Page 16

The days after my not-a-date with Colt were hazy. I did everything in my power to avoid him and avoid reliving the heart-shattering ending to last Friday night.

A week had gone by, and somehow, I had managed to completely avoid Colt. I woke up each morning, went straight to work, and after my shifts at the coffee shop, went straight home. My theory was, the fewer places I went, the less of a chance I had of running into Colt.

It seemed to be working.

I was positive that looking him in the face after Friday night’s events would break me.

That night, I was sure he was going to kiss me—that he’d finally tell me he had the same feelings for me that I have for him.

But that’s not what happened.

At first, I was hurt. After a few days of sulking, my hurt turned to frustration .

How could he string me along until the very end, then back out like that? And what did he mean by we can’t ?

Why the hell not? We’re both consenting adults. It’s not like one kiss would have ended the world as we know it.

None of it made sense.

I’d let my guard down, certain that if any man in the world could love me the way I was meant to be loved, it would be Colt.

Guess I was wrong.

As I walked into The Daily Grind, I took a deep breath, trying to push all these thoughts from my mind.

Today was Friday. I had one more shift until I’d get to enjoy my weekend, and I was committed to making it less of a disaster than last weekend.

I tied my black apron around my waist, clocking in for my shift at the kiosk on the counter.

Cassie hurried over and started interrogating me before I even finished typing in my ID and password.

“Ok, I can’t take it anymore. You’ve been quiet all week. What’s up?” she asked, carrying a large bag of fresh coffee beans, ready to be ground up and served to eager customers.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” I said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

“You have a terrible poker face, Ellie,” Cassie said, laughing as she tilted her head, not convinced at all.

“It’s nothing really,” I said, making one final attempt to get her off my case .

“This have anything to do with your night out with Colt last week? Word on the street is that you and Colt had a great time during trivia night, and by word on the street, I mean Maggie told everyone within earshot,” she said, laughing.

I groaned, hiding my face behind my hands, thinking about how well the night had started out and how disastrous it had ended.

After a few seconds of wallowing in self-pity, I let out a deep sigh and turned to Cassie.

“Colt almost kissed me,” I blurted.

Cassie looked at me for a few moments, her brain registering the painful secret I had just set free.

“Define almost.”

“Maggie is right, we were having a great time. Trivia Night was more fun than I’ve had in a long time.

We were on fire, winning round after round.

When I didn’t know the answer, Colt did and vice versa.

We were the perfect duo. On the way home, Colt sang along to 90s country music with me.

He walked me to the door like something right out of your favorite romance movie,” I said, biting my lip as I recalled the moment.

“When we got back to the guesthouse, something came over him. Colt pinned me against the door, trapping me like I was a fresh piece of meat and he was a lion about to devour his meal. I can still smell his cologne. The whole moment was steamy. I was so sure he was going to kiss me,” I said, pausing.

“But…” Cassie added.

“But then, at the last second, he backed off, said ‘we can’t,’ and told me good night. That’s the last I heard from him. But to be fair, I’ve been avoiding him all week.”

I started cleaning the countertops with a washcloth, doing anything to keep myself distracted.

“That jerk. I’m going to kick his ass,” Cassie said.

I sighed, running the washcloth over the counter in slow, deliberate circles. “There’s no need. Colt and I, we’re complicated, always have been. Always will be apparently.”

“It doesn’t seem that complicated to me. If he likes you, he needs to tell you instead of pulling crap like that, then ghosting you,” she said, her tone sharp.

“It’s clear he doesn’t think we should be together, so lesson learned. I should’ve known better than to go jumping into the arms of another man so soon.”

“What do you mean?” Cassie asked.

“Uh…” The realization hit me that I’d never told her my real reason for moving back to Silver Creek.

She looked at me, waiting for an explanation, but I wasn’t ready to give her one.

The only reason Colt found out was because he had stormed into my bedroom at the right, or wrong, moment.

Heat filled my face as I hesitated. How could I tell someone like Cassie what had happened to me? She was so strong. If a man ever laid a hand on her, she would probably hit him right back, maybe even harder. There was no way she’d be going down without a fight.

So why hadn’t I fought? What would Cassie think of me? She’d probably have questions I didn’t have the answers to yet .

The universe must have heard me spiraling, because at that exact moment, a customer dropped their coffee cup. It hit the tile floor with a sharp crash, shattering into pieces and yanking our attention from the conversation.

Whew. Saved by a coffee catastrophe.

Cassie grabbed a washcloth and broom, hurrying over to the mess.

“I’m so sorry,” an older woman said, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

“Oh, honey, it’s completely fine. Nothing a rag can’t fix. And trust me, I’ve got plenty of them,” Cassie said as she soaked up the spilled coffee and swept the shards of ceramic into a dustpan with practiced ease.

Remembering what the woman had ordered just minutes earlier—black coffee with four creams and two sugars—I prepared another and brought it over to her.

As Cassie crossed my path, headed towards the trash can with shattered ceramic in tow, she leaned into me.

“I’m ready to listen when you’re ready to talk,” she whispered.

Then, just like that, she kept walking, the crisis resolved, as if it had never happened.

I turned back towards the counter, but before I could fully settle in, the soft chime of the doorbell signaled a new arrival.

Instinctively, I started preparing my best What can I get for you today? —but then I saw who it was.

“Molly! ”

She grinned as she stepped inside, bringing a gust of warm summer air in with her. “Hey, stranger. Thought I’d swing by to see you since I haven’t been out to the ranch yet. I’ve been so busy at the bakery.”

Cassie emerged from the back just as I stepped out from behind the counter. Her eyes flicked curiously to the newcomer.

“Oh! Molly, this is Cassie, she owns this place,” I said, motioning between them. “Cassie, Molly. She owns the bakery just down the street. She is also the youngest of the McKinleys.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cassie said, shaking Molly’s hand. “Your brother, Colt? Amazing specimen of a man. Jace on the other hand? No comment.”

Laughing, we slid into the booth by the window, the one with the chipped paint on the tabletop and the crooked sugar jar.

“Speaking of those devils, I’m actually here to talk about them. Well, Colt mostly. I heard about the ending to your date last weekend,” Molly said, looking at me sadly.

“Let me remind everyone, it was not a date,” I said. “Furthermore, how do you know the way it ended?” I asked, directing my attention to Molly now.

“Colt told Jace, and Jace told me,” Molly explained.

“But no worries, I know just the cure for getting over my stupid brother,” Molly said, eyeing Cassie and me.

“And I don’t mean a rom-com and a pint of ice cream.

What I’m actually thinking is The Twisted Spur.

Music, dollar drinks, and guys who think they can dance.

Tonight. Cassie, you can come too. You seem like a good time. ”

Cassie smiled. “I’m flattered, and I’m so in. ”

I looked at each of them hesitantly. “I’m not sure.”

“You’re coming,” Cassie said. “We’re doing this.”

Molly’s face lit up with anticipation, waiting for my answer.

I smiled. Their excitement was contagious. “Alright, fine. I’m in.”

Molly lifted the sugar jar as if it were her drink. “To spontaneous friendships and shots that we’ll probably regret.”

Cassie clinked the mug she had in her hand against it. “And to seeing who ends up riding the mechanical bull first.”

I laughed. “Here goes nothing.”