Free The Coffee Shop by Lauren Hunter Page A

away. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that just now. Thank you, Derrick.”
    “Hey, you ready for that pizza?”
    “Yes, actually, I am. Where was it you were thinking we should go?”
    “There’s a place right here on the beach that serves up pizza by the slice. Is that okay?”
    “Sounds perfect.”
    “It’s just back that way.”
    They walked the rest of the way in silence, Annie strolling by his side. And just then everything was perfect. As far as he was concerned, it could stay like that forever and he’d be just fine with it.
    Annie looked at him. “What?”
    “Hmm?”
    “You have this look on your face, and I was just wondering what you were thinking.”
    “Oh, I was just thinking how much I enjoyed being here like this.” He turned his head to look at her. “I hope I’m not freaking you out or anything by telling you that?”
    “No. I think it’s nice.”
    “Here it is.” He pointed in the direction of That Beach Place, and Annie laughed.
    “What?”
    “Oh nothing, I just wasn’t expecting. They do have good pizza.”
    “Oh, good. For a second I thought you were going to tell me it was a horrible experience.”
    “No, it was great.”
    “Hey, George.”
    The man behind the counter flashed a gap-toothed grin. “Hey, it’s Mr. Sloane. Dorothy, it’s Mr. Sloane.”
    The woman came over to the window, smiling out at him as well. “Mr. Sloane, so good to see you.”
    “Derrick, please. I’ll have the usual, and Miss Maddock here will have — ”
    “A slice of cheese pizza, please.”
    Derrick turned to her. “You don’t want — ”
    “Cheese is fine. I’d like cheese.”
    “Okay, a slice each of pepperoni, and cheese, please.”
    “Comin’ right up. We have both of those fresh out of the oven.” The man smiled. “You always did have perfect timing, Mr. Sloane.” Shaking his head, he chuckled to himself.
    Derrick went to pull his wallet out, but the man held his hand up.
    “No! Your money is no good here. You know that, Mr. Sloane.”
    He was so adamant that Derrick had to laugh to himself. “Okay, George. Whatever you say. Thank you.”
    “Thank you, Mr. Sloane.”
    Handing Annie some napkins and her slice of pizza, they stepped away from the window.
    Annie looked back over her shoulder and waved at the couple. “What was that all about?”
    “Oh, they needed a loan and they couldn’t get a bank to finance them, so I loaned them the money.”
    “Let me guess, they paid it all back with interest.”
    “Yep.”
    “And since then, your money has been no good at That Beach Place.”
    “Pretty much.”
    Annie took a bite of her pizza, and sitting at one of the tables just there in the sand, she looked out at the water. “That was a really nice thing you did for them. This is their whole life, and they needed someone to believe in them. And you did that for them.” She put her hand on his, her fingers curling into his palm and he gently took it in his grasp.
    “You do know I care about you, Annie, don’t you?”
    “Yes.”
    “And that I’m not out to just use you, right?”
    “Yeah, I know that.”
    He smiled, and eating their pizza, they watched the sun as it sank lower in the sky.
    “I should be heading back. I have the early shift tomorrow, and I don’t think they’d be happy if I put the food coloring where the hair dye should be. I mean, it’d probably work but…”
    He was grinning.
    “You’re visualizing some poor woman coming back into the store with brilliant green hair, aren’t you?”
    “No,” he replied.
    “You’re not very convincing, I’ll have you know.”
    He chuckled to himself, and she smiled.

Chapter Seven
    “So, where are you taking me?” Annie looked out the window of the limousine, as they drove past the center of the city.
    “That, is a surprise.”
    “Hmm.”
    “What? You say that like you don’t like surprises.”
    “Well, sometimes surprises can be fun, spontaneous, and a good thing. Other times, not so