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๐ Just finished Alice and the Grump by Lorelei Moone and Iโm OBSESSED! Grumpy silver fox + sassy barista + off-the-charts chemistry? YES PLEASE. If you love cinnamon roll heroes in disguise, you NEED this book! Grab it here: https://lmoone.com/books/alice-and-the-grump/ #RomanceBooks #GrumpySunshine #InstaloveRomance
๐ฅ New Book Alert! Alice and the Grump by Lorelei Moone is LIVE! A broody celebrity chef, a curvy barista, and a secret business rivalry that turns into something much steamierโฆ Grab your copy now! https://lmoone.com/books/alice-and-the-grump/ #BookTok #RomanceReadsย #InstaloveRomance
๐ Currently reading Alice and the Grump by Lorelei Mooneย & OMGโฆ Jack is my new favorite book boyfriend. ๐ If you love a grumpy silver fox who secretly has a heart of gold, donโt miss this one! ๐ https://lmoone.com/books/alice-and-the-grump/ #RomanceReadsย #InstaloveRomance
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Blurb:
Iโm the guy who has everythingโฆ except her.
At 47, Iโve built a restaurant empire and a TV career on discipline and sharp edges. Love? Never had the time, and certainly never had the patience. But a business expansion drags me to Teddingtonโฆ and straight into her cafรฉ.
Alice is too young, too sweet, and entirely too tempting. With curves that could bring a man to his knees, her presence makes me forget why I was scowling in the first place. Before I know it, Iโm returning for yet another cappuccino.
But her business is about to close its doors, and itโs all because of me.
Now I have two choices: walk away like I always doโฆ or fight for something worth keeping.
This curvy girl/dad bod romance sees the return of everyoneโs favorite barista, Alice, who immediately wins over the broody silver fox of her dreams. Watch out, donโt burn yourself on the heat that develops between these two! Because true love isnโt served on a silver platterโsometimes itโs meticulously brewed up in Teddingtonโs favorite coffee spot.
Excerpt:
* Alice *
Itโs bright and early when I head down to my little coffee shop right on Teddington High Street. Although the morning is still young when I open the shutter and unlock the front entrance, I can already tell it’s going to be unseasonably warm for September.
Itโs just going to be me for a while, in my quiet little corner in West London. Until Amber and Richard come in to start working on his next novel, that is. Ever since Amber moved out of my flat once the two of them became an item, theyโve been taking their own sweet time getting ready in the morning. Not like before, when sheโd walk down with me, and heโd show up minutes after opening.
I canโt blame them. Theyโre in love. Theyโre happy.
I wish I had that. Over the span of this calendar year, every single one of my friends has found love, and as a result, pulled away. Amber is the only one I even see anymore on the regular, whereas we all used to meet every single Saturday before. How on earth am I the last one left waiting on the sidelines while cheering everyone on? Oh, the ironyโฆ
But I do enjoy having a moment to myself every morning while setting things up for the day to come. I inhale deeply and enjoy the familiar aroma of coffee beans and cinnamon that permanently seems to cling to the place. My own little refuge from the real world. Well, for all intents and purposes, itโs mine. I might technically just work here, but as the coffee shopโs one and only permanent employee, I still get to be my own boss.
I take a moment to appreciate the little haven I’ve created here. The boss has always been hands-off and absent. He just pays the bills, including my salary, and leaves the rest of the day-to-day affairs to me. As a result, everything you seeโfrom the decor to the menuโhas been my doing. Coffee to the Rescue, indeed, I tell myself while switching on the espresso machine and preparing the dayโs first brew.
Iโm just lifting the cup to my lips, while scanning the quirky yet cozy interior of the cafe for any outstanding jobs that need doing this morning, when the door chime sounds behind me.
โYou guys are up early today!โ I turn around with a wide smile on my face, only to pause when I spot a stranger at the door. Tall and husky, with salt & pepper hair, and handsome enough to have just walked off the set of a TV show. He looks strangely familiar, even if I canโt place him just yet.
โSorry?โ he asks.
โOh, excuse me, I thoughtโNever mind. What can I get you on this fine Monday morning?โ
He looks up at me with one raised eyebrow, clearly not in the mood for small talk. “Cappuccino,” he replies in a gruff voice.
I suppress a smile. Okay then, Mr. Grumpy Pants. “Well, you’ve come to the right place for that.โ I do take my coffee very seriously, though maybe not as seriously as he seems to take himself.
He grunts in response, but I refuse to let his moodiness get to me. I recognize the type. Heโs probably just not a morning person. Or heโs got some important meeting lined up at work, which heโs stressing about. In any case, Iโm not taking it personally.
โTakeaway or having it here?โ I ask.
โTakeaway.โ
I donโt bother to ask for the size or if he wants any flavors or add-ons. He doesnโt seem the type to appreciate more questions. As I make his drink, I catch myself stealing glances at him while heโs inspecting the cafeโs interior. Whatโs his story? Heโs in his forties, maybe even nearing fifty. And he has an air about him that suggests heโs used to being in charge. Heโs solid and built for strength as well as comfort, the way he fills out that white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway up those thick forearmsโฆ Hereโs a guy who could absolutely dominate me without breaking a sweat. Swoon. The only thing gentle about him is the pale green of his eyes and the fullness of his lips.
Who the hell is he? Iโve seen this face somewhere and Iโm pretty sure it wasnโt here. I never forget a customer.
When I hand him his coffee, he pays for it without saying a word. But before he walks out the door, he turns to me and says, “Iโm sorry, I’m not much of a morning person.”
“Well, thatโs why itโs called Coffee to the Rescue.”
โSorry, what?โ
โThe name of the shop. Coffee to the Rescue.โ I point at the cursive lettering on the wall behind me. He really doesnโt have a sense of humor, which tickles me even more for some reason. Still, I do my best to suppress the wide grin thatโs itching to appear on my face.
โAh.โ He pauses for a moment, then surprises me with the briefest of smiles, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth to match the rest of his well polished appearance. And thatโs enough to nearly knock the wind out of me.
โThatโs clever.โ
โThanks,โ I mumble, still rattled by how much his smile affected me.
He nods and raises his cup at me before walking out the door. I think I spot a twinkle in his eye as he does so, which gets my heart racing some more. Well, that was weird. And where have I seen this hunky wardrobe of a man before? I finally take a sip of my now lukewarm coffee to calm my nerves.
Thatโs when the door chimes again, and Amber and Richard appear.
โAlice, was that who I thought it was, leaving the shop just now?โ Amber asks me, wide-eyed and out of breath.
โHuh?โ
Richard smiles warmly at me. โGood morning, Alice.โ
โMorning,โ I mumble. โIโm sorry, was that who?โ
