Page 9 of A Tempting Seduction (Protectors of Jasper Creek #5)
Chapter Five
The line at Java Jolt stretched longer than usual this Wednesday morning.
Four customers stood ahead of me, and I could hear Jordan's voice from behind the counter growing more strained with each order. Something was wrong. The normally smooth rhythm of the coffee shop felt off, and it wasn’t just because Ruby wasn’t behind the counter.
The woman at the front of the line pointed to the chalkboard menu. “I'll take the Cinnamon Roll Latte, please.”
“That's not available today.” Jordan's voice carried a harried edge.
“Oh. How about the Maple Bacon Mocha?”
“Nope.”
The woman's smile faltered. “The Vanilla Caramel Macchiato?” I felt my shoulders begin to tense. What the hell did he mean the specials weren’t available?
“We don't have that, either.”
“But it's right there on the board.” The woman pointed to the chalkboard covered with brightly colored coffee options.
“Look, lady, I told you we don't have any of that fancy stuff today, okay?” Jordan's tone had shifted from harassed to downright rude. “Just order regular coffee or something simple.”
Heat crawled up my neck. This wasn't the Java Jolt I knew. Ruby would never allow a customer to be treated this way. The woman's face flushed red with both embarrassment and anger.
“Where's your manager?” she demanded to know.
“She's too busy taking a break to talk to customers.”
My hands clenched into fists. That was complete bullshit, and I knew it. Ruby took her responsibilities seriously. If she was on break, there was a damn good reason for it.
Bernie Faulks stepped forward from his table by the window. His weathered face showed the kind of controlled anger that came from years of dealing with incompetent people.
“Ma'am, I'm sorry for this young man's rudeness.” Bernie's voice carried authority despite his gentle tone. “Jordan here will get Ruby right now, and she'll definitely sort this out for you.”
Bernie fixed Jordan with a glare that could have melted steel. “Won't you, son?”
Jordan's face went pale. He mumbled something under his breath and slouched toward the back of the shop, clearly hoping to avoid Bernie's continued attention.
I waited, listening to the uncomfortable murmur of conversation from the other customers. Coffee shops were supposed to be welcoming spaces, places where people started their day with a smile and good caffeine. This felt more like a customer service nightmare.
A minute passed. Then Jordan's voice carried from the back office, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Who are these kids?”
A child's cry pierced the air. High-pitched, distressed, definitely a little girl.
“Don't yell at my sister!” The voice was young but fierce with protective anger.
My blood turned to ice. That was JR. My four-year-old nephew was in the back of Java Jolt, defending his two-year-old sister, Suzy, from an asshole who couldn't be bothered to do his job properly.
I didn't think. I moved.
The gate at the end of the counter wasn't locked. I pushed through it and followed the sound of Suzy's cries toward the back office. Every protective instinct I'd inherited from generations of Larson men roared to life.
Ruby's voice drifted from the office, soft and soothing. “Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. Jordan, what's going on out there?”
“Some customer's having a fit because we don't have the fancy drinks. I told Bernie I'd get you, but I didn't know you had your kids back here.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Jordan. You know they're not mine. Just please go tell the customer I’ll be right out. I have to get Suzy to stop crying first.”
I appeared in the doorway of the small office.
The scene hit me like a punch to the gut.
Suzy had her arms and legs wrapped around Ruby’s neck and shoulders like her very life depended on it, sobbing.
JR stood between the two and Jordan like a tiny bodyguard, his little hands balled into fists.
“I know, sweetheart, I’d be crying too,” she crooned to my little niece.
I watched as Ruby’s hand softly covered Suzy’s blonde curls and she kissed her forehead.
Suzy cuddled even closer. It was clear that she knew a good thing when she’d found one.
“Uncle Ford!” JR's face lit up with relief and excitement.
Jordan was blocking the doorway, but I pushed past him.
“Jordan, get back to the customers now. Tell them I’ll be right out.”
JR tugged at the hem of my t-shirt, demanding attention. “Uncle Ford, we're having an adventure. Miss Ruby's taking care of us while Mommy goes to her important meeting.”
“Ford, perfect timing.” Ruby gave me a grateful smile. “Can you take this little love? She’s almost settled.”
“You should be aware that there's a customer up front who's pretty unhappy about being told that nothing on your specialty menu is available today.”
She gave Jordan a derisive look. “Yeah, I got that.” She kissed Suzy again and lifted up her chin. “What do you think, pumpkin? Want to go with your Uncle Ford?”
Suzy turned her face and looked at me. I loved the way her face lit up. “Unca,” she babbled, her fingers wiggling as she reached for me.
“Can you say Unca Ford?” I asked for the hundredth time as I pulled her in for a hug. I so wanted her to distinguish me from Walker. We’d been fighting this out for the last month to see whose name Suzy would say first.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Ruby said.
“Just so you have the whole story. Jordan told the customer you were too busy taking a break to deal with customers.”
The temperature in the small office seemed to drop ten degrees. Ruby's green eyes flashed. “Jordan is so on my hit list today.” Ruby’s voice was deadly quiet. Sometimes being a tattletale felt damn good.
She stormed past us toward the front of the shop. The office door closed with a sharp click, leaving me alone with my niece and nephew.
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and speed-dialed Walker's number, juggling Suzy carefully as I waited for him to answer.
“What's up?” Walker's voice carried the usual morning energy that meant he'd already consumed at least two cups of coffee.
“I'm going to be late to the site this morning.”
“How late? We've got the meeting with Renzo at eleven.”
“I don't know yet. Something came up. Can you handle things without me for a while?”
“Yeah, no problem. You handled things great the other day, so we’re cool. And I already swung by the construction site to check in anyway. We're not needed there yet, so I was heading back to the shop. Everything okay?”
I glanced at JR, who was busy rebuilding his Lego creation on the floor. The kid was focused and determined, traits he'd inherited from the Larson side of the family. “Everything's fine. I'll call you when I'm done here.”
“All right. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.”
“That doesn't narrow it down much.”
Walker's laughter followed me as I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
Suzy had stopped crying and was now fascinated by the buttons on my work shirt. Her little fingers traced each one with intense concentration. JR looked up from his Legos with the expectant expression that meant he was about to launch into one of his legendary question sessions.
God help me.
“Uncle Ford, why are you here?”
“I came to get coffee and heard you and Suzy.”
“Why did you want coffee?”
“Because coffee helps grown-ups wake up in the morning.”
“Why do grown-ups need to wake up?”
I bit back a smile and settled cross-legged beside JR and his Lego creation, careful not to disturb Suzy. “Because grown-ups have jobs to do, and we need to be awake to do them well.”
“Why do grown-ups have jobs?”
“So, we can earn money to buy things like food and houses and Lego sets.”
JR's eyes lit up. “I have a job to do. An it’s ’portant.”
“You do?”
“I’m ’sposed to help Miss Ruby watch Suzy. If I do, she’ll give me money.”
I smirked. She’d learned.
“Why did mommy think she was going to fow up?”
That had me sitting straighter. “Your mom was sick? Did she go home?”
JR shook his head. “She went on a view. She’s going to get a job. But she was going to fow up.”
I placed a red Lego brick on top of JR's creation, buying myself time as I pondered the fact that Fiona was out on a job interview. Good for her.
“Uncle Ford? Why was mommy sick?”
“I don’t think she was really sick, buddy. Does your tummy ever feel funny when you do something new and a little scary?” I watched as JR screwed up his face in concentration.
“When I played t-ball and I had to bat for the first time in a game. I felt really icky, remember?”
I nodded. “But you were a champ. You told that monster in your tummy that you were going to?—”
“I remember. I was going to bomb it into little pieces. And after I did, I batted really hard and the ball went really far.” JR was grinning and Suzy now had her fingers tangled in my hair. Pretty soon she’d be pulling. Hard.
“You sure did, JR. That’s what’s going on with your mom. She had a monster in her tummy, but she bombed it and now she went on an interview.”
Suzy chose that moment to snatch me bald-headed and plant a wet kiss on my cheek, giving me an excuse to redirect the conversation. “JR, can you show me what you're building here? This looks pretty impressive.”
“It's a robot truck.” He picked up a blue brick and snapped it into place with satisfaction.
The office door opened, and Ruby slipped inside. Her face showed the strain of whatever conversation she'd just had with Jordan and the customer. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, taking a deep breath.
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft but full of genuine gratitude. “I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up when you did.”
“You would have handled it just fine. You always do.” I’d watched her for the last week and a half, and I’d seen her handle so many situations with easy confidence and genuine warmth. She was a pleasure to watch.