TOUGH ROMANCE || scoups || BOOK ONE

10

"So" I said sliding a smoothie infront of Mimi and taking a seat across from her. Joshua, the man of my dreams, had made me my afternoon latte in a mug the size of a soup bowl.

"So what?" Mimi asked sullenly.

"What have you been doing this summer?"

She looked me long in the eyes before saying: "what's it to you?"

People with kids make it look easy to talk to them.

"Thought you two ladies could use a little snack" Joshua said, sliding a plate of cookies onto the table. "Fresh out of the oven."

Mimi's brown eyes went wide as she took in the plate and then looked up into Joshua's face with suspicion.

"Thanks Joshua. That's so sweet of you." I said. I gave my niece a nudge.

"Yeah. Thanks." Mimi said. She didn't reach for a cookie but sat there staring at the plate.

I took my chance and snatched a cookie. "Ohmygod-" I managed through a mouthful. "Joshua, I know we just met. But I'd be honoured if you marry me."

"She's already got the wedding dress." Mimi said.

He laughed and flashed the gold band on his left hand. "It devastates me to say I'm already spoken of."

"The good ones always are." I sighed.

Mimi's fingers furtively moved closer to the plate.

"My favourite is the chocolate chip." Joshua said, pointing at the biggest cookie on the plate. With a wink, he was gone.

She waited until he was behind the counter before snatching the cookie off the plate.

"Mmmmm so good!" I mumbled.

She rolled her eyes. "You're so weird."

"Shut up and eat your cookie." Her eyes narrowed, and I grinned. "Kidding. So what's your favourite colour?"

I was on question ten of my half assed getting to know you ice breaker when the door to the café flew open and a man strolled inside.

"There you are." He said grinning around a lollipop in his mouth when he spotted us.

The friendly greeting made me immediately suspicious. Everyone thought I was Chae, which meant if someone was happy to see me they were probably a terrible person.

The man grabbed a chair, spun it around backwards, and flopped down at our table. "Ooooh! These look good!" He helped himself to a cookie with red frosting, trading lollipop for baked good. "So, Hani." He began.

"Uh do we know you?"

Our uninvited guest slapped himself in the forehead. "Whoops! Manners!? I'm already several steps ahead in our relationship. You'll just have to catch up. I'm Boo Seungkwan."

"Boo Seungkwan?"

He shrugged. "I know. Sounds made up. But it's not- Joshua! I'll take a double espresso to go!" He called.

My sweetheart raised a hand without turning around from the order he was working on. "You got it Kwan!"

"So as I was saying. In my head, we're already friends. Which is why I have a job for you." He said biting the cookie in half. "Hey Mi."

Mimi studied Seungkwan over her smoothie. "Hey."

"So what do you say?" Seungkwan asked.

"Huh?"

"Aunt Hani's kind of a planner." Mimi explained. "She wrote three whole lists today."

"Ahh. A look before you leap type" Seungkwan said, nodding sagely. "Okay. I'm a business manager, which puts me in charge of several small businesses in the area. One of them is down a server and desperately needs someone who can deliver wine and be generally charming."