Did she have a boyfriend?
I got a bad vibe from him on Friday night. Can’t place exactly what it was about him, but there was something I didn’t like.
My palms were sweating as I followed her out of the room and to the elevator. We stood on opposite sides of the car and walked on opposite sides of the hall to her desk.
We sat, we talked, we planned, we organized.
Yet I had no idea what we actually said. I couldn’t concentrate. All I could think about was the fact that my hand had been on her thigh and five minutes later she was confirming a date with someone else.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Was it karma? I didn’t necessarily believe in karma. Maybe it was something like that trying to teach me a lesson, considering what I’ve been up to. But it was all to forget about her. Because she didn’t want us to be together.
And the mood, the feeling between us, had cooled. I could feel it. Maybe she sensed my agitation about him, though I tried to hide it.
“Chase.” She said my name firmly and with conviction; she knew I hadn’t been paying attention.
I glanced up and noticed she avoided looking directly at me as she fiddled with a pencil on her desk.
“Thank you for understanding earlier.” Then she paused. I wasn’t sure if she was going to say anything further. I was about to get up and leave because if I said anything to her right now it would include something aboutdickhead. But she cleared her throat, so I stayed. “We met at the wrong time in our lives. I know we could have been good. It feels right when we’re together. I can’t risk it, ya know?”
I didn’t want to be a dick, though it was my first inclination. Maryellen had always influenced me to be a better version of myself. Except when I was forced to think about her fucking someone else.
I couldn’t do it and stay sane.
All I could do was nod, stand, and walk away.
Yep, back to being a dick.
I hadn’t walked through the door of this shop since the first time I met Harper. And that meeting didn’t go as planned. The bell above the door still announced my arrival as I stepped inside. Once I did, the scents of every flower imaginable overwhelmed my senses.
“I’ll be right there,” Harper called from the back.
I wandered around the shop admiring the work of both Harper and the owner, Fiona. Their arrangements were all over our offices, though I rarely took the time to stop and notice them. They did good work. Better than good—it was amazing.
“Chase?” The surprise in Harper’s voice wasn’t unexpected.
“Hey, what’s up?”
She wore her work apron and was still adorable with her wispy hair up in one of those buns. Her smile grew as I approached, and she wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug.
“Everything OK?” she asked.
I was taking a chance by coming here. Though I was pretty sure Harper knew about Maryellen and me, I needed to make sure she was trustworthy. That she would keep it from Gage, which was a tough one to ask. If I didn’t think she was, I’d grab them without her knowing who they were for.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m actually in need of some flowers. Thought you might be able to help me.” Shrugging as I gestured to the shop, we both laughed.
“Maybe,” she said. She walked around to the various refrigerators and pulled a few stems from inside. “Any idea what you, or she, wants or likes?” As she asked, she was placing a variety of flowers on the large wooden table in the center ofthe room. “Is it anyone I know, maybe I could help in that department.”
I continued to peer inside the clear doors of the cases, trying to ignore her questions. When I went up to my office earlier today, I sat around staring at the same computer screen, unable to work for hours. I realized I had a decision to make. My two choices were to walk away from Maryellen and let her live her life, or fight for what we both knew could be amazing.
I chose to fight.
So here I was.
Turning toward Harper, I saw her waiting for my response.
“Well…um…” I stumbled over my words.
“Wow, whoever it is has you speechless. In love, are you? Chase Parker, who’s the lucky girl?”
