Chapter 1
Ashley James was tired and frustrated. She'd been on her feet all day, dealing with grumpy, caffeine-deprived customers, and she was worn out.
Working at a coffee shop wasn't exactly Ashley's career plan. She'd gone to college, majored in literature, and eventually found herself working as a paralegal. She found herself out of work after her last employer turned out to be both a lecherous jerk and a crooked lawyer. He soon found himself residing at the state penitentiary, and Ashley found herself both relieved and out of work. After a few futile months of trying to find work as a paralegal, she began working at Lattetude, a coffee shop in downtown Dallas.
She really couldn't complain; the job kept her busy and her boss, Michael Travis, was a pretty good guy. He was easy to work for, easy to get along with, and he usually let Ashley take time off when she needed it. Ashley was pretty sure that Michael had a crush on her, but he wasn't one to express such things; if he had a thing for Ashley, he was keeping it to himself. Still, there was something about the way he looked at her that made her think he was interested. While he was handsome enough, with light brown hair, green eyes, and a terrific smile, Ashley ignored that; she really didn't think a romantic involvement with her employer was a good idea.
She wasn't sure why anyone would be interested in her, though. Ashley was certainly pretty enough, standing a petite five foot three with a slender build, shoulder length brown hair and a winning smile. Ashley didn't care much for her figure, though. Although she was thin, she was small-breasted and quite self-conscious about it. Most guys seem to like women with large breasts, and Ashley had definitely been shortchanged in that regard.
While no supermodel, Ashley had had a few steady boyfriends over the years, and now, at 25, she was still young and attractive enough to turn the occasional head. She hadn't had a boyfriend anytime recently, though. A year ago, her fiancé had broken their engagement just two weeks before their scheduled wedding, and that traumatic event had left a bad taste in Ashley's mouth. She just wasn't sure she was ready to start dating again, despite the best efforts of her roommate, Erin Johnson. Erin was always trying to set Ashley up with blind dates, but for now, she was having none of it.
One might think that an attractive brunette working in a coffee shop might meet lots of eligible men, but Ashley rarely looked her best while at work. She usually wore little makeup and always had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. As a barista, Ashley wasn't going to impress anyone with her fashion sense, either. While she loved beautiful clothes, and owned more than her share, this job was strictly a jeans and T-shirt affair. When you're working long hours with messy coffee grounds, you dress for comfort and convenience, rather than for style.
In other words, while Ashley was more than capable of looking gorgeous, she usually looked pretty plain at work, which was where she spent a great deal of her time. It was a bad recipe for meeting men, but then again, Ashley wasn't all that eager to do so right now.
Right now, what she really needed was a break.
“Mike? Is it OK if I take a break?” Ashley took off her apron in anticipation of his answer.
“Sure. We're not too busy right now. I'll take over.” He'd been working in the office on some bookkeeping, but he was more than happy to take over when Ashley went on break. Michael enjoyed owning a coffee shop, but he'd much rather spend his time working the espresso machine than dealing with accounting and bills. While he was generally the quiet type, he was surprisingly good with customers and seemed to genuinely enjoy talking with them. For Michael, taking over the machine and the cash register every now and again was a break from
Ashley James was tired and frustrated. She'd been on her feet all day, dealing with grumpy, caffeine-deprived customers, and she was worn out.
Working at a coffee shop wasn't exactly Ashley's career plan. She'd gone to college, majored in literature, and eventually found herself working as a paralegal. She found herself out of work after her last employer turned out to be both a lecherous jerk and a crooked lawyer. He soon found himself residing at the state penitentiary, and Ashley found herself both relieved and out of work. After a few futile months of trying to find work as a paralegal, she began working at Lattetude, a coffee shop in downtown Dallas.
She really couldn't complain; the job kept her busy and her boss, Michael Travis, was a pretty good guy. He was easy to work for, easy to get along with, and he usually let Ashley take time off when she needed it. Ashley was pretty sure that Michael had a crush on her, but he wasn't one to express such things; if he had a thing for Ashley, he was keeping it to himself. Still, there was something about the way he looked at her that made her think he was interested. While he was handsome enough, with light brown hair, green eyes, and a terrific smile, Ashley ignored that; she really didn't think a romantic involvement with her employer was a good idea.
She wasn't sure why anyone would be interested in her, though. Ashley was certainly pretty enough, standing a petite five foot three with a slender build, shoulder length brown hair and a winning smile. Ashley didn't care much for her figure, though. Although she was thin, she was small-breasted and quite self-conscious about it. Most guys seem to like women with large breasts, and Ashley had definitely been shortchanged in that regard.
While no supermodel, Ashley had had a few steady boyfriends over the years, and now, at 25, she was still young and attractive enough to turn the occasional head. She hadn't had a boyfriend anytime recently, though. A year ago, her fiancé had broken their engagement just two weeks before their scheduled wedding, and that traumatic event had left a bad taste in Ashley's mouth. She just wasn't sure she was ready to start dating again, despite the best efforts of her roommate, Erin Johnson. Erin was always trying to set Ashley up with blind dates, but for now, she was having none of it.
One might think that an attractive brunette working in a coffee shop might meet lots of eligible men, but Ashley rarely looked her best while at work. She usually wore little makeup and always had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. As a barista, Ashley wasn't going to impress anyone with her fashion sense, either. While she loved beautiful clothes, and owned more than her share, this job was strictly a jeans and T-shirt affair. When you're working long hours with messy coffee grounds, you dress for comfort and convenience, rather than for style.
In other words, while Ashley was more than capable of looking gorgeous, she usually looked pretty plain at work, which was where she spent a great deal of her time. It was a bad recipe for meeting men, but then again, Ashley wasn't all that eager to do so right now.
Right now, what she really needed was a break.
“Mike? Is it OK if I take a break?” Ashley took off her apron in anticipation of his answer.
“Sure. We're not too busy right now. I'll take over.” He'd been working in the office on some bookkeeping, but he was more than happy to take over when Ashley went on break. Michael enjoyed owning a coffee shop, but he'd much rather spend his time working the espresso machine than dealing with accounting and bills. While he was generally the quiet type, he was surprisingly good with customers and seemed to genuinely enjoy talking with them. For Michael, taking over the machine and the cash register every now and again was a break from
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