Page 53 of A Cup of Autumn
That didn’t tell Keaton much. He leaned toward her, wanting to know what she was thinking and how he fit into it. “Because of the Boo Bash?”
Nodding, Raine motioned to the coffee table. “Working together has made things so much easier than I thought it would be. The Boo Bash is coming together faster than I expected. Robin’s working out better than I could imagine, and I hired a guy named Parker, who has experience. Everything’s turned around since you offered to help me. Now if I could just find one or two more baristas.” Raine held up her hands. “Oh, I didn’t mean you.”
Her tone was serious. Too serious. That was his fault. “You claimed you wanted to hire me.”
“Yes, but it’s not the kind of job you want.”
She may have forgiven him, but she hadn’t forgotten. “It isn’t, but I didn’t know I’d be organizing the Boo Bash with you and enjoying myself so much. I might like being a barista, too.”
“Or you may not have set a high bar for your enjoyment level and you’re being a nice guy about it.”
“No!” He covered his chest with his hand and slumped as if shot. “Nice is a four-letter word when you’re a man. Everybody claims they want to date a nice guy, but no one does.”
“Well, I like nice. Not that we’re dating.”
The way the second sentence rushed out was cute.
He grinned. “I suppose nice isn’t the worst thing someone could say about me.”
“Oh, there are much worse. Just ask your sister.”
Keaton laughed. “Very funny. And correct.”
Raine drank. Her cell phone buzzed.
“Emmett” flashed on the screen.
Wait. Wasn’t that Raine’s ex?
She stared at the phone with her mouth forming a perfect o.
Keaton couldn’t tell if she was shocked or happy. “Need to reply to that?”
Her gaze jerked to meet his.
Another text notification sounded.
He kept his eyes on her.
She swallowed. “I’ve never made him wait for a reply.”
“Go ahead.”
“No.” She squared her shoulders. “That door’s closed.”
Interesting choice of words given what she’d told him her mom used to say. “Does that mean you’re ready to open another one?”
Raine dragged her upper teeth over her lower lip. “Is that how it works?”
“In some cases, but there’s not only one way.”
“Good.” She took a sip of coffee. “Because I’m not ready for another relationship. It was hard finding out Emmett wanted a different life than the one I imagined we’d share after four years together. We tried long distance twice until he broke up with me in April. I haven’t dated since then. And to be honest, I’m not even sure what to do if I wanted to open the door.”
Keaton appreciated her openness. And he got an idea. It might not be one of his better ones, but… “I can help you.”
Her eyebrows squished together. “You’re helping with the Boo Bash.”
Her confused expression was cute, but he got why she didn’t understand. Sometimes he was two steps ahead of people. At least according to his mom, who suggested he slow down and not assume everyone’s mind worked like his. “I meant to help you open another door.”
