Chapter 22
22
Q uinn hopped out of his truck and sauntered into the flower shop. He looked around at the displays they had, and an older lady behind the counter asked him, "How can I help you today?"
He grinned. "I'd like to bring flowers to my girlfriend."
She smiled. "Okay, well we can certainly help you with that. So tell me, is it apology flowers or I love you flowers or something to celebrate a special occasion?"
His heart beat faster. They hadn't said the L word to each other, and until right now, he hadn't even let himself think along those lines. Taking it day by day is his motto.
He said, "Well, I didn't do anything wrong yet, so it's not for an apology. Mostly, I just want to let her know I'm thinking about her."
"Oh, well, that's a beautiful reason to give your girlfriend flowers. So let me show you some of the options that we have." She plodded over to a cooler with some floral bouquets inside. She slid the door open and pulled out a bouquet. "We have these beautiful sunflowers. They're very bright and cheery. Sure, to make anybody happy."
"I like those. And you're right, they're bright and happy and cheery. That's just how she makes me feel. I'll take that bouquet right there."
The older lady smiled and put her hand to her heart. "Aren't you just the sweetest?" She wrapped them up with pretty tissue paper, tucked in some baby's breath, and made the bouquet look absolutely wonderful.
He grinned as he stared at it. "That's perfect. Thank you."
He paid for the flowers and exited the flower shop, feeling better than he'd felt in years. Literally years.
Quickly driving over to Hanna's bakery, he sauntered in with a huge smile on his face. His cheeks stretched, and he wasn't sorry.
Hanna was behind the counter, helping an older lady. The instant she looked up and saw him, her smile lit up the entire room. She was stunning.
The little lady she was helping, grabbed her bag and shuffled past him. She looked at the flowers and smiled. "Those are beautiful."
He nodded. "Thank you so much."
Stepping up to the counter, he handed the flowers to Hanna.
"This is just to let you know I've been thinking about you, and that you make me feel happy."
She giggled. "Oh my gosh, they're beautiful. Thank you. Thank you so much for making my day."
He grinned, "Well, actually, the thank you is mine. Thank you for making my day."
Hanna kept glancing out the window. And at one point, she thought she heard the back door open and jumped.
"Is everything okay, Hanna?"
"Yeah. Yeah." Her shoulders dropped. "I'm sure everything is just fine."
"Well, now that doesn't sound convincing at all. Why don't you tell me what's got you spooked?"
"Uh, you're going to think it sounds stupid."
"I'm not going to think it sounds stupid. Let me be the judge of that. Now tell me what has you rattled."
She took a couple deep breaths and looked at the top of the counter rather than his eyes. His stomach began to twist a little. She was obviously worried about something.
Finally, he said, "Hanna, why don't you let me help you?"
She sighed, letting out her breath, and said, "Well, it's really silly, but I feel like someone's watching me. It feels so weird."
He said, "Did somebody make you feel like they were watching you?"
"No, that's not it. See, I told you it sounded weird, but it's just…" she shrugged. "I don't know. I've just had this weird feeling all morning that someone was watching me."
"Okay. Well, do you need me to stay here for a while until you're finished with your day to make sure you're okay?"
"No. I mean...nothing's happened where I should feel this way. I don't know. I guess all this stuff with Isaac has just made me a little uneasy, and I don't know, I'm just going to try not to let it get to me."
He stepped forward and took her hands in his. "Hey, if you need me to stay, I can stay. If you need some assistance, I can find a cop to come and watch the place for you. And if you need to leave for the day, I'm sure your customers will understand. Tell me what you need and let me help you."
She squeezed his hands and looked into his eyes. "You know, you really are a nice man."
He said, "Well, I'm glad you feel that way. I think you're a nice woman."
She laughed, and he squeezed her fingers. "That's what I was looking for. So tell me what you need, and let me help you."
"I'm fine, really, I'm fine. And what I need right now is to put these beautiful flowers in water and let them grace my counter. They're stunning. Thank you so much."
He grinned. "That's what I was looking for. I was looking for that beautiful smile of yours."
"I'm sorry to be a downer. I didn't mean to do that. It's just, I don't know, you know, how some days are better than others."
"That I do." He grinned.
"All right. So today is just one of those days, I guess."
He said, "Well, let me help you with that, too. How about after work tonight, we have a nice, quiet dinner? I previously texted about a picnic on the beach, but I can try to cook at my place instead."
She laughed. "You want to cook dinner for me?"
"Well, I said I would try to cook dinner. I'm not the best cook. Actually, Jace is the cook of my friends’ group, but I've learned a couple things over time. I think I can manage an easy dinner if you're open to something simple."
She chuckled, "Simple is fine with me, and quite frankly, I'm more than happy to cook for you. "
"Well, you cook all day. Bake anyway, which is sort of the same thing, but not. Let me do something for you. How about I pick you up tonight around six o'clock and bring you back to my place, and we'll have dinner?"
"That sounds like you have to make dinner, then put everything on hold to come and pick me up, and then take me back. So how about if I just meet you at your place at six o'clock?"
He grinned. Then looked around. There was no one in the bakery at this moment, so he leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly.
"That sounds like a great date. I'll see you at six."
She smiled. "That sounds good. I'm looking forward to it."
He turned and walked toward the door, but not before turning and winking at her.
Hopping in his truck, he felt elated, and now he was going to go over and ask Jace what he could make because he didn't really cook all that much.
He wanted to try and impress Hanna, but he was also not opposed to cheating a little bit to impress her. He turned his truck toward the Sandbar.
Feeling light-hearted, he pulled in the Sandbar parking lot and strode inside the front door.
Jace was cleaning the bar. "Hey, bud."
"Hey, Quinn. How are you?"
"I'm good. So I have a date tonight, and I need something quick and simple to make that, you know, something that I can make."
Jace laughed. "How about this? How about if I make you a nice dinner and package it up, and then you just swing by and pick it up? All you'll have to do is warm it up, put it on nice dishes, and voilà. "
"That's the best plan I've heard all day," Quinn laughed.
"All right. Glad to help. I'll have something prepared for you around, what, five-thirty? But I'm going to make it a surprise."
"That's okay. Just don't make it too complicated so Hanna can possibly think that I made it."
Jace shook his head. "Well, I'm not going to promise you that, but I'll promise you a great meal."
"Well, I guess I can live with a great meal."
He hopped back in his truck and headed toward the barracks. He felt so much promise for the future.