Chapter Seven
More than an hour after the game ended, Natalie finally made it to the crowded coffee shop. After eleven on a Friday night, it seemed like everyone in Ashford Falls was there. Jameson sat in the corner, chatting easily with a group of townspeople. When he saw her, he flashed her a quick grin that made her heart do a funny little flip in her chest. He made his way across the shop to greet her near the door.
“Hey there, Coach,” Jameson greeted her. Instead of bending to kiss her, he took her hand, playing absently with her fingers.
“I’ve never been this happy after a loss.” She fought the beaming smile threatening to break out over her face.
“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow for a celebratory dinner. I just heard about this great place in Harper’s Ferry. Serves Italian.”
“Are you asking me out to dinner?” Natalie leaned close to whisper. “I thought we’d agreed to keep things quiet.”
“I kissed you in front of the whole town. Everyone who didn’t witness it already heard about it so…” Jameson met her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I got caught up in the moment tonight. I know I should have talked to you first but the thing is, I don’t want to keep us secret.”
“I’m a substitute teacher. You’re my boss. Can this end well?”
“The school doesn’t have a policy against us dating. I checked.” Jameson played with her fingers. “Mr. Banks, the prior principal, was married to the school librarian. They just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on a Hawaiian cruise.”
“Wedding anniversary?” Natalie’s pulse fluttered in her throat. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet, no matter how right being with Jameson felt to her.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves…” Jameson started. He stared at her for a second, then clasped her cheeks in his big, warm palms, tilting her face upward. He dropped a kiss on her mouth, pulling her close. She melted against him, caught in the magic they made together. After just a few brief seconds, he lifted his head and smiled down at her, wrapped in his arms. “I could give you a big speech about seeing where this goes and how we should go slow. But the truth is, I’m too old for that. This feels like the real deal to me.”
“Me too.” Natalie stood on her tiptoes to brush a quick kiss over his mouth. At a loud sniffle next to them, they broke apart to see Zooey, standing behind the counter, wiping her eyes with a dish towel. Patrick glanced heavenward and shook his head but continued to tidy up behind the counter.
“I’m sorry. I’m a sap!” Zooey clutched the dish towel to her chest. “You two are so cute together. That’s ten couples this year that met in our coffeeshop.”
“You met Charlie in the islands,” Patrick pointed out. “And Joe met Molly at the farm.”
Zooey flapped a hand at him. “Ignore Patrick. He’s a cynic.”
Patrick glanced across the shop at a woman with brown curly hair, sitting in a group of couples. A man with a goatee dropped a kiss on the woman’s forehead before heading up to the counter.
“Joy wants another coffee and I’ll take a cookie.”
Patrick’s mouth twisted as Zooey quickly handed the man his order. He loped back over to the couples and sat down. Zooey looked at Patrick and shook her head sadly. Natalie guessed that Cupid had gotten his arrows crossed there.
“Did you take my advice, man?” Jameson asked Patrick, who looked utterly miserable and just shook his head. He straightened up and looked at his sister.
“Zooey, let’s do it. Set me up with one of your friends. One of Molly’s friends. Anyone. I don’t care.” Patrick took off his apron and disappeared through a glass-paneled door in the back of the shop. Zooey chewed on her bottom lip, still clutching the dish towel in her hands.
“Wow, that looks like an interesting story.” Natalie observed.
“It’s an old story,” Jameson shrugged. “Love gone wrong.”
“It usually does go wrong.” Natalie wrapped her arms around Jameson’s neck, delighting in the feel of his return hug. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Until it doesn’t.”
THE END… Thank you for taking the time to read Pumpkin Spice. I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider posting a short review and telling your friends. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and very much appreciated.
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Next up in Ashford Falls…Kieran Kincade gets his own story.
In November, dozens of Ashford Falls citizens embark on the crazy adventure of writing a novel in a month to celebrate National Novel Writing Month.
High school junior Alice Wells has always lived more in her head than in the real world and is finally going to write down her imaginary battles with dragons and wizards.
But, when her long-time crush, quarterback Kieran Kincade sits next to her at the weekly write-ins, will Cupid’s magic finally make her Thanksgiving Dream come true?
While you are waiting for more Cupid’s Coffeeshop, please check out my other novels, including The Lost Art of Second Chances and the Always a Bridesmaid series.
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Thanks again for your support!
Author’s Note
I met my best friend, Lynn, on our first day of high school, more years ago than either of us would prefer to admit. I was extremely lucky that first day of high school, so many moons ago, because not only did I get a best friend for life, but I also got to claim her mom, Elise, as my “other mother.” I’m so grateful for her wise counsel and friendship. I thought it was fitting that a book centered around high school be dedicated to Elise. Love you!
You won’t find Ashford Falls if you consult a map. It’s a fictionalized version of Leesburg, Virginia. Located about 40 miles west of DC, the sleepy tiny town has become a bedroom community full of new development. But the heart of the old town is still there, tucked into the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sadly, Cupid’s Coffeeshop does not exist at all, except in my imagination.
Thanks to my editor, Annie at e-scribes.com, for always making my books better. Also many thanks to Kim Killion of the Killion Group for my gorgeous covers and designing the Cupid’s Coffeeshop logo.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the tenth story in the Cupid’s Coffeeshop series as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please check out my series page on Amazon for each new release. You can also find merchandise, illustrated quotes, and blogs about Cupid’s Coffeeshop on my website at www.Courtney-Hunt.com
I’m also usually found on twitter at @courtneyhunt71, and would love to chat!
Pumpkin Spice (Cupid's Coffeeshop Book 10) Page 4