Wild Men of Alaska 03 - Dreamweaver

Gemma had dived into work, hoping that would help her to compartmentalize.
    It wasn’t working.
    Gemma gritted her teeth and plastered on a fake smile as she turned to greet another customer. “Oh hi, Cub.” Gemma’s fake smile flirted with the real thing at seeing him.
    Cub stopped cold. His eyes widened, and he looked like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t be. “Hey, Gemma. I thought today was your day off?” He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. She couldn’t help but notice how the fabric fit across his hips.
    “Normally it is, but I couldn’t stay away. You know how it is when you own your own business.” So, he wasn’t in here to see her. Her fake smile returned at full-wattage. “Is there something I can help you find?”
    “Uh ... no.” Cub clearly looked uncomfortable as his gaze flitted around the store landing everywhere but on her. “I’ll just look around.”
    “Okay.” Awkward. “Let me know if you need anything.” She made a beeline for the café and left the book floor for Callista to manage. The young English major seemed better at it lately anyway.
    The store had been hopping all day. Bad weather always brought in the customers. A lot of them were hanging out in the café with their laptops, drinking their daily water consumption in coffee. Lately, she’d been no different.
    “Large coffee with a double shot of espresso, Amie,” Gemma ordered.
    “Are you sure?” Amie asked, sending a worried look her way. “You’ve been downing the coffee at a terrible rate. You’re going to eat through your stomach lining if you keep this up. Maybe some tea would be better?”
    “Not strong enough,” she mumbled.
    “Hey, can I talk to you about your mom?” Amie asked as she went about making Gemma’s drink.
    One of the very reasons she needed copious amounts of caffeine . She was lucky she didn’t drown her life in a bottle. “What about her?”
    “Remember when she said I was pregnant?”
    Oh, no . Gemma braced herself for the news.
    “Well, she was half right.”
    “Come again?”
    “Siri’s words had hinted that a new baby would be in my future. Well, I’m not pregnant. Seriously, not pregnant. I took six pregnancy tests in the last week and then you-know-what decided to put in an appearance and relieve my fears for good. But Drew came home with a new puppy. So your mom was right.”
    “A new puppy?”
    “He’s way cute. And puppies are babies. Dog babies.”
    That they are. Maybe she should add something stronger to her coffee after all? She was having trouble keeping up. Amie handed her the hot drink. Gemma took a large sip not giving it time to cool, and burned her tongue. She jerked the cup away from her mouth, spilling drips of coffee on her sweater. She swallowed the burning liquid as Cub came up to her.
    “You okay?” he asked, holding a bag with his purchase in one hand, the other still locked away in his pocket. Guess he found what he’d come in for.
    She grabbed a napkin and blotted her mouth and the front of her sweater. What was wrong with her? She knew better than to guzzle fresh coffee. Good thing her sweater was black.
    “Here.” Amie set a cup of ice water on the counter for her.
    She mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ and took a drink, letting the cold water cover her scorching tongue. Swallowing, she answered, “I’m fine.” She concentrated on getting the words out past her swelling tongue.
    “Can we ... sit for a minute?” Cub indicated a table in the corner next to the window.
    “Actually, I really need to get back to work. It’s time for me to cover Callista’s lunch. But would you like something to drink?” She gestured to Amie who patiently waited to see if Cub needed anything, taking in every word exchanged between them.
    “Hot chocolate?” He reached for his wallet, and Gemma stayed his hand.
    “No, it’s on me.”
    “That’s twice now you’ve treated me to hot chocolate. Can I treat you to dinner Sunday night?”
    Dinner? When he was clearly uncomfortable with seeing her here today?
    “I really enjoy your company, Gemma.” He leaned in and whispered, “And the kiss we shared the other night.”
    She couldn’t stop the heat from illuminating her face. Amie’s quirky smile confirmed she’d heard everything.
    “Okay.” Gemma figured agreeing to dinner would get Cub out of the store faster and away from probing eyes and the questions Amie would no doubt demand answers to.
    “Good.