Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Liam
Athena’s gaze glides over my gray T-shirt and the faded jeans I put on after I showered an hour ago.
On any other weekday morning, I’d be prepping for a full day at the office, but my first appointment isn’t until eleven.
Locking the door behind me, she twists in a circle sending her long hair flowing down her back.
“We don’t open until nine,” she says. “Why are you here?”
I glance down at her hand and the crumpled tissue she’s holding. Tilting my head to get a better look, I spot a red stain. “Are you bleeding?”
“It’s nothing.” Her right hand darts behind her back. “I cut myself on a piece of glass.”
“Let me see.” I curl a finger in the air. “It looks bad.”
Shaking her head, she points at an antique rectangular table set up next to a row of coolers with glass doors that house buckets filled with flowers. “I dropped a vase. It’s a hazard of the job.”
I look over at the shards of glass littering the floor. “That’s a hazard of the job?”
The pink sweater she’s wearing slides down her left shoulder to reveal bare skin. She doesn’t make a move to readjust it.
“Your hand,” I say, pointing a finger at her. “Let me see.”
Reluctantly, she swings her arm forward. When she opens her hand, she bunches the tissue in her other fist. “See? I told you. It’s nothing.”
Her hand is small. It’s delicate. A thin gold band circles her thumb.
A single drop of blood seeps out of the cut on her index finger.
“How deep is that?” I ask, reaching for her.
Her breath catches when I take her hand in mine, cradling it gently. “It’s not deep enough for stitches.”
I lean down to get a closer look.
She’s right. It’s shallow. My eye wanders over her palm, stopping at a half-inch scar that taints the perfect skin.
I circle the area with my fingertips. “This one was deeper. What happened here?”
Dabbing the tissue on the fresh cut, she laughs. “That’s a carrot’s fault.”
I hold back a smile. “A carrot?”
Her eyes lock on mine. Nodding, she sighs. “I had a pet rabbit when I was a kid. I grabbed a carrot and a knife to make dinner for it. The knife ended up in my hand.”
I wince. “That must have hurt like hell.”
She shrugs, sending the sweater another half-inch down her shoulder. “I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember?”
Her head bows, a smiling playing on her full lips. “I passed out.”
I cock a brow.
“The sight of blood used to make me lightheaded,” she goes on. “When the knife pierced my skin, I hit the floor.”
I look her over from head-to-toe. “It looks like you’ve worked through that. You’re steady on your feet.”
“It’s all smoke and mirrors. I’m going to grab a bandage and wrap this up.”
I step aside when she brushes past me headed back toward her work area.
I follow behind her, easily keeping up with her hurried pace.
Popping open a plastic container on a bench near the table, she yanks out a bandage. She unwraps it and has it around her finger in an instant.
Tossing the tissue and the bandage wrapper in the trash, she finally turns her full attention back to me. “How can I help you, Liam?”
I wish to fuck I knew. I left my apartment this morning in search of fresh air and I ended up in this neighborhood. I never expected to find Athena at work this early. She got stuck in the middle of a shitty situation last night because of me and I want to make that right.
I didn’t anticipate that Wren would pull the plug on our relationship. We had our issues, but we were working through them. I thought we were headed toward better times, not a breakup.
Waiting for me to answer, Athena rounds the table, being mindful not to step on any pieces of the broken vase.
I do the same. I follow her lead when she crouches to pick up the glass.
The heels on her black boots are less than an inch. By my estimate, she’s no more than five foot two or three. I’ve got more than a foot in height and a hundred pounds on her, but down here, face-to-face, we’re on a level playing field.
“You don’t have to clean up my mess for me,” she says.
Reaching for a large piece of glass, I huff out a laugh. “It’s the least I can do after wasting hours of your life last night.”
Her hand lands on my wrist, stilling my movements. “You didn’t waste my time.”
I lock eyes with her. I know kindness when I see it. “I put you in a bad position last night. I’m sorry about that.”
“Not bad,” she corrects me with a lift of her brow. “Awkward. It was awkward, but there was a bright side to it.”
Curiosity draws my brows up too. “I don’t see a bright side.”
“For me.” She taps a finger to her chest. “Not you.”
“Ouch.” I fight back a smile. “That hurt.”
She drops the jagged piece of glass in her hand. “Oh no. I didn’t mean that.”
A pink flush floods her cheeks. Studying her face, I realize that she’s not wearing much makeup. I’m far from an expert, but it looks like a coat of mascara and a dab of something shiny on her lips.
“What did you mean?” I question back.
“I connected with some potential new customers last night.” She tugs on the sweater, sliding it back up her shoulder. “One at the photo studio and another at your office.”
She must be talking about Audrey, but I don’t know if the other person is Wren. I won’t ask. I’ve never chased after a woman once a relationship is over.
Why waste my time on someone who wants me to go to hell?
Wren’s words in her note were crystal clear. I don’t exist to her anymore, so I’ll move on. Simple.
Picking up a piece of glass, I toss it into the wastebasket. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Biting the corner of her lip, she looks into my eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened to you last night.”
I can tell the sentiment is genuine, so I take it that way. “Thank you.”
We finish cleaning the glass in silence. Once she’s swept up the area, she turns to face me. “I’m still a little confused about why you came all the way down here so early in the morning. If it was to apologize, that’s not necessary.”
I don’t know where the words come from, but I let them roll off my tongue. “I need another bouquet.”
Her eyes widen. “For Wren? The bouquet I left with you last night should still be fine. The flowers haven’t died, have they? They were all fresh when I put the arrangement together.”
“I gave that bouquet to my neighbor.”
“Your neighbor?”
“She’s ten.” I lean my hip against the table. “Her face lit up like it was Christmas Day.”
Her expression softens. “That was kind of you.”
“Her parents have been good to me,” I admit. “They feed me when I forget to feed myself.”
This conversation is unexpected, but it’s so damn easy. I haven’t felt this comfortable with anyone in a hell of a long time.
“I’d like to stop by later today and pick up something with roses for my mom.” I point at a bucket of yellow roses in the display cooler behind her. “Yellow roses and throw in a few other flowers.”
Athena glances back over her shoulder. “Is it her birthday?”
“Not today.” I tug my wallet out of my back pocket. “I just want to surprise her.”
“It’s a sunshine bouquet,” she says matter-of-factly.
Crossing my arms, I take the bait. “A sunshine bouquet? What’s that?”
“It’s an arrangement meant to bring sunshine to someone’s day.”
“A sunshine bouquet it is.” I slide my credit card out of my wallet. “Dial it back from what you put together last night. I pissed off a few people on the subway when I unintentionally stabbed them in the back with that thing.”
“You said you wanted something extra special.” She shoots me a smile.
I raise both hands in surrender. “I did. Today I want something beautiful that I can control on the subway.”
“What time will you pick it up?”
“I’ll text you later to let you know.” Rubbing my jaw, I clear my throat. “Ignore the texts I sent you earlier.”
She pauses, looking over at her phone. “You texted me this morning?”
“Twice,” I admit. “When you didn’t respond, I realized you were probably asleep, so I came down here to slip a note under the door.”
“You did?”
I straighten in place. “I feel guilty that you had to play messenger for Wren.”
“Don’t.” She looks down at the bandage on her finger. “Shit happens.”
Shoving my credit card at her, I huff out a laugh. “You know it. Charge my mom’s flowers to my card.”
She waves it away with a flick of her hand. “Pay me when you pick them up. I haven’t turned on the computer system yet since I don’t officially open for business for another two hours.”
“That’s my cue to get the hell out of here, isn’t it?” I ask half-teasingly.
“I don’t want word getting around that I take orders before seven a.m.,” she says, amusement lacing her tone. “I’ll see you later, Liam.”
That sets her off back toward the door of her store.
Once it’s unlocked and she’s pushed it open, I turn to face her. “Thanks again, Athena. Thanks for everything.”
Her lips part in a soft smile. “I’m glad you stopped by.”
I am too. I’m damn glad I stopped by.