I heard the elevator ding and checked my watch. It was five of one, so it could be her, but when I peeked around the plant I saw two men walking briskly through the lobby in the opposite direction.
“What in the hell are you doing?”
The voice coming from behind made me jump and squeak at the same time.
I didn’t have to guess who was behind me. I swing around and landed a solid punch to his upper bicep.
“Ow!” he said, immediately grasping his arm.
“You had it coming.”
He smiled sheepishly. “Okay, fair enough. I suppose I did. You pack a hell of a punch, Flowers. I find myself less worried about your time on the streets.”
I winced at the pain reverberating through my knuckles. Geesh, his arms were hard. It didn’t stop me from cocking my arm back for another blow.
“I told you not to do that anymore.”
He quickly caught hold of my fist and jerked me forward. Suddenly I was closer to him than I’d ever been.
He had the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. But up close, I could see they were more than just green. There was moss and evergreen and browns and golds.
What combination of genes assembled like this?
“Why are you hiding behind the lobby plant? Are you stalking someone?”
“I’m not stalking anyone,” I said lamely. “Much.”
He released my wrist, and for a second we didn’t move. Those few inches of space between us felt oddly normal. Like we were supposed to be this close. Then in a blink, that changed and we realized we were too close.
Each of us took a deliberate step back.
“Talk, Flowers. Is there some young man in the office building who has caught your attention? Thinking about attempting the awful dating scene again? I thought all of that was behind you.”
“Behind me?” I repeated. “I’m twenty-three. It better all be in front of me.”
He frowned. “Who is it? The delivery guy?”
“Roger? You think I’m stalking Roger? Seriously? ‘Roger Roid?’ We make fun of that guy.”
“I don’t know. Maybe you like the overly bulky type with a shiny chest.”
He wasn’t lying about the shiny chest. While I’m not sure it was uniform regulation policy, Roger always wore his brown UPS shirt unbuttoned beyond what would be considered appropriate. And what showed through the gap gleamed like he’d covered his shaved chest in oil.
“If you must know, I’m waiting for Claire. She’s the person who got the receptionist job at the marketing firm. You remember, 301.”
“How could I forget? Your fortuitous mistake.” He paused a beat, as if considering something. “So you’re…bi?”
“Bi?” I repeated, not understanding.
“Because you went out with that Kendrick.”
Then it clicked. “His name was Kenny, and no, I’m not bi. I’m notintoClaire, I’m just trying to make friends. Like a normal person.”
He snorted a laugh. “Here’s a clue, Flowers. Normal people don’t make friends by stalking them.”
“I was trying to be cool about the whole thing. Casual. Just a simple run in at the elevator.”
“After you’ve been hiding behind a plant in the lobby. Yes, of course. That wreaks of cool,” he drawled.
