he was high during a class. Not a good look. And no, he wasn’t high, thank you very much. Smitten, more like it. Totally, utterly, and devastatingly smitten.
Which, obviously, he knew was not good for his job. Nor his reputation.
And when his Wednesday night class had rolled around, he’d planned to check in on Audrey in the hope that there wouldn’t be any lingering weirdness between them. Only she hadn’t shown. The class had ticked by slowly, his eyes catching on the door every few seconds, but she didn’t appear.
Now he was here, standing outside Kisspresso Café’s bright pink door, trying to muster up the courage to talk to a girl like he was fourteen instead of thirty-four. He caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the big windows—Kissing Creek had been kind to him. The persistent sun had taken away the pallor he’d developed from working all hours at Cambridge. His hair was slightly longer and the beard suited him, if he did say so himself.
“Go in there and talk to her,” he muttered. But it took another moment and a few odd glances before Ronan got his feet moving.
Inside, the café was bustling. A line snaked from the counter past a few sets of tables and chairs. Despite his initial impression that this was some kind of Barbie Dreamhouse version of Starbucks, he’d grown to appreciate the quirky styling. In fact, he’d learned that all the “dine in” cups and plates were made by a local ceramist, and the cozy throw blankets strewn along the backs of the booth seating were knitted with yarn milled from local farms.
There was a strong sense of community pride here.
Ronan joined the line and slowly made his way to the front. He spied Audrey behind the espresso machine, working as she always did with a smile on her face and her motions fluid as a ballet dancer. There was a quiet grace about her. Well, as graceful as someone could look in a bright pink polo shirt with a kiss mark embroidered on her chest.
“Professor Walsh, good to see you.” The young woman behind the cash register beamed up at him. “The usual? We’ve got chocolate-raspberry or cardamom-blackberry muffins today.”
“I’ll try the blackberry, and yes, the usual coffee. But I’ll have it here.”
“Day off?” she asked as she rang up his order.
“Kind of.”
Ronan was on a mission—to get his ass into gear with his book. Settling into his home for the next year had taken longer than expected, and Ronan had found himself more distracted than ever, which was affecting his work. Figuring a change of scenery might help, he’d stashed his laptop into his satchel and come here.
Oh yeah, change of scenery. Riiiight.
More like if he didn’t see Audrey, he was worried he might never concentrate again.
She continued making the coffees, calling out the orders and names in her usual cheerful tone. Pink passion mochas, cappuccinos, lattes, and cold brew flew out, and soon Ronan was at the front. When she looked up, ready to greet him like any other customer, her eyes widened.
“Ronan, hi.”
“Hi.” He leaned against the side of the bar. “We missed you yesterday in class.”
“We?” Her movements halted for a moment, and she set the full force of her glorious olive-green eyes on him. “Or just you?”
His lip quirked. “I guess I shouldn’t speak for everyone.”
“Probably wise.” She dumped an espresso shot into a large mug and topped it with hot water. A second later, his muffin appeared on a small pink plate with gold edging. “Here you go. Good call on the blackberry muffin, the cardamom is delicious.”
“I don’t suppose you want to join me for a few minutes?”
Audrey glanced toward the clock on the wall behind her. “I’m not supposed to go on break for another half hour.”
“Take it now.” The woman whom Ronan assumed was Audrey’s boss was pottering around behind her, carrying a small wood crate filled with jugs of milk. “It’s only going to get busier, so you may as well grab a bite to eat while you can. I’ll cover you.”
“Thanks, Jamie.” Audrey untied her apron and motioned for Ronan to grab a seat. “I’ll meet you there in a minute.”
Ronan snagged an empty table that was tucked around the corner of the service counter and placed his food and drink down. Should he be worried about people seeing him and Audrey sit together? He shook off the thought. There was nothing wrong with a professor and a student