Free Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge Page B

through the warren of bookshelves, she prayed her sister would be as welcoming once she learned the real purpose of this visit.
    “How about some coffee?” offered Miss Honi, an arm tucked through hers. “You ain’t lived till you’ve tried Ollie’s. That’s him over there.” She pointed out a tall, lanky kid with a thatch of spiky black hair doing the barista thing in back. The café’s marble counter and display case filled with baked goods stood next to a small seating area packed with tables and chairs. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.” She tugged on Kerrie Ann’s arm, calling to Lindsay, “Hold up a sec. She ain’t met the whole gang yet!”
    The kid was finishing up with a customer when they descended on him. “Hey, Ollie. You’ll never guess what the cat dragged in.” Miss Honi nudged Kerrie Ann forward, beaming as proudly as a parent showing off her child.
    He stared at her, transfixed, before breaking into a lopsided grin. “I don’t know,” he said, “but I think I’m in love.”
    He looked to be in his mid-twenties, only a few years younger than she, though from a distance she’d mistaken him for a college kid with his black-and-navy pinstriped suit vest over a vintage black Metallica T-shirt, jeans shredded at the knees, and a pair of bright orange Converse sneakers. Kerrie Ann decided he was cute if you went for the opposite of the darkly brooding, day-old-stubble type. Ollie was more boy band than heavy metal.
    “Hey,” she greeted him, smiling as she put out her hand.
    His handshake was as enthusiastic as his manner. “Don’t tell me. I’ve got it. Didn’t you open for Maroon Five at the Cow Palace last summer? No, wait, you’re that actress who’s on the cover of this month’s Cosmo .” He was the perfect combination of sincere and full of shit. She was charmed in spite of herself.
    Lindsay laughed and shook her head. “Ollie, meet my sister.”
    He dropped the act, his eyes growing wide. “Your sister? The famous Kerrie Ann? No way.”
    “So you know all about me, huh?” Kerrie Ann was secretly pleased to have been the subject of such rampant speculation.
    “Are you kidding? It’s been like the search for Bigfoot. Not that I’m implying . . .” Ollie reddened. “I mean, you’re gorgeous . What I meant was, we were starting to think it was just a wild-goose chase. And here you are. In the flesh.” The color in his cheeks deepened while he made a valiant attempt not to ogle the flesh in question. “Wow. This is huge .”
    “Nice to meet you, Ollie.” Kerrie Ann finally managed to extract her hand from his grip. “I hear you make a mean cup of coffee.”
    He gathered his wits. “You heard right. So what’ll it be?” He gestured toward the menu on the wall behind him.
    “Just regular coffee. Black, no sugar.”
    He pointed at the display case. “How about something to go with it? Cake, cookies, muffins—what’s your pleasure?”
    She shook her head. “Nothing for me.”
    “Please, you’re breaking my heart.” He pulled a mock grimace, clapping a hand to his chest in dramatic fashion.
    “I don’t dare, with you comparing me to Bigfoot,” she teased.
    His blush spread to the roots of his spiky hair. “I didn’t mean—”
    Kerrie Ann laughed. “I know. And trust me, if I wasn’t still full from lunch, I could eat everything in that case.” Like most recovering addicts, she had an incurable sweet tooth. “Another time, okay?”
    Ollie pumped coffee from a thermos on the counter into a tall cup and snapped on a lid. His gaze met Kerrie Ann’s as he handed it to her. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”
    “You girls go on ahead,” said Miss Honi, shooing Kerrie Ann and Lindsay along. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”
    Kerrie Ann could see that Miss Honi was trying to give her and Lindsay some time alone, and she felt touched by the gesture. “Thanks for the coffee,” she said to Ollie as she turned to go. She felt his eyes on her as she and