Cafe Love: Cupid's Cafe Box Set Books 2-4

by Ashley Lauren

  Sarah wasn’t exactly a fan, but she’d promise to watch the woman’s newscasts nightly if she’d just take her jerk of a husband away. Sarah couldn’t believe he had the nerve to insult a hero like Danny, but trying to kick his prosthetic leg… that was a new low.

  “That doesn’t matter now, does it?” He gave a toothy smile, showing off his now yellowed teeth. “She doesn’t need to know I saw you here.” He winked.

  Sarah’s eyes about popped out of her head. Can’t he see I’m with Danny? Sarah took a step forward. “What is your pr---”

  “I’d appreciate if you’d leave my girlfriend alone,” Danny said, his voice as cold as ice. Then, something caught Danny’s eye. A smile played across his lips, and he chuckled, “Besides, you should think twice before you try and cheat on your wife.”

  Danny pointed behind Robert, where an irate woman was staring at them. Blond hair flowed down her back. She looked a bit like a Valkyrie coming in for the kill with eyes that blazed with hatred.

  “Robert. Let’s go. Now!” Her words were full of venom before she snatched up his hand and dragged him off.

  “I shouldn’t say this, but after what Robert just said to you and me, he deserves that woman,” Danny said with a laugh.

  Sarah coughed and laughed at the same time, almost choking herself. She put her hand over her mouth and began to giggle hysterically. She had no idea why the statement was so funny and maybe it wasn’t that funny, but it certainly released all the irritation and disgust she’d felt in Robert’s presence.

  Sarah calmed herself enough to say, “I know exactly what you mean. He made every one of the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Danny,” Sarah paused, “I’m so sorry for what he said to you about your injury. He---”

  “It’s fine. I’m getting better at dealing with people’s reactions. Besides, your opinion’s the only one that matters to me.”

  Danny pulled Sarah in close and looked into her eyes. Sarah’s earlier laughter was forgotten. She was abruptly reminded that he’d called her his girlfriend.

  “Danny,” Sarah said just a few inches from his lips.

  “Yeah,” he said, gazing into her eyes.

  Wild storms brewed in those gray eyes, and Sarah’s mind went blank for a second. When her mind managed to reboot, she asked. “Did you really mean what you said about me being your girlfriend?”

  The corners of Danny’s lips crept upward, and he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Would you like to be my girlfriend?”

  The words, as much as his breath on her earlobe, sent delicious shivers down her spine and all the way to her toes. A favor she knew she had to repay. Experimentally, Sarah raised up on her toes and breathed a soft, “Yes,” right into Danny’s ear.

  Danny’s body went rigid, and he sucked in a lungful of air. I never knew that revenge could be so sweet. Sarah pulled back to look at Danny. His eyes were closed, but his smile was from ear to ear.

  Danny opened his eyes and shook his head. “I’m in so much trouble.”

  “I know exactly what you mean.”

  Danny ran his thumb along Sarah’s jaw, his eyes asking permission. Sarah shifted forward slightly, and Danny made up the rest of the distance. He wrapped her in his arms and captured her lips in his.

  The sounds of the Farmer’s Market died away, and there was only Danny. If Sarah was completely honest with herself, there had never been anyone other than Danny. He was her soul mate; the one that made her felt complete.

  Eventually, the sounds of footsteps, laughter, and people’s voices filtered back in, and Sarah broke off the kiss with a sigh.

  “Are you sure you want to buy that honey? Your lips are already very sweet,” Danny asked with a grin.

  Sarah refrained from rolling her eyes and shot back, “Are you sure you want to buy cheese? You’re already cheesy enough as it is.” She kissed his nose gently. “But I like it.” She giggled. “Now come on, I think I spotted some pasta over there.”

  Danny nodded and followed her through the crowded market. Even though it was hard for him to maneuver, he had never felt happier. When he held her hand, he felt fantastic. It didn’t feel like he was handicapped. He felt… whole.

  He’d worried about taking Sarah to the Farmer’s Market. There were too many people and too many loud sounds. Danny still had a hard time dealing with those types of stresses since he’d come back, but he’d been fine at the football game with her, and he was fine now. Being with Sarah had this calming effect on him. Her presence softened the world around him, and he felt truly normal for the first time in months.

  He watched her black hair flutter in the wind, trying to figure out what on Earth he had done to deserve a girl like her. Nothing. Sarah was more of a blessing than he deserved.

  “By the way, what are we doing with all this stuff?” Sarah asked, picking up a box of noodles.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Are you ready to go?” Danny asked, looking at Sarah.

  She had halted in the middle row, her eyes huge.

  “How did I not notice them before?” she mumbled to herself.

  Sarah let go of Danny’s hand and walked forward. Danny observed her, tilting his head. It was like she was being pulled in by a tractor beam.

  “Sarah?” he called out, concerned and slowly walked after her. “What are you doing?”

  “Check out these strawberries! They’re beautiful.” She walked up to a fruit stand. There, various containers were filled with ripe strawberries. Their aroma alone was enough to tell Sarah that they would be unbelievably sweet.

  “How much?” she asked.

  “Five for a container,” the old man answered.

  She pulled a five-dollar bill from her wallet and handed it to the man, a bright smile on her face.

  “You abandoned me for a couple of strawberries?” Danny asked, chuckling at the giddy expression on Sarah’s face.

  “You won’t be complaining when I make a shortcake that completely knocks your socks off!” she exclaimed. Sarah was planning to make the best shortcake of all time with the fresh strawberries and the honey from earlier.

  “Oh yeah?” Danny challenged. He kissed her cheek and took her hand. “Well you know I’d love that, but we should go. I’m sure you’re getting hungry, aren’t you?”

  At that moment, Sarah’s stomach growled loudly. She rested one of her hands on her belly and blushed. “I guess so.”

  ***

  When Danny pulled up to his house, Sarah gave him a sort of confused expression.

  “Where are we?” she asked, getting out of the car.

  “Home sweet home,” Danny said with a smile, limping to the front door. He struggled to hold all the bags and look for his keys at the same time.

  Sarah plucked several bags from his hands. Irritation slid down his spine. It was such a simple task, and yet, he couldn’t do it by himself. Before he could protest and try to at least somewhat salvage his pride, Sarah flashed him a smile and teased, “The second date and you’re already bringing me home?”

  His frustration fled, and all he could think about was having Sarah in his house. Danny unlocked the door and let Sarah in, but his mind wandered back ten years. How many times had he pushed Sarah out of the door of his father’s apartment, never letting her stay longer than a few minutes? Danny’s room was always neat and orderly, but the rest of the apartment was a disaster. No matter how many times he tried to clean it, his father would destroy his efforts in minutes.

  Now, he had a home of his own. It was a modest place. The living room was tiny, with a couch and a coffee table taking up most of the room. Adjacent to that was the kitchen. It was a little cramped, but it was clean and all the appliances worked. It wasn’t a palace, but he didn’t feel embarrassed bringing Sarah here. Instead, it felt right and more like a home with her present.

  Sarah was looking around and hadn’t said anything yet. Nerves got the best of him, and he blurted out, “I know it’s n
ot much, but we can go somewhere else if you’d like.”

  “No. It’s fine. I was just curious about where you lived.”

  Danny cringed, hoping she didn’t remember what a slob his father had been. “I moved in just a few weeks ago. Once, I get better settled I might do more with it.”

  Sarah placed a hand on his. “It’s fine Danny. Now, I’ve been trying to be patient, but I ‘m dying to know. What’s the surprise?”

  She winked at him, making Danny feel better. He nodded and started to unpack their bags. “I hope you like spaghetti.”

  “Ah, so that’s why we went to the Farmer’s Market.”

  Danny nodded quietly. “I thought you might enjoy a home-cooked meal. I’m sure a lot of other guys have taken you to restaurants, but I wanted to give you something a little more personal. Now, I’m not a master chef or anything, but I do make a pretty good tomato sauce, if I do say so myself.”

  “Really?” Sarah arched an eyebrow. “This is something I have to see… and taste for myself.”

  “You got it.”

  “Can I add to your surprise? How about I make dessert?”

  “You know I can’t say no to dessert,” Danny said with a laugh.

  Sarah watched Danny maneuver around the tight quarters. He seemed to be having a hard time. Sarah bit her lip, yearning to help but knew that it might hurt his ego. However, when he almost stumbled while trying to bend down to get a pot, she could no longer hold her tongue.

  “Do you need some help?” Sarah asked.

  “As a matter of fact…” Danny handed her a bowl of ground meat. “If you could make the meatballs that would be great.

  Sarah inwardly sighed. He wanted her help. That was a good start. She didn’t think she could sit and not say anything if he actually fell. With her helping, she could be sneaky and get things before he even tried to bend and get them. She set the bowl of meat on the counter and went to watch her hands.

  “How do you want me to season them?”

  “There’s black pepper, garlic, and parmesan over there.” He tilted his head toward the small counter where his spice rack was.

  For Sarah to get there, she had to squeeze into a small space behind Danny. Her body brushed along his, and she froze. It felt like there was electricity jumping from his body to hers, completely paralyzing her.

  “S-sorry,” she said, forcing herself through the small space.

  On the other side, they both reached for the black pepper at the same time. Danny’s hand skimmed along Sarah’s. They laughed nervously, and then looked away. The tiny kitchen was by no means meant for two.

  For the rest of the dinner preparation, they continued to accidently touch each other. It was enough to drive Sarah crazy. A good kind of crazy, but crazy all the same.

  By the time the meal was nearly done, they had found a perfect rhythm. They waltzed around one another, smiles on their faces. Sarah felt like she’d been doing this for years with him.

  “Phew! Now we just wait,” Danny announced, plopping down on one of the chairs that faced the oven.

  “I’ve never seen anyone put spaghetti in the oven before,” Sarah commented, sitting next to him. She could see the heaping casserole dish through the oven door. The smell of melted cheese and tomatoes wafted through the house, making her drool.

  “Just you wait. It makes all the tastes melt together in the best way.” Danny reached over and took her hand in his, no longer hesitating as he locked his fingers with hers. “Thank you for cooking dinner with me.” He smiled at her, his gray eyes shining brightly.

  “No. I should be thanking you. So far, this has been one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. Who knew cooking could be so much fun?” She smiled, squeezing his hand.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Danny had to remind himself every few minutes that he wasn’t dreaming. He’d seen Sarah in his mind thousands of times over the past few years. Her face, the memory of her laughter, and the bright shining glow that surround her chased all the hardships he’d experienced in the military away. Other guys, he’d met in the Army, would talk about their girls back home. Danny never did. There had only ever been Sarah, and he’d thought he’d lost her so long ago. Yet, here she was in his kitchen waiting for dinner to be ready.

  A loud beeping broke through his musings. Danny’s heart sprang out of his chest, fear replacing his happy thoughts. Without thinking, he lunged across the space between his and Sarah’s chair and pulled her down, shielding her with his body.

  They both hit the floor with a thud. He’d tried to lessen the impact for Sarah and cradled her to him, desperately praying she’d be safe.

  The shrilling beep continued, and Danny realized his mistake just at Sarah said, “Danny?”

  Danny was absolutely mortified. Post-traumatic stress was what the doctors called it. Danny thought that it was just one more thing that made him a freak. As if missing a leg was enough. He’d been doing so well…

  He released Sarah and pushed himself away from her, sliding until his back hit the chair legs. It was quiet for a moment. If he had a time machine, he’d pay any price to go back two minutes in time.

  He heard Sarah get up and move to the oven. The beeping stopped, but Danny remained completely still, his eyes firmly shut. Footsteps stopped in front of him.

  “Do you want me to get the spaghetti out or are you going to get it?” Sarah asked.

  Danny’s eyes flew open, and he looked up at Sarah. Her expression was calm, and she held out a hand, an unspoken invitation to help him up. Huh? Isn’t she going to ask what just happened or comment on why I freaked out? He examined her face from the humiliating position of the floor, but he saw none of the derision he was expecting to see.

  He put his hand in hers and let her help him up. Refusing would be uncharitable, and he was incredibly grateful she was just brushing off his unforgivable behavior. Sarah was a saint if she wasn’t going to even comment on being thrown to the ground for no reason.

  With her help, he managed to get up without too much embarrassment. He steadied himself and then said, “I’ll get it.”

  Sarah nodded. Danny straightened his shoulders and deliberately left his cane where it was. He was going to get that dish and not make a fool of himself. Traversing the small gap between chair and oven, proved uneventful for Danny, much to his relief. He opened the door and took out the dish, large red oven mitts on his hands. He had a hard time turning around, but somehow, he managed to half-limp, half-hop his way to the kitchen table.

  Danny refused to make eye contact with Sarah, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. Finally, he looked up again. “Care for some wine?” he asked politely.

  Sarah nodded.

  The spot where the prosthetic met his knee, throbbed. His knee was still healing, and Danny knew if he pushed it much further he fall flat on his face. He’d made his point that that was enough for him at the moment. Danny grabbed his cane and walked over to the wine rack, choosing one of his best bottles. He popped it open before grabbing two crystal glasses and limping his way back. He poured her a glass and forced himself to smile. “To our reunion,” he said, tipping his glass against hers.

  “To our reunion.” Sarah smiled, and her heart went out to Danny. He was trying so hard to act as if nothing had just happened. She’d read about soldiers and how loud sounds could set them off. When Danny grabbed her, she’d been surprised, but he’d taken to be gentle. As she’d laid cradled in his arms, she recognized that he had been trying to protect her.

  It tore at her soul to see the humiliation written on his face as he laid there with his eyes closed. She couldn’t imagine all the pain and blood he’d seen in his time in the Army. Sarah decided that the best course of action was to pretend it didn’t happen. Maybe that was wrong, but she instinctively knew that talking about it would make Danny feel worse.

  It had been the right decision, she told herself as she took a sip of her wine. Danny’s smile might have been forced, but those gray eyes of his shone
with gratitude.

  Too preoccupied with watching Danny, she barely tasted the wine, but said, “This wine is amazing.”

  “Thanks.”

  The beginning of their meal was filled with silence as neither one of them knew what to say. Sarah knew it was important to steer away from topics like the oven timer and his time in the Army, but it was the only thing on her mind. She wanted him to tell her what had happened. Sarah wanted to know that he trusted her that much, but it was too soon. Instead, Sarah settled on talking about the delicious meal Danny had prepared for her. It seemed a safe enough subject.

  “You were right. The added crunch really does make it fantastic.” She twirled her fork around the noodles, trying to gather up as much as possible. “You’ll have to share the recipe with me.”

  “Maybe,” Danny's shoulders relaxed, and a real smile lit his face. “But then I’d have to kill you.” He winked at her.

  The rest of the meal consisted of lighthearted conversation as the wine helped them unwind. Sarah’s cheeks took on a semi-permanent rose color. Everything that Danny said seemed funnier and funnier.

  “Okay! Now it’s time for some baking!” she declared and tried to pull Danny off his chair. Sarah tugged, but Danny wasn’t budging. “Come on. You can be my assistant.”

  “Really? The great Sarah of Sweet as Shortcake needs my help?” Danny asked, grabbing his cane before he stood.

  Sarah winked. “Well, you do make a great tomato sauce.”

  Danny laughed. “Fine. What do you need?”

  “Now, this recipe is top secret. You can’t go around telling everyone what I’m about to reveal to you tonight,” Sarah whispered and began pulling out the flour and other ingredients.

  “So, I shouldn’t write all this down and post it on the Internet?”

  Maybe it was the wine or playful tone in Danny’s voice, but whatever it was she couldn’t help herself. Sarah tossed a handful of flour at Danny.

  “Definitely not!” Sarah laughed as Danny blinked flour out of his eyes.