Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Athena
“How did you deal with all of Jeremy’s…” my voice trails because what the hell? How do I ask my sister-in-law how she put up with all of my brother’s ex-lovers?
I’m not an expert on what my brother did before he married his soul mate, but I could read between the lines.
He’d take off for a few hours at a time a couple of nights a week.
He was going to a hotel. I only know that because a key card fell out of the pocket of a pair of his jeans when I was doing the laundry.
I wanted to know why he needed a room at a hotel in Manhattan.
His stuttered explanation about visiting friends there was when the light bulb went on over my head.
Everything changed when he brought Linny home to meet us. I could tell he was in love the moment I saw the two of them together.
“All of Jeremy’s what?” Linny asks as she adjusts a rose in a bouquet that I’m working on.
I should change the subject. Linny is at Wild Lilac to talk about advertising with me. She owns a boutique agency called Lincoln Dawn Communications. Her business is booming, but she still does pro bono work for me. I’m lucky to have her and Jeremy in my corner.
I swerve around her question because I have asker’s remorse. “Do you think this bouquet has enough pink in it?”
It’s all shades of pink.
“Cassidy would love it.” A smile beams on her face when she mentions her little girl. She’s our resident pink expert.
I was hoping that Linny would bring my niece with her to the shop, but Jeremy loves his Saturday mornings with his daughter.
It’s sugar-coated cereal and cartoons for the two of them.
He only gives that up if his work takes him out of town.
“I’d say it’s done.” I pick up the vase with the roses and put it into the cooler.
“That Wild Lilac T-shirt is cute.” Linny dusts her fingertips over my shoulder. “Your idea?”
“Al’s,” I admit. “He designed them for Leanna and me.”
Settling onto a stool next to the table, Linny pushes her dark hair back from her forehead. “It’s time to ditch the small talk. I could tell something was wrong when I called you last night. Spit it out.”
Linny called me just as I was leaving Liam’s building. I was in a hurry and I know she could hear the nervous quake in my voice.
We talked about work and Cassidy and by the time I was at the subway stop, my heart had slowed to a normal pace.
I said goodbye after I asked her to meet me here this morning.
Just as I was stepping onto the train, Liam called, but I didn’t answer. He didn’t leave a voicemail or send any text messages after that, so I went to bed.
Smoothing my palms over the front of my jeans, I let out a breath. “I met someone.”
I’ve never uttered those words before. I’ve met plenty of men, but not one was worth talking about.
Linny’s green eyes widen. “Someone? A man?”
“Liam,” I offer his first name because I don’t want him just to be someone or that guy. He’s more than that to me already. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I need Linny to help me figure that out.
Smiling, she claps her hands together. “Athena. I’m so excited for you.”
I can tell she means it. Linny came into my life right when I needed her. I don’t have any close friends. It’s hard to form those bonds when you’re fighting against the stigma that comes from having a mom and stepfather who stole from Manhattan’s elite to line their own pockets.
“What’s he like?” She leans her forearms on the table.
Memories of last night push everything aside. I could describe him as gorgeous and kind. Or sexy and an incredible kisser, but I don’t. Instead, I trod down the petty route. “Popular.”
“Popular?”
I opened the door, so I need to walk through it. “We haven’t known each other long and I’ve already met two of his ex-girlfriends.”
Before Linny can get her mouth open to say anything, I go on, “I met his most recent ex when I went to deliver flowers to her that he ordered. I met another ex when we were on a date. She showed up at his place last night with some of his things.”
Her jaw tenses. “He sent flowers to one of his ex-girlfriends, and you delivered them?”
“She was his girlfriend at the time,” I clarify, knowing that it makes zero difference in the big picture. “They broke up that night.”
“I take it she didn’t like the bouquet he chose?”
I know the question is meant to lighten the mood, but it’s a reminder of the night we met. Liam would still be a stranger to me if it weren’t for Wren.
“I think it went beyond that.” I laugh.
“So that’s ex number one.” She wags her index finger in the air. “You said ex number two crashed your date last night?”
In a very hard and unwelcome way.
I don’t know if Liam and I would have moved beyond kissing, but Darcy’s sudden appearance took that decision out of my hands.
“When she knocked on the door, he was on a call in another room.”
Linny’s jaw tenses. “With who?”
I know what she’s thinking, so I push that concern out of her mind with three simple words. “Not a woman.”
Her shoulders relax. Tilting her head to the side, she stares at me. “What did you do when the ex showed up?”
I look away because I still don’t know if I did the right thing. It felt right at the time. “I left.”
“Good.” She pushes to her feet. “You don’t need to get tangled up with any guy who hasn’t untangled himself from his past.”
What if I want to be tangled up with him?
Moving closer to me, my sister-in-law sighs. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I want your heart to be safe.”
“Would you have dated Jeremy if you knew about all of his exes?”
Her eyes catch mine. “How many exes are we talking about?”
“Does it matter now?” I ask, reaching for the laptop. I slide it toward me so I can get started on my next order.
“No.” She picks up a daisy I discarded earlier when I was going through my daily delivery.
Bringing it to her nose, she closes her eyes briefly before she drops it back onto the table.
“You matter. You’re young. I know you haven’t had the best luck with men, so be careful, Athena.
Don’t let this guy’s baggage weigh you down. ”
Reaching behind me to pluck a single perfect pink rose from a container, I place it in her hand. “I promise I’ll be careful. Give that to Cassidy for me and tell her Auntie Athena loves her.”
“She loves you too.” She plants a kiss on my cheek. “We all do. You’ll come for spaghetti tomorrow night, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”