Page 10 of A Perfect Fit

Jackson dusts off his jacket. “Well, hello and good morning to you, too, Isabella. Is this how you treat all your customers?”

“No.” I feign innocence. “Only the annoying ones. I have a list.”

A thoughtful expression sweeps across his face. “If you have that many annoying customers, it might be time to reflect on whether the customer service you’re providing is actually up to standard.”

I glare at him and fold my arms across my apron. For a millisecond, I think Jackson’s gaze dips lower, to my chest, before it darts back up again. “My customer service is excellent, thank you very much.”

The corner of his mouth lifts. “Prove it.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not proving anything to you, Jacky.”

“Sounds like someone’s giving in to defeat.”

“Fine,” I grumble. Unfortunately, Jackson doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving, and there’s no getting out of doing my job. “What can I get you? Make this quick.”

Jackson’s eyes meet mine. “That depends. What’s on the menu?”

“Hmm. Let’s see.” I pretend to rack my brain. “For today’s special, we have a flat white with a teaspoon of bland personality, a black coffee with a flavor of arrogance and cockiness on top, and an espresso with a shot of asshole. What would you like?”

“I’ll have the black coffee with a flavor of arrogance and cockiness on top,” he says, indifference bordering his voice.

“Suits you very much.” I tap the screen of the point-of-sale machine, taking his order. “For here or to go?”

“To go.” Jackson pauses for a moment, and there’s a glint in his eyes. “For here, actually.”

My scowl is instant. “You sure about that?”

I’d rather memorize all 118 elements of the periodic table than have Jackson stay here for a second longer than necessary.

Jackson leans forward and places his hands on the counter, his eyes locking with mine once more. I can smell his cologne—woodsy, reminding me of a mix of evergreen and pine. It’s surprisingly nice and fresh.

“Why? Does my presence threaten you? Hmm?”

I take a step back, widening the distance between us. “Threaten? No. Irritate? Yes.”

He plasters on a charismatic smile. “Your jaw looks a little tense, babe. You might want to get that checked out by a dentist.”

“Shall I bill the fees under your name then?” I sweetly ask, borrowing the line he said to me on the plane and ignoring the fact that he called me babe.

Jackson takes out his shiny black designer wallet and pays with his card. “Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“I sleep amazing.”

He turns on his heel to leave before pausing and then spinning around like he remembered an afterthought. A devilish smirk slides onto his face. “Oh, and make sure you don’t spill my order. This is a brand-new suit.”

My hands clench into a fist. Seriously?

“Don’t worry,” I say in my best angelic voice. “I’ll make sure to give some extra love to your order.”

Jackson raises a brow. “Should I be concerned?”

“Maybe.”

“I’m texting someone,” he says, pulling out his phone. “If I don’t make it back to work within the next hour, they’ll know where I am.”

Talk about dramatic.

Jackson strolls off and sits at the wooden table closest to the counter before scrolling through his phone. Of all the available seats, he just had to sit at the front.