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“Your aura gets so much more vibrant the closer you are to her,” Annie said, leaning forward.
He studied the woman, her silver hair tipped in bright colors. Her chunky wooden necklace and several silver and turquoise bracelets that clanked whenever she moved her arms. If there was an image under the definition of eccentric in the dictionary, Annie would be there.
“She might be pushy, but she’s usually right,” Steve said, offering a smile.
Atlas nodded and took another sip of the bitter coffee to wash down the pancakes stuck in his throat. He needed to run out of here and get some air.
He glanced back to Jasmine—her head tipped as she rinsed a dish in the running water. Her shoulders stiffened before she turned her face to the side as if she could sense his stare. Sense me?
Maybe he’d let too much of this woo-woo Annie get to him. He stood and brought his plate over to the counter, suddenly no longer in the mood for pancakes. He just needed fresh oxygen.
Jasmine spun around, frowning at his half-full plate and then him.
“It was delicious. I’m just not much of a breakfast person.” Lie. He was an any-meal-whatever-time-of-day person.
She nodded and took the plate, giving him a polite smile.
“Have a good one.” He waved to the older couple and Jasmine before escaping out the front door into the fresh salt-tinged air. He filled his lungs with untainted oxygen and pulled the keys out of his pocket. Clicking the button, he unlocked his Mercedes and climbed in. The scent of leather overpowered the lingering sea breeze.
He gripped the steering wheel and squeezed. Why was he so unsettled?
Because I can’t fuck this up.His attraction to Jasmine was an outlier he hadn’t counted on. If other people could pick up on it, it was time he got a handle on things. They couldn’t happen. He needed to focus on his job. How could a young woman get the previous owner to sell her this inn at below market value and turn down his family’s offer? Jasmine was hiding something; he just had to find out what. Time to do a little recon . . . and get some half-decent coffee.
Atlas started the car and drove into town. A few miles later, the sign for Stardust Café caught his attention. He pulled over to the side of the road and parallel parked. He clicked the fob and locked the car before he opened the door to the bakery. The smell of freshly baked pastries and the aroma of coffee saturated the small café.
There were a few customers on laptops at the tables around the establishment. He waited his turn and glanced at the chalkboard menu on the wall.
“Hi, how can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked.
“A large black coffee, please. And one of your chocolate scones.”
“Sure thing.” She used a paper sheet to take a pastry from the display case and placed it in a bag for him. Then she poured a coffee and slid it carefully over. “Nine forty.”
He handed her his credit card. This was as good a place as any to dig for dirt on the innkeeper. He sipped the hot java, peeking over his shoulder to find no one else waiting to be helped. The earthy, dark roast was just what he needed. “Damn that’s good coffee.”
She scanned his card through the reader and smiled. “Glad you like it.”
“Are you the owner?”
She handed his card back to him and turned the screen so he could add a tip and sign. “Yes. I’m Remy.”
He smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Atlas. I’m staying at The Lighthouse Inn.”
Her brown eyes lit up. “Oh! That’s the best spot in town. How do you like it there?”
“It is beautiful. The owner seems nice.”
Her gaze focused more intently on him and her smile grew. “Jasmine is the best.”
He nodded and tapped the button for no receipt before he grabbed the bag with the scone and took another sip of the dark brew. “She seems nice, but her coffee could use some work,” he joked.
Remy laughed. “That’s what you get when you have a non-coffee-drinker make you a pot.”
He scrunched up his nose. “She doesn’t drink coffee?” Who didn’t like coffee?
“She’s a chai latte kinda girl.” She nodded towards the teas, insinuation in her eyes.
Damn. That’s not what I meant. I don’t want to bring Jasmine back a tea or try to flirt with her any more than I already accidentally have.
