Page 53 of It's a Brewtiful Day
“A few people, but no one seems concerned we’re in here. Maybe they don’t even know.” I wondered if Cassie had been concerned. Maybe Alice mentioned something to her about how neither Elliot nor myself showed to the meeting. Or did they just assume that with the power off, everyone went home? I sighed a deep, heavy, and worrisome sound.
The skies were losing their pinkness and starting to glow with all its morning glory. Birds fluttered and swooped around, and down the road near Connaught Drive (our Main Street) was a herd of elk walking about. Clouds hung in the skies, but not as many, and certainly not the dark ominous variety; these were the light and fluffy kind.
Pacing around, I wandered over to the pictures hanging on the walls; the ones I’d never noticed before but was seeing in a brand-new light.
“These are the pictures you took, right?”
They were incredible. The one nearest the mug wall was of coffee foam art—a perfectly petite heart atop a series of nesting hearts. The colours were magnificent, bold in their shades yet muted in their hues.
He advanced toward me but kept a surprising distance. “Yeah. Everyone who becomes a barista within these walls starts out by making this work of art. This happened to be mine.”
“And you photographed it?”
He nodded, the left side of his whiskery face pushing up into his cheek in a smug smile. “She wanted photos, and not to outdo the others’ hard work, mine did look amazing.”
I ran my finger over the heart. “That’s really something. Is that what was on my coffee? The foam had disintegrated a smidge before I arrived.”
“No.” The colours of his cheeks tinted slightly. “Yours was a latte work.”
I laughed at the pun but stopped when he wasn’t returning the gesture. “What was it? What had you created?”
“A wreath with hearts and a swirl of chocolate.”
My heart immediately flew to my chest as an aww sound whooshed out of my lungs. “Now I’m incredibly sorry I was late.” My gaze roamed his face, settling on his eyes, but there was more there than I was comfortable with. There was meaning and affection, and I just couldn’t look anymore. Swallowing down a bit of a lump, I blinked over to the next photograph. “And this? It looks familiar.”
“It should.”
It was a hand-held sign that saidWelcome to Jasperbut the background was fuzzy so it was hard to place.
“That’s the sign Jasper the Bear is holding,” Elliot said as if I should’ve known. I did know that, but I was playing dumb in a weak effort to get thesweet and compassionate guy to show back up.
“Outside the gift shop?”
Something beyond the window grabbed his attention and his tone reeked with indifference to my question. “No, the one that used to be on Patricia Street before they tore it down.”
“Oh, right. I heard they’d relocated it.”
He shrugged and avoided eye contact. “Maybe, but it’s not there anymore.”
“You have a great eye.” Each picture had something unique about our town. It was taken in just the right way to not draw attention to it, but to make it blend effortlessly into the store’s interior design. “These are amazing, truly, you have a gift.”
“Thanks. I take a lot of nature shots; elk, moose, Pyramid Lake. I take a lot of pictures there because it’s so gorgeous.” Was that a splash of excitement in his words? “One of my all-time favourites is one you wouldn’t like.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I took it during a storm. I caught it at just the right moment. The forks spread out across the sky and it reflected beautifully in the lake. The brightness of the bolts contrasted against the deep navy. Plus, with the shimmers in the water, it was beyond amazing.” His voice trailed off. “The timing was once-in-a-lifetime, and it was breathtaking. I got lucky.”
In jerky motions, he inched closer, hesitating every breath. He got close enough to touch my hand,and as much as I wanted to feel it, I knew I couldn’t. I pulled away from the connection and moved over to another picture and heard the deep sigh Elliot made.
He shifted back and forth. “You know, maybe if we sit and watch a storm together, one that’s far enough away so as not to scare you too much, maybe that would help.”
“Anytime you can see the lightning or hear the thunder, it’s too close. It would find me. It’s attracted to me.”
It came from out under his breath. “I understand that.”
I wasn’t sure if it was related to my fear, or to something else, but I hoped it was the fear.
I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye and see the pain I knew I was causing him. Wandering around the store, I admired all the photos up close, taking in all the details.