When 20-year-old Kara Bennett moves to Boston to escape her post-high school drama with her daughter, she didn't expect to fall straight into it in the form of Austin Mayer.
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All Kara Bennett...
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NEXT MORNING, I WENT TO JACK'S DINER FOR COFFEE.
Kara was laughing at Sarah when I entered. Her laughter died in her throat once she saw me.
"Morning," she said, but her tone had a warm edge to it, convincing me that yesterday wasn't a wild dream.
I acknowledged Sarah with my head and turned to Kara with a smile. "Hey. I'll take a large Americano."
"Heard Starbucks is better," Sarah quipped from the other side of the counter. I didn't expect that, but apparently, neither did Kara. She cleared her throat, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and ducked her head with roses on her cheeks. After she met my gaze, she turned around and walked to the coffee machine.
"What happened to 'Support The Small Business' spirit?"
"It sounds more like 'Find An Excuse To See Kara' spirit to me." I stared at her in a daze and tried to come up with a quirky comment. Damn your girlfriend, Nick Harrison. Sarah raised her eyebrows at me, smirked, and disappeared into the kitchen.
I turned back to Kara when she put the cup of coffee before me and offered me a weak smile. "Don't mind her, she's bored."
I nodded, taking my coffee and fishing for money in my pocket. After handing the money, I watched her take it, straighten it and tuck it into the machine with ease. There was a coffee stain on her right cheek and bags under her eyes. Didn't she sleep well?
Then, she caught me staring. I should have stopped, but I couldn't and she didn't, either, which made the whole thing harder for me. My heart sped up when her eyebrows furrowed.
This was where I should take my coffee and walk away but this was also where she should look behind me to see the line, look back at me with fury, and tell me to move on. Instead, she was just looking at me with no trace of anger.
It was my turn to frown when she started laughing. "What are you doing?"
I laughed back. "Your cheek."
"Oh." She ran a hand over her cheek to rub it but didn't catch the stain. "Is it okay?" I shook my head no. She grabbed a wet tissue when I was about to offer to do it for her. Once she wiped it with it, the stain was gone—so was my chance. Damn, what chance was I talking about? "Now?"
"All gone."
"Thanks," she said smilingly. "Have a nice day, Austin, and thanks,"—I frowned—"for choosing us instead of Starbucks, you know."
I smiled. "Anytime."
—
About lunch break, Nick snuck into my room and waited for me to be done with the appointment. Once the patient was out, he let out a sigh. "I hate Mondays."
Kara's face crossed my mind when I thought of Monday—how the morning went, how she smiled, and even Sarah's witty remark didn't sound so annoying then.
