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

by Ashley Lauren

  The look of shock changed to a sly grin. “Is that how it’s going to be, huh?”

  Danny plucked up the bag of flour and eyed her. His gray eyes flashing wickedly.

  Sarah took a step back. Why did I do that? What was I thinking?

  Danny reached into the flour bag and flung some in her direction. She dodged, but Danny was relentless. He kept peppering her with small handfuls of flour. Her clothes were dusted with white and her black hair looked like it had been dunked in flour. Sarah was laughing so hard that she had to stop and bend over to breathe.

  “Mercy!” she begged.

  The rain of flour bombs stopped, and Sarah caught her breath. She straightened up just as Danny reached her side. He pulled on a strand of her hair and examined it. “Nice hair,” he commented.

  Not wanting the silliness to end Sarah shouted dramatically. “Oh, no. I’ve turned into an old woman!” She leaned down and shuffled forward, letting her feet drag on the floor. “Oh, my back…” She groaned.

  “I almost forgot you used to be in the theater club in school,” Danny said.

  “How could you forget?” Sarah asked, turning to look at Danny. “I played Belle in Beauty and the Beast.”

  “Probably because I wasn’t the beast,” Danny said with a shrug. “I didn’t go to that play anyway.”

  “That’s right you had to work,” she said.

  Sarah dusted herself off and began to get to work on the shortcake. She cracked a few eggs into a bowl and whisked them quickly.

  Danny considered. She might as well know the truth. “Actually, that wasn’t the real reason I didn’t make it to your play.”

  Sarah looked up and blinked. “Really? Then, why?”

  “Well…” Danny trailed off. “I didn’t want to see you kissing somebody else on stage. It made me jealous.”

  “What?” Sarah said in disbelief, the whisk now motionless in her hand. “You were jealous of Matthew Baker? You did know that he wasn’t interested in girls, right? It was like kissing a brother.”

  “That’s not the point. He still got to kiss you,” Danny said, remembering quite vividly the poster that had been plastered all over the school. He cringed at the memory.

  Seeing her with Robert had been worse. But Robert had been his best friend and he’d at least tried to be happy for them both. Matthew Baker had no right to kiss Sarah, even if it was for a play.

  Sarah saw the look of pain on his face and frowned. Ever so gently, she placed the bowl down before tiptoeing forward and kissing his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her lips linger against his for a moment. Danny’s tension melted away, and a little sigh of happiness escaped his lips before he kissed her back.

  Sarah sunk further into the kiss and let her soul meld with his. It was like fire and ice. The warm burn of passion lit Sarah from within, yet Danny’s calloused fingers running through her hair sent chills down her spine. It was a kiss of a lifetime.

  “I guess that answers that question,” Sarah sighed.

  “Huh?” Danny answered. That kiss had scrambled his brain. He had no idea what question she was talking about.

  “I can say positively and without a doubt that you kiss better than Matthew Baker.”

  Danny chuckled, still holding onto Sarah. She’d snuggled into his chest, and he closed his eyes breathing in her scent. Why had I been so afraid to tell her how I felt ten years ago? If I had… Danny cut the thought off. It didn’t matter. He had Sarah now, and he could kiss her whenever he wanted.

  “Should we get back to baking?” Sarah asked, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

  “Let me hold you just a little while longer,” he whispered, gently kissing the top of her head.

  Sarah nodded, nuzzling her head back into his chest, feeling content. At that moment, she never wanted him to let her go. She closed her eyes and imagined what her life would be like if she had dated Danny from the start. Would she still be this happy to be in his arms? She couldn’t be sure whether it would have worked out or if it would have crashed and burned, all she knew was that she was glad to have found him once more. She smiled and sent mental thank you to Katy who had asked her to deliver shortcakes to the man at the end of the counter.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eventually, they managed to get a shortcake in the oven. While it was baking, Sarah chopped the strawberries, humming to herself. Danny couldn’t help but stare at her, completely enraptured by her beauty. Did he really deserve someone like her in his life?

  He was about to say something when the oven dinged, and Sarah flew over to silence the timer and grab the hot pastry. The noise hadn’t made him jump, and for that he was grateful.

  The shortcake Sarah held looked divine. Danny could already pick up its sweet aroma in the air, and it was driving him mad.

  “Do we really have to let it cool off before we can eat it?” Danny whined, a fork already in his hand.

  He could see the steam rolling off it but tried to grab a bite regardless. Sarah slapped his hand away, placing the other hand on her hip.

  “You’re going to burn your tongue mister,” she said, reprimanding him.

  “Sorry.”

  Danny wasn’t all that sorry. The stern look on Sarah’s face was worth it. Mad, happy, or sad. It didn’t matter. He was crazy about her. Danny stared at her, but his eyes kept wandering back to the dessert cooling on the table.

  Sarah busied herself by topping it with the sliced strawberries, whipped cream, and a dash of powdered sugar. Finally, Sarah gave him the okay to take a bite. The moment it entered his mouth, he felt like weeping with sheer joy. “This is so good…” he mumbled through a mouthful.

  “It’s the honey. It adds an extra kick of sweetness while balancing out the other ingredients,” Sarah explained.

  She brought a bite to her own mouth in a rather dignified manner, making Danny self-conscious of the way he was shoveling it into his mouth.

  Sarah burst out laughing as she saw him. “You have a bit of whipped cream…”

  “What, on my face?” he mumbled, his mouth still full of cake.

  “No…right here.”

  Sarah leaned in and pointed to his cheek. Danny snatched her fingers away from his face and brought them to his lips. He turned her palm up and placed a gentle kiss in its center. Sarah’s breath hitched, and her eyes shot to his. He gave her a smile and curled her fingers into her palm.

  “You keep that kiss for later. Until then, there’s still one more part left to our date…” he announced with a soft grin on his face, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Oh?”

  Sarah couldn’t imagine this date getting any better. Danny was so wonderfully sweet and considerate. Okay, he ate dessert like he was half starved. But Sarah didn’t hold that against him.

  Danny got up and grabbed her hand, leading her to the back door. On the grass there was a large blanket, waiting for them. In the sky, the stars seemed to shine brighter than usual.

  “Aww,” Sarah smiled happily, realizing that he wanted to stargaze with her. Before they could sit down together, she noticed a large tree in the middle of the yard.

  “Is that a treehouse?” Sarah asked in disbelief. She hadn’t been inside a treehouse since she was a little girl. Nostalgia rushed over her like a tidal wave, and she quickly ran up to the ladder, climbing up the rungs with ease.

  Sarah hosted herself up and walked over to the window. Danny’s house was set on a small hill, and she could see a sea of lights that eventually ended. Complete blackness stretched across the far horizon, and Sarah realized that was the San Francisco Bay.

  Thrilled, she wanted to share the wonder and beauty with Danny. “Danny, come on up. The view is spectacular.”

  Danny’s heart dropped as he watched her going up the tree, knowing fully well that he’d never be able to get up there. Yet, the excitement in Sarah’s voice made him want to try. He wanted to share a starlit night in a treehouse with his girlfriend. A stupid bum leg wa
sn’t going to get in the way of that.

  Danny approached the tree and placed his hands on the rung. He lifted his good leg, putting all his weight on the prosthetic. As he did, jolts of pain ran up his spine. He ignored it, biting his lip to try and suppress his discomfort. Using his hands alone, he managed to climb up a few rungs, nearly reaching the entrance of the treehouse. Pulling up, he tried getting in his prosthetic first, but it suddenly slipped out of place, making him crumple to the ground.

  “Danny!” Sarah shouted.

  Danny did all he could to hold back the wave after wave of pain that threatened to overwhelm him. Agony, frustration, and again that horrible humiliation of being some sort of freak assaulted every one of his senses. He fumbled with one of the straps that held his leg in place. He swore to himself as he finally managed to secure it.

  Danny looked up and could just see Sarah’s shocked face peering down at him from the top of the treehouse ladder. A tsunami of shame slammed into him, and he felt the desperate need to get away. I can’t do this. I was delusional to think that I could have a normal life after what happened to me. Danny took a deep breath and struggled to his feet.

  His cane had tumbled away, just barely out of reach. He limped toward it, pain wracking his entire body. He counted in his head trying to keep the pain at a manageable level until he made his way back inside his house. The back door swung shut behind him with a deafening sound. Danny thought it sounded a lot like a dream shattering.

  He locked himself in his bedroom. His hands tightened around the cane, feeling the urge to snap it in half. The minute he closed his eyes, vivid images of the day he lost his leg came to the forefront. He felt sick to his stomach, laying back in the bed, wishing he would disappear.

  “I don’t deserve someone like her…” he whispered to himself.

  Someone like Sarah deserved a real man; someone who was whole. Not a cripple like him who couldn’t even climb up to a treehouse. He thought about all the things they wouldn’t be able to do together because of his handicap. The knots in his stomach got tighter and tighter. He felt like such a fool.

  “It would never work…” He shook his head.

  Danny had been so hopeful that somehow it would work out. But now, as he lay there, he knew it was just a hopeless dream. Angrily, he unstrapped his prosthetic and tossed it away. It crashed into the closet door with a loud bang. Deep down, he knew his leg was just one of the reasons why he wasn’t worthy of her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sarah stood frozen in place in the treehouse, horrified by her callousness. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. The night had been going so well and she just had to ruin it. No doubt Danny would hate her now. She frowned, slumping down, leaning against the tree’s trunk.

  “I’m such an idiot,” she muttered to herself. “I should have never mentioned the treehouse…” She shook her head, angry tears forming in her eyes.

  Frustrated with herself, she ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a loud sigh. “What have I done?” She looked up at the stars as if they would give her the answers she needed to make things right again.

  She closed her eyes and tried to figure out what to do. Instantly, Katherine Cupid popped into her head. Katy said that she needed to find ways to help Danny. He was learning to cope with his injury, and she needed to learn to cope as well. Because that’s what you do when you love someone. You help each other through the hard times.

  Love? Sarah realized that was exactly the right word for what she felt for Danny, what she’d always felt. Long time best friend, brave soldier, and now wounded man, all of that was Danny, and she loved every bit of him. She just had to make sure he knew it.

  Sarah got up, determined to fix everything.

  ***

  The following afternoon there was a knock on Danny’s door. He’d barely made it inside after Mitchel had dropped him off, but he turned around and headed back to the door. Danny had expected it to be Mitchel telling him he’d left something in his car. Instead, Danny was shocked to see Sarah standing on his doorstep with a bright smile on her face.

  Guilt slammed into him. Danny had left her standing inside a treehouse while he wallowed in his own misery up in his room. He didn’t even know how she’d gotten home. She must hate me. Yet… Sarah stood on his doorstep with a smile as bright as the sun.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I have a surprise for you,” Sarah said and grabbed his hand.

  She pulled him through his house and toward the back door. Danny was too shocked at seeing her to protest and followed. She kept a slow pace and stopped at the back door. There was a gleam of excitement in her eyes as she opened it up. Danny had no idea what she was up to.

  Danny stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the new addition to his backyard. All around his tree was a winding ramp that led up to the treehouse.

  “How did you…?” Danny asked, completely bewildered.

  “I know a guy,” Sarah replied.

  Danny gave her a skeptical look, wondering how one man could construct such a thing in such a short amount of time.

  “Okay, a few guys… Anyway, I had them do this while you were out this morning.” She winked.

  A few things clicked into place, like Mitchel’s huge rush to get to breakfast this morning, the whispered phone calls, and his sudden need to grab a few things at the pharmacy before dropping Danny back home.

  Danny still felt a little thunderstruck. He walked up to the start of the ramp, his left hand grasping the railing. He ran his hand along the smooth wooden railing and marveled. He stood staring for several minutes, unable to comprehend the thought behind it or what it really meant.

  “I hope you like it,” Sarah whispered from behind him.

  Danny turned and saw her wringing her hands. A pinch of worry was beginning to form between her brows, and Danny knew he needed to say something.

  The word tore out of him, begging for her to explain what this amazing gift meant. “Why?”

  Sarah’s face softened and the corners of her mouth lifted. “Because I love you.”

  The words ripped Danny’s world apart. He’d loved Sarah for so long and to hear her say the words to him made him question his sanity. It wasn’t possible. She couldn’t love me.

  Out of desperation, he said the first objection he could think of. “Sarah, I can’t even climb into a treehouse.”

  Sarah’s eyes twinkled with merriment. “There’s where you’re wrong. I think you can handle this one just fine.”

  Danny wanted to hit himself in the face for saying such a stupid thing. He needed her to understand. It wasn’t just the treehouse. There were so many other limitations.

  He rubbed at his temple and tried again. “It’s not just treehouses. There are a hundred other things that I won’t ever be able to do. You deserve someone better than me. Someone who can do whatever you want and make you happy,” Danny said, his heart feeling like he was tossing it into a blender. “You deserve a real man.”

  “Don’t say that,” Sarah said, striding up to him. She put both of her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her. “I don’t want anyone else. You make me happy. Every part of you. It doesn’t matter to me if you can’t climb a tree or walk as well as everyone else. I love you because you’re an amazing, brave, and caring man.”

  There was that word again. She’d said she loved him again. “How could you love me? I’m not whole.”

  Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Danny put a finger to her lips.

  “It’s not just my leg. It’s my head, too. Sounds, people, and other things still make me jumpy. I’ll only hold you back,” Danny admitted.

  He needed her to understand and then leave him alone. He wasn’t sure he could hold it together if she said she loved him a third time.

  Sarah pulled his finger away from her lips and put both of their hands over his heart. “How about your heart? Is it whole?”

  Danny couldn’t lie to her,
even when he was trying to push her away. “My heart is and always has been one hundred percent yours.”

  “Then, that’s all I need because my heart is one hundred percent yours as well. The rest,” Sarah waved her hand dismissively, “can be fixed.”

  “But”

  Sarah put a finger to his lips with a soft smile. “Together we’ll find a way. I found a way to get you to the top of the treehouse, didn’t I? If I could do that by myself, we can conquer any mountain or difficulty together.”

  Hope, like he’d never really let himself feel before, blossomed in his chest. “You really love me, don’t you?”

  Sarah nodded, tears shining in her eyes. “I always have…”

  Danny leaned forward and kissed her, his hands gently caressing her cheeks. He let all of his pent-up passion out. The fear, doubt, and worry washed away, leaving only the love and sweetness he’d felt for Sarah for what felt like forever. He kissed Sarah with a ferocity that no hurricane or storm could match. Sarah was finally his.

  When they were both breathless, he pulled away, gazing into those beautiful eyes of hers. “I love you. I’ve loved you long before you stopped wearing those pigtails, and I’ll love you until the end of time.”

  “Loving you until the end of time has a nice ring to it.” Sarah stroked his cheek, tears spilling down hers. “It might be hard for us, but I just think we need to learn how to compromise.”

  Danny held her close and sighed into her hair. “We’ll find a way.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I hijacked an entire crew of guys to build you a ramp. We should at least go up and take a look,” Sarah said.

  That was a pretty convincing argument. Besides, he’d been wondering what the view looked like since he’d move in a few weeks ago. He tossed his cane to the ground and wrapped his right arm around Sarah. If they were going to be a team, he should start trusting her a little more.

  Sarah snuggled in close and supported him on his weak side, while he held onto the railing for additional support. It wasn’t quick, but they began to make their way up. The ramp was working fantastically.