AS DELANEY HOLBROOK WATCHED THE MAN IN THE SUIT approach,
she did her best to remind herself she’d given up on men in suits—in fact all
men and most suits, when it came to that. She was a different person, with new
and improved goals, although she could still admire excellent tailoring. And
nice blue eyes. And a firm jaw. And his walk. He had a very purposeful walk
that was incredibly appealing. She sighed. So much for giving up on men in
suits.
She waited until he was directly in
front of her before giving in to temptation and saying, “It’s been six weeks
and this is getting pretty serious. Don’t you think I should know your name?”
She had no idea how he was going to
respond. She half expected him to give her an icy stare and turn away, because
this particular man in a suit had an impressive icy stare. She’d seen it more
than once, albeit directed at others. But he didn’t glare. Instead he smiled.
No, that was wrong. He didn’t just smile,
he gave her a slow, sexy grin that kicked her in the gut and left her feeling
all fluttery and stupid and just a little hopeful.
Talk about opening Pandora’s box.
“I’m Malcolm.”
His voice was low and masculine,
with just enough gravel to give her a happy shiver along her spine.
“Good morning, Malcolm.” She pointed
at her name tag. “Delaney, although you already knew that.”
“I did.”
“Your usual?”
Malcolm was a double shot, extra
hot, large latte. Although he arrived every morning at exactly seven forty, he
bypassed the busy coffee stand in the middle of the building’s lobby, instead
making his way to the special bank of elevators that required a cardkey or a
security escort to reach their lofty levels. But sometime midmorning, he would
wander down for a morning latte.
Her shift ended at ten and more
than once she’d found herself lingering, oh so foolishly, so she could take his
order. A ridiculous truth that should have embarrassed her, but didn’t. Instead
of telling herself that at twenty-nine she was too old to be crushing on a
handsome stranger, she went with a kinder, gentler message. Time did heal and
as she’d suspected, she was more than ready to return to normal life…whatever
that turned out to be.
“My usual,” he confirmed as he
handed over a reloadable gift card to pay for his coffee, along with a tall
white mug. She ran the card through the cash register, then walked over to
start his drink.
Luzia, her teammate, untied her
apron. “I’m going to go to the storeroom for more supplies,” she said. “You
going to be okay by yourself?”
“I will.”
Luzia smiled politely at Malcolm
before stepping out from behind the counter and walking across the lobby.
Alone
at last, Delaney thought, careful not to laugh. No way she wanted to
explain what was so funny.
Malcolm slid the coffee card back into his wallet, then
returned his attention to her. “You’re new.”
“Relatively. I’ve been here nearly
two months.” She tipped the small metal pitcher of milk so she could insert the
steamer. The familiar hissing, gurgling sound began. She poured four shots of
espresso into the mug he’d brought.
“You’re with Alberto’s Alfresco.”
She nodded at the logo on his mug. “Your company owns the building and our
little coffee stand is a renter. Hmm, does that make you my boss?”
He grinned. “Don’t go there.”
“Why not? I suspect you like being
a boss.”
“Not all the time.”
“Most of the time,” she teased.
“Your suit is too nice for that not to be true.”
“What is your experience with
people in suits?”
“I used to be one.”
“Unexpected.” One eyebrow rose.
“Not anymore?”
“No. I’ve decided to go in a
different direction.” She poured the steamed milk into his mug. “I know what
you’re wondering, so to answer the question, it was my choice.”
In
a manner of speaking, she thought. The decision to change careers had been
hers—the circumstances leading to that decision had not.
“What direction is that?” he asked.
“I’m going to be a naturopath.” She
waited for the look of confusion before adding, “It’s a—”
“I know what naturopathic medicine
is. It emphasizes using the body’s own systems for healing through a
combination of Western medicine and natural cures.” One corner of his mouth
turned up. “My grandfather’s housekeeper has a niece who graduated from Bastyr
University with a degree in acupuncture or something like that. Are you a student
there?”
She ignored the bit about his
grandfather having a housekeeper—the suit already implied money, so she
shouldn’t be surprised. “That’s my plan. I have to meet certain prerequisites
in science and math but my business degree didn’t require them so I’m going
back to college to make them up.” She shook her head. “It’s been a while since
I’ve had to go to class and study. My brain is still unamused and crabby about
the whole thing.”
He sipped his coffee. “What classes
did you start with?”
“Biology and algebra.”
He winced. “Good luck with that.”
“Thanks. At first I had to read
every chapter three or four times to remember anything. Now I’m down to only
having to read it twice. The lab work has been interesting, though. In three
weeks, we have to dissect things. I’m dreading that.”
“There shouldn’t be blood. Whatever
it is has been dead awhile.”
“Still. Knives, cutting, organs.”
She shuddered.
His blue eyes brightened with
amusement. “Is this where I remind you that you’re basically studying to be a doctor?”
“Yeah, I get the irony. I try not
to think about it, but I get it.”
They looked at each other. She
felt…something. Tension maybe, or
awareness. Whatever it was, she appreciated the confirmation that she was
alive, relatively healthy and moving on with her life. The world kept turning
and dragging her along with it.
“I need to get back to work,”
Malcolm told her.
She wanted to believe there was a
hint of reluctance in his voice, but she couldn’t be sure. Still, it was nice
to think about.
“Me, too.” She glanced at her
watch. “Or rather, head home and study for a few hours before class. Enjoy the
rest of your day, Malcolm.”
“You, too, Delaney.”
He hesitated a second before
turning toward the elevators. She watched him walk away and let herself imagine
that he would spin back and ask her to lunch. Or dinner. Yes, dinner on his
yacht. Or maybe they could helicopter to somewhere nice, although she wasn’t
sure where a helicopter ride from Seattle would get them. Portland? Vancouver.
Oooh, an international destination!
Regardless, he would ask her to
dinner and they would…
She laughed as she rinsed out the
milk pitcher and made sure everything was in order for Luzia and the next
shift. She and Malcolm would what? Go to dinner? Kiss? Fall in love?
Hardly. They had nothing in common.
Years ago, maybe, when she’d been on the fast track in finance. Only then she’d
been engaged to Tim. She wouldn’t have noticed Malcolm at all.
“It doesn’t matter,” she told
herself as she slipped off her apron. She had plans and dreams and hopes for
the future. Not anything she would have imagined, but now, after everything
she’d been through, they felt right. She would learn to heal others and if she
got through that, she might have the chance to heal herself, as well.
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her online at SusanMallery.com.
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