Page 18 of Roses are Royal

“Caramel-iced macchiato, light ice, extra caramel,” Dante informs me as he hands over the clear plastic to-go cup with my literal heaven inside.

“Wow, that’s actually my favorite. Thank you.” I give Dante a puzzled look, but I’m not about to question it when I take the first sip of creamy, sweet goodness. “And what did you get?”

“Quad espresso.”

“Long night?” Please don’t tell me Dante has a girlfriend or something that he spent the night with. Or maybe he just had a little fling to scratch an itch while he had the night to himself. Good for him, actually. It doesn’t make any difference to me. I hope he had a great night doing whatever or whoever.

“Something like that.” With a smirk to punctuate his response, he turns and gestures for me to proceed up the steps and through the door, not even acknowledging Luca’s presence. “After you.”

I catch Luca’s gaze as I take a sip of my coffee and turn to walk inside, but his eyes are shooting daggers at Dante. I actually forgot he was here watching my interaction with Dante.

“Let me know when you are ready for our walkthrough, Rose,” Luca directs at me while still making eye contact with Dante.

“Sounds good,” I add with a wave of my hand and head inside. Men and their pissing contests. They can stare at each other all day if they want, but I’m going to enjoy my coffee in peace.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly. The work that Luca and his team got done yesterday is flawless, and I have to school my face when I tell him it’s “fine” and “I guess it’ll do” even though I’m gushing inside at the craftsmanship and intricacy of the designs. Dante was pleased with the progress I made on orders and the delivery schedule and then spent most of the day out of sight. I’m assuming he was in the basement even though I didn’t actually see him go down there. I’m exhausted from the drive and long day of work, and all I can think of right now is food and a soft bed. Food first, then hopefully Shirley can help me with the soft bed situation.

The diner is blessedly quiet when I walk in and head to what I am now considering “my booth.” Shirley is behind the counter and smiles in greeting as I make my way to my table.

“I thought you might’ve left town when you didn’t come in last night,” Shirley says in greeting.

“Aw, did you miss me?” I say with a genuine smile, but Shirley clearly knows I’m joking.

“I was just going to be annoyed if you were gone, especially after I stocked up on caramel syrup.”

“Don’t play with my emotions, Shirley. Dangling caramel syrup in front of me would be cruel and unusual punishment if you are just messing with me.”

“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some on hand for when people from the city stop in,” Shirley explains as if she doesn’t want me to know she is actually very thoughtful and did it just for me.

“Thank you, Shirley. Truly,” I add in a sincere tone. “That was very thoughtful of you to think of all those people from out of town who might want caramel syrup. You are a true saint.” I wink to keep things playful, but in reality, I’m melting inside. This woman, who I didn’t think even liked me based on our few interactions, has done something not many people in my life have done—she saw me.

Clearly uncomfortable with my genuine display of gratitude, Shirley promptly changes the subject. “What can I get you tonight?”

“I’ll start with a caramel coffee and a cup of ice with some creamers on the side. And then I’ll take some time to look over the food menu and let you know.”

“I actually have a pot of coffee in the fridge that I can put over ice with the caramel syrup for you if that is what you had planned to do.”

To say I’m stunned is an understatement. Shirley, the diner ice queen herself, has thawed to me, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Beaming up at her, I say, “Who are you and what have you done with my Shirley?”

Hiding a grin, she responds, “Do you want the iced coffee or not? It doesn’t affect me either way. It will just save me a dirty glass if I don’t have to bring it to you in a mug first.”

“I would love it iced, thank you.” Smiling, I pick up the menu to look over my options and release Shirley from our pleasant interaction, which seems to make her uncomfortable. All I know is Shirley likes me. Like actually likes me, and honestly, I like her too. She gives off a mother figure vibe I’ve never experienced, stern and strong, but underneath, she is nurturing and actually cares.

Enjoying my iced coffee, Shirley brings over my go-to cheeseburger order and sets it on the table (honestly, I don’t even know why I looked at the menu) when I remember my mission for tonight.

“Shirley, do you know of any hotels you can recommend for the night? It doesn’t have to be fancy, just safe ideally.” I tack on the last piece, hoping she won’t question it.

“Well, there is only one motel in town, a few blocks over near the main road, but that’s all we have close by. I heard there was a break-in there a few days ago, so it might not be very safe. This time of year, there aren’t many rental vacancies.”

“Yeah, about that.” I pause, wondering how much information I should share. At this point, Shirley is my only friend, and I feel like I’ll be spending a lot of hours in this diner, so I don’t see the harm. “Actually, it was my room that was broken into. That’s why I wasn’t around last night. I went back to the city for a bit. I’m hoping to find somewhere more long-term to stay while I’m here working, but I just need a room for tonight. I guess I’ll have to see if that motel has availability. One night won’t kill me.”

“No,” a stern-looking Dante says from behind Shirley, who almost jumps out of her skin with the one-word command. How did I not notice him come in? I didn’t even hear the bell over the door jingle.

“No? What do you mean no?” I’m both flustered and confused by Dante’s sudden presence.

“No, you will not be staying at that motel tonight.”

“Well, unfortunately, it sounds like that’s my only option, and it’s too late to drive back to the city.”