What else could he want from me? Maybe something broke.
“Uh, hi. Evening.” I nod, but my neck feels stiff. “Good to see you.”
I feel like I’m fucking this up.
“If you’re not busy, maybe now would be a good time to check in? I don’t want to spring anything on you, but I thought it would be nice to have a moment to talk in private before we run into each other around the shop.”
Ugh. Talking.
It would be a lot easier if he came looking for sex. I’m not an asshole, though, even if I am exhausted from my basement all-nighter. So I force myself to make nice.
“Sure. Do you want to come in?”
“How about Blossom?” he asks, friendly. “I made some tea.”
“Let me get my shoes.”
For fuck’s sake, he made tea.
I’m already in too deep. But last night felt like a taste of something, and I’m not satisfied yet. So instead of backing out entirely, I trudge down to the flower shop.
He’s left the door open, so I go through the hallway to get into Blossom. There’s a big old booth in the front, tucked against the wall and underneath the high windows, flowers spilling from shelves all around it. Nicholas is standing there with a notepad and a steaming tea kettle, and he laughs warmly as he looks at me.
“What?”
“I think the look on your face is called dread. Usually not the best sign in a potential hookup,” he teases.
I shake my head. “It’s not that,” I tell him.
Nicholas nods quickly. “I get it. You’re not a talker like I am. That’s fine, and we’ll keep this short and sweet.”
Nicholas slides into the booth, and I sit across from him.
“And just to be clear,” he continues, “I’m not available for hooking up tonight. I’d like to stick to conversation right now.”
“Understood,” I tell him. I rub the back of my head, feeling like I should offer something. “Usually, if sex gets to the point where it needs a conversation, I’m already out the door.”
“I’m the total opposite,” Nicholas says with a laugh, making it easy. “But that’s okay. We’ll make it work for us.” He holds my eye. “I had fun,” he says. “And I’d like to follow through with our plans and see each other again. How about you?”
I swallow. “Yeah,” I manage, my heart pounding. “Let’s. Again.”
Wonderful word use, me.
But Nicholas is right here. And I felt his dick against my dick last night. And we’re going to do it again. That’s enough to break my language capacity.
He smiles to himself. “Great.” He turns to the tea kettle, pouring some carefully into each white cup. “We should establish our expectations. I guess there’s a firm end date, if neither of us wants to end it earlier. That’s when you leave town, presumably soon.”
I take the cup. “About that. I checked out the basement, and the foundation is going to need some work. But I also met with realtors today, and they suggested I would get more money if I finish the repairs before selling. With the roof, foundation, and everything else, there’s a good month of work, possibly two.”
“Oh.” Nicholas twists his lips as he thinks. “Wait, not to switch topics, but if you’re fixing it up, does that mean you’re not going to sell to a developer?”
“Uh,” I say, still scared to make any promises to him. I feel clumsy, too, about the fact that I’m doing something nice for him and for Sue and Nance. Like I’m not supposed to, so I toss out some of the other reasons. “Old buildings can’t be replaced. And the craft that went into this place deserves respect.”
“Cool.” Nicholas leans back, relief washing over him. “Well, thanks.”
He beams at me.
I grunt. “Don’t worry about it. I should make similar money as I would selling to a developer, anyway,” I say, trying to dismiss the topic because I realize I’ve made up my mind. It feels right to renovate the building and leave it in good hands, so that’s the way I want to start my new life with this inheritance.
