When she first laid eyes on him, she nearly dropped the large glass vases of flowers she was carrying. Her knees got weak and her heart began to pound. She wasn’t that type of woman at all – the kind that got the vapors at the sight of a good-looking guy. No man had ever affected her like that, and she wasn’t any too happy that he was, either.
Sean saw her almost stumble and reached out to relieve her of her burdens, but she recovered quickly and waltzed right past him. “Can I help you?” Tess put the roses on display in the two bowed front windows, then turned back to him, holding out her hand. “I’m Tess Martin, the owner. What can I do for you today?”
She clutched his hand firmly, pumped up and down twice, and let go. Sean was glad to see that she shook hands like she meant it, not prissily grasping the tip of his index and middle fingers with the very tip of her own as if he had leprosy.
“I’m Sean Maddox. It’s very nice to meet you. And it’s not so much what you can do for me, but rather the other way around.” He extended his arm to her, offering her the coffee he had in his left hand, as well as a small bag he’d clutched with his ring and pinky finger. “A large decaf, three splashes of skim, three Equals and a shake of cinnamon, right?”
Amazed, Tess blinked owlishly, taking the drink from him a bit hesitantly. “Yes, that’s exactly how I take it. Thank you.”
“And an apple-cider doughnut, warmed, with cream cheese frosting?” He was still proffering the bag, but only until he told her what it contained.
Tess took the bag and peeked at the contents, sighing loudly. “You are a very bad influence.”
He chuckled, and the sound poured over her like so much heated frosting. She could no more stop herself from looking at him, now, than she could stop the sun from rising in the east. “How’d you know what I liked? I’m fussy as all get-out, and you got it perfect the first time – even down to the doughnut.” She left off that her last lover – not that that was what the man in front of her was going to become, of course – couldn’t seem to remember her birthday after five years, much less how she liked her coffee.
“I was behind you yesterday and heard you order it,” he answered, unabashedly confessing that he’d been eavesdropping on her.
For some reason, that idea made her blush furiously, and she added defensively, “Wow. You’ve got a good memory. I’m really particular about my coffee.”
He didn’t look in the least concerned or annoyed by her idiosyncrasy, answering softly but firmly, “That’s okay. I’m a particular man myself, especially when it comes to women.”
Tess’s mouth went Sahara dry at that, and she found she was having trouble swallowing because of it, so she took a big gulp of her coffee, scalding everything it touched in the process.
Smooth move, she chided herself, gasping at the heat.
Luckily, he’d decided to look around the place a bit and hadn’t noted her distress. “How long have you been open?” he asked casually as she tried to assess what she decided had to be third degree burns to her mouth.
“About three years.”
“It looks like you’re doing okay.”
She had to smile a bit proudly. “Better than okay, actually. I’m ahead of where I’d thought I’d be.”
“Really? Good on you, then.” There was no trace of sarcasm in his tone whatsoever, as there would have been in Tighe’s if he was here. “It’s not easy to get a small business going nowadays.” His eyes settled on her in a look that was somehow much more intimate than she was really comfortable with, audaciously peaking her nipples from three feet away. “I own the garage on the way out of town.”
“Maddox Motors? I’ve seen it.” So far, she’d been lucky enough not to need him, but old Bessie was getting on in years – hell, she was already on in years. She was at the portals of ancient, and it would be convenient to know somewhere to take her when she started showing signs of age, especially since he was within walking distance. “How long have you been in that location?”
“Well, we’ve been there since about 1980, but I officially took it over from my dad when I got back from a stint in Iraq about seven years ago.”
Somehow that wasn’t a surprising thing to hear from him. He had a very military bearing, and with his regulation short sandy blonde hair he just looked like a soldier, somehow. Tess cleared her throat. “Well, thank you for your service.”
“You’re welcome.” No false modesty, no demurring, just flat, polite response.
He had yet to take his eyes off her, and Tess’s entire body was beginning to flush, as she already knew her face was. He took a step towards her, his eyes intent on hers. “So, does risking life and limb for God and country get me a date with a pretty lady?”
She couldn’t stop herself. It just came out, force of habit. “I don’t know. You’ll have to find yourself a pretty lady to ask.”
It wasn’t as if she were ugly; she wasn’t. But pretty? Not really, if she was honest with herself, and she always tried to be. She was plain at best. She had probably come closest to pretty while she was living with Tighe, and was still attempting to keep herself up although she’d started neglecting some of the little things in this out-of-the-way town. No more mani-pedis. No more nylons or uncomfortably high-heeled shoes
