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"Will do, honey," she says, givingtoward the espresso machine "I’ll add it to your tab"

I retreat to the end of the counter where the orders are delivered, restingproblems made worse by the division between Derek and I He’s thirty-seven, five years htful successor to our father I’d happily stepped aside and started s now and I can’t walk away

My order appears and I straighten, intending to clai brunette races forward in a puff of sweet, floral-scented perfuin, "that’s--"

She takes a sip and grimaces "What is this?" She turns to the counter "Excuse "

"Because it’s not your drink," Karen repri a new cup on the counter "This is your drink" She reaches forto the nalances at ht back to fix this I have another customent and she hurries ahile my floral-scented coffee thief faces me, her porcelain cheeks flushed, her full, really da mouth, painted pink "I’ht I was the only one without my coffee and I was in a hurry" She starts to hand me my coffee and then quickly sets it on the counter "You can’t have that I drank out of it"

"I saw that," I say, picking it up "You gri it"

Her eyes, a pale blue that o wide "Oh I mean no Or I did, but not because it’s a bad cup of coffee It’s just very strong"

"It’s a triple-shot latte"

"A triple," she says, looking quite serious "Did you know that in some third-world countries they bottle that stuff and sell it as a way to grow hair on your chest" She lowers her voice and whispers, "That’s not a good look for me"

"Fortunately," I say in the midst of a chuckle I would have claio, "I don’t share that dile a drink, the heavy, rich flavor sliding over ly unco, "I drank fro it back to her "Try another drink"

She takes the cup and sets it on the counter "I can’t drink that And you can’t either" She points to the hole on top, now sed pink "My lipstick is all over it and I really hate to tell you this but it’s all over you too and…" She laughs, a soft, sexy sound, her hands settling on her slender, but curvy hips, accented by a fitted black skirt "Sorry I don’t h now too, officially and i in the middle of what feels like World War III "See i," she says "It’ll wipe right off And thank you for being such a good sport I really a it off me"