She flipped him off above her head but didn’t bother to glance back. Zac shrugged as he opened his door and slid into the seat. It was no skin off his nose. Where did that saying come from anyway? He never really understood it, but he knew the minute he got home he’d Google it. Stupid things like that nagged at him until he had the answer. Last fall he had a date who kept saying ‘peachy keen’. It drove him nuts until he looked it up online and got into the etymology of the saying. Unfortunately, his timing wasn’t exactly peachy keen. The girl stormed out of his bedroom and he never heard from her again.
To make matters worse, Ford told Lauren and Lauren told Macie who used it every single time she had a chance. Like she had earlier in the night.
He drove a few blocks to The Grove neighborhood. His father hated all things considered hipster, but Zac didn’t mind. It was simply old-school thinking on his dad’s part. Besides this section of town had the best craft beers around. As much as Zac liked a good bar scene, Crafts Cafe was the opposite. It was more like a coffee shop with relaxing music, mismatched furniture, and bistro tables. There wasn’t even a bar.
Zac parked in the lot behind the building. He’d learned before that his Nissan Armada, in serrano red, stood out by the ten notes on his windshield about environmental consciousness and driving. It wasn’t a gas guzzler, but it was still a big bad SUV. His father had given it to him for his high school graduation. It wasn’t Zac’s first choice, but who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth? Zac loved the history, or lack thereof, of that cliché. It was also one of the first he researched.
Crafts was busy as usual. There were soft murmurs of conversation and waitresses quietly navigating the large dining room like ninjas. Solo guitar music played through the speakers, and the lighting was soft and warm. Not too dark, not too bright. Everything about the cafe whispered ‘just chill with us’. Zac loved it. He spotted an open table in the corner and headed toward it. He set his tablet on the menu mat just as someone else did the same.
“Not you,” a too familiar voice said.
Zac looked up and stared into the eyes of his worst nightmare, Macie Regan.
MACIE HAD COME TO CRAFTS to plan a new mixed media piece and drown herself in an overpriced beer. She needed some form of distraction after Kyle stood her up. After she had left Lauren’s, she went on Kyle’s Instagram. Probably the same thing Lauren had done. Kyle had posted a selfie with Meghan Hanson. He’d gotten the real target. Macie had just been a means to an end.
Crafts was one of her favorite new places. She loved the ambiance of the place, even though most of the beer was shit. There was an ale she didn’t mind. Besides, she wanted to get used to this area. She was still waiting patiently for a job offer at Rivot Design. They had to hire her. She hadn’t applied anywhere else. Rivot was innovative, state-of-the-art, and open. The environment was everything she wanted in a job. And they’d given her rave reviews when her internship ended. There was no way they wouldn’t make an offer before graduation. The internship had been enlightening. She thought she fit in with the other designers.
The Grove was the best neighborhood within walking distance, and that would save money in the long run. She’d spent the last few hours looking at apartments online. Most were out of her price range. One was not. She’d printed out the application for residency, dropped it off at the building manager’s office, and now just wanted a quiet place to sit down and draw plans for a new piece of art.
So why was Zac Sparks here? This was not his country-club style.
“Hey, Chom—”
She glared up at him, and he grimaced.
“Sorry, Macie.” Zac’s expression never changed. It was always set at cocky asshole, which was too bad. He was a sexy cocky asshole. His dark blond hair always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. And those eyes, most women would kill for those bright blue eyes, and plenty paid extra for contacts to fake them. Her neck strained as she stared up at him. He was at least half a foot taller than her, and she loved tall guys. If only he didn’t have such a shit personality.
“Just go,” Macie said as she sat down. To her horror, Zac joined her. “What’re you doing?”
Zac scoffed. He pointed around the room. “There isn’t another table, so I’m sitting here. You’re more than welcome to wait for a different one to open up.”
Macie closed her eyes and pinched her nose. Lauren wanted them to get along. At least until the wedding was over. This was a good place to start. Macie opened her eyes and stared at Zac until he shifted in his chair. “Just be quiet.”
“Ditto.” Zac opened the blue case of his tablet, ignoring her completely. She glanced over to see what was on his screen, but he had it turned so she wasn’t able to snoop. “And no hacking.”
“What makes you think I’m going to hack into your...” She waved at his tablet, “what type is that, anyway?”
“It’s an iPad. Why?” He tapped on the Bluetooth keyboard without looking at her.
“The latest version?” She wanted to take it from him and play with the features. Macie loved technology, but anything that would improve her future as a graphic designer was something she longed to get her hands on. At this rate, she’d be able to buy his at a pawn shop in a few years.
“Yes, why?” Zac stopped typing and glared at her.
Jealousy and disappointment battled for dominance. She went with jealousy, her voice sandpaper on her throat.
