The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 296: Chapter 296 - Customer Service

Roxie joined the line with Karen and Angela, but her attention stayed on the girl leaning against the counter. Her drink was already finished, which somehow made everything worse because the cup was sitting right beside her hand while she kept talking to Zac like there was nobody waiting behind her.

She smiled at whatever he said, leaned slightly closer and laughed again, and Roxie could already feel the irritation starting even though she knew exactly what this was.

Karen followed Roxie’s stare and immediately smiled. ”Oh, this is gonna be fun.”

”Shut up.”

Angela leaned around her for a better look. ”She definitely likes him.”

Roxie snapped her eyes toward her. ”I fucking know.”

Angela immediately started laughing, which made Roxie regret bringing either of them. She had spent the entire walk over thinking about how she was going to make Zac suffer with the fake Sweetheart dance, imagining his face when she mentioned the chair and the floor.

She had been so entertained by the idea of making him jealous that she had somehow skipped over the part where everybody at Briarwick still believed Zac Prescott was single.

Karen leaned closer. ”You chose this. Secret until after Sweetheart.”

”I know.”

That was exactly what irritated Roxie. Keeping them hidden had sounded fun when it meant secret kisses, private smiles and Zac finding stupid excuses to touch her when nobody was watching. She had never really considered how many girls might hear that Zac and Roxie were broken up and take that as an invitation.

The line moved forward, but the girl at the counter still didn’t. She said something else that made Zac smile politely, and Roxie reminded herself that he was working. He was supposed to be nice.

He was standing behind a register wearing an apron and getting paid to deal with customers, which meant he couldn’t exactly tell some girl to go away because his secretly reunited girlfriend was glaring at her from the line.

Then the girl touched his arm.

Roxie’s jaw tightened.

Karen saw it immediately. ”There it is.”

”What?”

”Murderous aura. That definitely is my obsessed best friend.”

Roxie looked at her. ”I’m standing here, doing nothing. I am a changed person.”

”Ofcourse.” Karen stumped her head. ”I forgot you’ve changed,”

Angela giggled. ”It’s normal to get jealous. What should change is how you react on it,”

Roxie looked back toward the counter. React? God help her cause all she wanted was to pull that girl away from him.

Calm down girl. She breathes deep.

Eventually the people behind them started shifting impatiently, and the girl finally seemed to remember other customers existed. She picked up her drink, said one last thing to Zac and walked away.

The second she moved, Zac’s eyes went straight to Roxie.

His face changed just slightly, a small softening around his eyes and the beginning of a smile that looked completely different from the one he had given the girl. Nobody else in the shop would probably notice anything unusual about it.

Roxie noticed. And irritatingly, that tiny look was enough to make half her anger disappear.

Karen leaned toward Angela. ”Oh, look at her.”

Roxie turned. ”What?”

Angela smiled. ”You were mad two seconds ago.”

”I’m not mad.”

Karen laughed while the line moved again, and by the time they reached the register, Roxie had mostly recovered. Zac looked at all three of them with the same customer service expression he probably used on everyone, but Roxie already knew him well enough to see the amusement sitting underneath it.

”What can I get you?”

Karen looked at Angela.

Angela looked back.

Roxie ignored both of them and rested one hand on the counter. ”You know what I get.”

”I need an order.”

”You know my order.”

”I’m working.”

She narrowed her eyes. ”Medium vanilla latte.”

”Anything else?”

”No.”

Zac looked at her for another second. ”Anything to eat?”

”No.”

”You had practice.”

Roxie stared at him because he had lasted maybe ten seconds before forgetting he was supposed to sound like an employee instead of her boyfriend. ”I know.”

”When did you eat?”

Karen immediately leaned against the counter. ”She said no, Dad.”

Roxie almost laughed.

Zac slowly looked toward Karen, who smiled sweetly like she hadn’t just called him out in front of half the coffee shop. Angela had already covered her mouth because she was clearly about to lose it.

”I’m fine,” Roxie said before he could start interrogating her.

Zac looked back at her. ”Sure?”

”Yes.”

He clearly didn’t believe her, but there were people waiting behind them and Roxie doubted his manager would appreciate him holding up the line because his girlfriend had skipped food after cheer practice. He finally let it go and took Karen’s order, then Angela’s, treating both of them completely normally.

Roxie almost thought he had remembered they were trying to be subtle.

Then she pulled out her card.

She held it toward him, and Zac reached for it, but instead of simply taking the card, his fingers slid slowly over hers. Roxie looked up immediately. His expression stayed perfectly professional while his thumb brushed once against the side of her finger before he finally took it.

The touch lasted maybe two seconds.

Roxie felt it anyway.

Karen stared at their hands, then at Zac, then at Roxie. ”That was shameless.”

Roxie tried to sound bored. ”He took my card.”

Angela nodded seriously. ”With romance.”

Roxie stared at her. ”What the hell does that even mean?”

”I know what I saw.”

Zac’s mouth twitched behind the register.

Roxie caught it. ”Stop smiling.”

”I’m working.”

”You’re annoying.”

”Your drinks will be ready shortly.”

Karen waited until they moved toward the pickup side before leaning toward Roxie. ”He’s enjoying this.”

Roxie glanced back and caught Zac looking at her before he turned to the next customer. ”He sure did, but so am I.”

The admission slipped out before she thought about hiding it.

Karen smiled, but Roxie’s enjoyment lasted less than a minute before another girl reached Zac’s register. Roxie noticed immediately.

”And she’s mad again.”

Roxie turned toward both of them. ”Can you stop assuming my fucking feelings?”

”No,” Karen said. ”We don’t need to assume. Your face like an open book.”

The girl at the register seemed to know Zac because she started talking before she had even properly ordered. Roxie couldn’t hear everything over the machines and conversations around them, but one question came through clearly.

”What days do you usually work?”

Roxie stared.

Why the fuck did she need his schedule?

Zac answered something Roxie couldn’t hear, and the girl smiled before laughing at whatever he said.

Apparently every girl at Briarwick had suddenly become fucking hilarious.

Karen quietly reached past Roxie and moved the little metal pickup number farther away from her.

Roxie looked down at it, then at Karen. ”What are you doing?”

”Removing potential projectiles.”

”I wasn’t going to throw anything.”

”Preventative care.”

Roxie rolled her eyes, but before she could answer, Zac appeared at the pickup counter carrying their drinks. He handed Karen hers first and Angela hers second before putting Roxie’s latte down in front of her.

His hand stayed around the cup.

Roxie reached for it.

Her fingers closed over his.

Zac didn’t release it.

She looked up, and their eyes met over the counter while his thumb moved once against her knuckle, almost completely hidden by the cup between their hands.

Roxie’s stomach flipped.

Then he let go.

”Careful. Hot.”

He turned away like nothing happened.

Karen picked up her drink. ”There. Fixed.”

Roxie grabbed hers. ”Nothing needed fixing.”

Angela smiled. ”You look way less homicidal.”

Roxie kicked lightly at her ankle.

Angela jumped. ”Hey.”

”Stop talking.”

Karen laughed as they carried their drinks toward an empty table near the side of the shop. Roxie chose the chair with the clearest view of the counter without thinking about it, and Karen noticed before Roxie had even put her bag down.

”Naturally.”

Roxie looked at her. ”What?”

”You could’ve faced the window.”

”I like this chair.”

”Sure.”

Roxie ignored her and took a drink. The latte was exactly how she liked it, which made her wonder if Zac had made it himself or at least told whoever did. She was still thinking about that when he appeared beside their table with a small plate and set a pastry in front of her.

Roxie looked down at it, then at him. ”I didn’t order this.”

”I know.”

Karen immediately leaned closer. ”Is this free or are you secretly charging her?”

Zac ignored her completely. ”She needs food.”

Angela smiled. ”Boyfriend.”

Zac’s head turned sharply as he checked the tables around them.

Roxie burst out laughing.

Karen waved one hand. ”Relax. Nobody heard.”

Roxie glared at her before looking back at Zac, who simply pushed the plate slightly closer.

”Eat.”

”You’re bossy.”

”Yeah.”

There wasn’t even a hint of apology in his face.

Roxie stared at him for another moment, tore off a piece of the pastry and ate it.

Zac smiled.

She immediately regretted giving him the satisfaction.

”Go away.”

”Yes, ma’am.”

”Don’t call me that.”

His grin widened as he headed back toward the counter.

The problem was that Zac didn’t actually stay away. A few minutes later, he came back with napkins even though their dispenser was already full. Then he returned to refill water glasses that barely needed refilling. The next time he passed, Roxie handed him the empty plate, and his fingers covered hers for a moment before he took it.

By the fourth completely unnecessary table visit, Roxie had figured out exactly what he was doing.

Karen had too.

Zac reached across Roxie to take one of the used napkins and somehow managed to brush his fingers over the back of her hand in the process.

Then he walked away.

Karen watched him. ”That’s five.”

Roxie frowned. ”Five what?”

”Times he found an excuse to touch you.”

Angela shook her head. ”Six.”

Karen looked at her. ”What was six?”

”The fork.”

Karen thought about it, then nodded. ”Right.”

Roxie stared at both of them. ”You two need lives.”

”We had lives before we came here,” Karen said. ”This is better.”

Angela nodded.