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He opened the door and walked into the brightly lit space. There were a handful of customers seated at the small tables, and one at the counter talking to the young man who’d been standing beside Beth earlier. As Drew strolled toward him, he noticed the man was wearing a nametag that said Tommy.
“Hey, you made it,” Tommy said, catching sight of Drew.
“I couldn’t turn down the offer of fresh baked muffins, could I?”
“Beth makes the best muffins,” said the woman standing beside him, waiting for her order.
“Is that so?” Drew had to admit he was curious as to what this woman had to say. Clearly, she wasn’t a first-time customer. The way she said Beth’s name was too casual.
“Oh, gosh, yes. There’s nothing like one of her blueberry muffins hot out of the oven and a cup of coffee. The best way to start your day, I tell ya.”
Drew’s stomach took that moment to protest. He hadn’t had anything to eat since dinner the previous night.
The woman giggled as Tommy handed her a brown paper bag. She patted Drew’s arm as she went to leave. “Get one of the cinnamon rolls. I promise you won’t regret it.”
With the woman gone, Drew turned his attention back to Tommy. “You have some loyal customers.”
“Beth does. She has a talent for baking. I just help her out and follow her recipes.”
Although he knew he shouldn’t, Drew had to ask. “Have you two been working together for a long time?”
“I used to work with her at the old bakery when I was in high school. She was starting this place up, and found out I was looking for work, so she asked if I wanted to come help her. I’ve been here ever since.”
Drew was about to ask another question when Beth came through a set of swinging doors. She stopped when she spotted him. “You made it.”
“An offer of fresh muffins is hard to pass up.” He smiled, hoping it was having the effect on her he wanted.
“I suppose it is.” Beth slid a tray of chocolate chip cookies into a glass case and wiped her hands on her apron. “Did you want some coffee? Or we have milk or juice.”
“Coffee sounds great.”
She nodded. “Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll bring it out to you.”
Before he could say anything else, she disappeared through the swinging doors again. He shook his head and went to find a place to sit as far in the back as he could. When Beth brought his breakfast out, he was hoping she might stay and visit with him for a few minutes. A guy could dream, right?
***
Chapter 5
What had she been thinking? After completely freaking out the last time Drew came into her café, she went and invited him to come have muffins? Was she crazy?
Apparently.
As she placed two muffins on a plate—one blueberry, one banana nut—she tried to regulate her breathing. She could do this. She would do this. It was only breakfast.
After seeing him earlier that morning in his firefighter gear and covered in dirt and grime, Beth had experienced a jolt of fear. Whether it was fear for him or fear of what could have happened had they not been able to contain the fire, she didn’t know.
The fire he’d help to put out was a little over two blocks from her café. She was no expert, but Beth knew in places with buildings so close together it wouldn’t have taken much for the fire to spread. What would have happened if it had made it to her café?
Carrying the muffins and a carafe of coffee out to the dining room, Beth tried to push her thoughts about the fire aside. She and Tommy were safe, as was her café—thanks to Drew and the other firefighters.
He grinned as she walked toward him. Beth felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach seeing him sitting there in his white T-shirt and jeans. The thought of what he would look like naked flashed through her mind. She ignored it, and set the plate down in front of him.
“Thank you,” he said.
“You’re welcome. I hope you like them.” Crazy as it sounded, Beth really wanted him to like her muffins. It was completely irrational, but there it was just the same.
She cleared her throat. “Well, I’ll let you eat. Just let Tommy know if you need anything else.”
