Page 41 of Sunset Catchers

“Good to see you, Levi.” The guys exchanged a complicated handshake that I’m betting they came up when they were tweens. It’s kind of adorable.

“Good to see you, too. Benny, this is Winnie. Winnie, this is my best friend, Benny.” It makes me nervous to meet Levi’s friend, his best friend even. I want to make a good impression; it’s important to me, even if it’s silly. I want him to like me.

“Pleasure to meet you, Winnie,” Ben says with a charming grin.

Dark blonde hair, with a matching scruff on his jaw, mostly hidden under a backward blue cap and warm brown eyes, that matches the friendly grin I’m sure he gives away freely and abundantly to all of his clients. A small golden hoop shines on his left lobe. He’s wearing a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans combo, with an olive-green apron tied at his waist.

“Hi!” I tell him, squirming on my feet. “Wow! You look so much like your grandmother.”

“And you are as pretty as Lou said.”

“Oh! Thank you.”

Levi has a tense jaw at my side, and he seems unhappy with Ben. Ben and I have already something in common: confusion over Levi’s sudden ire.

“Are you guys here to brunch?” Ben asks.

“Yup,” Levi says, popping the p out.

Ben’s gaze traveled from Levi to me a few times, leaving an amused smirk behind. They are definitely having a silent conversation; Junie and I always do this too. I just observe them, since I can’t hop into their minds to see what the hell is going on.

Levi gives Ben what I can only describe as a warning glance. Ben shrugs. Levi’s nostrils flare.

Ben looks at me again; they are done with their private mind-reading session.

“What can I get you?”

Again, I was so unprepared. Usually, I’d have already scoured the menu online, but all it said was “seasonal brunch offerings.” Maybe I should tell Ben that if he wants socially anxious girls to come to his coffee shop, he should put his damn menu online.

Levi comes to the rescue.

“Just bring one of each special, but hold any meat.”

“Anything to drink?” Ben asks next.

“One americano.” Levi glances at me. “And an iced latte with oat milk?” I nod, smiling.

“Noted. It’ll take a couple of minutes.”

“Thanks, man. And ring us up. I’m paying for everything.”

“Sure,” Ben agrees in a way that tells me we won’t be seeing anything close to resembling a receipt. “Your favorite table is free by the way. You might want to hurry.”

Levi urges me toward said table, with a hand on my back to make me walk faster. I make an amused sound at the back of my throat.

We each take one of the two black wooden chairs around the honed, white marble topped table at the front of the coffee shop that overlooks the main street. The sun is streaming through the glass, bathing the whole nook in soft light and warmth. After hooking the straps of my bag on the back of my chair, I turn to face Levi.

My breath catches. It’s just that his blues are luminous under the early morning light. He is, once again, staring at me with a soft smile.

“This place looks amazing,” I say.

“Ben really did a great job of making his vision come to life.”

“Did you help him?”

“Yeah. It was a joint family effort.”

This place mixes modern elements with what I’m sure are original details. Skinny oak flooring stained a dark brown color. Wherever foot traffic was heavy, there were these small square tiles in a black, white and dark green color palette that formed a random pattern. A mix of round and rectangle white marble tables dressed up the space, black wooden chairs with spindle backs as seating.