It’s back where it belongs now, around the neck of Finola’s mom.
I look up at the mirror in my bathroom. My fingers skim over the skin at the base of my neck.
It’s bare now. I look different.
My phone chimes. I glance toward it. It’s been sounding off all morning.
I know who it is.
Liam is looking for me.
He’s been trying to reach me since yesterday.
I couldn’t respond.
I needed time to accept who I am now. I’m not the girl with the lingering hope that there’s a man out there who feels something is missing from his life, a man who wanted a daughter as much as she wanted a father.
I don’t have a father. I’ll never have a father, but I have a family who would do anything for me.
I run a successful business, and I’m in love.
I skim my hand over my hair and manage a small smile. Pointing a finger at my reflection, I whisper the only words that matter. “You’re not them, Athena. You’re you. Go live a life you can be proud of.”
“Why don’tyou take the day off on your birthday?” Leanna nudges my shoulder. “I’ll handle things here that day.”
I keep my eyes trained on the bouquet in front of me. It’s for an anniversary and the man who ordered it was very specific about how he wants it to look. He attached an image of his wife’s wedding bouquet to his online order. I take recreations very seriously. “You don’t have to do that, Leanna. Besides, you don’t work on weekends.”
“I want to.” She moves to stand next to me. “It’s a Sunday, Athena. I’ll call the girls in to help. We close by six on Sundays, so it’s not a big deal.”
The girls are our weekend assistants. Leanna was the one who hired them, so I have no doubt that she’ll be able to convince them both to show up that day.
“You deserve it.” She sighs. “Consider it my birthday gift to you.”
“Your birthday?” A man’s gruff voice interrupts. “When is that?”
I look up just as Leanna does.
“It’s him,” she whispers. “Look, Athena, it’s him.”
It is him.
“Liam,” I say his name softly. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” He takes a step closer to the table.
Brushing my hands over the front of my jeans, I glance at Leanna before I gaze back at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I missed you.” He shoves a hand through his hair. “I wanted to see your beautiful face.”
“Swoon,” Leanna whispers in my ear. “It’s break time, boss. Don’t hurry back.”
It’s not break time. It’s the middle of the afternoon, and she’s set to leave in less than an hour. I have two more orders to fill before Al shows up to pick her and the day’s deliveries up.
“I have a lot to do,” I say, glancing up at Liam. “Can we meet up later?”
“You have nothing to do.” Leanna pushes my shoulder. “I’ll take care of all of this. You take care of yourself.”
“Give me ten minutes, Athena.” Liam flashes me a smile.
