by A J Manney
“Cat girl,” he called out with a smile. Emma cringed inwardly but managed to keep a smile on her face. She walked behind the counter as he approached.
“What can I get for you?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m Liam,” he said and stuck out his hand with a huge smile. Emma stared at him for just a moment. “This is where you shake my hand and tell me your name, beautiful,” Liam said.
“Liam, leave the poor girl alone,” she heard Helen say.
Emma felt her cheeks blushing, but she put her hand out and tried to portray confidence. “I’m Emma,” she said, softer than she wanted to. The moment he took her hand in his, a bright light flickered in front of her, startling her so much she dropped his hand. Her eyes shot to his. He was looking down at her, frowning. She had no idea what to say. She decided to try to be professional. “What can I get for you today?” she asked, her voice steadier than she thought it would be.
He was still looking at her oddly but seemed to recover and ordered the dark roast with a little cream and no sweetener. Emma turned to go make the coffee. She could feel his eyes on her as she made his order. When she returned to give him his drink, she was very careful not to touch his hand as she passed it off.
“Thank you,” he said with a smile. Whatever had passed between them was behind them now. “I’ll be seeing you,” he said. “Thanks for the coffee. Bye, Emma. Bye, Helen,” he called out and turned and walked out of the shop, leaving Emma staring after him in confusion.
What was that? she wondered to herself. She didn’t have time to think about it because a few more customers came in. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something odd had happened and she didn’t think that was going to be the end of it.
Chapter 6
Emma took her usual break and went to the library. Her stomach started growling when she walked back to work. She pushed her hunger away, knowing she could eat dinner tonight at the house. She got back to the shop and grabbed her apron and got right back to work.
When it slowed down in the afternoon, she spent some time cleaning the shop while Helen grabbed supplies from the back room. Emma heard the bell jingle just as she finished and settled behind the counter. “Welcome to Sip and Drip,” she called out as she dropped her rag in the sink.
“Hey cat girl,” she heard from behind her. Without turning around, she knew Liam was back. She took a deep breath and turned around. She was startled to see that he wasn’t alone this time. Emma caught her breath as a man followed Liam into the shop. She noticed a third man had entered as well and stayed at the door, but she could only focus on the man in front of her. She stared at the man. He was by far the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. He oozed raw masculinity. He was incredibly tall and gorgeous with black hair, and dark facial hair. He was wearing a suit that Emma would guess cost more than anything she had ever seen at a normal store. Her eyes trailed up his incredibly built body and landed on his eyes. The moment she met his eyes, it felt like the world froze. He had the darkest eyes; she felt lost in them. In that instant, something happened. His eyes lost some of their darkness and began to change color. Emma unknowingly took a step back in fear. What’s happening?
Suddenly, her view of the gorgeous man was blocked when Liam stepped in front of him and practically shoved him towards the door. They both left the store without a word, and Emma was left staring after them in confusion. She greedily sucked in air. She felt like she hadn’t breathed since that man had stepped into the shop.
Emma watched the door. The door opened again, and Liam stepped inside once again. Emma’s eyes shot to the door, but nobody followed Liam in. He strode confidently up to the counter. “Sorry about that. My boss had to take a call,” he said smoothly. “I need three large dark roasts. Cream in just one of them,” he said as if everything was completely normal.
Emma wanted to ask about what she had seen but couldn’t find the courage to. “Sure,” she said as she rang him up. He paid for the coffees and Emma went to make them. She noticed that Helen was in the back office on the phone. Emma wondered if she had missed the whole scene altogether. She handed the coffees to Liam, careful once again to not touch his hands.
“Thanks,” he said with an easy smile.
“You’re welcome. Have a good one,” she said trying to keep her voice steady.
A couple came into the store and Emma was grateful for the distraction. She quickly took their order and made their drinks. After she passed them off, she turned around to see two police officers waiting for her. She swallowed nervously. She forced a smile. “Welcome to Sip and Drip. What can I get for you?”
The first police officer, the older of the two, placed his order. Then the second one stepped forward. “You’re new here,” he said. Emma looked up at him and realized he was younger than she had first assumed. She pegged him to be maybe a few years older than herself. He was smiling at her, but she still felt terrified, terrified they would know just by looking at her that she was on the run.
Emma nodded and tried to relax. “I started yesterday.”
“And she’s doing amazing. She’s a great addition around here,” Helen said as she came and stood next to Emma.
“I bet she is,” the officer said with a grin. “Hey, Helen, how’s business?”
“Not bad. Things could be better, but at least I’m still in business, right?” Helen said with a smile.
Emma glanced over at her. She wondered if the shop was in trouble. She would have to ask Helen about it later.
“You get coffee yet?” Helen asked.
“I’m ordering now,” the officer said. Looking back at Emma, he smiled and ordered his coffee. Emma rang him up and turned to go make his and the older officer’s coffee. She brought the two cups back to the counter.
“Here you go,” Emma said to the younger officer.
“Thanks so much...” he left it hanging.
“Emma,” Emma said.
“Emma,” he said with a smile. “I’m Kevin.” He reached out his hand to shake hers and Emma tentatively put hers out. She shook hands really quickly, so that whatever happened with Liam wouldn’t happen with him. When they shook hands and nothing happened, Emma breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe whatever had happened earlier was all in her head. She smiled at herself. She was just being paranoid. “Well, thanks for the coffee, Emma. Take care.”
“Have a good one,” Emma called out to him and the other officer as they made their way to the front door.
“Wow, you’re on a first-name basis with the police already. That’s pretty impressive.” Emma jumped at the voice and turned to find Liam leaning against the counter.
“I thought you left,” Emma said in surprise.
His eyebrows raised. “Trying to get rid of me, huh?”
“Oh, no, of course not,” Emma said trying to correct the situation.
Liam laughed. “Sure, you weren’t,” he said easily. “So, Emma,” he said, still leaning against the counter. “Tell me about yourself,” he said.
“Oh, um,” Emma stammered. Thankfully, Helen stopped in.
“If you want to get to know Emma, take her on a date. Now leave her alone and let her get back to work, Liam,” Helen said and Emma felt her whole face light up. She looked down.
Liam chuckled. “Okay,” he said, standing up. “Can I get your number, Emma?” he asked as he grabbed his phone out of his back pocket.
“No,” Emma said immediately.
He looked at her in surprise for a moment. Helen leaned next to Emma and whispered loudly, “He’s not used to getting turned down.” Emma felt her face blush even more.
“No, it’s not that. I just don’t have a phone,” Emma said awkwardly.
Liam looked at her for a moment in confusion. “How do you not have a phone?” Emma just shrugged, playing it off. But Liam wouldn’t let it go. “What do you do in case of emergency?” he asked.
Emma smiled slightly and cocked her head. “People survived before there were cell phones, Liam,” she
said. He looked at her like he couldn’t fathom such a thing. Emma couldn’t help but laugh. He finally indulged her with a smile.
“Well, tell me you at least live in a safe place,” he said.
Emma stiffened. She didn’t want him or even Helen to know where she lived. Emma couldn’t understand why he was so concerned about her. “It’s perfectly safe,” she said, trying to project confidence. I mean, she figured it was safe enough.
“Go ahead and clock out, Emma,” Helen called out to her from the back.
“I’ll just wait while you clock out. Then I can walk you to your car, since you don’t have a phone and all,” he said with a grin.
Emma stared at him for a moment. “What is with you and phones? I am perfectly fine. You don’t need to walk me to my car,” she stumbled over the last word.
“Fine,” he finally agreed, and Emma relaxed. “But I’ll wait outside for you,” he said and moved towards the door. A moment later, the bell jingled and he was gone.
Emma just stared at him. “What in the world is wrong with that man?” she asked out loud.
Helen hearing her, laughed. “It seems hiring you was a smart decision. Business from handsome young men apparently seems to be picking up,” she said.
Emma felt her face heat up as she clocked out and walked towards the back. Strangely, even though he was practically harassing her, she didn’t feel any danger from him. It was a weird feeling, and she wasn’t really sure what to think about it.
Cynthia came in as Emma dropped her apron in the laundry basket. “How did it go today?” she asked Emma as she put on an apron.
“It was good,” Emma said with a smile. She wondered if Liam was still waiting for her. The last thing she wanted him to know was that she was homeless.
She was trying to figure out how in the world to avoid him when Helen said nonchalantly. “There is a back door, should you ever need it.” Emma looked at her. Helen winked and motioned for Emma to follow her. When Helen showed her the door, Emma turned to her.
Helen smiled. “Go on before he figures out what you’re doing.”
“Thanks, Helen,” Emma said before quickly exiting the back door. Emma walked in the direction of the library and found she was able to still get to it from this street. With a huge smile on her face, she entered the library. She felt giddy with her small victory. She made her way to her favorite reading section and settled in to read before it was time to head back to Hope House.
That night, Emma had her second lesson in sign language from Olivia. After dinner, she visited the free room to see if there were any more clothes she could borrow. Disappointed not to find any, she made her way back to her room.
Her roommate came into the room right after she did. Emma turned to greet her. “Hi, I’m Emma,” she said putting out her hand.
“Don’t care,” the girl said as she pushed past Emma, nearly knocking Emma over. The girl flopped onto her bed and put her headphones on. Emma blew out a breath of frustration.
Just let it go, Emma. It doesn't matter, she told herself. Emma sat on her bed. She wasn’t sure what to do with her time now. She looked out the window and wondered how her mother was doing. Does she miss me? Does she even know I’m gone? She wondered—not for the first time—what it would be like to be a part of a normal, loving family. She pushed those thoughts aside. Nothing good came from wanting something she couldn’t have. She decided to focus on getting ready for tomorrow. She walked over to her dresser to set out her clothes for tomorrow.
When she opened the dresser drawer, she saw only one pair of leggings, the ugly cat shirt, and her underwear and bag of toiletries. She pushed everything out of the way looking for her other shirt and leggings. Had she put them somewhere else? She looked around the room, trying to think of what else she could have done.
Her roommate stood up and took the jacket she was wearing off and smirked at Emma. Emma looked down and saw the t-shirt she had received when she first got here. While it wasn’t anything amazing, it was better than the cat shirt. Emma opened her mouth to say something but paused when the girl crossed her arms and pinned her with a glare. Emma closed her mouth. It wasn’t worth it. Any fighting got you kicked out of here, and Emma couldn’t allow that to happen. She turned away, pushed in the drawer, and went and sat on her bed. She didn’t look her roommate’s way again. Well, at least the cat shirt’s ugly enough she probably won’t steal it, Emma thought with a smile.
Emma sat on her bed and wrapped her arms around her legs. She just needed to kill an hour or two before she could go to bed. She allowed her mind to drift to the events of the day. She thought about the man that had captured her attention. She could envision him now. Even after only seeing him one time, she could see every detail of him. She wondered again what had happened with his eyes. Had she imagined it or had they really changed color?
Chapter 7
Emma arrived at work the next morning wearing the cat shirt. She was so grateful for the apron she would be wearing all day. She and Helen got to work. While they were working, Emma brought up one of the things that had caught her attention yesterday. “Hey, Helen,” she began carefully.
“Hmm,” Helen said as she set out supplies for the day.
“I don’t mean to be nosy, but is the shop struggling?” she asked. Helen turned to look at her. “I’m sorry. I just heard what you said to those police officers and I... I’m sorry it’s not any of my business.”
Helen waved her hand. “Not at all. You’re a part of this now. I love this shop,” she said looking around. “My husband and I started it nearly thirty years ago now. It’s always done well, but once he passed...” She trailed off for a moment, and Emma felt horrible.
“I’m so sorry,” Emma said softly.
Helen smiled at her. “It’s okay. He’s been gone five years. I miss him so much. We had an amazing life together. We built this business from the ground up. It was always successful, but he was the people person. He knew every person that came in here—knew where they were from, what their favorite drink was, and the name of their pet. I swear people came in just to talk to my Bob,” she said with a smile. “After he passed, I got so busy just running the place that I kind of lost that connection and it shows. Business isn’t what it used to be,” she said sadly. “Cynthia helps me as much as she can, but she has a family of her own to focus on.” She brightened and looked at Emma. “But now that you’re here, we seem to be drawing some attention again.”
They both worked silently for a little while. Emma’s mind was wandering. She wondered what she could do to help business pick up. Customers trickled in once they opened and Emma got to work, but her mind was still on the shop and what she could do to help. An idea started forming in her mind. During her break, she spent her time looking at business books and what they could do to grow the business.
On her way back to the coffee shop, she was so lost in thought she didn't see Liam until she was almost on top of him. “Liam,” she said in surprise. “You surprised me.”
“Cat girl,” he said, less enthusiastically than the last two times he had called her that. She looked up at him and noticed his arms were crossed. “Nice walking you to your car yesterday,” he said.
Emma grimaced. “About that, I...” her voice trailed off.
“No explanation?” he asked with one eyebrow cocked.
Emma crossed her arms. “Nope. I don’t have to explain myself to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to get back to work.” She stepped past him and into the shop.
“Rawr,” she heard from behind her. “The cat’s got claws. I like it.” He followed her into the shop.
Emma rolled her eyes and moved to get her apron and get back to work. When she came back out, her eyes widened in surprise. The man from yesterday was there, looking no less handsome than he had yesterday. She heard the shop door open, and she glanced that way. She saw the other man from yesterday stand by the door again. She only glanced at him for a second, but it was enough. He was terrif
ying. Emma looked back at Liam and the man in front of her. Liam was talking, but she hadn’t heard a word he said. She looked at him.
“Right?” he said.
Emma just looked at him blankly. He scowled at her. “Never mind. Emma, this is my boss, Garrett. Garrett, this is Emma.” Emma stared at the huge man in front of her. He had to be the biggest man she had ever seen. He stepped forward and put out his hand, and Emma totally panicked. Her breathing came shallowly but she forced herself to reach out her hand and place it in his large one.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. She slipped her hand in his. She felt the oddest sensation flood her body. She jerked her hand away and looked up at him. His dark eyes were trained on her. What is it with these guys?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emma,” he said in a deep voice.
Emma nearly melted on the spot. It wasn’t fair that he looked so good and had such an incredible voice. She felt so out of place in front of these men in her stupid cat shirt, leggings, and sneakers. At least the apron was covering the ridiculous shirt. Emma was saved from the awkward situation when Helen came over.
“Garrett, it’s so nice to see you. I rarely see you anymore. You need to show up more often,” she said with fondness.
“Helen, it’s good to see you. I plan on doing just that,” he said and glanced down at Emma. Emma felt her cheeks flush and looked away. Why did she feel that comment was directed at her? That was stupid. He was just being polite to Helen. When she looked up, he was watching her intently.
“What can I get for you?” she asked, forcing a smile to her face.
“Large coffee, black,” he said.