A Cherry on Top (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 7)

by Ashley Lauren

“There’s no other way to do things.” He grinned, flashing a perfect set of white teeth.

  Suddenly, Faith felt inadequate next to him. This man was absolutely gorgeous with his broad shoulders, sharp nose, and kind eyes. He could have been a model if he wanted to. She, on the other hand, was just a plain Jane who rarely put on makeup and liked to keep her hair natural. Even if she was looking for something more with this man, why would he ever go for someone like her?

  “So, what, you’re just going to keep your favorite flavor a secret from me?” Travis asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t think I have a favorite. When I was a kid, I used to get those colorful ones, you know, the ones with the three different colors. I think it was called a Firecracker or something like that.”

  “That’s not really ice cream. Okay, so you’re going to the grocery store, you’re in front of the ice cream section, what tub of ice cream do you buy?”

  “Well, if I’m at the grocery store, I’m probably not in front of the ice cream section.”

  “I don’t believe it. Every woman has a secret stash of ice cream her freezer. One that she hides in the back.”

  Faith lifted a finely arched eyebrow. “Been in many women’s freezers, have you?”

  Travis threw back his head and laughed. “Got me there. No, actually, my deep dark secret is I like to watch romantic comedies when I’m editing my photos. Lots of ice cream seemed to be involved in broken hearts.”

  “No way you watch romantic comedies. Or if you did, you’d never admit it!”

  “I’m secure enough to admit that I enjoy a good love story with humor and a happy ending. What’s wrong with that? The news depresses me, and I like to be in a good mood while editing. But you’re getting me off topic. Ice flavor?”

  “I really don’t have one,” Faith smirked. She liked that Travis had a soft side he wasn’t afraid to show.

  Travis leaned forward and whispered. “Let me guess, you’re one of those people who like mint.”

  “What’s wrong with mint?”

  Travis gasped dramatically as if offended by her answer. “What’s wrong with mint? I’ll tell you what’s wrong with mint.” He set down his spoon and straightened out his posture as if what he was about to say was of utmost importance. “Mint is only good for two things, gum, and toothpaste – “

  “And ice cream,” Faith teased, getting used to his silly, yet charming personality. He made her want to unwind, and tap into her inner child.

  He shook his head. “Next, you’ll tell me mint chocolate is the best. I don’t know how you live with yourself.”

  Faith giggled, moving closer to him. Her cheeks turned red when she realized what had happened. She never giggled, not even when she was five!

  “Anyway, enough about that. Tell me more about your position at Berkeley, it must be nice being a professor.” Travis turned toward her, his body facing hers. His eyes wandered along her features, mesmerized by her natural beauty. He had dated quite a few girls, and most of them caked their face with makeup, but not Faith. She seemed like the kind of woman who liked to be herself, a person who was comfortable in their own skin, and he really admired that.

  “Honestly, I love my job. Some people think it would be boring giving lectures on ancient civilizations but not to me. It’s a lot of fun. My students always surprise me with either their knowledge or with the questions they ask. Every day, I’m learning something new, and I think that’s the best part about the job.”

  Travis’s eyes widened slightly at her response. He admired her even more now. A woman that was not only intelligent but who enjoyed the act of learning. “That’s fascinating. Maybe I could sit in on one of your classes sometime. I’m a good student.” He winked at her.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’d find it boring…” she said, trying to brush off the suggestion. The thought of him watching her give a lecture made her nervous. Odd, since she was used to speaking to hundreds of college students at a time. Usually, nothing intimidated her, so why would Travis listening in make her so anxious?

  “I doubt it.” He smiled, his voice dropping in pitch. He took one last scoop of the sundae before leaning back in his seat. “That really hit the spot.” His arm slung over the edge of the booth, his fingers just barely touched Faith’s shoulder.

  His touch sent sparks throughout her body. It jolted Faith so much that she slid away, saying, “I should get going. I have a lot of papers to grade.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to order something to eat? I don’t think ice cream constitutes a meal once you’re older than twenty.”

  Faith hesitated, biting the inside of her lip. On the one hand, she found that she really wanted to stay and continue getting to know him. He was funny, sweet, and made her laugh. She worried that staying would lead to something more than just a date to a BBQ, and she wasn’t ready for that. “Thanks, but I’ll have to decline. I should really get going.” She hurried out of the booth, grabbing her bag. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “Likewise,” Travis responded, but there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

  Faith looked back, worried he’d changed his mind. “You’re really sure you want to go to the 4th of July party with me?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  He flashed another smile, and Faith felt her heart skip a beat.

  She blamed it on the heat and tightened her grip on her bag. “Great, I’ll see you this Saturday then.”

  “Where should I pick you up?”

  Faith fished into her bag and pulled out a pen. Leaning over, she grabbed a napkin and scribbled her address. “Do you mind coming by around 12:30? The BBQ starts at 1:00, but my family lives just on the outskirts of town, and I don’t have a car. I could call a taxi for us if you don’t want to drive.”

  “I don’t mind driving.”

  Faith smiled. “Great. Well, I’ll see you then.” Without another word, she walked out the door.

  Travis watched her until she’d disappeared into the crowd on the street. On the table, the rest of their ice cream had melted, the cherry floating in the milky residue.

  With a sigh, Travis left a tip for Katy and left as well. He couldn’t tell whether their “date” had gone well or if he had messed up along the way. Everything had seemed to be going fine, and then she’d suddenly needed to go. He’d started to feel like he might actually want to date Faith, but it wouldn’t work if she wasn’t interested in him as more than a fill-in date.

  Chapter 6

  Faith struggled to tie the top of her dress around her neck. Every time she tried, she either tied it too tightly or way too loosely. “This is impossible…” She mumbled to herself before she finally tossed it off, throwing it in the hamper.

  Feeling frustrated, she stood in front of her closet, looking for something else to wear. Most of her clothes were darker in color. She certainly didn’t have any patriotic outfits. With no other option, she went back to the dress and gave it one more chance.

  This time, she tied it in front of the mirror. The knot grabbed some of her hair, but other than that, the dress finally settled on her body as it was supposed to. She eased away some of the wrinkles and pursed her lips together in question, spinning slowly. She didn’t quite like how it sat on her hips or how it hugged her figure. In her opinion, it wasn’t very flattering.

  She was just about to take it off when the doorbell rang. “He’s early!” She scrambled for her shoes, grabbing the first pair of flats she found on the bottom of her closet. Taking one last look in the mirror, she flattened some of the frizz in her hair before she snatched her bag off the bed and nearly ran down the stairs.

  Just before opening the door, she took a moment to compose herself. She didn’t even know why she was so nervous. It was so unlike her. In any other situation, she was usually calm and collected, keeping her cool even in the most dramatic situations, but there was just something about Travis that completely derailed her.

  Maybe it wasn’t Travis pe
r say, maybe it was just the idea of going on a date. But this wasn’t a date. This was just a setup to get her mom off her back. Nothing more.

  Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to find Travis standing there with a bright smile on his face and a flag-themed t-shirt.

  He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. Something that sounded a lot like ‘Wow’ tumbled out of his mouth, but Faith couldn’t be sure. When, he didn’t say anything else Faith nervously asked, “What…?”

  “You look great.”

  The compliment sent blood rushing to her cheeks, turning them a soft shade of pink. “T-Thank you…” She managed to force out the words, even though her lips felt like they were glued together.

  “Don’t thank me for stating the obvious.” Though he didn’t stop staring, his dark eyes took on a more youthful glow, like a kid who had just set foot inside a candy store. “Shall we get going?” He offered her his arm.

  Faith hesitated, suspicious of the gesture. It reminded her of Logan. He used to do the same thing and look where that got her. She wasn’t going to fall for smiles and gentlemanly manners. Pretending she didn’t see his offered arm, she walked over the threshold, locked the door, and followed the path to the car parked outside.

  Travis dropped his arm, a frown painting his face. Had he done something wrong? Shaking his head, he rushed forward, opening the door for her.

  Still silent, Faith got in, buckling in her seatbelt.

  Travis thought about asking if something was wrong, but in the end, he just hopped into the driver’s seat and started the car. “Do you mind if we ride with the top down?”

  “No, I don’t mind.” Faith answered, watching him as he pushed a button near the rearview mirror. The car shook for a moment before the roof unlocked and started to retract into the trunk. The California sunlight beamed down on them, causing Faith to squint. She fished a pair of sunglasses out of her purse.

  “If you prefer, I can put it back up.”

  “What?”

  Travis pointed to her glasses.

  “Oh. No, no. It’s fine, really.”

  “Okay, but if it gets too windy or whatever, just let me know.”

  Faith nodded, grateful that he was being so considerate, but at the same time, that just made her wary. She couldn’t tell whether he was being genuine or not or if she was just paranoid after dating Logan. She gave Travis directions, and they headed out. Faith took a deep breath and tried to let it all go, enjoying the drive along the back roads.

  The scenery was beautiful with trees lining the road, bright summer blooms dancing in the wind, and small animals scurrying under bushes. Birds twittered overhead, soaring into the azure-colored sky.

  “Perfect weather for a BBQ, isn’t it?” Travis commented, trying to make small talk. He’d decided to be optimistic about this almost-date, but it would be a bust if Faith remained quiet the whole time or refused to acknowledge any of his polite gestures.

  “It is. I bet my mom is thrilled. She loves when the weather is like this.”

  Travis was glad she was talking at least. Maybe there was hope, yet. “What about you?”

  “I’m more of a winter person. I spent a year in Germany during my undergraduate studies, and it was amazing to see the wild forest out there change seasons. California weather is nice, most of the time. But snow outside while your read by the fire is just about perfect.”

  “Have you ever shoveled the snow?”

  “Not really.”

  “See, that’s why you think it’s perfect. I used to live in New Hampshire. My parents had a cottage up in the mountains, so we used to get pummeled with snow every winter. My dad and I would have to go outside and shovel it all up until we were stuck in a hunched over position. It was painful at seventeen. I have no idea how my father dealt with it.”

  “Oh, come on, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

  “We had a thirty-foot driveway, and my father refused to get a snow-blower!”

  “Okay… that seems kind of bad.”

  “Besides, I didn’t even get to play in the snow.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I was an only child, so it wasn’t like I had anyone to go sledding with or have a snowball fight. My mom tried to sometimes, but she could never quite figure out how to make one properly. Plus, she couldn’t throw that well, so I ended up spending all my time trying to teach her rather than throwing snowballs at her.”

  Faith laughed. “It doesn’t sound all that bad.”

  Travis shrugged. “I guess you’re right. It could’ve been worse.”

  “So, why did you move to California?”

  “Well, I knew that I wanted to be a photographer and my passion was with beachscapes. The idea of capturing the sun at exactly the right moment when it’s over the water has always been my goal. But, since I lived on the East Coast, I only get my chance at sunrise.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  Travis grinned. “I’m not a morning person. It takes me a few hours to get going. Taking photos at the crack of dawn didn’t work for me. The pictures were as fuzzy as my head.”

  “So… you came to the west coast to take pictures of the sunset. That’s smart. But don’t you miss your family?”

  Travis didn’t answer. Instead, he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and kept his eyes on the road. A few seconds later, he asked, “Do I take this right up ahead?”

  “Yeah, then it should be on your left,” she explained.

  A heavy silence filled the car. The expression on Travis’s face was hard for Faith to read, but he seemed to be upset. Had she said something wrong? Had something happened between him and his parents?

  Travis fidgeted with his necklace, still quiet. The medallion was a Celtic knot, intricately weaved together with brandished silver. An interesting piece. Being in ancient studies, Faith always noted when people wore symbols of a past culture. It fascinated her that some knew exactly what the symbols meant and others picked up pieces because they looked intriguing. She wondered which type of person Travis was.

  Faith leaned forward in her seat. The lawns were getting larger and the houses further apart. Her parent’s house was coming up. “It’s this house right here.”

  Faith pointed to a huge, two-story home with a wraparound porch that would have looked comfortable on a southern plantation. Cars packed the long pull-through driveway and lined the edges of the road. “This is where you grew up?” Travis asked.

  “Yeah, it’s been in the family for years.” Faith hurried on, trying to bypass all the questions she knew were coming by distracting Travis with her colorful family history. “The rumor is great-grandpa won it in a card game.”

  Travis swiveled around and stared at her. “You’re joking, right?”

  Faith smiled. “That’s the story my grandpa tells everyone. It could be true, but once you meet grandpa you’ll see that none of us are really sure of the true story.”

  Travis raised an eyebrow.

  “I warned you about my eccentric family. You’ll see. Just be prepared for anything.”

  “Uhm, okay. Can I park on the street?”

  “Join the crowd. Everyone else has.”

  Travis nodded, easing behind a red minivan. He left the top down and got out of the car. Before Faith could open her door, he was already standing there, doing it for her. “After you,” he said with a bright smile.

  Faith nearly cringed, flashbacks of Logan kept creeping into her mind. “This way…” she said, her voice sounding distant.

  She needed to get herself under control. Travis was not Logan, and Travis had no idea who her family was or how much influence they had in the community. With Travis walking beside her, she moved up the long driveway and then turned onto a red-bricked path that led to an ornate gate.

  Faith heard excited chatter and high-pitched, kid squeals. The noise was familiar, but almost overwhelming when compared to Faith’s quiet life. She loved them, but one huge family gathering a ye
ar was all she could handle.

  Faith took a deep breath and pushed open the gate. “And this here is the entire Mason clan.”

  Chapter 7

  Travis stood by the gate in awe. Not only was the backyard gigantic with its own pond—no lake was more like it—but Faith’s family was huge. There was a group of older adults enjoying what looked like lemonade under the shade of a tree. Several men were playing cards, their wrinkled faces pulled into expressions of concentration.

  Little kids squealed and chased one another, throwing water balloons, playing tag, or lined up to go down a slide that dumped the kids into the lake. Everyone else lingered in groups, drinking from red plastic cups or eating hamburgers. There had to have been over a hundred people here.

  “All of these people belong to your family?”

  “More or less. Some of them are invited guests, such as yourself. Don’t worry, everyone is friendly. Maybe a little too friendly. You’ll find out soon enough.”

  As Faith stepped forward, a tiny girl diverged from the group and came running at top speed. She crashed into Faith, almost knocking her over.

  “Faith!” The little girl had a bit of a lisp as she squealed with delight. Faith smiled and picked her up. She tickled the girl under her chin until she curled up into a tight little ball, trying to squirm away.

  “Crystal! How’s my favorite baby cousin?” Faith cooed, ruffling the girl’s hair.

  “Good! I lost my teeth!” She said, smiling wide to show off her missing front teeth.

  “Oh, did the tooth fairy come to visit yet?”

  “Yeah! I got two dollars!”

  “Wow, two dollars, what are you going to do with all that money?”

  “I’m going to buy a princess castle!”

  “Do I get to visit your princess castle?”

  “Of course!” She giggled. “But only if you promise to have a royal tea party with me.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “Pinky promise?”

  “Pinky promise.” Faith held out her pinky. The little girl quickly hooked their pinkies together, squeezing tight.