Better latte than never, p.9
Better Latte Than Never, page 9
“Ah, so you transformed her in paint. I love the vibrant colors.” Finn looked over at the prints on the coffee table. They were more like the abstract art on the other canvas. While pretty, they weren’t exactly to his taste. “Those are the ones you sell at the street fair?”
Enzo nodded. “The abstract stuff is popular. I think people want pops of color in their living spaces and don’t really care what they look like as long as they match.”
Kind of like how some people bought his novels because he was the ‘in’ thing. Would they even like Finn’s work if he didn’t have years of branding and marketing behind it?
Now he was just getting maudlin. “This one though,” he said, moving toward the cafe painting once more. It was so tempting to get close and touch it. There was so much texture to it, swirls and jagged lines, and it looked so different depending on the angle of viewing. “This one is fucking amazing.”
“Thank you,” Enzo said quietly. “Been kinda doubting myself for a while.”
“Yeah, I know how that is.” It had been a year of no words, wondering if he’d ever be able to write again. And then Enzo had come into his life and brought the words back.
“I’m kinda worried about not being able to sell anything at the street fair,” Enzo said. “Like, no one will even see me if they aren’t stopping at my aunt’s for coffee.”
“Stop that,” Finn lectured. “If they don’t see you, well, they’re not worth thinking about. Your work is incredible.”
“Thank you. It means a lot.”
He took a step forward, then another. Finn remained still, his eyes widening as Enzo cupped one cheek. Enzo moved slowly, so Finn could move away if he wanted. But he didn’t.
Enzo pressed their lips together, bringing up his other hand to rest on Finn’s hip. He tasted like coffee, bitter and sweet at the same time. Finn gasped as Enzo deepened the kiss, nibbling on Finn’s lower lip, pressing gently with his teeth. Finn fell into it, letting Enzo devour him as he grasped Enzo’s back, wanting to touch him, needing to feel more everywhere.
A vibrating buzz between them had Finn pulling away as he dug into his pocket for his phone.
What a terrible time for a phone call. Finn sighed when he saw Angie’s familiar face appear on his screen. He threw Enzo an apologetic look as he answered it, turning away to face the wall for the illusion of privacy. “Angie, can I call you back?”
She hesitated. “Are you actually going to call me back?”
She knew him too well. “I promise.”
“All right. Talk to you in a few.”
Finn ended the call and turned back to face Enzo. Enzo had gone over to the coffee table where he sorted prints of his artwork encased in plastic covers. Damn Angie for breaking the mood. “I’m sorry about that. It was my agent. We’re hitting a deadline, so I really do need to talk to her.”
Enzo nodded. “Um, yeah. I understand.”
Great, now Finn had made things awkward. They kept doing this. Accidentally kissing. “I’m sorry.”
Enzo straightened and stared at him. “For taking the phone call?”
“For being bad at this.” Finn gestured between the two of them, hoping it encompassed everything he couldn’t say. “In the storeroom. I wanted to apologize. I felt like I took advantage of you.”
The way he’d crowded Enzo in the small space. Taken advantage of him in his workplace. Being older and thus more experienced. Finn had been chewing over that for the past few days.
Enzo crossed the room and did that thing with his hand again, cupping Finn’s cheek, brushing his thumb against Finn’s skin. Finn couldn’t help but lean into it.
“Trust me, Finn. You’re not taking advantage of me.” Enzo pressed another quick kiss to Finn’s chin. “That night in the storeroom I was only pissed that Lydia got there so quickly.”
Finn laughed. “She has terrible timing.”
“Totally.” Enzo stepped away, flushing a bit. “I wasn’t sure if you. You know. Wanted me to kiss you back.”
Oh hell yes. But Finn didn’t say that. There was such a thing as coming across as too eager. Besides, he didn’t want to destroy this tentative thing between them. He couldn’t. Finn still needed Enzo’s magic if he wanted to finish his book. “I did,” he said instead. Finn looked at his watch and sighed. “I really have to call my agent back.”
“And I really need to get back to work. I’d like to have some more original pieces available for purchase and oil paint takes forever to dry, and...” Enzo put both hands in his hair, looking a bit manic.
“Breathe. You will be fine.” Finn took a hold of Enzo’s shoulders and squeezed, hopefully bringing him back down to earth. He stared at Enzo’s lips, mesmerized by their pale pink perfection. Now that he’d had a taste, he wanted so much more. He gave in to the impulse to give Enzo a quick kiss before heading out, wanting the taste of him as he walked home.
Once outside, he pulled out his phone and hit Angie’s name in his contact list. Whatever she’d wanted couldn’t be good. He sighed as he looked back at Enzo’s duplex, tucked between two very similar looking buildings. It looked adorable, much like Enzo himself.
He smiled to himself, remembering the feeling of Enzo’s lips against his just as Angie answered the phone.
“You actually called me back.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I told you. Things are going well. The book is coming along nicely.” Well, the writing itself was. Whether it could be called a book at this point...well, that’s what first drafts were for.
“That’s why I’m calling. Eagle House contacted me. This manuscript was due a month ago.”
“I thought you asked for an extension.”
“I did. Can you blame them for being concerned that we haven’t turned any pages in yet?” She sighed. “I will fend them off. That’s my job. But you’ve got to give me something to work with. An outline. The first five chapters. Anything to show steady progress.”
Finn pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, a headache brewing with pain right there in the center of his forehead. Why had he signed that contract that promised a book a year? He should have realized at some point he’d want to slow down. God, it wasn’t like he needed the money.
Still, Finn would never go back on his word. Plus, this book was going to be good. He could feel it. “All right. I can do that.” He had already figured out the crucial death, so Finn could return to his outline and shape it into something respectable. “I’ll get you an outline and the first five chapters as soon as I can.”
“Thank you.”
As he walked closer to the cafe, Finn caught sight of one of the flyers advertising the street fair. Enzo had been so worried about losing business because of that damn coffee contract. Maybe there was something Finn could do to help out. It meant changing everything between him and Enzo, but if Finn didn’t come clean now, he never would.
“Angie, while I have you on the phone, can you do me a favor?”
“Would this favor get me that draft faster?”
“I think that might be a distinct possibility.”
Chapter 12
The boxes started coming on Saturday.
Enzo handed over the fifth latte of the hour and took a moment to lean against the counter and wipe the sweat from his forehead. The weekend rush meant he hadn’t had a moment to say more than hi to Finn. Finn sat himself in his usual corner, typing like a madman. There was something frantic in his work today, less leisurely than it had been for the past few weeks.
Enzo needed that same kind of kick in the ass when it came to his art. He had only two weeks left until the street fair, and he still had so much to do. His to-do list had to-do lists. And instead of focusing on that and what he needed to do when he got home, he kept distracting himself, sneaking glances at Finn out of the corner of his eye. They hadn’t had another moment together since that kiss in his apartment, and he wanted more.
He’d lie in bed at night, half-drifting off to sleep, when the memory of it would rise, along with his cock. Enzo would drift down lazily to palm himself and imagine Finn. Finn with his crinkly-eyed smile and sinful lips. What would he like in bed?
And before Enzo could imagine further, he’d fall into sleep, frustrated but too exhausted to keep himself awake, even to finish off.
Maybe after the street fair he’d ask Finn out to dinner. Do the whole dating thing properly. Invite him over afterward. Remember to clean his bedroom beforehand.
He had to stop thinking like this at work. They had real problems here. The cafe was going to take a hit, losing that coffee sponsorship. It would really hurt his aunt, and Enzo felt rage surge in him at even the thought of a cannoli. He’d have to do something special to draw in customers. Maybe he could create coffee-themed prints?
He wished he believed his art was good enough to do that. That crowds would come to buy an Enzo LoBianco original, and then stay for coffee afterward.
The door opened, revealing the UPS man wheeling in a hand truck bearing two large cardboard boxes. The side of them was marked with the name Eagle House. “Hey, where do you want these?”
His aunt hadn’t said anything about a delivery. Supplies came in the back, and on a consistent schedule. This was not part of the schedule.
He left the counter to check out the boxes. “Are you sure that’s for us?”
“This is 15 Monmouth, right? Aunt Rosa’s Cafe?” The delivery guy pointed to the addresses. “I got three more in the truck. Let me drop these off, and I’ll get them.”
Before Enzo could direct otherwise, the guy unloaded the three boxes in the middle of the cafe, and then disappeared through the door with his hand truck.
“Ah, they’re here!” Finn popped up from his seat and came over to investigate. He rubbed his hands together like a little kid on Christmas.
Why would Finn have packages delivered to himself here? Especially six boxes of...what exactly were they? Enzo tried to lift one of them. Damn, it was heavy.
“What were you expecting?” He turned and gestured to Lydia. At least they didn’t have a line currently, so Enzo could spend a few minutes taking care of this. “Cutter?” He mouthed to his cousin.
“They’re books. My books.” Finn touched the top of the box. “I figure I can sign them, and you can offer one free with purchase for a cup of coffee during the street fair. It should drive traffic in here. I had my publicist make a banner.”
With every word that Finn spoke Enzo had a creeping feeling that he was missing something really important. Lydia came over, brandishing the box cutter they used in the back for the deliveries. She sliced through the tape on the top box.
“Careful. You don’t want to cut them. Lord knows they pack these things right to the top,” Finn fussed, looking ready to grab the cutter from her.
The thought made Enzo smile, until Lydia pulled away the lid to reveal a half-dozen copies of Purple Violets by Morgan Heart lining the top of the filled box. He’d know that cover anywhere—the brilliant purple flowers embossed to give the book a gorgeous texture. Enzo always loved book covers with texture, and while he had a copy of this book at home, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to read it. Not when he knew how all Morgan Heart books ended.
But if these were Finn’s books, then... “You’re not Morgan Heart.”
Finn ducked his head. “Actually, I’m afraid I am.”
For a moment Enzo couldn’t speak. He had gone off on Morgan Heart that night in the book store. All the blood rushed to his head and pulsed in his ears. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You called him a hack,” Finn pointed out, quite reasonably, of course. He still wouldn’t meet Enzo’s eyes. “Lydia, do you have a hand truck so we can move these in the back? I’ll sign as many as I can, but I have another chapter to draft today.”
Lydia picked up one of the books. “You know, I’ve never read any of his stuff. But I did see the movie they made of Where my Heart Sings.”
Finn shook his head. “Robert Downey, Jr. was horribly miscast in that.”
Finn. Was a bestselling author. The kind of author that had movies made out of his books. That had a publicist he could call and order to make up advertising banners. Who could donate...how many books were there? For Enzo to give away with coffee!
He couldn’t take it. “I need some air. I’ll be right back.” Enzo pulled off his apron and stormed out of the cafe. He charged down the street, not knowing where he was going, just that he needed to get away.
He was such an idiot. Here he was, a God-dammed failure, working at his stupid coffee job, dreaming of being a famous artist. And Finn, sitting there in the corner, typing at his little novel, like he wasn’t fucking Morgan Heart of all people.
Morgan Heart. Not only did he rule the best seller lists but his books had been made into blockbuster movies. Finn wasn’t just a writer. He was the most successful writer in the past decade. Enzo’s twenties were defined by reading and crying over those books.
What the hell could Enzo offer someone like that?
“Enzo, wait.”
At the sound of Finn’s voice, Enzo stopped. He didn’t turn around. He couldn’t face Finn, not when he was such a mess. His chest throbbed, and Enzo tried to rub away the ache.
“I told you I hated your work,” Enzo said. That was so embarrassing. He must have looked like a complete idiot.
“Do you know how much I loved that you hated my work?” There was a little hitch in Finn’s voice, and it had Enzo turning around to face him, shocked at the pain he saw in Finn’s eyes. Pain that was on par with the night he told Enzo about his dead parents, that raw emotion that Enzo had captured in charcoal in his sketch book.
“What?” Enzo sputtered. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It meant that you saw me. Some guy sitting in your cafe and writing, and making you laugh every so often. That when you kissed me, you were kissing Finn O’Malley, that guy you maybe sort of liked.” Finn held out one hand and then clenched it into a fist before letting it drop back to his side.
Enzo didn’t understand. “Finn. Of course I saw you.”
Finn shook his head. “Only because you didn’t know I was also him.” He crossed his arms over his chest and took a step back. “My ex. He was only with me to try to get me to agree to a movie deal with his company. If I hadn’t overheard him bragging about it on the phone, I never would have known. Fuck, I’d still be with the bastard. I’m such an idiot.”
“Oh, oh Finn.” Enzo took a step forward. He took hold of Finn’s wrists and pulled his arms away from his chest. He hated seeing Finn so closed off like this. “That asshole.”
Thankfully, Finn snorted out a laugh at that. “That son of a bitch.”
“That snot snogging dipshit.”
That had them both laughing. Good. That was much better than the almost tears he’d seen in Finn’s eyes. What kind of guy would do that? Date someone only to get something financial out of him? Didn’t the bastard realize how special Finn was?
Clearly not. And, of course after being used like that Finn would want to keep his identity secret. Would Enzo have treated him differently if he’d known Finn wasn’t just an author but a famous one? He’d like to think not, but he probably would have been incredibly star struck. He never would have gotten the chance to know the man in front of him.
“Okay, I get it.” Enzo shifted his grip, so he was holding both of Finn’s hands instead of his wrists. Finn squeezed back encouragingly. “Of course you wouldn’t want to tell me who you really were. But, why the books?” He tilted his head in the direction of the cafe. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I wanted to. That’s the difference. You’re not using me. You didn’t even know. This place...if it hadn’t been for your aunt’s cafe, I wouldn’t be writing right now. I couldn’t write a word, ever since that bastard...”
There it was again, that look in Finn’s eyes. Enzo never wanted to see it again. He took ahold of Finn’s shoulders and pressed their lips together. Finn melted against him.
“I’m here now,” Enzo declared. “You’re not even going to think about that jerk anymore, is that clear?”
Finn swayed. He grabbed on to Enzo’s arms. “Keep kissing me like that, and I’ll forget my own name.”
“As long as you remember it’s not Morgan Heart. You’re Finn. My Finn.”
Oh, and that made Finn’s cheeks turn a delicious shade of pink. Enzo had to admit he liked discomfiting the older man. He’d done that, turned Finn into a melty puddle of goo.
He vowed right then and there to never hurt Finn like that asshole of an ex-boyfriend had.
“Come on. We left Lydia alone with the UPS man.” Enzo took one of Finn’s hands and led him back down the street toward the cafe.
“Poor guy. She’s probably got him unloading all the books in the back.”
Enzo snorted. That did sound like his bossy cousin. “Thank you. For the book donation. It means a lot.”
Finn looked away. “I only hope it can help make up the deficit a little bit.”
“Are you kidding? All the women in town will be lining up hoping to get a glimpse of the mysterious Morgan Heart.” Enzo squeezed Finn’s fingers to show he was teasing. “They’ll buy gallons of coffee.”
Finn laughed. “You’d better invest in those extra-large to-go cups.”
“I’ll put the order in today.” Enzo mimed checking off a list. “You know, since you’re still in the middle of writing this next book, I think it should have a happy ending.”
“And disappoint my readers?”
“You’d make this reader very happy,” Enzo pointed out.
“I hate to tell you this, but I have the ending already figured out.”
They’d reached the cafe by this point. Finn turned to give him a wink as he opened the door. “I won’t tell you who dies this time.”
Then he disappeared inside leaving Enzo laughing on the sidewalk.
Chapter 13
