Katy knew where this conversation was headed, but oh, she so wanted more details. She looked back down at the counter and swiped at an imaginary spot. “Oh, really? And what girl would this be?”
“I was supposed to be checking on the food when I saw her. Katy, I don’t know how to explain it. It wasn’t just that she looked beautiful, it was the way she acted with those kids. You know I have a soft spot for them and… well… she took my breath away. I couldn’t do anything but watch her.”
Katy put a hand on her heart and felt a tear or two burn at the back of her eyes. She remembered the first time Charlotte brought a too skinny, eight-year-old Emmitt into her diner. It about broke her heart when he nearly cried with joy at being able to have a sundae after his lunch. Now, here he was falling for a girl because of the size of her heart.
“So, where exactly does this kiss come in? You know I spend my life here at Cupid’s. I have to live vicariously through the lives of my customers,” Katy prompted.
Emmitt laid a hand on Katy’s, stopping her from re-cleaning the same spot for the fifth time. She looked up into Emmitt’s eyes.
“You’re the heart and soul of this town. You belong here, and any man worthy of you would spend every second he could at Cupid’s if that’s what you needed.”
The tears shined in her eyes, but Katy only allowed one tear to fall. She’d had a love like that once, but that was long ago. She pulled her hand back from Emmitt’s and wiped the tear away. “Now, stop that. Charlotte’s always carrying on that you have a way with words. I now see that she’s right. Back to your girl and the kiss.”
Emmitt let out a laugh. “I flustered the great Katy Cupid who always seems to know just what to say?”
Katy had regained her composure. But boy, oh boy, could that boy touch a girl’s heart. Poor Tasha didn’t stand a chance, and that was a good thing Katy decided. Emmitt was definitely a keeper.
“If you want some of that sage advice, you’ll finish your story,” Katy said.
“Fine.” Emmitt held up his hands in surrender. He really did want to hear what Katy had to say. “I saw her from across the room, and when the children went home, I thought that would be a good opportunity to introduce myself. I walked over, and someone bumped into her. I caught her before she could fall and…”
“And what?” Katy demanded, looking completely absorbed in Emmitt’s story.
Emmitt ran a hand through his hair feeling a bit sheepish. “I don’t know what got into me, but I just couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and kissed her. I think I meant to just give her a quick, soft kiss, but it was like being pulled under by the ocean waves. I felt like I was being emotionally tossed around, and I held onto her for dear life.”
Emmitt paused, playing with his mug, sliding it back and forth a bit. “I know this sounds crazy… but somehow, she felt like the one.” His voice was barely a whisper.
It was silent for a few moments before Katy began. “So, here’s what I think. I unequivocally believe in love at first sight, and after hearing your story, I think you do too.”
Emmitt took a sip of his mostly melted root beer float and considered. His voice came out firm and decisive when he spoke. “I guess I do.”
“Since that’s settled. When are you going to call her?”
“I can’t,” Emmitt admitted. He knew this was the tricky part. It was one thing to admit that he was in love with a girl he’d kissed once, it was another to actually find her.
“The thing is… she was wearing this mask… so I didn’t actually get to see her face, and she ran away from me before I could even talk to her.” He frowned. “I think I scared her away.”
“I don’t think that’s entirely true. I’m sure there are other explanations,” Katy offered.
“Maybe.” Emmitt took another sip of his float and sighed. “The thing is, I would really like to meet this girl, but I have absolutely no idea how to find her. What if she was the one I was meant to be with, and now, I’ll never know who she is?”
“I think that if she’s indeed the one, then things will work themselves out. Something will bring you two together again,” Katy said, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
Chapter Eleven
Tasha walked into Cupid’s, wondering why Katy had been so adamant about her coming in for the Friday dinner special. She didn’t usually have dinner at Cupid’s since it was only open for dinner on Friday nights. The local teens overcrowded the diner making it too chaotic to deal with unless you were under eighteen. Tasha had no idea how Katy coped with all the screaming teens.
Tasha had tried to weasel out of coming, but Katy had been persistent, offering her a slice of chocolate cake on the house, if she came in just this one time. She decided to brave the teens for chocolate cake. Besides, her big plans for the evening were to get into her PJs and bunny slippers and then grade papers.
As she entered the diner, the familiar door chime announced her arrival. As always, Katy was there looking energetic and smiling at her. Did Katy ever leave the diner? Tasha shook her head at the thought. Never before had she been to Cupid’s without being greeted by the smiling owner.
“Tasha! I’m glad you could make it,” Katy exclaimed, calling her over to one of the counter stools.
“I’m risking a pounding headache induced by teenaged squeals. This better be one good piece of cake.”
Katy pulled out a plate with a heaping slice of chocolate cake, drizzled with chocolate fudge frosting and stuffed with chocolate mousse. “I think this should be worth it.”
Tasha stared, almost licking her lips. It’s totally worth it. Eagerly, she sat down, looking around for a fork, ready to dig in.
Before she could take her first bite, however, the doorbell chimed once again announcing a new customer. Tasha didn’t care if it was the President of the United States. She was going to keep her focus on her cake. She leaned in to breathe in the heavenly scent of chocolate fudge, her nose nearly touching the frosting.
“Emmitt! So nice to see you!” Katy called.
Tasha straightened up suddenly, hearing the familiar name. Emmitt? Her prince? She gulped. What is he doing here? She didn’t dare to look back, praying that maybe this was some other guy by the same name.
Emmitt smiled at Katy and then raised an eyebrow at her in question. Hadn’t she just called and told him to get down to Cupid’s immediately? He wanted to ask what was up, but Katy cut him off before he could question her.
“Why don’t you sit down? There’s a seat right over here.” Katy motioned to the stool right next to a girl hunched over the counter, even though there was plenty of other free seats around the diner.
It made no sense to Emmitt, but this was Katy and Cupid’s Café was her kingdom. He shrugged and decided to let Katy have her way.
“Sure thing,” Emmitt answered cheerfully, sitting down. It was only then that he noticed that the girl at the counter was Tasha. He couldn’t remember seeing her before that time in Faith’s office, but since then he’d run into her half a dozen times.
There was something about her that he found intriguing, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Maybe, it was the way she acted so skittish around him like she knew something he didn’t.
“Tasha! I didn’t know you came to Cupid’s,” he exclaimed.
“Doesn’t everyone?” Tasha replied.
See there it was. There was something in her tone that clearly stated that she wanted to run and hide from him. Emmitt couldn’t imagine what about him put her on guard. He’d tried even harder each time he saw her to be more of a gentleman, hoping that she’d relax. After all, she was Faith’s TA, and they would see a lot of each other.
That wasn’t the whole truth if he was being honest with himself. He also found Tasha very attractive and liked being around her. The idea that she would rather avoid him stung a bit.
Emmitt was about to reply to her little jab when he saw the cake. “Whoa! That chocolate cake looks amazing.”
“
Tasha’s quite the chocolate lover,” Katy said with a wink. “In fact, that’s how I bribed her to go the Ball last Saturday.”
Emmitt swiveled in his seat, looking at Tasha. She looked like she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. He’d thought the party had been a huge success, but maybe he’d missed something.
“You were at the Ball? Did you enjoy it? My mother and I put it on every year.” Emmitt smiled at Katy and amended, “With Katy’s and lots of others’ help, of course. We try to make it a fun event for the adults and kids, but we’re always trying to improve it. Any suggestions?”
Tasha forked off a huge chunk of cake and said, “Nope.” Then, she shoved the piece of cake in her mouth. She chewed for a second and then stood up.
“I have to get back to grading papers. Thanks, Katy,” she said and turned to leave.
Emmitt was taken back. What had he said? Had something really horrible happened at the Ball that he hadn’t known about? Something that warranted Tasha running away from him for mentioning it?
“Running away again isn’t the answer,” Katy called after Tasha.
Tasha froze. She knew! Katy knew exactly who her Prince Charming was and had orchestrated this entire scene. Tasha wasn’t sure if she was more furious or embarrassed. She’d trusted Katy and… and…
“Wait a second,” Emmitt said. “It was you.”
“Me? What?” Tasha said sharply, whirling around to face Emmitt. This had to be the most horrible, humiliating scene of her entire life. She wanted to run again, just like she had done that night, but now anger was winning out over embarrassment.
“You’re the girl I kissed at the Chocolate for Charity Ball! Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Oh, like when I saw you kissing my boss! How could you kiss me like that when you were dating Faith?” Tasha spat.
She’d been such a stupid fool for believing in fairy tales, for trusting Katy, and most of all for still feeling like the guy standing in front of her was her one true love. Stupid, stupid, Tasha. Tears started to form in the back of her eyes while Emmitt just stared at her with his mouth hanging open.
Forget it. I’m leaving. Tasha turned on her heel and took one step toward the door when she heard Emmitt’s voice.
“You mean my sister?”
Tasha stopped. “What?”
“Faith’s my sister. Well, adoptive sister, but that’s really the same thing.”
His sister? Embarrassment flushed her face, painting it in a deep crimson color. Tasha pulled at the fabric of her skirt, wavering. The door was in front of her, and Emmitt was behind her. She desperately wanted to run away as fast as she could, but what if?
Would he even give her a chance after yelling at him?
“Hey, do you mind if we just start over?” Emmitt asked, his voice soft and gentle.
A warm hand took Tasha’s, and she looked back, surprised to see him so close. His nearness did funny things to her. Tasha felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. Her breath caught in her throat, and her mind was quickly becoming numb with the lack of oxygen.
When she didn’t respond, Emmitt continued, “I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot. Let me introduce myself. I’m Emmitt Mason. I think you know my sister, Faith Mason. Also, I think you should know that you stole my heart when we kissed on Saturday.”
Stole his heart? Her knees felt wobbly at the thought. It didn’t seem possible for two people to share a kiss and then feel such an instant attraction.
Yet… here she was staring into Emmitt’s green eyes, and she could feel a connection. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before, strong, sure, and as unbreakable as steel.
“Um…” Tasha stammered, searching for something to say something to make everything okay. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He’d asked to start over. She could do that. “I’m Tasha Roman, and occasionally I dress up as Cinderella. Would you happen to know where I can find my Prince Charming?”
Emmitt smiled, and it was like the sun coming out, filling Tasha with an inner warmth.
“I might have an idea where you could look for him,” Emmitt said.
“Oh really?”
“Definitely,” Emmitt said with a wink.
Emmitt felt as if he’d just been handed a winning lottery ticket. On impulse, he moved forward, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. He gave her a firm squeeze, lifting her off the ground ever so slightly.
He peered into her beautiful blue eyes. It was like a set of puzzle pieces had clicked together, finally completing each other. This was her. This was the girl that had captured his heart at the Ball. She was as beautiful as he’s imagined her to be without her mask, but it was more than that. Emmitt had seen her inner beauty that night at the Ball, and that drew him in as much as her appearance. Everything she was called to him.
“Besides a fresh start, you know what I’d like even more?” Emmitt asked, setting her down.
“What’s that?” Tasha breathed.
“Another kiss,” he whispered. He shouldn’t have asked and knew he should take it slower, but she was right there… so close. He found he didn’t have the strength to step away from her. He leaned down until their lips were nearly touching. He paused. “I’d like that a lot.”
The warmth of his breath brushed past Tasha’s lips. His hands reached forward, cupping her face. Before Tasha could react, he pulled her toward him. Sparks flew between them at the touch of his lips. There was that connection, like a light switch being turned on, except that the switch was attached to the sun. Energy, heat, and flames raced through Tasha’s whole body. It was like being consumed by something that was so much bigger and brighter than she had ever thought possible.
Emmitt’s lips continued to dance with hers. Tasha felt herself melt into that heat, that connection. He was meant for her. She could feel it as surely as she could feel his strong arms wrapped around her.
Someone coughed, but Tasha barely heard it until Emmitt pulled back. He smiled at her and then looked toward the counter. Tasha followed his gaze.
Katy stood with her arms folded and a self-satisfied grin on her face. Tasha hadn’t forgotten how Katy had put her on the spot, but considering the results she found it hard to be angry. That and the fact she’d just been caught lip-locked in the middle of Cupid’s was enough cool off any remaining temper.
“Umm,” Tasha began, not sure exactly what to say.
Katy waved a hand, saying, “I see that my work here is done.” Then, with a swish of her hips, she was off checking on a table of teens in the corner booth.
“Maybe I should have waited for that kiss.”
Tasha turned to Emmitt’s voice and saw that his cheeks were tinted with red. Giddy and euphoric, she laughed and took his hand. “I have a feeling there will be more kisses in your future. So, don’t worry about it.”
Chapter Twelve
Tasha’s couldn’t believe how much of her world turned upside down in just one night. She’d been lonely and stressed about her job, but Emmitt’s presence changed everything. They made plans to see each other every day, even if it was just for a few minutes at Cupid’s while Tasha picked up coffee for her and her boss.
They still bumped into each other throughout the day, and he always had some small thing for her. Once it was a daisy, another time it was a chocolate bar, but her favorite was the notes. He offered a few words of encouragement or told her a funny story about growing up with his sister. He made Faith sound like a somewhat normal person. It boosted Tasha up, and she spent the rest of the day sailing through all the annoying tasks Faith gave her.
Still, it was a little strange that she was dating her boss’s brother. Faith didn’t like to talk about it, and Tasha didn’t bother to bring it up either. They’d come to a truce of sorts over the past two weeks, and that suited Tasha just fine. As long as she kept her job and got to date Emmitt, everything was right in her world.
Now, however, she was alone, sitting in her small h
ome. It was Halloween, and she could hear little kids outside, frolicking from door to door, asking for candy. Their giggles penetrated through the thin walls of her house, reminding her of a time when she had been young. Halloween had always been her favorite holiday. What kid didn’t like free candy?
Occasionally, trick-or-treaters would ring her bell, and she would stop whatever she was doing to give them mini chocolate bars. The looks on their faces would always be that of pure happiness.
She smiled, seeing off two happy princesses who ran up to their mothers, showing off the candy they had just gotten. Tasha had waved at them before they made their way down the street and toward the next house. She closed the door and went back to the couch, trying to make a dent in the huge amount of work she still had to finish for her boss. There were papers, quizzes, and reading assignments that all needed to be graded. These grades then needed to be updated in the online database. All in all, Tasha knew she had a long night ahead of her.
To motivate herself, she opened up a piece of fun-sized candy, popping it into her mouth. She looked at the wrapper and shook her head. What idiot thought that less candy would equal more fun? She chuckled at the thought, grabbing her red pen, about to read a very long and rather boring looking paper from a girl that was always way too eager to answer Professor Mason’s questions in class, even when she had no idea what she was talking about. Even worse, she tended to mix and match Greek and Roman history.
Before she could get started, there was another ring at the door. Quickly, Tasha pulled everything off her lap and went to answer the door, expecting to hand a chocolate bar to some little kid in a Halloween costume. Instead, she came face to face with Emmitt, dressed in his prince costume, a dazzling smile on his face.
“What are you doing?” he asked, tilting his head, seeing she was in her pajamas. “Didn’t I tell you we were going out tonight?”
Cafe Love: Cupid's Cafe Box Set Books 2-4 Page 20