As soon as I made it inside, I looked at the spot where I had met Shiloh the first time, and sure enough, she was there with her crossword puzzle as her guise. I didn’t wave so I wouldn’t blow her cover, and instead, I headed to the counter.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes when I noticed it was the same rude girl who gave me the third degree on Sunday. I did my best to smile but almost choked when I read her name tag. She was Ember?
Even as I approached her, she didn’t acknowledge me. If she wanted a standoff, she better buckle up because this would be a long ride. I cleared my throat, signaling that the game was on, but I refused to speak. It was her job to be personable, not mine.
She was better than I had given her credit for. She stared at me smugly as if to say, “What do you want?” but I wasn’t answering until those words came out of her mouth.
I noticed someone joining the line out of my peripheral, but that didn’t change my stance. Ember and I were playing chicken with our eyes, and I had the focus of an unblinking cat until the person behind me tapped on my shoulder, ruining my concentration.
“What?” I turned around to see Shiloh holding her hands up in surrender fashion. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay. I was checking to see if you needed something. You’ve been up here a while.” She peeked at Ember, who appeared unaffected by anything as she twisted her hair around her finger.
“No, I’m good. Just trying to order a drink. I’ll join you in a minute.” I offered a playful wink, but her cheeks instantly turned a deep shade of pink, and she scurried off to the table.
When I faced Ember again, she was staring in Shiloh’s direction, and it seemed like it was the first time she noticed her. Maybe she was one of those people who wanted a toy if someone else was playing with it first. Interesting. When she brought her gaze back to me, she still stared blankly, and I realized she didn’t even know what I was waiting for.
I released a frustrated sigh and wondered if she was that oblivious or too self-absorbed to care. Either way, Shiloh deserved better than that. I questioned what she found fascinating about her when all I felt was annoyance. I mean, she was physically attractive. She had a retro 90s punk-girl look, with choppy hair like Courtney Love, pale skin, and dark lips. If Ember and Yoni were anything to go on, Shiloh had a type.
“Can I get a caramel latte?”
“Do I know you?” Her words caught me off guard, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone had recognized me.
“I don’t think so.” I no longer wanted to glare at her. Instead, I tried to hide my face to get out of this conversation.
“I think I do. Have you come in here before?”
Why did she choose to be attentive now? Five minutes ago, when I wanted her to ask to take my order, she acted like she could see right through me.
“This isn’t my normal coffee shop. I’m here with someone.” I pointed to Shiloh, hoping she would direct her focus on her.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her before. What’s her story? Are you two…” Her gaze stayed on Shiloh a beat too long if she thought she was my girlfriend.
Out of spite, I almost said yes because I wanted her to have regret. But I wouldn’t put up a beaver dam because Shiloh deserved happiness. Even if I couldn’t see what Ember had to offer, it wasn’t my choice. I was here to help, not hinder.
“No. I’m not sure if she’s seeing anyone right now, but she’s a catch.” I watched as Shiloh sipped her drink but kept her eyes glued to her puzzle book.
“Hmmm,” she was pensive, which I would take as a good sign.
“I could maybe put in a good word for you.” I didn’t know how we had gone from a who's-the-bigger-alpha showdown to me offering to hook her up, but it was organic, which usually yielded better results.
“Nah. If I see something I like, I take it. I don’t need handouts.” She gave a half-hearted shrug, and I hoped she developed a zit on the corner of her mouth.
“Right. How about that caramel latte?” This conversation was over, but now I didn’t know what to say to Shiloh.
How could I, in good conscience, set her up with this egomaniac?
“Sure, name?”
I told her and waited to the side. When Shiloh finally looked up, I smiled at her, and she returned the gesture. She was too sweet, and Ember would eat her alive.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, and just then, Ember called out, “Cat,” knowing full well that wasn’t what I had said.
Great. Not only was she full of herself, she was the typical mean girl who had to get the last word. But she had no idea who she was messing with.
Chapter 12Shiloh
Ididn’t know what was happening in the line, but Caz had been taking forever. She appeared to be studying Ember, and I wondered if my biggest fear had occurred—she realized how amazing she was and wanted to be with her, too.
I didn’t stand a chance against that competition. Maybe if I went up there, I could break the spell, and she would remember why she was here.
I stood behind her for a minute, but she didn’t acknowledge me. She was so consumed by Ember that it was like no one else was in the room. I tapped her shoulder, but she appeared so angry at the interruption that I cowered down. She did apologize before winking at me, but something was off.
I quickly returned to my table, purposely avoiding any lingering glances in that direction. Not having any information about what was going on made my mind run wild with worst-case scenarios, which only added to my awkwardness.
As I sipped my coffee, I tried to work on my crossword, but I couldn’t even read the clues as everything felt too heavy to function. When I finally gave up, I peeked in Caz’s direction, and she smiled. But it was off—too big—fake. It made me think she felt guilty. I tried not to jump to conclusions, but that was how I got most of my exercise.
When she had her coffee in hand, she joined me, but I pretended to be still engrossed in my puzzle.
“Is this seat taken?” Her voice sounded normal—no nerves or anything.
Maybe I had let my mind run away, and nothing had happened.
“By all means, please.” I waved my hand in front of the chair, and she pulled it out, sitting across from me.
“So, have you gotten any other information that might be useful?” She took a big sip of her coffee before looking like she wanted to throw it up.
It seemed like her throat was fighting her to swallow, but eventually she must have won as she opened her mouth, gasping for air.
