date...and then nothing? Not even a
kiss...though that was my fault. Still, he didn't even try. I kept looking at
the text. "See you soon?" How soon?
I went through all the stages of
grief: denial, bargaining and all that, and had just come out on the other side
and accepted that I wasn't going to see Liam Graves again. Something had gone
wrong, maybe my need for time had put him off. After all, a man like that; who
looked like him and kissed like him and took girls on thoughtful dates that
showed he had been listening...a man like that could have his pick of women.
Why would he want to waste his time on a recently divorced florist who seemed
to be a born again prude?
Having reached acceptance, I decided
to go one further and go with anger. I declared him an asshole to Kit. I agreed
he must have been cheating after all with Jasmine. I swore to Kiki that I'd be
okay, then started talking about him again in spite of it.
*****
It was the first morning the
temperatures had climbed into the twenties. Walking to work wasn't
excruciatingly painful and I was actually in a good mood. Recent snowfall
blanketed the city in a new coat of white, covering the dirty mounds and frozen
trash. I barely felt my phone buzz in my pocket, but a sixth sense made me
check it.
Liam Graves: "It's been too
long. Hoping you can give me a little more time. How about tonight?"
"Are you fucking kidding
me?" I said out loud in the empty shop. No contact for two weeks and then
he thinks I'm going to drop everything? All my plans? Who did he think he was?
"Ok," I texted back.
Chapter
Eleven
I was still deciding if I was actually
going through with seeing him right at the moment the car rolled up in front of
the shop.
"Shay." Liam sounded
relieved when Darius opened the door and let me in the back seat.
"Liam," I said coolly.
He understood at once. "I took
too long. I know it." He patted the seat next to him and slid over to make
room for me. When I was settled next to him, hands folded tensely in my lap, he
sighed audibly. "You know, I don't even know where I can begin to tell you
why I couldn't see you again right away. Since words were failing me, I thought
this..." he turned behind him in the seat, "might say what I wanted
to say."
He turned back to me holding a single,
perfect rose. It was the deep, velvety pink of a sunset, the edges of the
petals just unfurling from the bud. It took my breath away.
"Gratitude?" I stammered.
He nodded. "For agreeing to see
me again."
"You looked up the meaning of a
deep pink rose?"
He cocked a crooked grin.
"Actually, I did a bunch of googling to find the right meaning that went with
a flower that wouldn't make you laugh in my face, I'm not going to lie."
His gray eyes twinkled at me. "Figured you wouldn't appreciate me showing
up with a four leaf clover."
I giggled in spite of myself.
"Be mine?"
His smile grew shy. "Yeah."
"Good call on the rose,
then," I teased, inhaling the deep scent.
"I'm glad you like it,
Shay."
The way he said my name.... It wasn't
fair. Here I had planned on being cool and aloof tonight, and he goes and does
something so thoughtful...and then says my name in the way he has that makes
every cell in my body sit up and take notice.
"So," he leaned back,
throwing his arm casually against the back of the seat. "I'm planning on
having you out a bit late this evening, Shay. Should I be worried about any overprotective
brothers or daddies who have shotguns?"
I burst out laughing. "Ah, no.
I'm an only child and I'm pretty sure my father has never touched a gun."
I giggled a little, feeling high off of the rose's scent and the way Liam's arm
rested lightly against the back of my neck. "He's pretty near-sighted too,
so all you'd have to do is knock his glasses off and...."
"And I'd be free to run off with
you?" Dear sweet baby Jesus, how did he
kiss...though that was my fault. Still, he didn't even try. I kept looking at
the text. "See you soon?" How soon?
I went through all the stages of
grief: denial, bargaining and all that, and had just come out on the other side
and accepted that I wasn't going to see Liam Graves again. Something had gone
wrong, maybe my need for time had put him off. After all, a man like that; who
looked like him and kissed like him and took girls on thoughtful dates that
showed he had been listening...a man like that could have his pick of women.
Why would he want to waste his time on a recently divorced florist who seemed
to be a born again prude?
Having reached acceptance, I decided
to go one further and go with anger. I declared him an asshole to Kit. I agreed
he must have been cheating after all with Jasmine. I swore to Kiki that I'd be
okay, then started talking about him again in spite of it.
*****
It was the first morning the
temperatures had climbed into the twenties. Walking to work wasn't
excruciatingly painful and I was actually in a good mood. Recent snowfall
blanketed the city in a new coat of white, covering the dirty mounds and frozen
trash. I barely felt my phone buzz in my pocket, but a sixth sense made me
check it.
Liam Graves: "It's been too
long. Hoping you can give me a little more time. How about tonight?"
"Are you fucking kidding
me?" I said out loud in the empty shop. No contact for two weeks and then
he thinks I'm going to drop everything? All my plans? Who did he think he was?
"Ok," I texted back.
Chapter
Eleven
I was still deciding if I was actually
going through with seeing him right at the moment the car rolled up in front of
the shop.
"Shay." Liam sounded
relieved when Darius opened the door and let me in the back seat.
"Liam," I said coolly.
He understood at once. "I took
too long. I know it." He patted the seat next to him and slid over to make
room for me. When I was settled next to him, hands folded tensely in my lap, he
sighed audibly. "You know, I don't even know where I can begin to tell you
why I couldn't see you again right away. Since words were failing me, I thought
this..." he turned behind him in the seat, "might say what I wanted
to say."
He turned back to me holding a single,
perfect rose. It was the deep, velvety pink of a sunset, the edges of the
petals just unfurling from the bud. It took my breath away.
"Gratitude?" I stammered.
He nodded. "For agreeing to see
me again."
"You looked up the meaning of a
deep pink rose?"
He cocked a crooked grin.
"Actually, I did a bunch of googling to find the right meaning that went with
a flower that wouldn't make you laugh in my face, I'm not going to lie."
His gray eyes twinkled at me. "Figured you wouldn't appreciate me showing
up with a four leaf clover."
I giggled in spite of myself.
"Be mine?"
His smile grew shy. "Yeah."
"Good call on the rose,
then," I teased, inhaling the deep scent.
"I'm glad you like it,
Shay."
The way he said my name.... It wasn't
fair. Here I had planned on being cool and aloof tonight, and he goes and does
something so thoughtful...and then says my name in the way he has that makes
every cell in my body sit up and take notice.
"So," he leaned back,
throwing his arm casually against the back of the seat. "I'm planning on
having you out a bit late this evening, Shay. Should I be worried about any overprotective
brothers or daddies who have shotguns?"
I burst out laughing. "Ah, no.
I'm an only child and I'm pretty sure my father has never touched a gun."
I giggled a little, feeling high off of the rose's scent and the way Liam's arm
rested lightly against the back of my neck. "He's pretty near-sighted too,
so all you'd have to do is knock his glasses off and...."
"And I'd be free to run off with
you?" Dear sweet baby Jesus, how did he
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