Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Shale's only hope is an unexpected ally: Junior. Her only regular, and a local hacker with a knack for saving the day.
As they race against the cartel’s desire to get their hands on Shale, sparks fly along with the bullets and dangerous plots brew. Can their connection survive the chaos, or will their love, and Deja Brew, become a bitter memory?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER ONE
Shale
There’d been thirty-seven customers in all day.
It was difficult not to start to feel like there was any hope when those were the numbers.
Thirty-seven people who were willing to give my coffee shop a try.
I knew it had been risky opening in a town with a wildly successful indie coffee shop already. I figured that She’s Bean Around was busy enough for some of their customers to get frustrated, and make their way in my direction. Lord knew I never had a line out the door.
The problem was, no one came.
The placement of the shop wasn’t helping.
But it was the only place in Navesink Bank I could afford.
It was in the center of a small strip mall, and the only storefront in operation. If you could call this operating.
Sighing, I wiped down the top of the coffee grinder.
I needed to close soon anyway.
Tonight was the night when the shipment came in.
I couldn’t be late.
Too much was on the line.
Like, you know, my life.
No biggie.
Sighing, I was about to walk out from behind the counter when the door flew open.
And there he was.
One of my very few regular customers. He’d been MIA for a week or so. I was beginning to think I was losing him to a rival shop. Or, worse yet, one of the chains.
There he was, though.
In all of his stupid handsomeness.
Tall, fit, with dark blond hair and blue eyes.
Slung over his shoulder was his ever-present black backpack. Inside was his laptop that I think cost more than my monthly rent.
I normally would have just thought of him as a gamer or a perpetual student.
That was until, a few months back, I’d seen him in action when he’d been trying to track down a woman who’d gone missing from my parking lot.
He was a hacker.
If that monster of an SUV he rode around in was anything to go by, he was good at what he did.
“Hey, Shale,” he greeted me in that smooth voice of his.
I’ll admit it.
The first few times he came into Deja Brew, I’d fantasized about him staying past closing, then bending me over the counter, and having his way with me.
Alright, fine.
I had that fantasy just about every time he came in.
Probably the only thing keeping me from making it a reality was that I literally couldn’t afford to lose another customer. And we all knew how squirrely men could get when shit got physical, and they thought you were going to get all clingy.
Also, he was someone who came and parked. And he was dealing with a pretty severe coffee addiction. This meant he typically drank four to six cups when he was around. And some pastries too.
Because of him, I also had a couple other regulars as well.
So we weren’t going to bang.
As much as my body wept over that reality each time he came in.
“Haven’t seen you around in a while,” I said as I moved over toward the counter.
“I was out of town,” Junior admitted, sounding like he hadn’t enjoyed it.
“What can I get you?” I asked.
“Looks like you’re ready to close up,” he said, disappointed.
“It’s been slow, so I figured I would go… get some errands done while the stores are still open,” I told him, only partially lying.
Technically, I did have an errand.
One I dreaded every single month.
My stomach had been rolling so hard all day that I’d been popping antacid tablets since my eyes first opened this morning. I had them stashed in my apron, each step making them knock around inside their bottle.
I couldn’t even have any coffee all day, worrying the caffeine might make me even more wired than I already was.
One perk to shipment days was the nerves had me scrubbing every square inch of the shop. You could eat off the floor in this place.
“I’m gonna need a tray then,” he told me, reaching behind his back to pull out a giant stainless steel travel thermos. And then another. “Both of these,” he said, unscrewing the caps.
“Hot or iced?” I asked.
“You trying to get rid of the iced?” he asked.
“Yeah, actually. It’s garbage otherwise.”
“Then fill them up without ice. And I’ll take a third large one with ice. And one hot.”
Well, this day wasn’t a total bust after all.