Page 13

Chapter Two

James

I’d never been to Mocha Mist before, but I drove by it every time I went into the office. It was a bustling place that was usually crowded in the mornings, but since it was later than I usually came by, it seemed like a good time to pop in for a caffeine fix.

There weren’t many customers inside, so I went to the display case and debated between a chocolate croissant and banana nut bread.

I was just about to order when I felt someone’s eyes on me.

That sensation of being watched was heavy, so I glanced in the direction of a young man sitting at a table in the corner.

He stared for another moment before realizing I'd caught him in the act.

I couldn’t help smirking as I focused on his eyes. They were familiar, but there was something more curious than cocky about the way he didn’t flinch when I stared back.

Just then, he must have realized I was watching him too, and he twisted in his seat, making the whole table rattle.

His coffee went first, sliding across the table and right off the edge.

His instincts kicked in, and I saw the slow-motion fall of his iPad off the other side of the table as he tried to save the porcelain mug.

Obviously, he didn’t save either, and within seconds, there was a mess of coffee on the floor, spreading dangerously close to the dropped tablet.

The commotion immediately silenced everyone in the cafe as all eyes locked on the poor kid who was now dripping with attention and house blend.

I grabbed a few napkins from the counter and abandoned my place in line. "That looks expensive." I picked up the tablet as the kid used his own napkins to try to sop up the mess.

He looked up at me, startled and clearly mortified. "Yeah, it was." He accepted the napkins I extended toward him. “Thanks.”

"Happens to the best of us." I grabbed a few more napkins and helped him clean up the last drops.

When the worst of it was done, he stood up and wiped his wet hands on his apron.

It was the first time I realized he was wearing one. “You work here?”

“Yeah.” He reached for the iPad I was still holding. "Shit." He inspected a patch of shattered glass on the corner of the screen. "It's cracked."

With his attention on the tablet, I took the opportunity to get a closer look at him. Dark hair, intense eyes, and an embarrassed flush that somehow made him even more attractive.

"At least it's still working." I stepped closer and rubbed my finger across the screen to swipe. I caught a glimpse of what he’d been working on—a drawing of a cartoon character looking up at a wall of graffiti. "Wow, that’s really good.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” He glanced up at me again, and his cheeks blossomed with color.

"Are you a professional artist?" I took a moment to study both him and the drawing. Both were beautiful in different ways. The man looked familiar, and I felt that nagging sense of recognition as I tried to place him.

“Nah, not really.” He shrugged and averted his eyes, like he didn’t want me to see him too closely.

What are you hiding from, sweetheart?

“I’m playing around with a graphic novel.”

Something from another life came to mind, and I realized who he was. I thought about an old photo I'd kept on my phone until a recent purge, with Chris and his friends on the beach when he was a kid.

This guy was on the left, holding a frisbee and looking like he had a bit too much sun. That was the summer vacation Ethan had tagged along for because Chris insisted he couldn’t go to Hawaii without his best friend.

Chris had gone through several more best friends by the time high school ended, and I couldn't remember when the two of them had stopped hanging out.

But Ethan, the shy kid I remembered, was now a man. All grown up and all kinds of cute.

“That’s amazing.” I reached for the tablet and looked closer. “You’re really good, Ethan.”

He gasped, sucking in a breath. “You remember me?”

“Of course I do.” I reached for his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You’ve changed a lot, but I couldn’t forget you. You and Chris were inseparable for years.”

He nodded but didn’t speak. I wasn’t sure if I was hovering a little too closely, so I stepped back. “Can I help you with anything else?”

He swallowed and blew out a sigh. “No, I’m good, Mr. Baker.”

"It's James. We’re both adults now." I cocked my head and grinned, oddly interested in learning more about the boy I hadn’t seen in a decade. The man. "You work here?"

He glanced down at his apron, understanding where my assumption had come from. "Yeah. After I graduated, I started working here while I finish my book.” He chuckled as if that were a joke. “I’ll probably die here with the way that’s going.”

He’d always been a quiet kid, shy until you got to know him. But he was funny too, and I was even more curious about his book after learning how much it meant to him.

“I’d love to hear about it.” I was overstepping and being a creeper, but I couldn’t stop myself from lingering. “Can I join you after I get my coffee?”

"Sure, if you want to, Mr. Baker."

"Call me James." I said it as a request but it came out as a demand, and the way his breath stuttered, I wondered if he was scared of me or turned on. Maybe both. I could be okay with both. “I’ll be right back.”

He relaxed and sat down again with his iPad.

When I walked to the counter, I could tell the guy working there had been documenting every word of our conversation. “You know Ethan?”

“Yeah, from a long time ago.” Technically, that wasn’t a lie. The more obvious response was to say he was my son’s friend when they were kids, but that didn’t feel right.

I ordered my food and asked for a replacement drink for Ethan and then went back to sit with him.

“So, Ethan, how have you been?” I didn’t want to lead with the fact that I worked for a publisher because that felt a little too contrived, but I also couldn’t hide that.

Ethan scratched the back of his neck, and I could almost hear his confused thoughts. And why did his eyes keep darting to my mouth when I spoke?

Did I have something in my teeth? No, I hadn’t eaten anything since I brushed.

"I’m good. As you can see, I work here during the day and then work on my book at night." He took a sip of the replacement coffee I’d brought for him. "You still live here in Seattle?"

"More or less." I shrugged, glad he was finally relaxing. "I don’t come into the office often, but I have an apartment I stay in when I’m not in Maui."

His jaw dropped at that. “You live in Maui?”

“Most of the year, yeah.” I didn’t know how much of my backstory was worth sharing, so I moved to more neutral territory. “Do you and Chris keep in touch?”

He let out a little laugh and shook his head. “Nah, I haven’t seen him since we graduated. How is he?”

“He’s good. Lives in San Francisco with his mom.” I shrugged like it was no big deal, even though it still stung that he’d never forgiven me for leaving his mother, even though she was the one who cheated on me. “He’s working at a tech startup.”

“That’s good.” Ethan cocked his head and seemed to be indulging in some fond memories. “He’s a good guy. I’m glad things are going well.”

I nodded and took a bite of my croissant to give myself a quick reprieve from the painful conversation about my estranged son.

"His mom lives in San Francisco too?"

"We divorced right after Chris left for college.” I thought Ethan would have known about that, but it made sense that he didn’t if he wasn’t in touch with my son anymore. "Now I’m living the bachelor life between here and the islands."

"You look really good…" His voice was soft and a bit dreamy before he startled and realized what he’d just said. "Shit, sorry. I shouldn’t have said that."

Whether he meant it as a compliment or not, I didn’t want him to feel embarrassed by the comment. Especially not while I was entertaining fantasies of just how good he looked. "Thank you. I don’t hear that very often, so I appreciate it."

“I just meant…” He was beet-red again, and I wanted to pull him into my arms and hold him. But he was at work and I couldn’t do that. I didn’t have any right to do that. “Well, you always looked good…and still do.”

"You too," I said softly, testing the waters. I’d never heard whether he was gay or not, but the way he looked at me made me lean toward yes. "You probably have all the girls lining up to go out with you."

"Definitely not." Ethan laughed. “Mostly because I’m gay, but also because…” He shrugged like he didn’t know what else to say.

“I don’t really get out much. I just work here and work at home.

” He picked up his iPad and the clock displayed on the screen.

“Shit, I need to get back to it. My break ended a while ago.”

My window of opportunity was closing, so I had to make my move. “I’d love to hear about your book. The publisher I work with is accepting submissions. You should send it in."

"I should?" His jaw went slack, and he clutched his tablet to his chest. “They do graphic novels?”

"They do." I took a deep breath and went for it. "Maybe we can have dinner tonight and talk more about it.”

"Dinner?" He was obviously surprised but cleared his throat to keep it out of his voice.

"Yeah, unless you have plans." My own nerves started to get the best of me.

Maybe I was reading the situation totally wrong.

I was new to dating men and still learning the difference between friendly interest and actual attraction.

But the blush in his cheeks gave me reason for hope.

“No pressure. I can just leave my card if you?—”

"No, wait." He held up his hand to stop me from continuing but wasn’t fully ready to speak for another moment.

"Consider it a business meeting. I'd like to see more of your work, and maybe I can give you some tips for submitting.”

I could see the moment he registered what I was really asking. And there was clear disappointment when I turned what I wanted to be a date into a meeting.

"Dinner would be great."

We exchanged numbers, and I got up to leave. Even as I walked out the door, I could feel Ethan watching me. The ball was in his court now. He’d agreed to call me after work to arrange a time. And if he didn’t, I would be back in the morning.

Because if there was a chance Ethan was interested in me, I wasn’t gonna let that go unexplored.