The last of the finish work was nearly completed. After the final walk-through, they would be ready to go. Thank goodness, Will had been pulled as their inspector or they would no doubt still be weeks behind with the project. It was hard to imagine that he’d deliberately attempted to make Brock look bad while holding up the project, but she wouldn’t put anything past him.
As though thinking about him caused him to materialize, Brenna glanced up from one of Avery’s candle displays as Will walked in.
Not wanting to see him or be forced into another awkward conversation with the jerk, she ducked behind a cabinet holding a display of linens and carefully maneuvered her way behind the counter where Avery sat munching on her chocolates.
“What are you doing?” Avery glanced down at Brenna as she crawled to the back storage area.
“Hiding,” Brenna whispered, pointing toward the door.
“Oh.” Avery frowned at Will. With great restraint, she managed to keep from rolling her eyes as he approached the counter.
“Hi, Avery, have you seen Brenna? I looked around for her downstairs since her car is parked outside.” Will continued looking around the store. “That construction guy said she was up here.”
“Sorry, you just missed her. Brenna had some errands to run and I’m not sure what she had planned after that. I think she mentioned walking down to the bank, or maybe it was the post office.” Avery shrugged, offering Will a blank look.
“Okay, thanks.” Quickly departing, he most likely hoped to catch up to Brenna.
When the sound of his footsteps thudding down the stairs died away, Brenna walked out of the back storage room and sighed. “I didn’t mean for you to lie, I just didn’t want to have to deal with him today. Is he ever going to get the message?”
“Probably not. Don’t you have any enemies you could introduce him to?” Avery’s saucy smile made Brenna grin.
“The only one who comes to mind is Wesley the weasel and I don’t see either of them appreciating that introduction.” Brenna leaned against the counter and snitched a piece of candy.
Avery giggled and snatched back her bag of candy.
“Thanks for covering for me. I’d say I owe you one, but I did bring you candy.” Brenna watched as Avery bit into her third piece. “I hope Greg didn’t want you to share.”
“Nope. These are all mine.” Avery set the candy on a shelf beneath the cash register. “Thanks for bringing them.”
“You’re welcome.” Brenna strolled over to the door. “I’m going to work in Mom’s office this afternoon, so if you need a break just buzz me.”
“Will do.”
Brenna returned downstairs as Brock finished the last of his sandwich. She sat beside him and pointed to his empty wrapper. “What do you think?”
“I like the flavors and textures, although I think, overall, the sandwich you made last Thursday has been the best so far.” Brock wiped his mouth on a napkin and took a long drink of the iced tea Brenna brought with the sandwiches. “I’d say this one should definitely stay on the menu, though, along with the chicken wraps you made Tuesday.”
“Good to know. What did the others say?” Brenna picked up the remnants of lunch and set them in the small fridge in her mom’s office. Brock watched her as he ate a rich, fudgy brownie.
“It’s hard to distinguish words with the grunts of approval and sighs of contentment. Mark did say the brownies you baked today were the best he’s ever had. I’d have to agree.” Brock finished the brownie in two bites then wiped his mouth and fingers on his napkin. “If you keep feeding us like you have been, we’ll be too fat and complacent to finish the job.”
He got to his feet and stretched lazily, giving her a look that made her mouth flood with moisture while her midsection stirred with heat. Brenna placed a hand on his hard stomach, lightly tracing the muscles through his t-shirt. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
Capturing her hand, Brock kissed her fingers, giving her another heated look that made tingles start at her toes and work their way up to her head. After work, they planned to go out to dinner. She knew that look was a promise he would deliver on later.
“Thanks for lunch, coffee girl.” Brock kissed her fingers again then returned to his crew.
With weakened knees, she plopped down at her mom’s desk, picked up a file and fanned her face. She needed a moment to regain her composure. After months of being exposed to Brock’s charm and molten glances, she should have become immune to them, but the opposite seemed to be true. The more she was around him, the harder he was to resist, not that she really wanted to.
Determined to focus her attention on her business, Brenna began calling vendors to verify orders for food products. She called the equipment supplier to track down the commercial oven she’d ordered two months earlier. Slated for delivery the previous week, it had yet to arrive, although she’d already paid for it.
After a series of frustrating phone calls, she finally found the company that supposedly made the delivery Friday afternoon. Since she knew for a fact it wasn’t delivered, she politely explained to the man on the other end of the phone line there was a mistake. Several minutes into the conversation, as he gave her the runaround, Brenna finally had enough.
“Look, mister, I paid for that oven. It hasn’t been delivered and if one of your drivers said it has been, then he’s pulling one over on you. I suggest you figure out right away where my oven is and get it here by tomorrow afternoon or I’ll inform your supervisor of your inability to properly manage your staff or your deliveries. You’ve got until tomorrow afternoon at three to have my oven here or you better have a good reason why. Thank you and good day.”
“She’s got teeth and she knows how to bite,” Brock said from the door where he leaned against the frame. “I’m both shocked and proud, coffee girl. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Brenna looked up at Brock and huffed, slightly embarrassed to be caught telling off the delivery company. A wave of guilt at having been curt made her feel bad, but her temper was already boiling. “Don’t you start with me.”
“Ah, the teeth are still snapping.” Brock sat down in one of the office chairs across from Brenna. “Who messed with my girl and stirred up that wicked temper?”
“Those idiots at the delivery company claim my oven was delivered Friday and I know it wasn’t. When I asked them to find it, he kept telling me I was wrong and asking if I could understand what he was saying.” Brenna scowled. “The condescending jerk. What he was really saying was he thought he had a simpering, dumb woman on the phone and could blow her off and not do his job. I’ve spent the last hour tracking down my oven and, by golly, if it isn’t here tomorrow, someone’s head is going to roll.” Brenna stamped her foot beneath the desk for emphasis.
“You tell ‘em, Lefty. You want Bugsy and me as backup?” Brock teased as Brenna glared at him across the desk. A slow smile spread across her face and her anger melted away.
When she released a laugh, Brock knew he’d accomplished his mission. He could hear Brenna’s raised voice over the sound of the equipment he and his men used in their work and wondered what had her all worked up. He stood outside the door and listened to her politely ask then firmly demand the delivery of her oven. Brock felt very proud of Brenna, considering how far she’d come in the last month in being able to speak up for herself.
“You’re not nearly as funny as you believe you are.” She stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of Brock’s chair. He pulled her down on his lap and gave her a lingering kiss.
Letty returned from running errands to find them locked in a passionate embrace, oblivious to anyone or anything else in the world.
“So, is this how you get so much work down around this place? Kissing my daughter in my office?” Letty set her shoulder bag down on the desk with a stern look, although her tone was teasing.
“No, ma’am.” Red crept up Brock’s neck to be caught kissing Brenna in her mother’s office. It remi
nded him of the time he’d been in high school and got in trouble for necking during detention. “I’ll just get back to work now, Letty.” Brenna slid off his lap and Brock surged to his feet.
“Go, go.” Letty flipped her fingers toward the door with an exaggerated frown. She watched Brock hurry back toward the kitchen then turned to Brenna and grinned. “I really like that boy, Rennie. He’s a keeper.”
“You shouldn’t tease him like that, Mom. He thinks you’re serious.” Brenna sat in the chair Brock vacated. “In case I haven’t mentioned it, thank you again for making all this possible.”
“You’re welcome, honey.” Letty kissed Brenna on the forehead before taking the seat behind her desk. “A word of warning — Will is sitting outside by your car, like he’s waiting for you. You may want to walk home, steal your sister’s car, or resign yourself to hanging out here the rest of the day.”
“He’s seriously stalking me?” Completely annoyed, Brenna tried to peek out her mother’s office window, but couldn’t see where her car was parked. “Will came in earlier and I hid in Avery’s back room. She told him I was running errands. I thought he’d give up and go away. Doesn’t he have a job he needs to go to? How can he just loiter outside the store all afternoon?”
“Want me to call the police?” Letty asked, only half-teasing. Will had never acted normal around Brenna. When they were in high school, Letty chalked it up to him being a gangly teen. Now that they were well into their adult years and Brenna had long ago told Will she wasn’t interested, his behavior bordered on obsessive. Maybe she’d ask Brandon to speak with Will’s dad, since they worked together.
“That won’t be necessary, but I guess I’m probably stuck here for a while.” Brenna sighed as she glanced around Letty’s neat office.
“In that case, would you mind going downstairs and helping me rearrange some displays?” Letty stood and looped her arm through Brenna’s as she pulled her out of the chair.
Without time to run away or decline, Brenna groaned. Moving furniture was one of her least favorite things to do, but she followed her mom downstairs.
An hour later, Will was still sitting by Brenna’s car. She had things she needed to do, like get ready for her date with Brock. Quickly deciding to walk home, she snuck out the back of the store and crept along the creek for a few blocks before climbing over the fence of the newspaper office. She sneaked around the corner of the building and nearly ran along the sidewalk until she could turn down a side street and head for home.
When she made it inside the house, she leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
She spent an hour working on her menu design then finished her final product order and decided what she would wear for her date with Brock. He said to keep it casual because they were going to a barbecue at a friend’s place.
After taking a shower and letting her long curls air dry, she put on a pair of new jeans and rolled up the cuffs then added a soft cotton blouse and a pair of ballet flats. She applied mascara, a light coat of lip-gloss, and a spritz of perfume before fluffing out her hair. In case the evening turned chilly, she grabbed a sweater then stuffed her phone, wallet and necessities, like breath mints, into a small brown leather handbag. She ran downstairs just as Brock rang the bell.
“Hey, coffee girl, you look awesome.” Brock stepped inside and planted a playful kiss to her upturned lips.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Brenna took his work-roughened hand in hers, pulling him further into the house. “You didn’t say if the barbecue was potluck or not, so I made some cookies to take. Is that okay?”
“Better than okay.” Brock wrapped his arms around Brenna from behind and walked in step with her to the kitchen. She picked up a foil-wrapped platter from the counter and handed it to him with a smile.
“Do I get to taste-test these?” Brock tried to slip his fingers inside the foil.
“Nope. You’ll have to wait until dinner.” Brenna smacked his hand. She turned around and made her way back to the front door with Brock following close behind her.
“You’re a tyrant with your baked goods, you know. Instead of the soup Nazi, we’ll call you the pastry dictator.” Brock pretended to study her as they walked to his pickup. “Maybe we better find you a spiked helmet to wear tonight. I’ve probably got a piece of rebar I could stick on top of an old football helmet.”
Brenna giggled so hard she couldn’t climb into the pickup. Brock finally handed her the tray of cookies, picked her up and set her inside, shaking his head at her laughter. It was impossible to subdue his amusement with her as he slid behind the wheel of his truck
“You’re a certifiable nut, Miss Brenna Smith,” Brock said, as he drove down the street.
“That may be undeniably true, but you love me anyway.” Brenna batted her eyelashes at him in an exaggerated fashion, making him smile and his heart melt at the adorable look on her face.
“Yes, I do.” He wouldn’t have believed it possible to fall more in love with the silly woman sitting across his pickup each and every day, but he did.
“So where are we going?” Brenna asked as they headed north on the freeway.
“To Mike and Levi’s place. They’re barbecuing on the balcony. It drives their vegetarian neighbors upstairs insane,” Brock said with a devilish smile. “Mike has a crush on one of them and is hoping the smell of charred meat will cause her to come bang on his door.”
“I’m sure you never did such a thing when you lived there.” Brenna shot Brock a disapproving glance although Mike’s elaborate scheming left her greatly impressed.
“Absolutely not, Miss Smith. I’d never be a naughty boy like that. It might get me in trouble.” Brock kept a straight face although it was hard for him to hide his smile. “And the only trouble I want to be in is with you.”
“Why would you want to be in trouble with me?” Brock had been on the receiving end of her bad temper a few times and seemed to have survived the experience, barely. She couldn’t fathom while he’d willingly make her mad.
“So you’ll feel the need to make up with me after you calm down.”
“You are such a tease, Brock. A complete tease.” Brenna shook her finger at him in warning.
“Yes, I am, but you love me anyway.” Brock’s voice grew husky. “And I’d never tease about making up with you. That is a serious matter that requires my full effort and attention.”
Easy banter filled their conversation on the rest of the drive to Portland. They were almost into the city when Brenna’s phone rang. She smiled at the name on the caller ID and quickly answered.
“Hey, Kat, how are you?”
Brock listened to the one-sided conversation. When it sounded like Brenna’s friend Kathleen asked if she could see her, Brock interrupted.
“Ask if she wants to come to the barbecue. Mike and Levi won’t care.” Brock hoped Kat would come. Brenna missed her friends from the office. The dinner would be more enjoyable for her if one of her friends could attend.
“Do you want to join us for dinner?”
When Brenna rattled off the address, Brock smiled and winked at her, pleased Kat accepted the invitation.
“That’s great Kat can join us. I hope the rest of the guys don’t frighten her off,” Brock said as they took an exit and wound their way toward his old apartment.
“Kat isn’t easily frightened.” Brenna grinned. In fact, she thought Brock should be more concerned about Kat scaring his friends. She was a very attractive, very confident young woman and for many men, that proved somewhat intimidating.
After parking and entering the building, Brock held the platter of cookies in one hand with Brenna’s fingers captured in his other. When they got off the elevator and walked to the apartment door, a sign stuck outside with duct tape invited anyone to come in, so they entered without knocking.
Pop music played in the background. Brenna smiled as Jett and Ned argued over who brought the best salsa, albeit from a jar, for the corn chips. A few other
guests sat around the room visiting while Mike stood on the tiny balcony flipping burgers on a small grill.
Brock placed the cookies on the kitchen counter and tugged Brenna out to the balcony.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” Mike grinned in welcome at his latest guests. He was thrilled to see Brock looking so happy and he genuinely liked Brenna.
Brock thumped Mike on the back. “Not much, bro. How’s it going?”
“Great.” Mike turned to Brenna and gave her a one-armed hug around her shoulders. “Hello, beautiful angel. Are you keeping this guy in line?”
“I try, but it is a thankless, never-ending job.” Brenna tried to appear overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, although the sparkle in her eyes gave away her teasing.
Mike laughed. Brenna squeezed Brock’s hand and cast him a flirty smile.
“Brock didn’t tell me we were coming here or I would have made some food to bring along.” Brenna hid a laugh at Mike’s crestfallen look. “I did bring some cookies.”
“Man, what are you trying to do to me?” Mike asked Brock as he flipped a few more burgers. “If you’d told her she was coming here, who knows what kind of wonders she would have made for us.”
“I don’t want you guys to get used to her good cooking. It will spoil you.” Brock wrapped his arm around Brenna’s waist and pulled her close to his side.
“Like you’ve been spoiled the past few months?” Mike glared coolly at his friend. “It’s not nice to hold out on us.”
“Maybe you and Levi can come for dinner some evening. I could cook at Brock’s,” Brenna offered, trying to smooth any ruffled feathers. “You both are welcome to drop by the bistro anytime once it’s open.”
“So when is the big day planned?” Mike was interested in knowing when the public would have access to Brenna’s culinary talents.
“Two weeks.” Brenna gently poked an elbow into Brock’s side. “If the construction guy finishes on time. Seriously, it’s hard to find good help these days.”
The Coffee Girl Page 17