Tyler turned, and his pulse jumped. Emma, looking very much like her age in her most recent profile picture, stood behind him in grey leggings and a black puffy coat. Her hair was darker now, but it looked natural. He liked it better this way.
“I’m a tea guy.” Was that really the first thing out of his mouth? He put out his hand, and she shook it. “I’m Tyler.”
“I know.” Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. “I mean, I knew what you looked like because—” She pulled her hand back. “I’m sorry, that sounded creepy.”
Tyler laughed. “Not creepy. I knew what you looked like too. From your profile picture.”
She nodded and glanced down at the tray in his hand. Her eyes lit up.Holy hell, she was cute in person, with her workout clothes and hair pulled up.Emma grinned. “You ordered me a cruller?”
“Honey cruller, and only so you’d forgive the felonies I plan to commit later.”
“Impressive. You upped the creepiness of this in one sentence.” She laughed and played with the zipper of her coat. Like she didn’t know what to do with her fingers.
“London Fogs.” The employee behind the counter called out.
Tyler turned and was about to set down the tray when Emma leaned in and took the drinks from the employee’s outstretched hands.
She grinned. “Keep buying me supper, and I’ll start stealing driver's licences left and right.”
“This is supper?”
Emma shrugged as she walked to the corner table furthest from the door—a perfect choice. “I think I earned it. Went to the gym and bought kale after work.”
Tyler chuckled and sat down across from her. “Where’s work?”
“A photography studio on ninth.”
“Down by the Saddledome?”
Emma nodded and removed the lid from her tea, then leaned over and blew on the creamy liquid. “What do you do?”
That was a complicated question, but he’d gotten better at sticking to the basics over the past year. “Internet securities.”
Emma’s brow furrowed. “That means nothing to me.”
He grinned and picked up the cruller. “Are these any good?”
“Do I look like someone who would fall in love with a crappy donut?”
Tyler gave her a skeptical look and took a bite. The cruller was crispy on the outside but buttery soft inside. The layers melted on his tongue. “Holy shit.”
Emma beamed at him. “Exactly. Now explain internet securities.”
He swallowed, wishing he didn’t have to talk so he could take another bite. He might have to get one of these to go. “Companies hire me to test their infrastructure. I try to break into their secure assets and information, and when I get in, give them a report on how they could protect them better.”
Emma raised an eyebrow and pulled a piece off her donut. “When?” She popped it in her mouth. “You said ‘when,’ not ‘if.’”
“Freudian slip.” Tyler winked, and a blush rose to her cheeks.
Her lips curled as she tested the temperature of the tea with a small sip. “Mmm, what’s in this?”
“You’ve never had one?” he asked. She shook her head, and warmth spread across his chest. He liked being the one to introduce this girl to something new. “It’s Earl Grey, vanilla, and steamed milk. What did you peg me as, by the way?”
“Hmm?” Emma took another sip.
“You said you didn’t peg me as a tea guy.”
She grinned. “Ah. Right. No, I definitely had you slotted as a Bieber Brew type of guy.”
