Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Leo nodded at her seasonal attire. “Are they making you wear the hat or is it your choice?” he asked.
She laughed, the sound light and airy.
Leo had been coming to this coffee shop regularly for a few months, and this woman had been behind the counter from the start. He’d never asked her name, but he always appreciated the sunshine she exuded.
“I admit that it was my idea,” she said, flicking the fluffy white ball hanging off the end. “A little festive cheer never hurt anyone, right?”
He grunted, thinking about his struggle to find a date to the company Christmas party that was one week away. He’d already gone through his list of potential dates and come up empty. He wasn’t the type to leave anything to the last minute, but his boss just told him this morning that Mr. McClain would be at the party and he’d insinuated a woman on his arm would be a good look. Leo couldn’t let this chance to impress the man pass him by.
Still, all the rejection had sucked what little holiday spirit he had right out of him.
“So, I took a chance when I saw you walk in,” the barista said. “I put in an order for a peppermint mocha for you.” She gestured to the other woman behind the espresso machine who was making drinks.
He treated her to an appreciative smile. There was something comforting about being a regular in a coffee shop when the staff knew him well enough to anticipate his order. Specifically, this barista. She was here most of the time when he came in, and she’d begun remembering his order right away. She was also the one who recommended the peppermint mocha, which she said was her favorite.
“Good call,” he said, putting his credit card in the reader. “Do you memorize every customer’s order or am I special?” He couldn’t help but flirt with her.
She tilted her head to the side and there was a flash of something deeper in her eyes, something more than just customer service politeness. It sent a jolt of awareness through him, and he noticed the little wisps of blonde hair falling around her face.
Her beautiful face.
Long, dark eyelashes framed blue eyes that lit up when she smiled. Her high cheekbones and full lips gave her the kind of classic good looks that one saw on the cover of magazines and huge billboards in Times Square. He’d noticed she was attractive before, but New York was full of beautiful women, and he didn’t have time to pursue anyone right now. Which was why he stuck to casual relationships with women in his social circle, women who understood his work came first and sex didn’t equal a relationship.
But there was something about the way that she’d looked at him just now that made him take notice in a way he hadn’t before. And it occurred to him; he’d never asked her name. She knew his, of course, because she used to ask for it in order to call out when his drink was ready. It seemed wrong suddenly, that this woman filled with sunshine and easy smiles knew his name, but he didn’t know hers.
He opened his mouth to find out, but the bell above the door chimed behind him, and her eyes shifted away from him to look over his shoulder and give the new customer her bright grin.
Leo stepped to the side just as the other barista set his drink on the counter. Once seated at a table near the big window at the front of the shop, he once again contemplated his options. He’d already called the women he considered his casual sex buddies. Since none of them were available, who did that leave?
There was his best friend, Charlie. She knew him well enough that it would be easy to convince Mr. McClain that they were a serious couple, and she was a beautiful woman, someone who would fit the role of his girlfriend easily.
But Charlie was married with a newborn baby and twin girls from her previous relationship. Her custody arrangement with her ex gave her the girls on Christmas Eve so they could be with their father on Christmas Day. No way Charlie would give up even a second of time with her daughters on Christmas. Especially not to attend a stuffy office Christmas party because he was in a jam. And Leo didn’t blame her.
The only other female in his life was his sister, Jenny and he cringed at the thought of asking his sibling to pretend to be his girlfriend. He’d do a lot to secure this client, but that was one line he wouldn’t cross. It was too gross to even consider.
Sipping his latte, he wondered if he should just forget the whole thing. Maybe he’d be able to win the client over with small talk and his record as one of the most successful financial analysts in the company’s history. It really shouldn’t matter if he was a family man or not.