Favorite Coffee Read online

  Favorite Coffee Series

  Victoria Pinder

  Love in a Book

  Contents

  Copyright

  Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Favorite Coffee, Favorite Mistake

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Favorite Coffee, Favorite Sin

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Favorite Coffee, Favorite Scandal

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Also by Victoria Pinder

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Favorite Coffee Series

  Copyright©2017

  * * *

  These books are a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemble to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Copyright © 2017 Victoria Pinder Love in a Book

  All rights reserved.

  Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush

  This book is dedicated to my friends and critique partner, especially Kimberly Gonzales. You were my rock in the writing of this novel.

  1

  Jay Marshall pressed his lips together as he held the phone. His hands curled into a ball then straightened. He stared out his bay windows overlooking the ocean. Another beautiful day on the beaches of South Florida—not that he cared. Sunshine never filled him with joy. The humidity outside suffocated the spirit, but somehow, with this deal, he’d break free.

  “Yes, you’ll see I mean business, Mr. Danvers. My business plans are long-term.”

  Danvers sucked in his breath, as if he doubted the sincerity of Jay’s words, then told Jay, “And I’ll meet your girlfriend. It’s always telling with people from Miami. Flashy women and cars do not make for good investments on my end.”

  Jay gritted his teeth and tugged at his free ear, but kept the phone in the other. Miami advertised plastic women on the highway as a special brand. Flashy came with the area code. But instead of sharing that, he nodded and told the potential investor, “I understand. See you next week.”

  He hung up the phone and stared out the window. The brightness showed his reflection and his grim frown. Jay needed to win. His eyebrows squished together. He’d pay the price for success. He had no other choice.

  Jay’s mind raced to his technical girlfriend. Eva was the epitome of flashy, beautiful, and fake. She’d been a friend since high school, and two months ago, they had ended up dating. On paper the award-winning dramatic actress, his money, and their history should be a match. Yet he couldn’t imagine his entire life videotaped.

  If he walked away from her, there would be no regrets. His investors hoped he had a nice, sweet woman on the side. His cousin, Sandra, and her friend, Penny, flashed in his head before he dropped the thought.

  He pushed his hand on the glass window before he stepped back into the shadows of his office.

  Darkness didn’t suit him either. Nothing stirred inside him anymore, though he craved something. Anything other than boredom from the sticky heat of his life.

  He shook his head and poked his head out of his office. His secretary sat there typing. “Call Eva. Set up an appointment for us to talk today.”

  With the click of the doorknob, he rolled up his sleeves. He needed this deal to put his goals in line with his investment portfolio.

  His eyes narrowed in on the first words: long-term growth.

  “Long-term” read to his eyes like a rescue rope. He blinked. Life should be lived with long-term goals to reach. Freedom meant change.

  Today, he’d break up with Eva. He’d always hoped for a woman that tugged at his heartstrings. But hopes didn’t earn freedom. He’d prove to himself, and the others, that John Jay Marshall came out of the game of life on top.

  2

  “Home, sweet, err…coffee.”

  Getting out of her car, Penny brushed at her worn jeans to get out a small wrinkle. Not that it mattered. She smelled the coffee drawing her to the door. The delicious aroma of freshly brewed java that could wake her up waited inside. Gainesville had coffee shops, but nothing that held her heart like this place. In high school, this place was her mecca. Her stomach grumbled for the familiar drink at Sodoma Brews.

  The coffee shop looked almost the same as it had years ago, except for the aluminum tables and wooden chairs with red cushions. She remembered the plaid chairs and brown tables, but the place still calmed her, like she was coming home.

  She stepped up to the counter. “I’ll have a cinnamon dulce nonfat latte, please.”

  Leaving Gainesville after college had always been the plan. Just never back to Miami, But she’d changed. She could live here now.

  She checked her lip gloss while she waited for the latte at the counter.

  When she accepted the promotion from part-time to full-time, she knew she would have to face her mother and the catch of the month, Lars, her mother’s plastic surgeon. What that woman would do for a free tummy tuck.

  The job she’d accepted had offered to triple her salary, provided she moved to the Coral Gables office. Somehow, she would have to avoid her mother .as long as possible. What
was the new man’s name with money this week? Penny ignored that last call, knowing the man with the largest wallet always took precedence over whatever Penny needed. She watched the barista get the nonfat milk and finish her latte. She’d succeed here, now. She had to.

  She’d call Sandra, Eva, John, and Michael later. Wyatt, her half-brother, was stationed overseas, so she’d wait for his weekly call. These people were her real family.

  The man handed her the latte. The first sip gave her the strength to do this. The tightness in her chest dissipated while she tasted her liquid savior. Sighing, she tasted heaven, the wake-up to her day.

  “Penny.”

  Though the unmistakable voice was deeper, she knew who it was without even turning. Her high school crush who never noticed her beyond her brain. Pulling at her pink tank top, she wished she’d worn better clothes. “John Jay.”

  His steely blue eyes and sandy blond hair were the same color, but his build had grown more muscular. The leanness of his youth had given way to broad shoulders and hard, muscular arms. He had a straight, faded scar on his left cheek that was new—probably a bar fight. Rich boy wore his fancy, perfectly fitted polo and jeans, and was definitely hotter with age. His million-dollar smile and devastating dimples sparked a warm flush that sped through her all the way to the tips of her toes.

  “I’m going by Jay these days. It’s less formal.” He winked at her, turning off his tablet and pointing her to his table.

  “It’s a good name, but I still prefer Dimples,” she teased. “It’s what I called you online whenever I needed you.”

  His rich, deep laugh sent that familiar spark through her.

  Damn. Rich boy knew his effect on women, including her. He could manipulate her when she went quiet, but she’d learned a lot in college. She’d not let him weaken her.

  “When did you get back to town?”

  “I’ve been in town for, like, five minutes. I stopped in for morning coffee. How have you been?”

  “Good. Busy these days. You?”

  She pushed back her hair, twisting her wrist, telling herself she was not the nerdy girl with a one-sided attraction any longer.

  “I have a lot going on.”

  “Flirty, Warm Eyes. How come you never came home after college? The past few months you’ve been out of touch.”

  “Warm Eyes” sounded new. She refused to dwell or wonder if it was a little forced. “You noticed? I’m surprised.”

  “I noticed.”

  She almost lost her balance looking at those dimples. Stifling a giggle, she shrugged, intending to be more adult. “I lost my computer connection at home. Question now turns to you. You weren’t too busy with the South Beach party life?”

  “No. I missed our weekly chats.”

  “You could have called me. I had my phone.” Not that they had the same view of each other. She was a friend. He had no idea about her fantasies. Staying away helped her forget the unattainable, perfect guy of her teenage years. Sandra kept her up on everything, but she had to ask. Gripping her empty cup tighter, she asked, “How is Tamara?”

  She knew both his former and current girlfriend from high school. But she hadn’t heard what happened to the college sweethearts. “Tammy? I haven’t seen her since we graduated last year. I thought you were coming home then.”

  “I am surprised. We all thought you two were destined for the altar.” Blonde, blue eyes, like him. They’d make gorgeous children one day. “When did that end?”

  “The night before graduation at University of Miami. She moved to Los Angeles and neither of us wanted long-distance. You know how it is.” He shrugged. “I missed you, Pen.”

  No. He didn’t mean that like a man interested in her. They’d never be a couple. Crossing her legs under the table, she tilted her head. “You miss the girl who could correct your math and did problems faster than you.”

  “Only some of the time, but you were the only one who ever could pull that off. And I could probably beat you now.”

  A challenge. This was familiar. “You think? I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, about to start my job with Mueller Enterprises, so my skills are pretty fresh.”

  “Finance and accounting. So we’re on point with our skills. Seeing you here, I’m getting a good idea.”

  “Your ideas cost too much. I can’t fly off to Milan this weekend. I am rather busy.”

  His eyes swam with excitement. “Penny, you’re exactly what I need. I’m happy you’re here. We always got along, didn’t we?”

  “I always thought so.”

  “Can I borrow you?” he asked.

  Damn. Now that was a tempting flirt. Borrow her. What did that mean? On another morning, she’d have hopped up on that one, but wherever this was headed, she had no time for it.

  “I can’t reminisce today, Jay. I have to find an apartment to move into.” She picked up the empty cup of coffee and stared at the two hundred feet to the door and her waiting rental car. Standing up, she pushed her chair out, picked up her bag, and told him, “I don’t have a lot of time for anything else.”

  “You’re looking for a place?”

  “I need a place to call my own before I start work.”

  He scratched his chin. “I know the area, Penny. I have an idea already for a place you can stay—that is, if you’ll go out with me Friday.”

  His blue eyes bored deep into her. Then she gazed toward the ground to catch her breath. “Thanks, but I think I can figure it out. We’re both from here, remember.”

  “Look, we’ll go together. And I would like to take you out on Friday, regardless. But I have a great idea about where you can live.”

  Her eyes widened. Letting him go with her would be a distraction. Besides, with his billions, their definition of a “suitable apartment” would not be the same. He’d never live in the real world. “Don’t be silly. I’m sure you have something important to do that doesn’t include me.”

  “You’re important, Pen. You walking into this shop this morning is the answer to my prayers. I need a date, with someone believable, someone smart and able to hold a conversation. And you need an affordable place where you can live, a place with a great view..”

  “I’d love to drop everything and follow you with a line like that.”

  “I need you, and in exchange I can help. It’s a win-win in my book.”

  He needed her? No way could this happen. John Jay Marshall had the looks, the money, and the connections to make any woman fall at his feet, especially her. She opened her mouth to tell him no. “I’d have written you off in high school, but then you turned out to be one of the smartest and nicest men I know. It’s why we keep in touch. So, okay, you can come with me and tell me your big plan about why you need a date so bad.”

  Where had that come from? His thoughts on anything could distract her. In high school she was the unnoticed friend, and she would not go back to being on anyone’s sidelines.

  He leaned closer with that smile that caused her legs to weaken. “I guarantee you’ll love what I’m thinking of for a place to stay, Penny. It has a view, so let’s sit and finish our coffees.”

  “You’ve mentioned the view twice.” She placed her finished latte on the table, and he put his tablet away while she resettled in her seat. “Just because you’re helping doesn’t mean you can interfere.”

  “Tell me how I became the luckiest guy on the planet seeing your face again.”

  The boy she remembered knew how to flatter a girl. Back in the day, he had spoken and she had sighed and her eyes had drifted up into a dream world where he cared about her. But she had to let that go. Blinking, she dropped her arms and decided to answer his question. “I’m here for my first full-time job. I’m so happy to have this, finally. It’s been harder than I thought finding the position. Now I have this weekend to get my life situated, because I start work Monday morning. I need to impress the new bosses.”

  “You will. You’re smart. The job is in the Gables?”


  “Yeah.” She met his eyes.

  Jay nodded. “Good. You’re staying. Penny, you deserve a high-paying job. You’re one of the few women I trust right now, and I need you on my arm Friday.”

  Smart did not equate to pretty. She deflated fast. In Miami, the value remained firmly beauty over brains. This was part of why she never wanted to come back. “I traded my glasses for contacts. Other than that, I’m pretty much the same.” She shrugged.

  “I see that. You’re adorable and perfect.” He put his hand on hers, and a jolt rushed through her.

  Pathetic to be crushing on a guy from five years ago, but here she was staring into his brilliant blue eyes. This needed to end before he got a grip on her again. “What’s the favor, Dimples?”

  “See? We have history. It will work.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “What will work?”