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Lauren took it out, rang up all our orders and handed me the change. “I’ll have your drinks ready in a minute.”
“Thanks, Lauren,” I said, dropping the change in the tip jar.
“You’re welcome, Theo. Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll bring your drinks.”
Aiden grinned as he wove through the crowded café to the table he’d claimed.
“What did you do to Lauren?” Cal asked as we settled around the table. “You’re literally the only person on her bad side.”
Aiden shrugged, took a sip of coffee, and winced. “So, Theo what has you up and chipper this early?”
“Bad dream,” I said.
They both nodded.
“When does your class start?” Cal asked.
“Tomorrow.” I hated how easily they accepted the half-truth and moved on. My mental health, or lack thereof, was too established to warrant an extended conversation they knew I didn’t want to have.
“Here you go,” Lauren said, dropping four drinks on the table. We thanked her, and Cal slid the coffee with cream across the table to Aiden before taking a sip of the hot chocolate he hadn’t ordered.
“When are you going to be a man and start drinking coffee?” Aiden asked.
“When you stop pushing Lauren’s buttons,” Cal said. “You know I’m marrying her best friend. She’s going to be part of your life now. You need to make peace.”
“I’m working on it,” Aiden said, quietly.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he sounded hurt. “Ordering complicated drinks you have no intention of consuming probably isn’t helping,” I said.
Aiden nodded. “But helping the Stevens sisters find a space for their bakery should earn me points. We’re meeting with my realtor later today.”
“You are?” Cal said. “First I’m hearing about it.”
“Your goth pixie called last night and asked me to set it up,” Aiden said to me.
“She’s not mine.”
“She’s either your goth pixie or my Hell cat. Take your pick.”
“She’s Cal’s future sister-in-law,” I said.
“She was your friend before I got with Rowan,” Cal said. He looked out the window and frowned. “The sidewalks are icy. What time are you meeting them?”
“I got it, Cal,” Aiden said. “I promise Rowan won’t fall.”
Cal blew out a breath. “We got her MRI results yesterday. She needs spinal surgery.”
Well, that sucked, but it wasn’t a surprise given how much pain she was in. Even so, Cal was probably devastated. He’d kept working with Rowan long after her official physical therapy ended, hoping she’d improve. “You did everything you could,” I said, gripping his shoulder. “And you’ll be there after to help her recover.”
“You’re the best PT in the state,” Aiden added.
Cal rubbed his forehead. “She wants to push the surgery until after the wedding. So, no slipping on ice. I mean it, Aiden.”
“Do you know how many women I’ve kept safe on the ice over the years? One or another of my sisters is always pregnant.”
Cal nodded and glanced at his phone. “I’ve got to go. See you at Church.” He grabbed the latte for his receptionist, Cammie, and hurried out the door.
I’d never tire of hearing the abbreviation for Church Street Brews. Most locals also frequented one of the many churches down the street from the bar, but the double meaning of “going to church” never got old.