A Way Out

Chapter 4

Different people all coming and going. All looking unique. Unfamiliar faces with different stories. The people who spend a little more time in Cassie's coffee shop than the people who quickly ordered their coffee and left intrigued me the most.

"How is your day, love?" Mrs. Ginny asked when I arrived at her table.

"The same as always." I smiled as I placed her raspberry tea and chocolate chip cookie in front of her.

Mrs. Ginny visited the coffee shop every Friday afternoon and always ordered tea and a cookie. Her order had never changed in all the time that I worked here and she reminded me a bit of my grandmother who, sadly, passed away two years ago. Both were strong-willed and wore their heart on their sleeves. A quality I had always appreciated in my grandmother.

"How is the cat?"

Mrs. Ginny scrunched up her nose, making her wrinkles a bit more evident. "A naughty little thing, I'm telling you. Yesterday I found her hanging in my curtains. Scared the living daylight out of me. Did everything to get her down, but she wouldn't budge. After a while, she came down like nothing had happened."

I chuckled as Mrs. Ginny shook her head at the memory. "I should've bought a dog," she grumbled as she broke her cookie in half.

"They are more loyal," a voice from behind me pointed out.

For a moment I closed my eyes and exhaled. I've heard him say more in the past few days than I had in the past year. His voice danced around my head and hit my ears like a tidal wave, making me unprepared for the impact.

I turned around to find Donovan Dane already grinning at me the same way he did a couple of days ago. It was like he knew he had some sort of effect on me. I couldn't figure out if he was mocking me or amused by the story Mrs. Ginny just told. Maybe it was both.

"We need to talk, gem." Gem. The mere word he used to call out to me, caused an eruption of feelings within my stomach that spread out to my limbs, making them tremble.

"I'm working," I said as I walked past him back to the counter. His ice eyes followed me, leaving invisible marks on my skin and igniting a fire that made my skin go warm. Where my rudeness came from, I didn't know. Maybe it was the embarrassment from the last time we crossed paths I still felt. Maybe it was me wanting him to go away because of that.

Unfortunately, Donovan Dane didn't get the hint and appeared on the other side of the counter, placing his hands on the wood, and leaning slightly forward. "How is lover boy? He was quite the charmer."

Despair clutched its way to my heart and latched on. I had hoped, prayed even in these fleeting minutes, that he wouldn't bring up Jake. "If I recall correctly, then I told you it was none of your business."

Donovan Dane crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave me a pointed look. God, this man was persistent. "If I recall correctly, I told you I knew what my business was and if your writing was any good, you would be my business too. I stand by what I said."

He had me floored. I thought he had forgotten about it and just threw it away. As he stood there, I allowed myself to look at him. Until a few days ago I had formed an opinion on this man, but since the last few days, that opinion had completely shifted. There was no 'cold' when he talked to me. I wasn't yet sure about 'scary', though. Intimidating, yes, but 'scary' not quite. Even his ice eyes didn't hold as much cold as I first thought.

"Okay," I simply replied.

"Okay?" he repeated as if he expected me to say more.

I raked my hands through my curly hair before saying, "Your move, Mr. Dane." The grin reappeared on his face, brightening his features. He bit his lip for a second, causing a shiver to travel at lightning speed through my body.