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Nature-boy to a tee, and her ex’s best friend, he stopped by even on the days he wasn’t on shift at the fire station.
    “Never a boring moment in the glamorous world of caffeine,” Jacquelyn replied, already pouring the soy milk and caramel syrup into his cup.
    “Haven’t seen you around much,” Wes pointed out as he slid a five dollar bill across the counter. “Hiding out? Or hiding from someone?”
    “Oh, you know, just livin’ the dream.” She topped his drink off with a shot of espresso and popped the lid on the cup, jamming a straw down the center. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her break-up with Finn.
    Wes smiled and took the cup from her, swirling the contents while she counted out his change. “We’re planning a hiking trip later this month. Gonna climb to the top of the cornice where there’s a sweet cliff to rappel from. Won’t be the same without you kicking our asses up the mountain. You should think about going.”
    With Finn? No way. “For some reason, Wes, that sounds less than appealing. But thanks for the offer.”
    “Ah, gotcha,” Wes said conspiratorially as he leaned in toward the counter. “From the looks of your face, you’re pretty busy. Need any help?”
    Jacquelyn suppressed a groan and looked around just to make sure no one—especially Bree—was listening. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about. As Finn’s best friend since childhood, there wasn’t much about him that Wes didn’t know. And that included Finn’s and Jacquelyn’s job as the territory’s resident evil extractors. It was a huge no-no and a violation of about fifty Sentry rules, but Finn didn’t care. Wes was the only local “in the know” and besides being a certified adrenaline junkie, he considered himself a sidekick of sorts. Not that they’d ever taken him out on any hunts. But Wes was still hopeful, and offered up assistance at every opportunity.
    “I would never steal you away from the station, Wes,” Jacquelyn whispered in a scandalized tone. “What if there was a fire and you were busy taking down a ghoul while someone’s house burned to the ground?”
    Wes rolled his eyes. “Excuses, excuses. I’ll wear you guys down eventually and you’ll take me along.”
    She smiled. Don’t count on it, buddy .
    “I bet the rush of doing what you do beats the hell out of B.A.S.E. jumping.” He stuffed a dollar and a few coins into the tip jar. “If you change your mind about the hiking trip, just let me know,” he said, giving her a playful wink as he headed for the door. “See ya around.”
    “Later.” One of the worst parts of a breakup: the division of everyone’s friends.
    After the excitement of the morning rush, the rest of Jacquelyn’s day dragged by on broken legs. Exhausted and fueled by less than a few hours’ sleep, she fought to keep an alert—not to mention pleasant—expression. McCall seemed to be the epicenter of paranormal activity lately, and a good night’s rest just didn’t jive.
    “Mild-mannered barista by day…” she murmured as she gathered up a discarded mug and wiped down the table. Problem with having a secret identity—all the secrecy. Though it was a huge violation of protocol, one that would get Finn’s ass in a serious sling, it was sort of nice not having to hide anything from Wes. She’d known him so long, he felt like the brother she’d never had. You know, the one who wants to hang out with you and your girlfriends and then tattles to mom when you don’t let him. Maybe if she’d been able to share her secret life with Libby, Jacquelyn wouldn’t have lost herself so completely to Finn. But growing up as a ward of the Sentry, she’d been taught to share her secrets with no one but her Bearer and the governing authority in her territory. And since Waerds and Bearers were almost always assigned in male/female pairs, they had a tendency to naturally fall into less than professional relationships. The Sentry sort of set them up