16. Hope
16
HOPE
“ C an you grab me the rest of the peonies from the back?” I ask Claire as I place some more greenery into the centerpiece I’m making. I’ve got about ten more to go for the city council banquet tomorrow afternoon.
Smaller events are much easier to handle than weddings. They are a lot less stressful for a multitude of reasons, the main one being I don’t have to worry about a bride freaking out because the flowers she wanted didn’t come in on time. It hasn’t happened to me since I opened my shop, but it happened at the store I worked at in high school. I was so glad it wasn’t my job to deal with the bridezillas.
Claire comes back, placing the bucket of peonies next to me on the counter. “Thank you. You can head home if you want. I can handle any last-minute walk-ins.” The store is only open for another hour, and we’re usually slow at the end of the day.
“Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow.” Claire beams at me. Her infectious joy has made my day even better. Without her around, I would’ve wallowed in the embarrassment of my behavior in front of Levi. It’s been four days, and I still haven’t been able to get over it .
The way he held me, comforting me after my panic attack, was a totally new experience. I thought he’d want to talk about what happened, but instead, he hugged me. He hasn’t brought it up during any of the times he’s come to see me since, which I’m glad about. I’m not sure how to describe what was going through my head or why I reacted the way I did. I don’t fully understand it myself.
All I know is one minute, we were teasing each other, then the next, my brain went into survival mode after I hit him. I would have never gotten away with something like that in my old life, and my body reacted before I could rationalize what I was doing. He was sweet about it, though, which made my feelings for him grow exponentially.
Since then, each coffee or food delivery has been met with both nerves and excitement. I’ve loved every minute he comes to see me, even though my brain keeps screaming, " Danger, Will Robinson. " But for once, it’s not my body I’m worried about. It’s my heart.
I don’t know what to do with all the feelings he’s stirred up inside of me. They’re all foreign, making it very difficult to dissect each one over the past few days. The surprising thing is how safe I feel every time he’s around. It’s as if something deep inside me is calling out to him, telling him exactly what I need at any given moment. I’ve never had an experience quite like it before.
The door chimes, and I look up to find Levi striding into my store, a goofy grin on his face I can’t help but return. He’s still in his work clothes, his shirt splattered with paint.
“Hi.” A blush creeps into my cheeks as he steps closer to the counter.
“Hi. I have a question for you.”
My brows furrow and worry flits through me, hoping he doesn’t want to talk about the incident as I’ve come to think of it. “Okaaaay. ”
“What kind of flowers would you suggest for asking someone out?”
Disappointment flows through me swiftly and furiously. I do everything I can to keep it from showing on my face. “Um… roses would probably be good.”
“Sure, that makes sense. What would be your favorite flower to receive?”
“ My favorite?” I ask, not quite sure I understand what he’s asking.
“Yeah, what’s your favorite flower?”
“Well… I love tulips and white orchids.”
“Okay, can I have an arrangement with those two, please?”
I press my fingers between my eyebrows, studying Levi. “Are you sure?”
“Yep.” He smiles at me as if he’s in on a joke I don’t understand. I sigh, shrugging my shoulders before I turn to the coolers behind me. Grabbing out the flowers I need, I put together a beautiful arrangement—one I would love to receive from Levi, then wrap it with a pretty, white ribbon and bring it over to the register.
“Can I have a card, please?”
“Um, sure,” I say, handing over a white and silver card to match the flowers.
Levi quickly writes something down, tucking it away before I can see what it says. He hands his credit card over to pay, then picks up the flowers when he’s done.
“When are you done working?”
“Not for another hour.”
“Okay. See you later.” He grins, then walks out of the shop, leaving me standing there in utter confusion.
What the hell just happened?
It takes me a bit to focus back on the centerpieces, but I manage to finish them, leaving myself time to work on some lingering paperwork I haven’t gotten to. I was glad no one else came in, so I had plenty of time to do both.
A knock at my front door pulls me out of the dull task of balancing my inventory list. I stand from my tiny desk and walk out to the front. We’ve been closed for the last half hour, so I’m not sure why someone would be trying to get in.
When I come around the corner, I find Levi standing on the other side of the door with the flower arrangement I made him earlier in hand. I unlock the door, inviting him inside with a frown.
“Everything okay with the flowers?”
“I hope so.” He hands them to me, and I automatically start examining them to see if something weird is going on. Levi’s laugh has me looking up at him.
“Here, open it,” he prompts, holding out the card.
I take it, pulling the card out of the envelope.
Hope, will you go on a date with me?
I blink at the card, momentarily stunned. “You want to go out with me?”
“Why do you think I asked about your favorite flowers?”
I look down at the arrangement. “These are for me?”
“This is not going how I planned.” He huffs out a laugh. “Hope, I want to take you out on a date.”
“Okay.” The word slips out before I can think about the consequences. Between his bumbling idea of giving me flowers that I made myself, and him looking so cute while trying to help me figure out what’s happening, there is no way I can say no.
“I want to spend more time with you—okay?”
“Yeah.” I shrug, smiling at his confusion. “I’d like to spend more time with you, too. ”
“What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Going on a date, apparently.” I grin at my own words. I don’t know how he does it, but every time I’m with Levi, I become the person I’ve always wanted to be. The girl who says what she’s thinking, who can crack a joke with the best of them. When I was young, there wasn’t much that held me back, but the more life pushed me down, the more I retreated into myself. With Levi, I feel like I’m finally able to be that carefree girl again.
“Okay, then. I’ll pick you up at seven?” I don’t think the smile on Levi’s face could get any brighter.
I nod my head, grinning from ear to ear as Levi walks out of my store. I walk back to my office when I freeze in place.
Holy shit, I’m going on a date.
I don’t know how to date. What the heck am I supposed to do now? I’m going to need help, and I know just who I should call for it.
“Okay, show me what we’ve got to work with,” Quinn says, rubbing her hands together.
“Not much.” I grimace, pulling out the only three dresses I own from my closet. Quinn is sitting on my bed, helping me get ready for my date. I called her right after Levi left yesterday, knowing I was not going to be able to do this by myself. She squealed at the news, then immediately agreed to help me out.
“These are great choices. This yellow one is adorable.”
“It’s my favorite, but is it too much?”
“No, it’s fun and flirty.”
I grab the dress and step into my bathroom to change. The dress is sleeveless with a high neckline; the top is tight, then flares out at the waist, and the skirt has billowy layers that end a little bit above my knees .
I step out of the bathroom to face a grinning Quinn. “It’s perfect!”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” She hands me my wedge sandals, then checks the time on her phone. “Okay, he’s going to be here in about twenty minutes. Do you need me for anything else? I don’t want to be here when he shows up.”
“I think I’m okay. Should I do something with my hair?” I finger my curls that are hanging loosely around my shoulders. There’s nothing I can do with it, but I figure I should double-check.
“No, your curls look great.” Quinn walks over to hug me, squeezing me tight. These embraces are getting easier to handle. The frequency must be helping me desensitize. “I am so happy for you. Levi is a great guy; you’re going to have a blast.”
“Thank you so much for your help.”
“Anytime!”
I follow Quinn out to the living room, shutting the front door behind her when she leaves. I still have ten minutes before Levi’s supposed to get here.
I pace around the living room, picking up random items and putting them in other places to keep myself occupied. I think I’ve been on a total of three dates in my entire life. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. I’m hoping Levi will take the lead for most of the evening. Then, I won’t have to worry about looking like a complete idiot.
Headlights shine through my living room windows, making butterflies set up camp in my stomach. He’s finally here.
When he knocks on my door, I grab my purse from the couch and open the door to take in the beautiful specimen before me. A green button-down shirt is stretched tight across his chest and tucked into khaki pants that are tight around his thighs. He’s styled his light brown hair into a messy, just-woke-up look while his hazel eyes shine bright green against the color of his shirt. He looks amazing and a little intimidating. Why anyone as good-looking as Levi would want to go out with me is anyone’s guess.
“Wow. You look beautiful!” Levi says as his eyes scan my body, causing goose bumps to race down my arms.
“So do you. I mean… Well, you know what I mean.”
Levi’s guffaw has a little of the tension seeping out of my shoulders. He holds his hand out for me. “Are you ready?”
“I think so.” I take his proffered hand, and he leads me out to his truck, opening the passenger door for me. “Thank you,” I say as I climb into the cab. I close the door, keeping my gaze on Levi as he walks around the front of the vehicle to get in on the other side.
The inside of his truck is clean and smells like one of those car fresheners.
“I thought we could go get dinner first, then I have an idea for later that’s a little out of the norm.”
“Dinner sounds great. What do you have planned?”
“I kind of want it to be a surprise.”
“Well, then, you’ll have to risk it being a bad idea.”
Levi laughs. “Fair enough.”
We drive for a little longer until he pulls into the parking lot of one of my favorite restaurants in town, Cantina Laredo.
“I hope Mexican food is okay. I was going to take you to La Mensa, but they didn’t have any reservations available on such short notice.”
“It’s perfect. Mexican food ranks right up there with Italian for me.”
“Totally agree. Chips and queso will always be one of my favorite snacks.”
As we walk toward the restaurant, Levi stands close but doesn’t touch me. For the first time ever, I’m wishing he would. When we get inside, the smell of Mexican spice hits my senses, making my mouth water. All the cliché Mexican restaurant decorations are scattered around the room with the exception of one completely random thing. The trunk of a turquoise Oldsmobile sits off to the side, and a full nacho bar is set up inside of it. I have no idea where the idea came from, but everyone loves it. It’s become a huge draw for the town.
We sit down at the table the hostess leads us to and start digging into the chips and salsa.
“How did your week go?” Levi asks before crunching on his chip.
“Fine. I’ve been getting busier with different events, which is great for recognition, but exhausting. How was your week?”
“That’s great, although, being overwhelmed with business can be hard. I heard back from my realtor yesterday. I’m officially closing on my fixer-upper.”
“Congratulations!” The passion in Levi’s voice when he told me about buying his own fixer-upper while he helped me move was inspiring. I could tell it was something he’d wanted for a long time by how animated he got talking about it.
“It’s going to take a lot of work, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“Are you doing it by yourself, or will some of your crew help you?’
“My crew will definitely be helping. It would take me forever to finish it by myself.”
We keep talking about his house while we wait for our food to arrive. The longer we talk, the more I settle into the moment. Despite the butterflies still flapping around, I’m finally finding my groove. I just hope I can hold on to it for the rest of the evening.