Page 61 of Undeniably Unexpected (Boston’s Irresistible Billionaires #6)

“Um, miss, you got my order completely wrong,” a woman gripes from beside me. “You. Blonde girl.” Three sharp finger snaps clip by my ear.

Liora’s head whips over, and that smile is still in place. She comes to the other side of the counter, having someone else take over the screen.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. What did you?—”

“I ordered a tall latte with half skim, half whole milk, one pump of espresso, one pump of vanilla, one pump of hazelnut, and one and a half shots of espresso with extra foam.”

“Um. Okay.”

“This garbage”—the woman sneers, sliding the cup across the counter toward her and nearly having it topple over and spill before Liora catches it—“is full-fat milk. I know. I can tell. How can this be your job, and you get something so basic wrong? It’s not exactly brain surgery. I should know.”

What a bitch. I’m about to tell her off for being just that when the manager comes out from the back room.

“Is there a problem here?”

“Yes!” the woman cries and repeats her coffee tragedy for him.

But instead of soothing the woman and offering her another drink and saying, that’s a stupid order, and these things happen, he lays into Liora.

“Let me see what you put in the computer for her order,” he barks harshly, and Liora, all flushed-faced and flustered, grabs an extra tablet and pulls it up.

“I see. It’s in here correctly.”

“Yes,” Liora states. “But I’m the one who made it, and she’s saying I didn’t do half-skim milk.”

“Because you didn’t!” the woman indignantly shrieks. “Are you suggesting I can’t tell the difference between half-skim and all whole milk? I get this order every day.”

“I’m very sorry,” Liora tries again. “I’d be happy to remake your order.”

“Which will come out of your paycheck,” Her manager states coldly and Liora winces as if having to pay for it is worse than getting yelled at publicly by these two assholes.

“Errors like that are unacceptable. I don’t care that you’re new here.

Get it right or don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. ”

Liora audibly swallows, and I can’t stand this. What the fuck is wrong with people?

“For fuck’s sake, it’s coffee,” I snap, no longer able to stand it. “It’s a cup of coffee. How awful and miserable of a person do you have to be to berate someone for making a simple mistake on a stupid order like that?”

The woman gasps, completely affronted. “Excuse me. This does not concern you.”

“And you,” I point at the manager. “What kind of asshole speaks to their employees that way? There have to be a hundred wrong orders a week at least, and you make her take that out of her paycheck?”

He squints at me. “We do not allow vagabonds in our store. How did you even get in here?”

I laugh. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked he thinks I’m unhoused by my appearance, but damn.

I pull out my wallet, slip a fifty from it, and hand it across the counter to Liora, though I am tempted to hand him my black Amex just to see his face.

“Here. Pay for the princess’s coffee from this, and you can keep the change again. ”

“Um, that’s very nice, but?—”

“I insist.”

Liora takes the fifty and starts to make the woman’s coffee. I stare her boss down until he gets uncomfortable and steps back. “Well, I guess it’s under control now. You should leave after you get your order. As I said, we don’t allow certain types of people in here.”

“Then I’m shocked they allow either of you in.”

Much to my dismay, he doesn’t reply. He’s anxious to go and does, flying through to the back room. Likely because we’ve drawn a bit of an audience.

“And who did you steal that wallet from?” the doctor snips primly.

I round on her. “What hospital do you work in?”

She straightens her spine, trying for self-importance. “I’m a neurosurgeon at Brigham and?—”

“Not anymore. I know your chief, Luca Fritz very well. Maybe next time you won’t be so nasty and take your shit out on others simply because you can.”

Liora slides her new drink across the counter to her. “Here you go, ma’am. Sorry for the error.”

“It’s doctor.” She grabs the cup, making weird, shrill noises as if she’s the victim, and storms out.

I text Luca and let him know that this woman got off on berating an old friend and was cruel for the sake of being cruel. He owes me one, but what he does with that is up to him. I can only hope he gets rid of her.

“Thank you,” Liora whispers to me. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I did. I can’t stand rudeness simply for the sake of rudeness unless I’m the one doing it.”

She giggles, thinking I’m joking. I partially am.

“Are you okay?”

She waves me away. “I’m fine. Not the first time someone was a jerk to me, and certainly not the last. Here.” She hands me my order and the fifty back. “You shouldn’t have to pay for that.”

I shake my head. “Neither should you. Keep it.”

“You know you’re the second Bennett I’ve met recently.”

That pulls me up short, and despite how I look and the ten years between us, it bothers me that she doesn’t recognize me.

“Oh yeah? Where was that?”

“At MGH. Thankfully, I don’t work with little Miss Sunshine.” She bobs her head toward the door where the doctor just left. “I’m a nursing student. The other Bennett is a trauma surgeon.”

I laugh, unable to stop it. She’s referring to my friend Katy’s husband, who runs the department. Oops.

She gives a look. “You can stay here if you have nowhere else to go. I know it’s cold out and you don’t have a coat. The manager won’t come back out. He never does.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I work up the block and have to get back for a meeting.”

“Oh.” She laughs lightly and blushes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate?—”

“It’s fine,” I tell her. “I’ve been working on a case and haven’t left my office in a few days.” I glance down at myself and back up to her, a self-deprecating smile on my lips. “Obviously.”

The line has cleared out, and she grabs a spray bottle and rag and comes out from behind the counter to start cleaning tables.

“Are you a lawyer?” she asks as she sprays the cleaner and wipes it up.

“No. I work with computers. Why would you ask if I’m a lawyer?”

She shrugs. “You mentioned a case. Just where my mind went. Do you work for the school?”

Now my smile grows, because this coffee shop is technically on the campus of the university, so I’m sure she gets a lot of staff and students here. “No. I don’t work at the school. What kind of nurse do you want to be?”

Her eyes meet the floor, and after a strangely long pause where she twirls her bracelet a few times, she utters, “An OB nurse and eventually a nurse midwife.”

That. It practically knocks me sideways with how it hits me. Because my mother is a nurse midwife, and Liora used to work at her office. It was a small practice in our small town in the middle of nowhere Maine, but Liora loved it and always told me that’s what she wanted to be.

“I think that’s amazing,” I manage, taking in the lines of her face. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

I don’t know why I ask, or my purpose behind it. Liora was ten years ago, and dating women isn’t something I do for more reasons than I can count.

She picks up the spray bottle and rag and moves to the next table, one a bit farther from me as if she’s trying to create some distance. “Why? Are you asking me out?”

“If I did, would you say yes? I don’t always look like this.” I wave a hand up and down my body.

She keeps her head down and her face averted from me as she says, “It’s not that, and I’m sure you’re great, but I live with someone.”

Inexplicably, my throat tightens and my skin prickles.

“Is it serious?” The words slip out before I can stop them, but I don’t take them back. There’s no ring on her finger, and I don’t know why I care, but I do. I want her to be happy, and I want her life to be full, but I also never wanted her with anyone else but me.

She smiles, and my chest squeezes at how beautiful and familiar it is. “Pretty serious. I think for us, it’s forever.”

Fuck.

“Lucky guy.” My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I already know it’s Champagne wondering where I am. “I need to get going.”

“Sure. Have a good rest of your day, and thanks again for stepping in like that.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

Because once upon a time, I broke her heart. And without intending to, broke mine in return.