Get a hold of yourself.
Blinking rapidly to knock some sense into myself, I turn and stride to my apartment door without another word. Unable to stop myself, I glance over my shoulder at him. Levi is still standing where I left him, arms crossed as he watches me walk away with a hint of a smirk on his face.
***
Quinn is waiting for me the next morning outside the local coffee shop I worked at before landing my dream job. Today, we are walking the town square to take measurements for the layout and to give us an idea of how large to make our new decorations. Since my apartment is only several blocks away, I thought it’d be a good idea to walk through the town.
That was a mistake.
Recent December drizzles left the sidewalks a muddy mess, completely coating my sneakers. The black leggings I’m wearing aren’t thick enough for the cutting wind, but luckily my trusty puffy coat did its job and kept me warm and toasty.
Greeting Quinn with a quick hug, we step into the best coffee spot in town: Tall, Dark, and Coffee. A chain coffee shop has recently moved into town, but their drinks are too sweet and the atmosphere lacks a certain charm. Say what you want about Rosies, but they’re loyal. The only people seen going into the new place are the ones that are driving through and don’t know any better.
“How’s the carpenter guy? Weren’t you supposed to meet him yesterday?” Warm drinks in hand, Quinn and I sit at a small table in the corner of the shop beside the window. We have the perfect view of the town square and I can’t stop myself from picturing it all lit up for Christmas.
My eyes roll so hard there’s no way Quinn didn’t notice. “Ugh, yes,” I groan. She leans forward in anticipation. “He’s going to make everything so much more difficult.” Her gasps make me think that she’s thinking about the project while I’m really thinking about my personal life.
“No! He’s that bad huh?” She pushes up her sliding glasses taking a sip of her peppermint latte. “I just knew Mrs. Haverford was going to try to drag you down.”
“He’s not bad in the way you think. Levi’s actually really nice. Almost too nice. He brought me coffee as some kind of white flag to apologize for his aunt.”
“Then what kind of bad is he?” Her eyebrow raises with her question giving me a “do tell” kind of look.
“It’s just that…” I pause, trying to come up with the right words. “He’s just… I think…”
Impatient, Quinn butts in. “Oh, cut the shi- crap. Tell me!” One thing I appreciate about Quinn is her unwillingness to put up with bullshit. She won’t let me sidestep an issue; she’ll confront me about it.
“He’s hot!”Too loud. I said that too loud and now everyone in the shop pauses to look at me.Someone shoot me now.Leaning in, I whisper, “He’s like, really good-looking. Almost to the point of distraction. Believe me when I say that it was hard to not stare at him as we walked through the warehouse.”
“Ooh, we love a hot man. So, how is this a problem? I’m not seeing an issue here.”
“Quinn, I have to hate him. He’s the enemy. He’s hernephew!I just know she’s going to want any details about my plans and that’s her way to do it.”
Quinn raises a skeptical brow at me. “I think you’re reading way too much into this.”
“I don’t think I am.” Jutting my chin in defiance I stare across the table at my assistant. “This is my dream job and I’m not going to let anyone ruin it for me. Even if he’s the ridiculously hot nephew of Lori Haverford.”
After finishing our drinks and waving goodbye to Cara—my former boss and the owner of the coffee shop—we cross the street to the square. This place is one of the main reasons I chose Rose Prairie to be my new home. It reminds me of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls with its large trees and beautiful white gazebo in the middle. In the spring, magnificent flowers bloom in a vibrant patchwork of colors. In the summer, live music is played from its steps while people sit around on their blankets enjoying the summer breeze. It’s just so damn picturesque.
Breaking out the measuring tape, we get to work. Quinn holds one end while I hold the other, calling out the numbers for Quinn to jot down in her notebook. It’s vital that I get everything just right.
“Think we got it all?” Quinn saunters over to me as I scan the area.
“Maybe.” We both stand there looking around when I realize that we missed a spot stretching across the middle of the square. “Oh, we forgot to do this one.” Pointing to the area I’m referring to, she nods her head and reaches out for the start of the measuring tape while I walk it across the grass, the yellow ruler trailing after me. Unfortunately, I have to maneuver around a large tree.
I’ve never been the most graceful human being, so I carefully watch my step as I pass through the maze of roots jutting up from the ground. I must’ve not been careful enough because before I know what’s happening, my ass lands right in a giant, slippery puddle of mud.
I hear Quinn laugh, covering her mouth as she jogs over to me. There’s no way I’ll be able to get myself out of this unscathed. The ground surrounding me is completely soaked, not a dry spot to place my hand to try to heave myself up. But before Quinn can come to my rescue, the squish of mud under shoes comes up from behind me.
Turning, I look up and see Levi standing over me. Of course, it’s him. Who else could it be? Surely not any of the other five thousand people who live here.
“Are you okay? I saw you go down from across the street.”
Just wonderful.“Fine,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Oh my god, Sammie! Are you alright?” Quinn comes running over to me and I can see the instant she notices Levi. Her finger pushes up the bridge of her glasses as her eyes travel up and down his body. “Hi, I’m Quinn,” she introduces herself, holding her hand out to Levi.
“Not the time, Quinn,” I mutter. A little louder I say, “Can I get some help here?”
