A flurry of sound behind me, and Rose’s shoulders sagging are enough to tell me the cat took off.
“We’re regressing now.” She sounds so forlorn, I want to scoop her into my lap and reassure her that the cat will eventually come around.
Actually, if she were in my lap, the cat would not be on my mind.
“I’m trying everything I can think of,” she says.
“Then don’t try. Let him come to you when he’s ready.”
She splays a hand over my shoulder. “I was onlytalkingto him just now.”
“With a sweet voice, trying to draw him in with your flirting.” Seriously, what’s wrong with that animal? Rose cooing at me would instantly erode every last one of my defenses.
She narrows her eyes on me, calculating. “So I should be more like you? Burly, frowning, and indifferent to him?”
“Burly?” I have no clue if that’s good or bad.
She pops a bite of waffle into her mouth, suppressing laughter.
“Are you going to give me grump lessons?” she asks after a minute. “Because I don’t think Sunshine is ready for two of you.”
“It isn’t. But we’re not going to create a monster. Just grump you up enough for him to relax around you.”
“I’m willing to try anything.”
I level her with a stern look.
She sits straighter and puts on her best Reed-face. Her eyebrows knit together and her mouth tugs down into a fake frown. It makes her look more petulant than angry, but it’s a step in the grouchy direction. She’s still the most adorable woman I’ve ever seen.
“I mean, Iwon’ttry,” she says.
“That’s the spirit.”
15
rose
There’sa good reason Perk Me Up’s social media videos are mostly of Troy and me, and rarely feature its manager and owner. And that reason is currently glaring me in the face.
“You could smile.” I zoom in on Reed on my phone camera, hoping against hope. His gaze lands on me like I just cursed his bloodline. “You don’t have to save it for your birthday and Christmas.”
Troy laughs, comfortably out of frame. Reed aims a glare his way, and he immediately covers his laughter with a cough.
“Something went down wrong.” He grins through his fake coughing fit. He knows there’s nothing behind Reed’s grouchy looks. The man is all bark.
Reed turns his attention back to me. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just pretend to make a drink,” I tell him. “I want to bank a bunch of b-roll videos.”
“Am I supposed to know what that is?” He tosses his hands at the drinks station. “How do I pretend to make a drink?”
“It’ll be better if you actually make one.” Troy leans against the back counter, enjoying the show. “I’m almost ready to clock out. You can make my cold brew with hazelnut syrup. Three pumps.”
Reed frowns over at him.
“Please and thank you,” he adds.
Reed starts preparing the drink, and I start filming. I’m not actually going to make videos capitalizing on us being a couple to try to drum up more customers. That would be weird and invasive. But I am absolutely going to take advantage of his semi-willingness to appear in some social media content. Who knows how long this goodwill might last?