5. Holly
5
HOLLY
I walked up the steps to Holly Lane Boutique, whistling cheerily and grinning from ear to ear. Noelle sat in the rocking chair like she did every morning, holding two cups of steaming hot cocoa. She had a key to get in, but she liked to wait for me.
“What are you so happy about this morning?” she asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” I said, unable to stop myself from giggling.
She got up from the rocker and marched over to me as I opened the door, and followed me inside. “I know that look. You’re excited about something. Something, as in a man. Who did you meet?”
“I didn’t meet anyone.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Nope.” Technically, I wasn’t lying. I met Asher at the home store two weeks ago.
“All you did was grab food at Whataburger last night. There’s no way you could have met the love of your life there. Unless…”
I plopped my purse down on the counter and spun around to face her with a huge grin on my face. “Unless what?”
“You’ve already met him,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “This was the guy from the parking lot. The one you dinged with your shopping cart.”
“I didn’t ding him. I dinged his truck.”
“And you fell on your ass. You saw him!” she shouted, shoving me back a step.
I stumbled into the counter, nearly dropping my cocoa. “Geez, you don’t have to be so rough.”
“Why would you hold out on me like that?”
“I’m not holding out. It literally just happened last night.”
“At Whataburger? Who goes to a fast food restaurant and meets the love of their life?”
I rolled my eyes at her dramatics and got to work opening the shop. It was a little chilly inside this morning, so I checked the thermostat, then started opening the blinds.
“I didn’t meet the love of my life. He was behind me in line.”
“Did he follow you there?”
“Through the city? Are you crazy?”
“He could have!” she demanded, following me around the store, room by room. “Maybe he found out that you own the store and wanted to stalk you.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Oh, I suppose he’s too good to be a stalker.”
“He is,” I said, completely certain of that.
She blocked me from exiting the room, narrowing her eyes at me. “Give me one good reason why.”
“Because when we left, he asked me not to park so far from the building and to park under a street lamp. He was looking out for me.”
“That’s one example.”
I shoved past her and continued my morning. “That’s exactly what you asked for. He also paid for my dinner.”
“As any good stalker should.”
“And he was sweet and kind. There were no weird vibes from him.”
“Again, anyone can be sweet and kind if they want to get something.”
I stopped walking and spun around suddenly to face her. She came up short, nearly crashing into me. “I almost threw a milkshake in his face.”
“Why?”
“Because he had on a wedding ring.”
“That cheating bastard!”
“He had two wedding rings. One was around his neck.”
“Oh.” Then her eyes widened and she understood. “Oh.”
“So, you get why I don’t think he’s a stalker.”
“Well…it’s less likely,” she frowned, gnawing at her lip.
“Completely unlikely.”
“But that doesn’t mean he gets off the hook from an interrogation from me.”
“I would expect nothing less,” I grinned. “Now, can we finish getting the shop ready?”
She eyed me curiously. “Is this just because you want to bask in the glory of your night for a few more minutes in private?”
“Maybe,” I grinned.
“Fine, but when we’re done opening up, I want details.”
I smiled wide at her and then rushed off to finish getting ready for the day. Images of Asher’s dark hair and mysterious eyes floated through my mind as I went about my morning. It seemed like no matter how I tried to stop thinking about him, I was stuck in that never-ending loop of daydreaming about the man. I couldn’t help it. He snuck up on me and caught me by complete surprise. He was handsome and charming and totally real with me.
The last thing I did was flip the sign on the door. We still had twenty minutes before we opened, but if I didn’t do it now, I would forget and potentially turn people away. I rushed over to the counter and plopped down on the stool right as Noelle skidded to a stop in front of me, panting like she’d run a marathon.
“Okay, tell me everything.”
“Well, he’s a mechanic?—”
“Ooh, I love mechanics. So sexy.”
“I know, right? And he’s got longer hair. Like, maybe down to his cheekbones.”
“Dark or light?”
“Dark. Nearly black. Silky,” I sighed. “So freaking beautiful. And a scruffy jaw. But not ugly scruffy. He’s got a beautiful face. Supremely beautiful. And his smile…” I grinned just thinking about it. “Amazing. Just so, so beautiful.”
“Yeah, I get it,” she rolled her eyes. “Everything about him is amazing. What else?”
“I don’t know,” I said, unable to hold back my smile. “He was funny and real. He was charming, but not cocky. We just ate dinner and talked. He was genuinely nice.”
She was smiling back at me, a dreamy look on her face as if she was sitting right beside me in that restaurant, drooling over him. “And what about the whole dead wife thing? Did he seem heartbroken over her?”
“Not really. He said it had been five years. It was more like he’d accepted it and it was just part of him. He wasn’t moping around, but he wasn’t throwing a party that she was gone either.”
“Well, bonus points that he’s not a douche nozzle.”
“And he wears her ring around his neck. I think that’s sweet.”
She nodded. “It is sweet.”
Her voice was hesitant, though. “What? What is it?”
“Well, he still wears his wedding ring and her ring around his neck. What if he starts dating you?”
I didn’t see where she was going with this. “Okay…”
“Well, is he going to continue to wear his wedding ring? Will he wear her ring around his neck?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if I’ll see him again.”
“Did he ask for your number?”
“He already has it,” I pointed out. “Remember? I hit his truck with the shopping cart. But he did give me his.”
“Then he plans to see you again.”
I frowned, thinking it over. “You know what? I’m not going to worry about it. That’s a tomorrow problem. Today, nothing can go wrong.”
She shrugged, grabbing an old stack of fliers to take to the back room. “If you say so. Just remember, if he keeps that ring on, it’s like you’re having a three-way.”
I grimaced at the picture she painted and decided to find myself something to do to busy myself until the first customers arrived. The last thing I wanted to think about was having sex with Asher and his dead wife.
I headed to the back room to find some more decorative balls for the bowl out front when my phone chimed. I pulled it out, grinning like a fool when I saw a text from Asher.
Good morning, beautiful. Have a good day.
I bounced from toe to toe, smiling as I did my version of a happy dance. He messaged me. He called me beautiful. Could this day get any better?
“What are you so happy about?” Noelle asked, a grin on her face.
Instead of answering, which was impossible when all I wanted to do was squeal, I shoved my phone in her face.
“Holy crap,” she murmured. “Well, are you going to answer?”
“Oh shit.” I stopped dancing long enough to realize that I hadn’t actually said anything back. “What do I say?”
“Without sounding like you just won the lottery because he dared to message you?”
“Of course,” I retorted.
“Well, you could do something insane and respond with, You too .”
I scoffed at the inane response. “He called me beautiful and you want me to say You too ?”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
I thought about it hard, but what did I say without coming off as some kind of stalker? Then again, how could I be a stalker? He messaged me. He called me beautiful. I was only reciprocating the message.
Thank you very much, kind sir. I hope you have a wonderful day as well.
I hit send, grinning the whole time.
“What did you put?” she asked, snatching the phone from my hands. “Kind sir?” She slowly looked up at me, quirking an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
My smile faded as panic took over. “Oh God. No good?”
“Kind sir?” she repeated. “Is this the Medieval times? Did he get you a loaf of bread? Or skewer a rabbit for you?”
I flopped down on the counter in the back room, crying out in agony at the stupidity of my text message. I thought it was so clever. “Why? Why did I say that?”
“Because you have stupid text messaging skills. That’s why,” she said, handing my phone back to me.
I rolled my head on the counter, then thumped it twice. I was going to dating hell. There was a place for women like me where only the stupid were sent. We commiserated over failed relationships because of inconceivably idiotic text messages and the inability to not overthink every last detail of said relationship.
My phone pinged and I jerked upright, my fingers itching to open the message even as fear struck deep in my heart. “Crap, what if he says not to message him ever again? What if he says to lose his number?” I spun on Noelle and grabbed her by the shirt. “What if he says he’s calling the cops on me!”
“Would you get ahold of yourself!” She slapped me hard across the face and I backed up, holding onto my cheek.
Crap, I was losing it. I really needed to get some control. “Right. Sanity. Whatever happens, happens.”
“Exactly. Why don’t you look at the message before you lose your shit.”
I took a deep breath, nodding at her. I swiped my thumb across the screen and nearly wept for joy.
I can’t wait to see you again. Dinner tonight?
“Dinner tonight. He wants to have dinner with me!” I shouted, jumping up and down as I thrust my hands in the air. “Oh my gosh! He doesn’t think I’m a weirdo!”
I squealed as I jumped up and down, and Noelle joined in, grabbing my arms as we jumped, spinning in a circle. Yes, we were strange and it was slightly alarming, but hell, I wasn’t going to think too much of it right now. I really liked him and was just saved from the proverbial relationship bullet of death.
Noelle stopped jumping suddenly. “Wait, dinner tonight. So, he just skipped over the whole kind sir thing?”
“Yep, didn’t even care,” I grinned.
“Didn’t care or skipped over it and chose to ignore it?”
“Does it really matter?” I asked. “He’s asking me out to dinner. He can’t wait to see me again!” I said, shoving my phone in her face. “Me! Dinner tonight!”
“Right, but—No, you’re right. Of course, you have to go to dinner. Who cares about the whole kind sir thing,” she waved me off.
But even as she said it, a rock dropped in the pit of my stomach. She was right. What if he really did think I was weird and was just brushing it off and giving me a strike? What if I was only allowed three strikes before I was out? I was already down one strike and we hadn’t even been on one date.
I stumbled over to a stool and sank down on shaky legs. I was breathing hard, barely sucking in oxygen.
“Hey, you’ve got this,” Noelle said, pumping me up. “It’s just a text. It was stupid. I’m stupid. I shouldn’t have said anything!”
“But you did, you stupid bitch! Why did you have to ruin this for me?”
“Because I’m a stupid bitch,” she retorted. “I thought we already covered that!”
“We did. I just thought I’d point it out again,” I shouted.
I was near hyperventilating and on the verge of losing my shit. How the hell had I gone from a sane, rational woman to this crazy lunatic in the span of twenty-four hours? Hell, it had only been twelve hours. And it was all over a man.
I bent over and tucked my head into my hands. “What is wrong with me?”
She sighed, patting me on the back. “You really like him. That’s what’s wrong with you.”
“I do. I’m so screwed.”
“Yeah, you are. There’s only one thing you can do.”
I snorted. “Just one?”
“Yep.”
“Please tell me. I’m dying to know.”
She grinned at me. “Don’t fuck it up.”
Gee, was it really that easy?