Greeting Cards For Exes

Chapter Seven

P IPER

Nervousness clenched hold of me as I stood in the lobby the next morning, waiting for Wooyoung to pick me up. What if he changed his mind about me after the kiss? I’d practically thrown myself at him like a dog in heat.

“Piper, hey.” Minho came up alongside me. “Listen, I wish you’d stop avoiding me and talk to me.”

I froze. No. No. No. Not again this morning. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? He obviously had no idea how much his affair had destroyed me.

Biting back the lump in my throat, I spun to face him, trying to paste a smile on my face. “There’s nothing to say. Your actions spoke loud enough when you decided to sleep with someone who wasn’t me.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you. The truth is, I miss you.”

“Say what?” My hand tightened around the strap of my purse. What the hell was he on about?

“Not in the sense of us being a couple, but I miss having you as a friend. For God’s sake, you’ve been my friend since elementary school.”

“You should’ve thought about that before. I...I can’t be friends with you. Why can’t you understand that?” My eyes welled. Where was Wooyoung? Damnit it, I needed to get out of here. “I loved you, Minho. From the moment we first meant, there’s only been you. You can’t expect me to jump on board with this...whatever it is you’re trying to do.”

His brow furrowed. He actually had the audacity to look hurt by my answer. “Piper, please...”

“Nope. Sorry, I’m not in the right mind frame to forgive and be friends.” Hurrying toward the front door, I moved away from him and to the sidewalk out front of our apartment building. Right then, Wooyoung pulled up, and I let out a sigh of relief.

He parked, then hopped from his car to get the door for me.

“Think about it, Piper,” Minho hollered after me.

And like any rational human being, I flipped him the bird and slid into the vehicle, the cream-colored leather seats cool against my legs.

When Wooyoung climbed in, he peered over at me. “Are you okay?”

“I...yeah. I’m just so freaking pissed right now. Minho had the nerve to ask if we could still be friends. After he literally ruined my life. I just can’t with that man. Does he not get it?”

“What a prick! I’m sorry he keeps bothering you. Maybe in time, you won’t think about him anymore and you’ll be able to move on. I mean, I know a pretty great guy who has a thing for you.” He grinned at me.

My gaze met his as I remembered our kiss again. Cheeks on fire, I smiled. “Hmm. Perhaps, you’ll be the one to help me move on.”

He reached over and swiped a strand of my auburn hair from my face. “I’d like that. So, no more worries about your ex. He never deserved you, Piper.”

My eyes focused on his lips, my heart skittering against my chest like someone skipping a stone across water. He leaned in, the scent of mint on his breath, his hand cupping my chin.

A horn blared behind us, and we jumped apart.

“Guess, I should get moving. This isn’t a real parking spot.” Wooyoung’s cheeks pinkened, making him even more adorable. “Oh, before I forget, I stopped and grabbed you a coffee on my way over.”

I glanced at the drink holder between us. The cup had my name in all caps with hearts drawn around it. “Thanks. Did you request the drawing on this, as well?”

My mouth turned up at the corners as his blush deepened. “Um, not exactly. The barista took it upon herself to help me make a good impression.”

With a laugh, I took a sip. “I appreciate the pick-me-up. One of these days, I’ll repay you.”

He side-eyed me from the driver’s seat. “No. You don’t have to. I like doing things for you.”

This time, I blushed. Geez, what was I, thirteen? Butterflies fluttered in my belly. This was so new. It’d been a long time since I’d felt flutters like this. Actually, if I was being honest with myself, I’d never had flutters like this with Minho. Was it because we’d grown up together, and had just kind of stepped into coupledom? Either way, maybe this is what it was supposed to feel like, falling for someone, I mean.

When we pulled up to work, Wooyoung and I parted ways, and I headed straight to Mr. Dancy’s office. He peered up from his desk.

“Piper, what can I do for you?”

I handed him the greeting card idea I’d typed up the night before. My teeth grazed my lip as he read it.

He slammed his hand down on his desk, nearly giving me a heart attack. “Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting for. I knew you could do it, kid! Did Maude talk to you?” He slid my idea into his folder.

A wooden frame holding a photo of him, his wife, and three sons sat in the middle of his desk, along with three signed golf balls in small glass display boxes. I had no idea whose signatures they were, but they’d been there since before I’d started.

“No, I, uh...I had a breakthrough last night.” If you counted a very smoldering kiss as a breakthrough. My heart raced at the thought of our passionate exchange.

It’s not like I could tell Mr. Dancy that Wooyoung’s lips were my muse.

“Good, good. Well, wherever this spark came from, embrace it, Piper. This is good.”

I’d like to do more than embrace it, but that wasn’t a tale I’d tell my boss.

My shoulders grew lighter as I left his office and went to mine. I waved to Kerrie on the way through. “See you at lunch.”

“Yes, I want details about dinner last night, woman.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course, you do.”

“I’m living vicariously through you,” she said, her dark hair falling into her face.

“Where’s Maude?” I noticed her dark office. She was always here before us.

“Not sure. Mr. Dancy said she was taking a few days off. Maybe she finally decided to quit showing us up and actually use some of her vacation time.”

“Not likely.”

I worked on a new card. The ideas were definitely flowing better. When lunch arrived, I went to the cafeteria and found Kerrie waiting for me, her peanut butter sandwich nearly gone.

“So?” She quirked an eyebrow.

My gaze shifted to where Wooyoung sat with a few of the guys from HR. “Dinner was great. We really hit it off.”

“And?”

I laughed. “You assume there’s more.”

“Since your face is practically crimson, yes, I do.”

“We kissed,” I blurted. “And it was amazing. Like, rock your world, light you on fire, kind of heat.”

“That’s awesome. I’m so happy for you!” Kerrie grabbed her bottle of water and chugged it.

My eyes met Wooyoung’s, and he waved at me. I waved back.

“But maybe this isn’t a good idea. We work together. What if something goes wrong? I’ll have to see him every day.”

“Oh no, you don’t. Don’t you dare psych yourself out. He’s not Minho.”

Sighing, I twisted the top off my diet cola. “I know. It’s just hard. And speaking of Minho, he cornered me in the lobby today, told me he missed me, and wants us to be friends.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I wish I was. He’s such an asshole. He can’t seem to get the hint that what he did fucking sucked.”

My cell buzzed in my pocket. “Oh, I should take this really quick. It’s my stepdad, David.” Or rather, ex-stepfather. Out of all the men my mother had been married to, he was my favorite. My bio dad had died when I was so young, sometimes I had a hard time remembering him. David, though, had been there through my awkward years when I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager.

Mom was part of the reason I had so many trust and relationship issues. I desperately wanted to find the love of my life and be married forever. Which was what I thought I’d had with Minho. But, as Mom liked to point out, most high school sweethearts don’t make it.

“David, hey.”

“How’s my favorite daughter?”

“Doing okay. And you?”

“Pretty good. I was calling to let you know I’m back in town, so if you’d like to meet up for dinner or lunch one of these days, I’d love to see you, kiddo.”

Kiddo. Hah. David never seemed to realize I’d aged.

“Sounds perfect. I’ll let you know when I’m free. Have you talked to Mom lately?”

“No. Last I heard, she’d gone to Spain with, what’s-his-name. The new husband.”

I laughed. “I don’t even keep track anymore. By the time I get used to one being around, she’s on to the next. You’re the only one I’ve ever considered my dad, and the only one I keep tabs on.”

“I’m glad. Your mom isn’t all bad, Piper. I obviously fell in love with her for a reason.”

“I know, but still.”

“Well, I know you’re on your lunch hour, so I won’t keep you. Talk to you soon.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Take care, Piper.”

Kerrie and I spent the rest of the lunch hour dissecting the kiss I’d shared with Wooyoung. She encouraged me to pursue whatever this was going on between us to see where it went.

Fear coiled in my stomach, but I knew I couldn’t hide away forever. There was something between Wooyoung and I. Didn’t it deserve to be tested and given a chance?