Page 7 of The Perfect Blend
Ugh, why had I let Zoe talk me into this? And why on earth had we scheduled our get-me-out-of-here call for an hour into the date? A whole hour. Although, I guess since he was almost 20 minutes late, I only had another 20 minutes to suffer through before I could take the emergency exit route. Was it too soon to use the excuse of going to the toilet to get a break? Maybe I should save it?
Hugh paused his lengthy discussion on corporate law by finally asking me what I did. I explained I owned a local independent coffee shop, and he nodded.
“Love coffee, myself, love it. It takes itself a bit seriously the coffee industry though, I mean calling the people who make the coffee ‘barista's’ like they have a law degree!”
He laughed loudly at his own joke, and I smiled weakly. Nope, that was it.
“Just got to nip to the loo.”
I abandoned my patatas bravas and hightailed it out of there, following the signs to the bathroom. They led me to a narrow corridor hidden from the view of the rest of the restaurant. Once in the bathroom, I checked around for a window I could escape out of, kidding, kind of. Unfortunately, there was only one window, way up high and not even big enough for Beanie to fit through. I leaned against the sink, staring in the mirror at my despairing expression, wondering how much longer I could suffer through this date. I closed my eyes, and suddenly I was picturing Mr Tall, Dark and Rude. How could such an irritating man take up so much space in my head? It was my brain. I should be able to control who I thought about. It was ridiculous how attracted I was to him, and this disastrous date was doing nothing to help. In fact, the contrast just made things worse. I hadn’t felt this level of teenage lusting since my 18-year-old self had had the biggest crush on Chris Hemsworth.
Figuring I had spent as much time in the bathroom as I was going to get away with, I heaved a sigh. I needed to pull on my big girl pants and get back out there to my very terrible date, at least until Zoe phoned with my emergency excuse. I could text her right now, but it would be no use unless I was in actual danger. Zoe always believed in giving a first date an hour minimum before bailing. I’d get her back one day for her ludicrous rules.
As I left the sanctuary of the bathroom, I paused and took in a deep breath. From behind me, a rich and newly familiar voice spoke up.
“Enjoying your date, Raven?”
I let out the breath I had been holding in a rush as I turned around to face the owner of that voice. “I checked for a window, but it’s too small to escape from.”
“That bad? Maybe you can just lure him to the car park and ask him nicely to stand behind your car.”
“Ha, Ha,” I said, voice heavy with sarcasm. “You look like you’ve been having a good time.”
“Oh, you’ve been watching me, have you?” His voice was pitched low and insinuating, a wicked glint in his eyes. His mouth tugged up to form the perfect smirk as he raised his eyebrows.
A blush filled my cheeks against my will.
“I mean, not really its -”
“That’s okay. I’ve been glancing over at you all night. Melissa’s not really my type.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. That gorgeous woman? What kind of madman didn’t have her as their type?
“My type is shockingly specific, actually. Recently I’ve taken to liking brunettes with golden retrievers who throw themselves at me.”
His words deepened my blush, setting my cheeks on fire. “I didn’tthrowmyself at you-”
“Didn’t you? I know I’m quite the catch.” He winked at me and stepped back, releasing the electric energy that had been zinging between us.
“Good to see you again, Raven.” He said as he turned and began to walk away, before pausing to throw a grin back at me. “But hey, no running over any more innocent men. Next time you want my attention, you should just ask,” he winked again and continued to walk away.
I stood there, slightly dumbstruck and floundering for something to throw back at him.
“It’s not Raven, you arsehole, my name’s Robin”, I yelled at his retreating back. His laughter floated down the corridor as he turned the corner and disappeared from sight. I was left standing there, feeling like a tornado had just rushed through.
Chapter Four
Finally, I made myself leave the corridor and go back to my date, and I practically ran out of there when Zoe finally called me with my emergency out a few minutes later. I had thrown £20 onto the table and had barely said goodbye to Hugh before I got the hell out of there, eyes firmly on the exit.
That night in the shower, I spent my time muttering brilliant comebacks to myself. I knew I would never actually say any of them to Mr Tall, Dark andDefinitelyRude, but that didn’t stop the practice from being extremely satisfying. Irritatingly, he occupied my mind even more after that disastrous date than he had before. That week, I peered out of my shop window any time a tall dark-haired man walked past. Half of me hoped it wasn’t him, the other half was secretly wishing he would walk through the door of my coffee shop. It wasn’t until the following week, at the local Christmas Fair, that I caught sight of him again, though.
The village hall was packed with local traders - candle makers, bespoke woodworkers, soaps, toys, floral arrangements, the works. The warm lights, Christmassy smells, and chatter from the packed hall created such a vibrant environment. My hot drinks cart had been given a great spot next to the food stalls. My coffee business had originally started out this way, just me and my small coffee cart trading at markets like this one. Now, at Christmas-time, I left my employees in charge of the coffee shop, whilst I got to enjoy working the festive markets. It was great publicity, and it didn’t hurt that the coffee shop gift cards were very popular stocking fillers. Beanie had decided that she wanted to come with me. She was currently snuggled up in her bed just behind the cart, indifferent to the crowds walking by only a few feet away.
I had nearly finished serving the Williams girls - two cute kids whose Mum I had gone to school with - when I noticed the man looming behind them. I stayed focused on the drinks, but from the corner of my eye I could tell that it washim. My heart rate picked up and my breath caught in my throat. My brain went blank and all of my amazing shower comebacks vanished from my mind, leaving me blankly staring at Mr-Tall, Dark and Rude. His gaze met mine, and he smirked, immediately pulling me out of my weird state and into one of annoyance. That’s right Robin, he was hot, but he also thought far too much of himself. I turned my attention back to the two girls patiently waiting for me to stop acting like an idiot.
“There you are, ladies,” I said, smiling at my diminutive clientele. “Twoextrachocolatey mini hot chocolates, with whipped cream and marshmallows, of course.”
The girls beamed at me as they took their drinks. “Thank you, Robin!” they chorused, handing me the exact change to pay for their drinks. I’d spotted them counting it out from their small purses earlier. They really were too cute.
