I open my mouth to respond when I feel a tug on my cardigan. I look down to find a sleepy, wild-haired Riley.
“Livi, do you think we can get the white pasta from that place with the crispy bread?” she asks softly with a slight whine in her tone. She’s more tired today than usual, which I pray doesn’t mean she’s getting sick. She takes naps often after school, but she only gets like this when she’s not feeling well.
“Aren’t you in luck, my sleepy bean. You must be a mind reader because I just had the thought that tonight felt like a great night for GrubHub delivery and a movie on the couch.” I look down just in time to see her eyes light up a little more, some tiredness leaving her features. Bending down, I wrap my arms around her small body to give her a hug and kiss. She smiles back, and I happily note the exhaustion on her face hasn’t returned.
Even though she tried her hardest, the weather zapped the energy right out of her. Since we weren’t able to have a picnic and feed the ducks in the park, I hope this dinner will do the trick of easing the disappointment of missing our outing. It’s one of our favorite afternoon activities when Olde Mug has bread leftover that couldn’t be donated to the local soup kitchen, but the rain ruined that plan today. It may have stopped, but there is no way the ground isn’t holding enough water to keep it soggy for the next couple of days. Which I hate because not only do we lose out on our time together in the park, but the bread will have to be tossed now. I almost told her we could go tomorrow regardless, but then I checked the weather forecast, and sure enough, the cold weather I’ve felt moving in will be here in two days. I used to love when Boston turned cold, but that isn’t the case these days. The winter weather and chilling temperatures will make walking to Riley’s school and then to Olde Mug more challenging.
“Let me go grab my bag, bean. Keep Ella company, okay? You know she likes to put the paper in wrong,” I tell her with a wink.
I grab my purse off the hook behind the door and drape the strap over my head and across my body. Turning around, I lock the door to the office at the same time as I see Riley run over to where she dropped all her stuff earlier. She slides her backpack over her shoulders and then wobbles herself into her shoes. She’s beyond ready to go home. She never complains when we need to stay a little later than normal, but you can see it in her movements at go time that she was silently wishing we were elsewhere. I ended up staying a little longer than even I had planned, but payroll needed to get done tomorrow, and I would rather have a little extra time in the morning with Riley than sitting here on my computer poring over numbers.
At times, Riley would have been in my office with me the whole time. She has her own little setup in the corner of what she calls “our” office. Having an office doesn’t impress her as much as working the room, though. My girl prefers to be people pleasing, bopping around the shop while chatting with the regulars and meeting new customers. I guess you could say she’s our little mascot.
She smiles up at me when I hold out my hand for her, taking it immediately. I feel so much pride for this kid every time her eyes meet mine. I give her hand a gentle squeeze, our secret code to get going, and we start walking toward the front door. I stop before pushing our way out to call over my shoulder and let Ella know we’re leaving.
“So long, coffee gods!” Riley sings, letting go of my hand so she can start dancing around the room.
Ella’s smile grows even bigger as she beams at Riley from across the floor. “I bid you farewell, Coffee Princess. Will you be coming to grace us simple folk with your beauty again tomorrow?”
“Silly El. Where else would I be? I work here, remember? My name is on the signs and alllllll the other stuff, you know,” Riley tells her, annoyed at the slightest possibility she’d have somewhere else to be.
“Oh my goodness, how could I ever forget? I guess you do kind of run this place more than your silly auntie. What would we do without a boss like you, Princess Riley?” Ella snickers, giving Riley a curtsey that makes her mouth open to release a huge belly laugh.
I laugh along with them, knowing how much effort I put into this business, especially with all the behind-the-scenes stuff I do at night after Riley goes to sleep.
Ella’s hours are a close second to mine. She cares about this business as if it were her own, which it might as well be since she bought shares in it two years ago. She’s more than just reliable. She manages the staff and scheduling like a pro and puts in more hours than I’d ask of anyone purely out of choice. I consider myself lucky to have found her, which is why I pay her so well. It doesn’t hurt that she actually does live here.
“Give me a call or text if you need anything later. I’m sure I’ll be up late tonight. I need to do some ordering for next week, and I keep forgetting the list at home,” I tell Ella as Riley skips back to me, taking my hand and pulling me toward the door.
“You got it, chickadee.”
Both Riley and I wear smiles when we push through the front door into the slightly chilled air, the sun heating our faces despite the temperature. I pull the door closed and step onto the sidewalk, happy to see—and feel—the sun rays beaming through the clouds and the rain long gone.
I only get two feet away from the door when my back tingles with pinpricks of awareness.
I know what this is.
Or, I should say, who it is.
I can feel him.
I’ve always felt him.
Even though I sensed him, it still shocked me when he was just there, almost out of thin air.
My step falters for a moment, Riley jerking my arm when I don’t continue walking with her peppy steps. I feel her turn to look at me, but I don’t look away from the man with his back pressed against the corner of the building. One leg kicked up against the wall, shoulders against the brick, both tattooed arms pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He looks relaxed, but also … not.
As soon as his eyes lock with mine, I feel a shift in the air.
Even from the distance, however slight, I can tell a silent storm brews in those fierce dark-green eyes. It feels as if my heart will pound right out from behind my ribs, picking up speed every second he continues to hold my gaze. Other than his expressive eyes, eyes that I’m sure he has no idea give away so much, he shows zero outward sign that he is even as mildly affected by me as I am of him. It’s always like this. I would love to have just a small view inside his mind. Maybe then I would understand what goes on behind the silence.
Something tells me this man has tons of shadows floating within his depths. I feel it right down to the center of me.
Curiosity most certainly will kill the cat, but I can’t help but wonder what makes this silent giant tick.
Not that I have the guts to do anything about my curiosities.
Taking a deep breath, I try my best at a normal smile. No doubt my smile, however, is completely awkward and slightly off-kilter, making me look more possessed than polite.
“Hey. I know you, giant.” Riley snickers, covering her mouth with her tiny hand and smiling through her fingers up at him.
He breaks our eye contact and looks down—way down—at Riley.
“Is the weather up there different, mister?”
He shakes his head but doesn’t speak. I’ve never seen someone resist little bean.