Reckless Faith

Elle’s gaze flashed to the clock, then back to the coffee machine. Fifteen minutes. Almost finished with her shift. And she’d spent the entire thing watching the door, hoping for Jace to walk in. Craving just one glimpse of the man.

One night with you would never be enough.

Argh. The words had been playing in her head all day. Not to mention, they’d kept her up last night. It was all she’d been able to think about.

Why? Why had he written it? He’d never said anything like that to her before; it was like he’d always been ridiculously careful to keep everything in the friend zone. Sure, they’d been much younger when they were best friends, kids really, but that didn’t change anything. He’d still never shown even a hint of romantic interest, back then or in the years since.

She sucked in a breath as she fitted the lid onto a coffee cup and turned toward her customer. “Here’s your cappuccino.”

The older man dipped his head. “Thank you.”

Her phone vibrated, and she pulled it out to see a message from a guy on the dating app. Man, she needed to hurry up and delete the thing. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t already. Laziness? Or maybe it was something else. Maybe she still needed confirmation that there was someone out there who wanted to date her. The problem was, since Jace had returned to town, she didn’t want to date anyone.

Jeez Louise, she was losing it.

“Ohh, who’s that?” Molly asked, peering over her shoulder. “Another potential suitor? Is he cute? Is he a lawyer? Oh, maybe a doctor?”

“I don’t know.” She locked her phone and pushed it into the back pocket of her jeans, turning to lean her hip against the counter. “And it doesn’t matter. I’m not dating at the moment.”

Molly pouted. “Come on, you had a couple of average dates so you’re ready to give up?”

“A couple? Molly, the last guy asked me if I’d be open to a polyandrous marriage?”

Molly cringed. “Yeah, okay, he kind of sucked, but one bad apple shouldn’t shade the whole tree.”

“You know there’s been more than one bad apple. I’m done.”

“Done with what?”

Elle gasped and spun around.

Jace. How in the world had he entered the café and walked to the counter without her so much as noticing?

“Dating.” Molly gave Jace a flirty smile as she leaned over the counter. “Will you tell Elle that she’s beautiful, and by not dating, she’s denying some poor guy all of that beauty?”

Jace’s eyes bore into hers. “You are beautiful.”

Heat crept into her cheeks.

“See!” Molly threw her arms up. “She thinks a couple of bad dates and she’s done.”

Jace lifted a brow. “You had a couple bad dates?”

She opened her mouth, but Molly got in first.

“She did. They were terrible, but sometimes you just need to get back on the horse.” Her smile widened. “So, Jace, are you dating anyone?”

Jace watched Elle for another second before looking at Molly. “No, I’m not.”

“Interesting. Maybe we could do something sometime.”

Oh, God. Elle could not stand here and listen to Molly hit on Jace, because there was no way he’d ever turn down someone like her. She had the perfect body. The perfect long, thick blond hair and butt chin…yeah, she was calling it a butt chin.

She grabbed a tray and moved around the counter to the tables, forcing herself to block out any conversation between the two of them.

Over the years, she’d lost her baby weight. She still had curves, she just looked…different now. And she’d thought losing the weight would change things. It hadn’t, not really. Because when she looked at herself in the mirror, she still saw the same thing…plain, boring Elle. The girl no one had dated in high school. The girl whose smile didn’t light up a room and whose personality didn’t pull people in.

But self-love was a journey…a journey she was still on.

When she returned behind the counter, it was to find Jace and Molly still talking, her coworker smiling way too widely.

Elle cleared her throat. “Molly, you can go now if you want.”

The other woman turned, brows raised. “Really? We still need to clean the coffee machine and mop the floors.”

“I’ll do it.” In fact, she was more than eager to be alone because she didn’t want to be witness to whatever they were planning.

“Okay, great, thanks!” Molly grabbed her bag from behind the counter. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

She winked at Jace as she passed him, and Elle gritted her teeth to stop the scowl.

She started on the coffee machine, scrubbing the thing with a bit more force than necessary. She shouldn’t be angry. She had absolutely zero right to be angry. Both of them were single, consenting adults. If they wanted to date and flirt, they were allowed.

So why did she feel an irrational need to simultaneously be sick and kick Jace in the balls?

She scrubbed the machine with more force.

“Going a little hard at the coffee machine, aren’t you, Tink?”

Shit. She forced her actions to gentle. “You didn’t want to walk her out?”

“Nope. I want to walk you out.”

She paused. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. I have your present in the car.”

She frowned. “You actually have a present for me?”

“I told you, that’s not something I’d joke about. I remember how much you like presents.”

She did like presents, but mostly presents from Jace. Every year on birthdays and Christmases, the thing she’d been most excited about was seeing what he’d gotten for her.

All that had stopped, of course, when he’d stopped contacting her.

“I still have a lot to—”

“I can help,” he interrupted her.

“No.”

“Let me help, Tink.”

She wet her lips. Fine, if he wanted to help… “You can put the chairs on the tables if you want.”

“You got it.”

For the next ten minutes, the two of them worked together in silence as they closed the shop. It was only when they were outside in the parking lot, walking toward his car, that the silence began to feel too quiet.

She told herself to shut up. To not ask the damn question. But her mouth betrayed her.

“So…are you going to go out with Molly?” Shut. Up. Elle!

One side of his mouth lifted as he glanced at her. “Should I go out with Molly?”

“That’s not my decision.”

A strange expression crossed his face before he focused back in front of him. “No, I’m not. She’s not my type.”

Elle laughed. “Blond, beautiful and funny isn’t your type? It used to be.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I used to be a lot of things that I’m not anymore.”

What did that mean? She opened her mouth to ask when a blur of movement in the trees on the other side of the parking lot caused her to stop.

Jace stopped with her. “What is it?” He followed her gaze, but whatever she’d seen was gone.

She shook her head. “Nothing, I guess.”

He gave that spot one more look before unlocking his car and pulling out a large bag from the trunk. “Your gift. It’s not wrapped or anything, but hopefully the gift itself makes up for that.”

For some reason, she didn’t want to take the bag from his hold. Maybe because of a deep gut feeling that whatever it was might change things. Make her feel something she didn’t want to feel.

She forced herself to reach out and slip it from his fingers.

At first peek inside, she wasn’t sure what she was looking at. Bags. Many of them. Some white paper. Some black. A couple transparent. She pulled out one of the clear packets to see candy. But not just any candy…

“Swedish candy. My favorite.” She glanced up. “They closed the candy shop here in Misty Peak years ago.” Right around the time they’d graduated high school. But before that, she’d been a frequent visitor, and Jace had usually been right by her side.

Jace shoved his hands into his pockets. “I know. I picked these up for you while I was away. From every country I visited that sold Swedish candy, which is quite a few. Every time I saw a store, I looked to see if they had any. Some of it’s pretty old, but does candy even have an expiration date?”

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. To anyone else, it was just candy, but to her it was so much more. It was a sign that he’d thought of her in every country he’d gone to. It was proof he hadn’t forgotten her, like she’d thought he had.

Without thinking, she threw her arms around his waist. “Thank you.”

For a moment, Jace didn’t move. He couldn’t. Because she surrounded him. Her dark hair. Her fresh scent. He felt fifteen years younger and a shitload stupider.

Hug her, you idiot!

The voice in his head pushed him to wrap his arms around her. To tug her closer. And God, it was everything.

She smelled exactly the same. A mix of sweet and floral. And the softness of her skin made him want to run his hands over her every curve.

When she started to pull away, it was too soon. He didn’t want to let go. He wanted to pause this moment, get so fucking lost in it that he forgot the day, the time, and where he stood. Forgot everything but her.

But she stepped back, and he had no choice but to let her.

She shook her head. “I feel silly being so happy about candy, but I can’t help it.”

“Don’t feel silly—I like seeing you smile. I’ve been starved of it for fifteen long years.”

The smile slipped, and for a moment she looked like she wanted to say something, but then she shook her head.

“Say it, Tink.”

She frowned. “What?”

“Something’s on your mind. Say it.”

She lifted a shoulder. “I just thought…you could have seen it on the few occasions you returned to Misty Peak over the years. My smile, that is.”

She was right, he could have. Why hadn’t he?

Because he’d been afraid that if he’d gone to her, heard her voice, he might not have had the will to leave again? Because he was afraid to want her?

“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for losing contact or not visiting her more often. Maybe everything.

“You don’t need to say sorry. You were off saving the world. You were exactly where you were meant to be.”

Really? Because right now, standing in this parking lot with Elle, he wondered if that was ever true.

She sucked in a quick breath. “Well, I should get going.” She lifted the bag. “Thank you again.”

“Anything for you, Tink.”

Another flicker of her brows, then she dipped her head and moved around him. She’d only taken a couple of steps when she stopped and turned. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Did you do it?”

“What?”

“That night we were in the mountains, at the party. You told me you wanted to get out of Misty Peak so that you could make something of yourself like your brothers. Did you do it?”

Did he? Sometimes he thought he had. But now? “You want the truth?”

“Always.”

“I don’t think I ever knew what I was trying to achieve. Not really.” One side of his mouth lifted. “But I’m glad I’m back.”

He got a small smile from her for that. “I’m glad too, Jace.”

And the second she got in her car and drove away, he felt that same thing he always felt. Like a part of himself had just left with her. Gone. And he had no idea what to do without it.