Maddy
Before things could escalate, the cop’s radio erupted with a series of garbled commands that he made a show of responding to as he made a hasty retreat, not looking me or my “hero” in the eye again.
But luckily my hero stayed put. He shook his head and muttered, “Good riddance,” as the cop climbed into his cruiser and pulled off.
There was something about this man that touched me deeply. He looked good—there was no question there. He was tall and dark and handsome in that effortless, almost movie-star, kind of way. I liked his strong nose, which had a slight bend in the bridge, suggesting that it may have been broken before, which meant he’d seen some things and maybe had a story. But there was a lot more to this lightning strike of attraction than the way he looked, though hell if I knew what the “more” was.
It wasn’t his clothes, though he was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit not unlike the ones many of my finance bro customers wore. But he seemed different from them somehow—and that was a good thing. He pushed his thick, dark hair back and out of his face, but it seemed to want to keep flopping over on one half of his brow. Not as put together as you look, are you, hero?
I was good at reading people—a talent that had matured over time—and he seemed experienced in a way that suggested he hadn’t just wandered his way through a privileged life that came ready-made with an Ivy League MBA and a cushy job. No, he wasn’t a finance bro—I knew that much.
Whoever he was, I was caught off guard by him, speechless for a moment at the depth of this sudden, strange feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Is this really love at first sight? That’s not a real thing, right? You can’t fall in love with someone without ever even saying one word to them…can you?
He gave me a curious look as he approached the counter. “You okay?” he asked. “Hope I didn’t overstep by telling that cop to fuck off. I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but…I guess I just couldn’t help myself.” He scowled. “I can’t stand people who abuse their authority like that.”
I snapped back to the moment and smiled at him. It was not lost on me that this might be the first time I’d ever given a customer a real smile. “Not at all. Thanks for playing the knight in shining armor. But honestly, I’m used to guys like him, and you’re right, I’ve gotten pretty good at looking out for myself.”
He nodded, accepting that. “Like I said, I was acting on instinct. Should’ve guessed a woman like you can handle yourself.” He winced at himself. “I shouldn’t have assumed anything, should’ve left it between you two.”
“No, no, you don’t need to apologize,” I said, then cringed at my own response. “What I’m saying is, I didn’t mind your help, and you’re fine.” I stared at him.
“Uh, great… So could I place an order?”
“Oh, yes, duh, of course! That’s why you’re here!”
What the hell is wrong with me?
“What’ll you have?”
“A coffee, please, large and black.” He smiled. “Unless you recommend something else?”
I shook my head. “Black coffee is a great choice, and it’s my favorite because I can make it fast and send the customer on their way…uh…not that I want to send you on your way. I mean I do, but only if you have somewhere to be.”
I let out a silent groan and turned away from him to pour his coffee and regain my composure.
“I like to keep things simple where I can. And to your point, it gets me in and out of the coffee shop in record time. And when you’re as busy as I am, that makes a difference.” He checked his watch and frowned a little. Obviously, he did have somewhere to be, and here I was talking his ear off.
“Yeah, I bet. You look like the type…the type that’s busy.”
He nodded and chuckled.
I was beyond flustered, nervous, struggling to keep my responses short and to the point since something about him was making me want to ramble on and on in a way I never had before.
I was frustrated by how off my game I was, so much so that before I knew it, I’d overfilled his coffee cup—which wasn’t such a disaster only because I was filling it on the grated tray that was made for catching overflow. I only hoped he hadn’t noticed my mishap. I’d just mentioned how easy it was to serve up black coffee, but right now I was making it look like the hardest thing in the world.
I handed him his coffee with a shaky hand and gasped in horror as it spilled all over him.
My blood went cold.
“Oh shit—I—I can’t believe I just did that! I’m so sorry!” I scrambled for napkins and rushed to help him wipe off the coffee, and then I realized I was pawing at him and only making the stain worse.
Awkwardly, I backed off and handed him a pile of fresh napkins so he could take care of it himself.
“I’ve never done that before. I’m so embarrassed! Did I burn you? Please tell me I didn’t hurt you,” My mind swirled with thoughts of lawsuits and trials that would bring the type of visibility that would make people dig into my background. I couldn’t risk that! What if they dug too deep and found out something they shouldn’t? What would happen to me?
I was spiraling.
“You didn’t burn me,” he said.
“But your suit! I ruined it! Of course I’ll pay for it to be cleaned—but I don’t blame you at all if you’re furious at me. I would be furious at myself if I spilled coffee on my work clothes.”
He was dabbing gingerly at the stain, knowing just as well as I did that the napkins weren’t helping. He looked up at me, and his expression softened when he saw how upset I was. He laughed gently as I dissolved into a fresh wave of apologies.
“You don’t have to keep apologizing, and you don’t have to pay for my cleaning. Accidents happen. Besides, those jerks obviously got to you. Threw you off your game.” He threw the pile of stained napkins in the trash, his bearing calm and easy.
I stared at him, wondering if he was for real. I knew that if I’d done this to one of my regulars, they’d be calling Georgia out here to fire me on the spot. But this guy was just taking it in stride. Barely seemed fazed.
Handsome and easygoing.
He closed his jacket. “Now look, you can’t even see it. I’ll survive. But I still want that coffee.”
As I turned to make him a fresh cup, I couldn’t help but think that this man was a dream come true. Anyone who could send me out of orbit like this was something special as far as I was concerned.
I handed him his coffee, passing it across the counter carefully as if I were handling a motion-sensitive explosive.
He reached into his pocket to pay, but I waved him off.
“It’s on the house.”
“That’s not necessary.” He pulled out his wallet.
“I insist, really. It’s the least I can do after assaulting you with a cup of coffee. Especially after you came to my rescue.”
“Thanks,” he said, raising the coffee in my direction before heading over to the condiments station to grab a lid.
I watched him; I couldn’t do much else with him still so close by and breathing the same air as I was. Where the hell had he come from? I knew I hadn’t seen him before. A guy like that, I would remember.
He received a message on his phone and looked down at it, his face screwed up in consternation.
The front door bell dinged at the same moment, and Riya Caprio came in, eyeing me down with interest. “What’s going on with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She rounded the counter to stand beside me.
Riya was the closest person I had to a friend. Dante’s daughter being besties with his longtime hitwoman just kinda made sense. We both had our fair share of skeletons in our closets. But she was society, while I was still technically the hired help.
Still, I pulled her close and whispered, “I just met this guy… Well, I didn’t meet him exactly, more like spilled coffee all over him. But he was so nice about it! And there’s something about him that, I don’t know, spoke to me. It’s stupid, I know, but it feels like love at first sight.”
Riya looked at me like I was going crazy. “Love at first sight? Really? You know that’s bullshit, right?”
“That’s what I thought before I laid eyes on him. I want this guy, Riya. Want him every which way.”
Riya laughed. “Well, color me impressed! Never thought I’d see the day Madeline Archer went nuts for a guy. I’ve never seen you act like this. I was starting to wonder if you would ever be interested in anyone at all. So, where is this marvel of a man?”
I turned to point him out only to realize that he was gone. My heart sank. “He’s gone, and I didn’t even get his name.” I sighed. “So much for love at first sight.”
“Eh, he would’ve only let you down once you really got to know him, most men do,” Riya said flippantly.
I guessed that was the end of it. The thought of never seeing him again was overwhelming, but it wasn’t like I wasn’t used to disappointment.
I turned my attention back to Riya just as she said, “Maddy, I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
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