sugar than coffee. That’s more my brother’s preference. Our sisters are similar to me in their coffee tastes.

My teeth sink into the cushion of my lip. “Yeah, I guess I did. Her name is Bryce.”

“Lemieux?”

I don’t miss the tightness in her voice, unable to skip over it. She might as well have told me she doesn’t like Bryce, which doesn’t sit well with me. Straightening in my seat, I lean over the table and pin her in place with an expertly disguised smooth stare. I’m not angry, but I am on high alert.

My gentle, welcoming persona isn’t to be mistaken for weakness or acceptance.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

She toys with the end of her braid, expression flighty. “The friend that helped with the classroom . . . is Darren?”

“It is.”

The colour leaches from her face, her natural flushdisappearing in the blink of an eye. My oversensitive heart doesn’t like knowing that I’ve upset her. It’s a curse.

Delaney hasn’t taken a single sip from her latte before she discards it on the table and checks her watch. Wetting her lips, she swallows hard and stands, hovering.

“I remembered that I have a few more things to do before class this morning. We should go now.”

My stomach falls when suddenly, her flighty attitude makes a bit more sense. The emotion in her voice isn’t kind. It’s brutal.

Soul-crushing agony that has me flinching back in my seat.

Bryce has nothing to do with it. She can’t. While Delaney was stiff about her, I hadn’t sensed this . . . tortured brokenness scraping below the surface.

This is all because of Darren.

I immediately rise from my seat. “Do you want me to ask the barista to transfer your coffee into a takeaway cup?”

Delaney softens a smidge, a flicker of light appearing through the thickness in her eyes. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all.” I take the cup from the table and bring it to the front counter.

The barista gets to making the swap with a simple smile. Inching over to the waiting section of the counter, I pull my phone from the side pocket of my overalls and open my messages with Bryce. There’s a new one waiting from her, and I smile like a fool as I read it.

Bryce: You didn’t pack a lunch. What’s the point of a lunch box if you forget it in the fridge and don’t bring it with you to actually eat at lunch?

My reply comes easily.

Me: I was a little nervous this morning and must have forgotten about it. I’ll find something for lunch. Have a good day at work!

“Your to-go cup, ma’am,” the barista says, drawing my attention.

The “ma’am” makes my skin itch. I’m way too young to becalled that, but I take the cup from her with a thankful nod as my phone buzzes.

Bryce: See you later.

It sounds ominous. Or maybe that’s just me hoping that it means something more than it does. There’s nothing quite like pushing through a nerve-racking day and being comforted with a surprise visit from a friendly face.