Page 20 of A Tempting Seduction

“Dang right you can.”

Fiona kissed both kids goodbye, promised to be back soon, and headed for the door. She paused with her hand on the knob.

“Ruby?”

“Yeah?”

“If I have to be brave enough to go to this interview and put myself out there, why aren't you brave enough to go out with my brother?”

The question hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs and sending heat flooding through my entire body. I opened my mouth to protest, to explain all the reasons why her comparison was completely unfair, but no words came out.

Fiona smiled, the first genuine smile I'd seen from her all morning. “Just think about it.”

The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving me alone with two small children and a question that I was nowhere near ready to answer.

Dang, I hate ‘why’ questions.

Chapter Five

The line at Java Jolt stretched longer than usual this Wednesday morning. Four customers stood ahead of me, and I could hear Jordan's voice from behind the counter growing more strained with each order. Something was wrong. The normally smooth rhythm of the coffee shop felt off, and it wasn’t just because Ruby wasn’t behind the counter.

The woman at the front of the line pointed to the chalkboard menu. “I'll take the Cinnamon Roll Latte, please.”

“That's not available today.” Jordan's voice carried a harried edge.

“Oh. How about the Maple Bacon Mocha?”

“Nope.”

The woman's smile faltered. “The Vanilla Caramel Macchiato?” I felt my shoulders begin to tense. What did he mean the specials weren’t available?

“We don't have that, either.”

“But it's right there on the board.” The woman pointed to the chalkboard covered with brightly colored coffee options.

“Look, lady, I told you we don't have any of that fancy stuff today, okay?” Jordan's tone had shifted from harassed to downright rude. “Just order regular coffee or something simple.”

Heat crawled up my neck. This wasn't the Java Jolt I knew. Ruby would never allow a customer to be treated this way. The woman's face flushed red with both embarrassment and anger.

“Where's your manager?” she demanded to know.

“She's too busy taking a break to talk to customers.”

My hands clenched into fists. That was complete trash, and I knew it. Ruby took her responsibilities seriously. If she was on break, there was a blasted good reason for it.

Bernie Faulks stepped forward from his table by the window. His weathered face showed the kind of controlled anger that came from years of dealing with incompetent people.

“Ma'am, I'm sorry for this young man's rudeness.” Bernie's voice carried authority despite his gentle tone. “Jordan here will get Ruby right now, and she'll definitely sort this out for you.”

Bernie fixed Jordan with a glare that could have melted steel. “Won't you, son?”

Jordan's face went pale. He mumbled something under his breath and slouched toward the back of the shop, clearly hoping to avoid Bernie's continued attention.

I waited, listening to the uncomfortable murmur of conversation from the other customers. Coffee shops were supposed to be welcoming spaces, places where people started their day with a smile and good caffeine. This felt more like a customer service nightmare.

A minute passed. Then Jordan's voice carried from the back office, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Who are these kids?”