She takes the seat and I sit, too, rubbing my palms. “All right, let’s do this. Any particular type of coffee suit your fancy? Café crème, café au lait, café noisette?”
She lowers her shades, peering at me over the tops of those frames. “By coffee, I thought you meant a big fat Frappuccino caramel mocha, since that’s quintessentially American, right?”
“Of course. And order it just like that.”
She laughs and takes her sunglasses off all the way. Her green eyes are intense, some of the darkest irises I’ve ever seen.
“Your eyes are stunning. Hard to look away from,” I tell her.
“Your baby blues aren’t so bad, either, Archie.”
“Thank you, and while I’m being blatantly honest, let me just say I had been hoping our conversation yesterday would have lasted longer.” A small part of me still finds it odd to opt for such directness with a woman, but then, life is short. No point playing games anymore. “I quite enjoyed chatting with you.”
She inches closer. “And while you’re being blatantly honest, I’ll do the same. I enjoyed chatting with you as well, so I’d say it’s a good thing we’ve bumped into each other today.”
The waiter weaves through the tables, and I catch his attention, quickly ordering another tea. I turn to my companion. “How do you take your coffee?”
“Black, please, with a little cream,” she asks, hopefully.
I sigh heavily. “That’s a tough one to order,” I joke, then I tell the waiter what she wants.
When he leaves, Judy is staring at me.
“What is it?”
She shakes her head. “It’s just funny. You’re like my personal food translator.”
I laugh. “That’s my job.” I fix on a stern expression. “And I take it quite seriously.”
“I’ll keep you with me then. Even though I could have ordered a café au lait. I’m not that terrible at French, am I?”
“I don’t really know how terrible you are,” I say, teasing. “We can find out if we do this again. I’d love to take you out. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Her lips part, and I’m practically waiting to catch her yes in my hands. But it doesn’t come. Just a rush of air over her lips, then she presses them together, and stares down the street. She flicks her gaze back to me. “You don’t even know how long I’m in town.”
“You don’t know how long I’m in town, either,” I counter.
“True.”
“So, is that a no? Also, to answer you, I live here. For the moment.”
Her lips quirk up. “I live here, too. For the moment, as well.”
“Then we should go out again. After all, how can we be assured we’ll bump into each other again? You have to admit this was pretty damn good luck this morning.”
She smiles. “It does seem strangely promising.”
The waiter returns with our beverages, and Judy raises her little cup to clink with mine. “To chance encounters.”
“I’ll drink tea to that.”
After a swallow, I put down the cup and look her in the eyes again. “You haven’t said yes. Do you have something against devilishly clever men who are exceptionally good at ordering both hot beverages and delicious pastries?”
She laughs loudly this time, and the older couple at the table next to us scowl in unison. Judy brings her hand to her mouth, feigning embarrassment. She collects herself, and her expression shifts. There’s a twinkle in her green eyes. “I’m not opposed, but I still don’t know how well you could navigate a chocolate shop, for instance.”
A burst of possibility flares in me. She’s closing in on a yes. “All those confusing chocolate flavors. You’d want to make sure you chose the right one.”
“Absolutely. After all, who wants to take home a milk chocolate truffle when there are dark chocolate ones to be consumed?”
“No one does. Simply no one, Judy,” I say as she takes a sip of her coffee.
She points to the cup. “This is quite good.”
“So it’s a yes then to a date where I take you to a chocolate shop and personally ensure you don’t suffer with milk chocolate?”
She nibbles on the corner of her lip, then takes a deep breath. “Look, that sounds fantastic, but the truth is I just got out of a very bad relationship, and I’m not looking for anything.”
Her bluntness makes me want to thread a hand in her hair and kiss her lipstick off. Then again, everything I know about her makes me want to do that.
“How fortuitous. I’m not looking for anything, either.” I lower my voice, my words just for her as I lean a little closer, a feat made easier by the lovely proximity of these tiny chairs. “Except to get to know you more.”
She sighs. “I really need to focus on work and my new job. I honestly don’t think I can make time for anything else.”
“I need to focus on work, too. Which makes me think we’re on exactly the same page. Keep it casual. Keep it light.”
She inhales deeply. “Stop making this so difficult.”
I smirk. “Does that mean you’re having a hard time saying no?”
“You’re a terrible flirt.”
“And terribly convincing with my flirting, yeah?”
She swallows, and a strand of her hair blows gently in the breeze. I brush that strand off her shoulder. When my fingertips touch the fabric of her shirt, her breath hitches. She raises her face, and her eyes lock with mine. “You’re saying we could be not looking for anything together, Archie? Just exploring?”
I raise an eyebrow at her wordplay. “Yes. Let’s explore . . . together.”
She licks her lips and nods. “Give me your phone, and I’ll give you my number.”
I’m ready to punch the air.
In an instant, I whip out my mobile and hand it to her. She clicks open a text message, taps in her number, and then hands the device to me. “Send me a text, Archie. With your real name.”
As she sips her coffee, I type and hit send.
Her phone buzzes
