“Look at her, just staring at him,” Rie muses.
“It looks like she’s in a trance, doesn’t she?” Nina chuckles. I roll my eyes.
“Hurry up,” I start to whine, and Nina hands me three cake boxes.
“Here! Give these to him first.” I take it from her hands and walk to the counter.
“Come back for the coffee next!” Nina nearly yells. I plop the cake boxes in front of him wordlessly and start to head back to my place by the door frame.
“Is he that handsome up close, Isabela? Are you thinking of a pickup line? I have a few suggestions,” Nina offers, putting three coffee boxes in one carrier. I can feel her giddiness from where I stand, but I keep my eyes fixed on the man. Now that I think about it, he seems familiar somehow.
“Maybe she’s fantasizing about bouncing on his d—” I cut off Rie’s attempts to tease immediately.
“Okay! That’s enough.” I feel the heat start to prickle behind my ears as my friends burst into fits of giggles.
Well, I’m pretty sure he heard all of that. I pick up the carrier and head back to the counter.
“Here you go,” I say, pushing his orders toward him. My hand brushes against his accidentally, and I feel my entire body bristle at the touch.
“That was fast. Thanks,” he mutters while checking his things. He flashes me another smile and leaves quietly without another glance.
I feel myself visibly relax. Maybe I was just being paranoid. I sigh and reach for the keys to the register again when I spot a wallet sitting above the tip jar. I pick it up to check for any trace of the owner.
A white card nestled in between the folds catches my eye, and I slide it out. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say out loud.
Chapter Two
I’m not sure if he did this on purpose or he’s actually dumb.I stare at the name of the owner in my hands. “Gregory Richardson.” I shake my head as I look back to where the man exited earlier.
He’s walking toward a car parked right in front of the café. I study the calling card further. Underneath his name states his occupation in bold, black letters. “A stock broker from a New York-based firm. He’s a tourist? Hmm, maybe I should give this back to him?” I muse.
“Give what back?” Nina interjects, casually draping her arm over my shoulders.
“Uh, that guy earlier, he left his wallet.” I hand it over to her.
“Ooh, let me see!” Rie attempts to snatch it away from Nina, but she’s too slow.
“That’s him over there.” I point to the black sedan. “Give it to him in case he comes back,” I instruct my friends and they nod in agreement. I leave them be and head to the small closet space beside the kitchen entrance where we leave our things. It takes me a while to remove the intricate knot Nina did to my apron and to change out of my uniform. I grab my backpack and fumble for my phone in one of the side pockets. I’ve got a couple of unread messages. “Shoot!” I shriek as I read a message from my sister demanding that I come home early today. “Hey, I need to go. My sister just messaged me—what are you both doing?” I stop in my tracks as I spot Nina and Rie hiding behind the display counter.
“Get down here!” Rie demands, confusing me altogether. I crouch beside them.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask again.
“He hasn’t left yet,” Rie whispers.
“Who?” I try to get a good look outside, but I’m pulled down again.
“Gregory. You know, the customer from earlier?” Nina emphasizes.
I tilt my head in confusion. “And?”
“What do you mean, ‘and’? Aren’t you a little suspicious? Why is he still here? Why isn’t he leaving?” Rie slaps my arm.
I roll my eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. Probably because his wallet is still here?”
And I thought I was the paranoid one.
“Then why won’t he come back inside?” Nina interjects.