Page 30 of It's a Brewtiful Day

I fanned myself with my shirt as a bead of sweat sizzled on the back of my neck. My pulse was racing, as were my thoughts. But those were as scattered as the wind-blown garbage beyond the Coffee Loft walls. I needed air, and I needed to move.

“I’m getting hungry, are you?”

I jumped out of my seat and meandered toward the coffee station. Surely, none of it was locked, and those donuts and pastries would be welcome in my rumbling stomach.

“I am, but we can’t take these.” He was footsteps behind me.

“Why not?”

“It’s stealing.”

I set my hand on my hip and put my weight on one foot. “We’re trapped in a building that probably has several building code violations since there is only one door, which is currently blocked, along with a bank of windows that don’t open. I think it’s okay if we eat some of this food. They’d likelythrow it out anyway, right?”

“We sell the leftovers as day-olds the next morning. Sometimes the church groups pick them up, sometimes the daycares.”

“Well, they’re likely not coming by tomorrow to get their supply.” I stepped behind the counter and tried to find the display case handle. “What would you like?”

“Nothing, thank you. Even if we are trapped, it’s still stealing.” He lifted his backpack. “I probably have a granola bar and maybe a protein bar from a hike. We can share it.”

I tipped my head down and looked at him through the top of my eyes. “Seriously?”

“If you’re that hungry, you can have it all. I’ll be fine.”

“That’s not what I’m surprised by.”

“I’m not stealing anything. These are my employers, they pay my wages, and quite nicely I may add. I don’t need to take things from them.” His metaphorical foot went down. Albeit with a smile.

Holy beans. If it was one thing I didn’t peg Elliot for it was a straight shooter. “Fine, then. Can I borrow your phone? I need more light.”

“I can’t be an accessory to your theft.” However, there was a hint of amusement in his words as he gently hip-checked me.

“You’re in the same room, and you’re watching me open the display case.” I paused with my fingers curled around the edge of the sliding glassdoor, eyeing him up and wondering if I had gone too far, but the cat was out of the bag now. “Believe me, you’re already an accessory.”

“Really?” His heavy sigh filled the air I breathed in. Fiddling with his phone, he opened the notes app to give us a glow but not one as bright as the flashlight. “I’ve never committed a crime before.” He hung his head. “This is a first.”

Totally confused by his actions, my hand stayed put. Was he serious? Or was he playing me rather convincingly? Part of me hoped he was serious because if he was just kidding around, he was doing it well, and I didn’t like that at all. If it was one thing I detested, it was liars.

Slowly, as I slid open the display case an inch at a time, I watched him. He was ramrod straight, aside from his hands twisting together. I wasn’t being played—he was seriously not going to take anything.

Crime or not, I was starving, and I pushed the door fully open only to be greeted with the fresh scent of dough and sugar. My tummy rumbled in response to the olfactory assault.

“Sorry.” Elliot handed me his phone and walked around the counter, into the main part of the store. “I can’t do this.”

I wrinkled up my nose. “What about our gingerbread mochas?”

“I paid for those before I shut everything down.”

“Oh.” My voice fell, as I’d missed thattransaction. Had I known, I would’ve paid for mine. “Well, thank you. Thought you made them as a ‘just because’.”

“I account for everything. An honest employee is a valued employee.”

I sure hoped Nina saw it that way.

“Honesty is a virtue so few have.” Unlike a certain family member who deceived his ‘beloved’ wife for months, possibly years. “Good on you. That ups your star power in my books.” Again? Why was my mouth running off like that? Why did my brain not try to stop it?

“I have star power?” A smug little smirk followed a tiny puffing of his chest.

“More than you know.” Thankfully,thatcame out under my breath, but I was sure he heard. Through the display case, it was hard to miss the slight swing in his swagger.