Chapter 26
I wokewith a pounding headache and cursed myself for overdoing it with the girls. My limbs felt like they were made of lead. Turning to the side table, the clock showed seven in the morning. I bolted up in bed, thinking I was late for work. But then I realized it was Sunday. I didn’t have to get to the office early to prep for anything.
I blew out a sigh of relief as I flipped through my Sunday routine. First, I needed to get some painkillers to ease the headache. I had grocery shopping to do for the week. Kaylee would be back from Violet’s place after lunch, and we could catch up.
I hadn’t had a chance to really talk to her about Heartstrings and where she was getting volunteers to help her. As I pushed the blanket away, I noticed my pajama pants but not the matching top. I had on my tank top from yesterday, and my sweater was draped over the chair.
How in hell did I do all that and not remember a damn thing?
How did I get home? This was terrifying.
Did Audri or Kiera drive me? They’d also been pretty drunk.
I raked a hand through my messy hair. Though the evening had been fun, I had placed my life in jeopardy. Who had driven me home? Audri probably asked Remi to drive me home and she probably accompanied him. She was thoughtful like that. Or it could have been Kiera and Forrest.
Had I said something stupid or private while I’d been under the influence? Oh, God.
Kaylee could never know I’d gotten sloppy drunk, somehow made it home, and lost all my memory of what I’d done.
What kind of role model was I?
Yesterday seemed like a blur. I remembered seeing Arrow with his ex, which pissed me off, so I went to hang out withthe girls.
I remembered receiving the tarot card reading and seeing Arrow at Audri’s, but that was it. Why was everything so foggy in my head?
Because you enjoyed way too much alcohol.
Groaning, I walked into the bathroom to wash up. Hopefully, the water would freshen me up and clear my head. I vaguely remembered talking to Arrow. Or was that a dream? I thought I dreamed about someone giving me a piggyback ride.
After washing up, I sent Audri a message.
Vivian: Hey, how did I get home last night?
Audri: Arrow drove you home.
Vivian: I don’t remember anything.
Audri: You were so drunk!
Vivian: Lesson learned.
Audri: Do you remember your SSG mission?
I let my brain catch up. Oh. I’d admitted my attraction to him.
Vivian: A Kiss is Not Enough
Audri: Keep me posted. Gotta go shopping with my mom. Chat later!
Vivian: Okay. Thanks for having me over. (smile emoji)
Audri: We’ll do it again soon. (heart emoji)
Anxiety clawed at me. Arrow had driven me home. Had I embarrassed myself? Had I said or done something I’d regret? What if I snored? Vomited?
This was worse than what I’d originally thought.A hot shower would clear my head. As the hot water sprayed on me, clarity slowly returned.
I remembered sniffing his cologne. Gosh, what was wrong with me? What else had I done?Did I dare try to remember everything?
After the shower, I made coffee and took two painkillers. The shower had relaxed the stiffness in my body a little. I’d never been hungover in my life. I got dressed and headed out to the store. When I walked by the security desk, Marvin smiled at me. He had a beard and looked like Santa’s brother.
“You feeling better, Ms. Vo?”
Amusement glinted in his blue eyes.
“Please call me Vivian,” I reminded him. “I feel a lot better. Did I make a fool of myself last night?”
“No. Your man was very nice. He gave you a piggyback ride.”
Oh. My. God.
“What?! Through here?” I gestured to the main entrance where anyone could see me.
“Want to see?”
“Please.” Curiosity and fear twisted my stomach. “Are you breaking any rules?”
“No one will know.” He winked. “I’ve been here for twenty years—I can make the executive decision to show my favorite tenant a video of herself.” He waved a finger. “And this isn’t because you keep giving me and Marythose delicious blueberry muffins.” He tapped his round belly.
I always bought an extra box for him and his wife whenever I stopped by the store. He’d helped me move in when I first got to this apartment.
“You’re the best.” I smiled and walked behind the counter to look at the monitors.
He clicked on the screen. The video played, showing me looking like a monkey on Arrow’s back. My face was burrowed into his neck.
I sniffed him! Embarrassment flushed through me. Where was the black hole when you needed it? I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me right now!
Arrow had a goofygrin on his face as he walked toward the elevator.
“Oh my God!” I covered my face with my hands.
“Youhad a fun night?” Marvin asked.
I looked at him with wide eyes, wondering what he was thinking.
Then realization hit him and he waved a frantic hand. “No! No! I was referring to the fun night that got you drunk. Not what you and your man did in your apartment.”
I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
“No worries, Marvin. I knew what you meant. I’m just horrified by my actions. Don’t mention this to Kaylee ever, okay?”
Nodding, he zipped his lips with his fingers.
My phone buzzed, and I reached into my purse. Maybe it was Kaylee replying to my message about what she wanted for lunch.
But the text wasn’t from her.
Arrow: Morning. Feeling better?
“It’s him.” I looked up at Marvin.
He smirked. “Tell the boss I said hi.”
“Boss? What do you mean?”
“He owns this building. When he took over and noticed we hadn’t gotten a raise in two years, he gave us an enormous increase.”
I couldn’t believe it. Why didn’t Arrow say anything about this to me?
I gaped at Marvin. “When did he buy the complex?”
“About two months ago. The owners were retiring and didn’t want the extra stress. It’s a prime location.”
I made Marvin swear not to show that video to anyone and drove to the store, which was three blocks away. Grabbing a shopping cart, I tried to focus on what I needed to buy instead of Arrow’s text, which I hadn’t replied to. I needed some time to process what had happened yesterday.
Had I asked him for a piggyback ride? Where had that idea even come from? My face heated as the image blazed through my mind. I laughed and cursed at myself.
How else did I embarrass myself?How could I face him after that?
Why hadn’t he run far away from me?
None of the previous men I’d dated would ever have agreed to a piggyback ride. Why did Arrow agree? Had I promised something to him?
I’d held hands with some of my previous partners, but none of them had the same power. Everything with Arrow was more intense, had more meaning. When he held my hand, it was a gentle act of possession, an obsession—something deep that I didn’t understand yet.
I felt a sense of belonging to him. Like I’d finally discovered a secret place all to myself.Perhaps I was overanalyzing and reading too much into it, but that was how I felt.
After my mother died, Dad and I often went camping by the lake. It was the only activity I enjoyed. I’d always find a nook where I could sit and fish that wasn’t on the pier. That private spot was my sanctuary.I felt safe sharing my secrets with the water, the trees, the bugs, and the fish.I used to imagine sitting by the lake, immersing myself in nature and the silence. As I did so, my troubles floated out of me and into the lake, feeding the fish, bugs, and plants. Then I would imagine them smiling as they transformed what was ugly into something useful. My troubles became food for them. How silly was that?
In some odd way, holding his hand brought me back to that sanctuary.
For a moment I emptied my mind, and the reality of why I was in Providence surfaced. Where was Aimee? Who had her? Were they feeding her? Was she sleeping in a safe place? Anxiety made me tense. The issue bounced around my head, increasing the pressure in my temple. What could I do to find her quicker? I was doing my best.
As far as I knew, the private investigator Matt Stone, whom Aimee’s parents had hired, hadn’t found anything worthwhile either.
Sensing the surge of stress, I forced myself to calm.
Breathe. Relax. You can only get things done with a clear head.
A crashing noise yanked me back to reality. Shit, I’d just crashed into another shopping cart.
Earth to Vivian!
“Sorry,” I apologized to the woman with a full cart of groceries.
My mind was all over the place today.
Just get your groceries. Everything else can wait.
I checked my phone and Kaylee had replied that she’d like pizza, wings, and fries for lunch. She’d also like more snacks to take along to her afterschool program at Whiz Kidz, and ph?, the Vietnamese beef or chicken noodle soup she loved so much. I hadn’t made it in a while. I usually just ordered at the Vietnamese restaurant. It was easier to go out since it was just the two of us.But I supposed I could stop by the Asian market to get the ingredients to make it for her.
I pushed the shopping cart to the produce section and grabbed a bag of green grapes.
“Hi. Fancy meeting you here.” Arrow was also pushing a shopping cart, but his was already full of fruits, vegetables, boxes of oatmeal, a carton of eggs, antacids, overnight protection pads, and a pack of pork loin. Who was he shopping for?
Tingles rushed down my spine from his presence. Yesterday’s event flared, and my heart raced.
“Hi.” I could feel heat traveling from my toes up to my face.
“How are you feeling?” he asked with concern on his face.
“A lot better, thank you. Sorry I didn’t reply to your message. Busy buying food to prepare for the week. Looks like you are too.” I gestured to his cart.
He stared at his cart and smiled. “Yup. Busy week ahead.” He picked up a package of overnight pads, arched an eyebrow, and dropped it back into the cart.
With his wealth, he didn’t need to go shopping. Didn’t he have a personal assistant? A personal chef that did all the cooking for him?
“You cook a lot for Kaylee?”
I turned to him. “You know Kaylee?”
“I run Whiz Kidz. I only recently discovered that you’re her guardian.” His eyes gleamed.
“So how do you know that I’m her guardian?” Why wouldn’t the tingles stop?
I steered my cart to thepasta and sauce aisle, and he followed me.
“I’m a volunteer for her Heartstrings app.”
My heart thundered. I stopped the cart and gaped at him. Oh no. It couldn’t be true. I didn’t know if I could receive any more unexpected news today.
“You’re . . . Bullseye?”
Nodding, he smiled and offered his hand. “Let’s do this the right way. It’s very nice to meet you, Tulip.”
I felt like I’d just entered a brand-new day where the script and characters had altered, playing different roles.
This was the plot twist I didn’t expect.
Somehow Arrow had been at every corner of my life since I arrived in Providence. Wherever I went, he was there. Even this meeting in the grocery store . . . Did he live nearby? I assumed he lived in his billionaire neighborhood, wherever that was.
But then again, I just discovered that he owned my apartment complex. So he could work around the area. Or maybe he had an apartment in the same building and didn’t tell me! At this rate, anything was possible.
“There it is!” A woman in her sixties wearing a pink hat stalked up to him. “Young man, you took my cart.”
Arrow glanced at the cart, gasped in surprise, and turned to them. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention. Must have taken yours by accident.” He gave it back to them. “Please forgive me.”
The pink hat lady exchanged glances with her friend in the fur coat. “It’s okay, right, Vera?”
“Of course, Nora,” Vera replied. “We understand. You were busy flirting with this pretty young lady.”
They both offered me a sweet smile.
“I was indeed.” He smiled, not even trying to deny it.
“Did you ask her out?” Nora propped a hand on her hips.
I couldn’t believe this. Who were these nosy women?
“I did.”
“And?” Nora looked at me and then back at him.
Arrow smiled at me, waiting for me to answer. I’m gonna kill him for putting me on the spot.
“I’m not ready for a relationship yet,” I said.
Vera placed a hand over her heart. “Did he do something to make you unsure, sweetheart?”
“Unfortunately, I did. And I’m sorry for it.”
Vera elbowed Nora, and they both grinned.
Vera looked at me. “Forgive him, dear. Life is too short. Give him a chance. He stole our cart as a prop to woo you. That deserves something.”
Were these women his sidekicks or something? Did he hire them for this act? I narrowed my eyes at him. But his attention was on the women, full of amusement.
“You make a lovely couple,” Nora said and pushed the cart down the aisle with her chatty friend.
For a moment those women reminded me of the girls. Would we act like them someday? Would we interrupt people’s business in public like that?
Amusement sparked in his eyes. “They’re not wrong. You should listen to your wise elders.” His eyes bored into mine. “Give me a chance.”
I didn’t know how to act today when so many unexpected things were tossed at me.
“Did you hire those women?” I studied him.
“Absolutely not.” He gave a weak laugh. “I wouldn’t even know where to find outspoken old ladies.”
“How did you know I was here?” I asked. “Are you stalking me?”
“It’s not ‘stalking.’ It’s research when I’m monitoring surveillance around my properties. I saw you leave the complex and head this way.”
I wanted to ask how he could access the city’s traffic cameras too, but decided against it. A manlike him could buy anything.
I had a lot of questions for him, but one blazed through my mind.
“Why did you give me a piggyback ride?”
“Because you asked for one.”
Embarrassment flushed to my face. My body should be used to this emotion by now, but it wasn’t. I covered my face with both hands as my cheeks inflamed.
He gripped my arms, drew them away from my face, and pulled me into an embrace.
“It was the best evening I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “I’ve never given anyone a piggyback ride before. It’s reserved only for you.”
I veered back to look at his handsome face. A sigh escaped me when I saw baby blue specks in his irises.
His thumb stroked over my cheek. Energy zigzagged down my spine and back up.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It was the highlight of my evening after the kiss you gave me.”
I gasped. “What? I kissed you.”
Laughter flashed in his eyes as he pointed to his cheek. “It was wet, loud, and sloppy.”
“We love wet, loud, and sloppy, don’t we?” Vera said as she and Nora strode by and winked at us.
“I’m going to give my Frank a wet, loud, and sloppy kiss when I get home,” Nora said.
“My Ed would take that as an opportunity to get a little saucy.” Vera held up a bottle of hot sauce to her friend.
“Nothing wrong with adding a little spice!” Arrow told them.
The women burst into laughter, and so did I.
“Give him a chance to show you some spice, sweetheart,” Nora purred, and Vera howled.
“Did she just howl?” I asked.
“She did.”
We stared at the interesting women as they disappeared around the corner.
“What just happened at this grocery store?” I asked. “It’s like a scene out of some strange sitcom.”
“The Checkout.” He slung an arm around my shoulder.
“What?”
“That’s what the sitcom should be called.”
We both stood in the sauce aisle laughing like idiots. The laughter was exactly what I needed to release the tension in me.
After a few more seconds, I gathered myself and looked at him. “Why are you here?”
“I came to ask you if you’d like to have dinner with me.”
My SSG mission of A Kiss is Not Enough came to mind. I’d always wondered if he’d move on after he got the date he wanted. Would one date be enough for him?
“Duel with me. This won’t be like the sparring at the gym,” I said. “The loser has to do what the winner asks.”
“Okay,” he agreed instantly.
“But I didn’t give you the rules yet.”
“I don’t care about the rules.” He shrugged, looking too confident. “I’m gonna win, and you’re going to be my girlfriend.”
It was a firm statement with no room for errors.
“When and where?” he asked.
“I haven’t thought of that yet.”
“Think fast and tell me.”
I hadn’t gotten that far. I needed to digest everything that had occurred today before I could plan my mission.
Arrow accompanied me for the rest of the shopping trip as though we were a couple. Somehow, heinvited himself to my home for when I made ph?.
His phone rang, and he picked up the call while I got milk and eggs.
“I’ve got to go.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I have to return the friendly gesture you gave me yesterday.” Something flashed in his eyes. “You just gave me the courage to do something I feared most.”
“What’s that?”
“Going to the dentist. See you in a few days.”
Then he left me standing there perplexed, aroused, and excited.