Chapter 34 Valentine
Chapter thirty-four
Valentine
Valentine’s Day, I made so much more doing deliveries than I would’ve selling lingerie. People were a lot more excited to see me too. Their faces lit up when they answered the door to my armful of chocolates and roses. Or maybe they appreciated the springy antennae hearts atop my holiday headband.
Today, I freelanced a bit more than usual. I’d made a post in some local groups about being able to do custom orders, not just from one place, for a bonus fee. At one point, those orders took me to the mall. Specifically, Cake Warehouse.
I unzipped my jacket to show off my cute outfit and shifted through the crowd of anxiously waiting couples to get to the hostess desk. “Hello, my name’s Tori. I’m here for—”
“Angel? We’re busy.” She rolled her eyes and fumbled a buzzing handheld alarm.
“I’ll just be grabbing orders at the counter. If you happen to see him, could you let him know where I’ll be?”
“Sure.” She did a double-take at my wobbling headband without even a glimmer of a smile.
A man tried to bustle me out of the way. “How much longer will we have to wait?”
“Until your alarm goes off. All wait times are estimates,” she said with ice under the veneer of friendliness.
“But we’ve been here over thirty minutes.”
“If you don’t like waiting, maybe next year, you can make a reservation,” she said.
I still didn’t know her name. But I did know she was under extra pressure dealing with customers at much closer proximity than me today.
I offered her one of the bulk-box of gummy candy hearts I’d gotten in anticipation of adding them to orders. “Thanks for your help. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“I’ll pass on the message.” Her cheeks incrementally lifted, and she snatched the treat away with the discretion of someone who’d been accepting bribes all day.
Bells tinkled, and another couple approached the desk as I backed away from it, the tall man’s shadow eclipsing me.
“Reservation for Hamlin,” he said.
The pretty girl holding his hand grinned at me, heart-shaped bobby pins tucked lovingly amid her shiny, reddish-brown hair. “I love your headband,” she said.
“Thank you.” I bowed to make the antennae jiggle. “I love your bobby pins.”
She giggled and leaned into her date. “They were a gift from my boyfriend.”
“He has good taste,” I said.
He blushed and rubbed his eyebrow piercing. “Only in girlfriends.”
“Come along.” The hostess snatched menus and gave us pointed glances. “You’ll love your server’s accessories. He’s one of our best-dressed, at least for the holiday.”
“Really?” The girl beamed.
Her boyfriend squeezed her hand. “Come on, Sugar. Don’t make me jealous on Valentine’s Day.”
“Aw, you know you’ll always be the prettiest boy in the room to me.” She hugged his arm as they followed the hostess into the dining area.
I didn’t remember Angel wearing anything particularly Valentine-themed when he left this morning, but maybe they were given heart-patterned ties at work today.
But the servers I could spot from the cake counter weren’t doing anything fancy. There was a girl with cute earrings in another section. I caught up on school reading on my phone while I waited in line.
A murmur of admiration went through the crowd.
“Look at that.”
“Hilarious.”
“Perfect,” they said.
I caught sight of a cupid strutting through the aisle.
No, not a cupid. An angel. My angel.
A pair of costume wings sloped out from his shoulders as if he’d worn them all his life. The wide feathers accentuated the statuesque slope of his waist. His silver-white hair combined with his youthful face gave his beauty an ethereal quality.
My man would be making bank in tips tonight. As long as no one got too jealous and stiffed him because of it.
“Hey pidge,” he called.
“You’re the one with wings, today. You look amazing,” I told him, feeling up his arms despite my best attempts to stay professional.
“You like ‘em?” He flexed, twirling so I could get the full picture.
“Y-yes. They suit you. Are they yours?”
“For tonight.” He plucked the string of my antennae and smirked. “You’re like a little lovebug.”
“I thought it’d be fun to dress up.” Though I'd aimed for cute over hot.
He leaned in close enough that his breath tickled my ear. “I think it’s more fun to dress down.”
“Angel.” I giggled and nudged his chest. “You’re at work.”
“Never stopped us before. What’re you here for?”
Him.
No, cake.
“I have some deliveries,” I said.
“Oh,” he said flatly. So disappointed.
“Here’s one present for the cutest guy in the world.” I kissed the corner of his mouth.
He blushed and tucked his hair behind his ear. “Thanks. I’ll have to give you a tip later. As you know, it’s a big one.”
I stuttered out a laugh. How was he still able to shock me this long into our relationship?
He winked at me, then slipped past the counter to get my orders ready.
I hoped we could make each other feel this happy forever, whether it be from a stupid pick-up line or a cute accessory.
I didn’t have a clear picture of where we’d be: hospital hallways, private clinics, inside cars, or at the beach.
All I knew for sure was that being around him made me feel like the best version of me.
“Did you personally decorate any of these cupcakes?” I asked.
He handed me a to-go bag. “Nope. There’s only one cake I’ve decorated today, and it’s not for sale.”
“I bet it’ll be delicious. Although I doubt anything can top your last one.” It’d been the ultimate love-filled confection. And confession.
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “We’ll have to see, won’t we?”
I couldn't wait for us to get off work tonight.
After wishing him luck, I hurried to fulfil the rest of my orders. As I was organizing them, I realized one delivery address was my parents’ place. To Jen. I checked the customer’s phone number and my blood ran cold.
Jen’s baby daddy.
I hadn’t heard from him since his awful texts. That I was nothing. No one. And now, I was supposed to be his delivery lady?
I huffed and snatched a few more items. I’d shown Mom his texts during a calm moment after Jen’s delivery. She’d saved the screenshots in case they ever needed them as proof of harassment for a custody battle.
“He’s an idiot. And he’s not welcome in my house until he apologizes to all of us,” Mom had said.
“He didn’t show up for the birth of his own kid. I doubt we’re going to have to worry about seeing him at holidays,” I’d replied with a tired smile.
So, I’d muted the thread and moved on. Was it worth the hassle to decline and block him on this app?
It wasn’t like I was delivering to his new girlfriend.
I was going to get tipped to see my own family.
Surely, there was a fun anecdote in that.
I made sure it was my last stop before I turned off my order requests.
I waved at my family’s doorbell camera with roses and chocolates. “Hi. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Mom’s voice came through the little device. “Oh, Tori, you’re so sweet to drop by. And in such a cute outfit! But your father and I are out for dinner tonight.”
“You are?” They hadn’t had a date night since Jen got pregnant. “Are Jen and the baby with you?”
“They should be home. I’ll text and let her know you’re here.”
“I can knock,” I said.
Dad chimed in. “Don’t do that. The baby might be napping.”
“Ah, thanks for the warning.” The last thing I needed was my sister’s wrath. “Love you both. Have a happy Valentine’s Day.”
“We will,” Mom said.
A few seconds later, Jen answered the door while holding her baby close. “Hi.” She frowned at the package. “Did you get those for me?”
“No.” Did that make me a bad sister? “I think they’re from your baby daddy.”
“Oh.” She began to reach for them, but the baby fussed. My sister studied her baby's scrunched, perfect face for another second, then stepped back into the house. “You know what? You can keep them.”
“I can what?”
“Keep them. I won’t eat the chocolates, and those flowers will just be another thing to take care of,” she said matter-of-fact.
“Okay.” I shuffled awkwardly in place. Was their dating relationship finally over? “I guess I’ll be going then?”
She hoisted the baby higher on her hip. “You know, if you did want to give me something, you could babysit.”
“Do you need to take a shower?”
“No.” She recoiled at the insult and sniffed herself. “I showered this morning.”
“Then why would I babysit?”
“Because you could be a good sister and aunt and give me a break,” she said slowly, as if it was obvious.
“I am good. I helped deliver that kid,” I joked, wiggling my head to amuse the baby with my headband. Newborns could barely make out shapes, but this one tracked the movement in wide-eyed wonder.
Jen scoffed. “Fine. Just go, then. I’m sure you have a hot date with your boyfriend.”
Ah, there she went pushing me away again. And it would be fine. But just in case this was a result of a tough first holiday as a single parent, I offered her an olive branch.
“I’d be happy to hang out once the baby develops more of an immune system. But it’d be for a visit, Jen, not to babysit.”
My sister nodded and looked at her baby before shutting the door. It was up to her if she wanted to open it again, knowing I wouldn’t be her doormat.
Besides, I had enough to do at home. I started dinner, threw in some laundry, and prepped a fondu platter for Angel and I while playing an old black-and-white movie in the background.
The jingle of keys pulled my attention to the doorway where Angel strode in.
“Hey, pidge,” he said.
“There’s my angel. How was your shift?”
“Exhausting.” He slung his bag onto a nearby chair. “Customers were getting boozy, which I guess was good for tips, but a group of ladies tried to convince me to ‘show them my arrows’ after my shift.”
I reached for him. “Oh my gosh. They took that cupid thing way too seriously. Were you okay?”
“Oh yeah. I told them I’d already found my ‘Psyche.’ Though, I didn’t tell them what she hit me with.” He wagged his brows.