I remember to express my excitement through my hands and not just my voice because I want to jump up and down.
We discuss placement on his calf and the sizing. It will probably take two sessions based on the work needing to be completed, one session for the outlining, then another for color.
He points to the spot on my wrist. “Paint?” he asks.
Logan snorts from behind me.
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “I was painting last night.”
Will tells me he paints too, and asks if I was working on anything special.
“It’s . . . A-B-S-T-R-A-C-T,” I sign, spelling it out because I’ve forgotten how to sign it. His question catches me off guard and has me stumbling. “Very messy. Lots of texture.”
“Cool,” he replies.
I move off that topic quickly, explaining what our next steps would be, then bring him back up to the front so we can get him on my books. After getting his deposit, we say goodbye.
I return to my station and slump into the chair, clutching my tablet and adding a few extra notes to the sketch with a smile on my face. I did it.
“Told you you’d be fine,” he says. I rotate my chair to find Logan standing in the aisle, leaning forward with his arms folded on top of the wall divider, wearing a sexy smile. “Nice save on the paint question.”
He unfolds his arms to sign, “Proud of you.”
“I like when you say that.” There’s something about his praise that’s hot, even when it’s for something as mild-mannered as a successful ASL conversation.
He waggles his eyebrows, signing, “You like when I do a lot of things.”
My mouth drops open, and he smiles to himself on the way back to his office.Cocky bastard.I’m shaking my head when my phone buzzes, so I glance down at it to see a text from Rosa.
Rosa
Hey! I’m going to be in town for work. Wanna grab drinks?
Oh good! I’m hoping I can introduce her to Thor at some point. She sounded down after we had our conversation about men.
Casper and Thor are single, but Casper at least spends his free time doing things he enjoys, like jumping out of planes or snowboarding off cliffs. The guy is an adrenaline junkie. Thor, on the other hand, doesn’t do much outside of work. I can tell he’s lonely, but with his past, he’s afraid to settle down again. Heand Rosa would be a great fit, they both avoid social media and are both stupidly attractive. I bet they’d hit it off.
Yes! Thursday at nine? Where should we go?
Rosa
The Sable has a hotel bar.
The Sable is upscale. I could use a night of fun without Logan around. He has been hovering more than usual. Maybe if she’s got time she can swing by the shop so I can introduce her to everyone.
Perfect. I need a girls’ night out!
I’m cleaning my station after finishing up with a client when Frankie tiptoes over with a vase of roses. The sanitizer nearly falls out of my hand.
“You got flowers,” she whispers, smiling, and sets them on the desk. My heart hammers in my chest.Are they from my stalker?Jason? They seem similar to the crumpled ones I found in the trash that day he showed up at the shop. On occasion, I’ve received flowers from clients after finishing a big piece. Maybe that’s all this is.Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m that lucky.Regretfully, I reach for the note. I don’t want to look. I break the seal on the envelope and prepare myself for those five fucking words I’ve come to hate so much.
Congratulations to the newlyweds. Till death do you part. XX
Relief floods through me. My shoulders sag and I laugh, slipping the card back into the envelope. Just a wrong delivery.
Spinning on my heel, I peer over at Logan, who is cleaning up after a client session, his eyes already fixed on me.
“Who is that from?” he asks, his voice low and threatening as he crosses the aisle into my workstation.
