Real World Dating
KALLIE
It really is a small world after all. Never in a million years did I think I would ever see Evren again after the cruise ended. Have I thought of him all day, every day, since I stepped off the cruise ship and back to reality?
Absolutely.
I have relived every moment I spent with him a million times over.
But to see him again? In my local grocery store, of all places? That was not on my Bingo card of life.
And I’m fucking thrilled.
When I got back from the cruise and the post-cruise blues hit, I threw myself into work. The shop had managed fine while I was gone and had even booked two large weddings, but with all of the legal fees I’d paid over the last two years, I needed more.
When I finally made it through invoices, payroll, and a mountain of other paperwork, I was able to log into my email. Shifting through more orders, invoices, and inspiration boards from brides, I clicked on a message I was positive was spam.
Prior to leaving for the cruise, I approached several of the smaller grocery stores and other small businesses near me about selling pre-made arrangements and bouquets. Most smaller stores don’t have a floral department and tend to only bring in flowers for major holidays.
What I was proposing was a trial run of premade bouquets and arrangements of varying sizes to have on one cooler end cap and in stands with water buckets at the checkouts. I hadn’t heard anything before leaving, so I wasn’t holding out hope that any of the stores I approached would be interested.
Much to my delight, the email I almost mistook for spam was from one of the small businesses I had approached. They wanted to draft a temporary contract and get my flowers into their store as soon as possible. If it was successful, we would renegotiate for a long-term contract.
I was so excited I nearly missed the email from the second store.
Things were finally turning around, and my first thought was to tell Evren and Mel.
Except I couldn’t tell Evren.
Cruise fling. No strings, no expectations. Just you and me until the dock.
Every day since the night I walked away from him, I’ve wished I’d said to hell with until the dock and asked for his contact information.
I missed him. Not just the sex, although that was a definite highlight. I missed him. The way he made me laugh, how he listened and engaged in our conversations, the way he looked at me like I was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. How safe he made me feel.
I. Missed. Him.
Thinking of him made my heart ache in spite of all the happy memories we’d made together.
So when he magically appeared after I finished setting up my floral displays in the store, the grip sadness had around my heart eased.
“Seriously, Evren, what are you doing here?” I ask, leaning back to look into a pair of sparkling orange eyes I’ve desperately missed.
“Buying coffee creamer and finding you, Doll,” he says as if it’s that simple.
“Coffee creamer?” I ask, confused.
He nods and explains, “Do you remember the cafe from the cruise? The one where I tracked down the manager to ask what went into that cinnamon caramel coffee?”
I nod.
“Well, it just so happens that this is the only store in town that carries the cinnamon crumb cake coffee creamer.”
“Where on Earth did you drive in from?”
“The other side of town. Just past the hockey arena.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “You live here?”
He chuckles and slides his hands down my arms to take hold of my hands. “I do. I should be asking you the same thing.”
“I’m about fifteen minutes away. My flower shop is about five minutes from here.”
The clearing of a throat jerks my head to the store manager I was speaking with before Evren materialized. I turn back to him and offer an apologetic smile.
“Did you need anything else, Mrs. Voss?”
My whole body clenches.
“Ms. Brooks, please. No, we are all set. I’ll be back in a few days to check on things. If you happen to need more before I come back, just give me a call.
“Sounds good,” he says before turning to leave.
Turning back to Evren, I can’t help the smile that threatens to break my face.
“I can’t believe you’re here. That we live in the same town!”
“I know,” he says thoughtfully. “Come with me to grab my creamer?”
“Love to,” I say as he drops one of my hands and keeps a firm grip on the other. We stroll hand in hand through the store until we reach the cold food items. There’s a discarded basket on the floor that Evren picks up.
I give him a questioning look, but he just shrugs and picks it up, adding a few more creamers to the basket.
“Stockpiling?” I tease.
He gives me a cocky smile. “The only thing I’ve craved more than this is you.”
My mouth drops open for a moment, and my stomach flips. God, I’ve missed that smooth, cocky tone in a deep bass timber that only belongs to Evren. Almost as much as I missed the demon himself.
My mind transports me back to the cruise where comments like that were the norm for us. Evren reaches forward and uses his finger tip to close my mouth before running a finger along my jaw.
Once we’ve checked out, Evren walks me to the flower shop’s delivery van, still holding my hand.
“I still can’t believe I found you,” he murmurs in an awed voice.
“Me either,” I whisper.
“Have dinner with me,” he says, locking eyes with me.
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
A pleased rumble I can feel through our clasped hand vibrates from his chest and into my body…right to my slutty clit, who makes herself known with a pulse.
“Good,” he says, pleased. “Saturday?”
“Phone,” I say.
He hands me his phone, and I enter my phone number.
“See you Saturday," I say before I get into the van. The phantom pulse of his rumble courses through my body the whole drive home.
Saturday comes faster than I expect. Since bumping into Evren at the grocery store, I’ve been meeting with brides and getting more of my ready-made bouquets to the other grocery store.
I’ve even had a few customers come in who saw the arrangements at the grocery store. They saw the smaller arrangements and came looking for larger ones. It’s been so long since I’ve had this much traffic that I had to place an additional order of flowers.
Evren and I have talked or texted every day. Sometimes about the little things that happen during our days, sometimes just flirty banter.
It’s everything, and I can’t wait to do it in person. Tonight he’s picking me up at six. He said not black tie, but not casual. Now, I’m standing in my small closet with my sister on video chat, trying on my twelfth outfit.
“This makes me look like I’m gonna be sea sick,” I whine to my sister.
If Mel rolls her eyes any harder, they’ll do a full rotation.
I rip off the offending dress and throw it onto the hanger, shoving it aggressively back onto the rod.
“What‘s the problem, Kallie?”
I puff out a breath. “Nothing looks good.”
“Everything looks good, sister. What’s the real issue?”
“It’s Evren,” I grumble.
Mel takes a deep breath before gently saying, “I know, sweetie. But if this demon is half as charming on dry land as he was on the high seas, you have nothing to worry about.”
She’s right. This is Evren. The demon that jumped into open water to save me, even though open water made him uncomfortable. Who made me feel like a curvy goddess every minute we were together.
“You’re right,” I take a breath and look at my closest. I move to grab a simple sheath dress, but it gets caught on another hanger. Reaching in, I grab both hangers, the dress, and an outfit I completely forgot about. Placing the dress back, I tell Mel to hold and slip the outfit on.
“Kallie?” She says before I step back into the frame and she gasps. “You look stunning!” She exclaims.
I do a little spin so she can see the whole outfit.
It’s a simple black strapless fitted romper pantsuit.
The bust is a sweetheart cut with a diamond cutout just beneath my chest. It ties in the back, leaving my shoulders and low back bare, and the legs are fitted at the hip and taper down to the floor.
Simple but easily dressed up or left casual.
“With a pair of open-toe wedges?” I ask a beaming Mel.
“Absolutely,” she says excitedly.
“Thanks, Mel. I’m gonna finish up with a few curls and touch up my makeup. He should be here soon.”
“You’re welcome. Have the best time, and call me tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you.”
I head back to the bathroom, fix my hair, and touch up my makeup. By the time I’m done, the doorbell rings. I take a breath and open the door.
Evren stands on my doorstep looking like he just walked off the runway. Dark button-down shirt, black jacket, and tailored pants. It reminds me of the outfit he wore the night we met on the cruise. Devastating, just like the cruise.
“Hi,” I say a little breathily.
Evren just stands there and stares. The silence stretches. And stretches. For so long, I get concerned.
“Evren?”
He shakes himself as a deep rumble emanates from his chest.
“You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on, Kallie.”
I just barely hold in my surprise.
“Thank you.”
“Do you need a minute?” He asks.
I shake my head and grab my purse off the side table by the door. “Ready.”
He extends his hand, and I clasp it, threading my small fingers through his much larger one. He opens the door to his car and helps me inside. He takes my hand again once he’s in the car and it’s in gear.
“You look handsome,” I say when we pull out of the driveway.
“I look like a pauper next to the queen,” he says in his deep, seductive baritone.
I scoff, and he growls, which makes me laugh. It only takes us a few minutes to reach the restaurant. Just like on the cruise, we walk to the host stand and are seated immediately when Evren gives his name.
“Lemon drop martini?” He asks as the waiter drops off our menus.
“Please.”
Drinks and appetizers ordered, Evren reaches across the table and takes my hand, gently brushing his thumbs across my knuckles.
“How have you been post-cruise? I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it feelslike an eternity since I last saw you.”
I smile and giggle, “You saw me two days ago.”
He raises my hand to place a kiss. “Like I said, an eternity.”
Gods, writers could use this demon as a template for male characters on how to woo a woman.
”I’ve been ok. Catching up with all the shop things I missed while I was gone. A few weddings were booked for spring, so I’ve been meeting with brides to start their client portfolios and get a head start on that.”
“The weddings are in the spring, but you’re meeting now?” He asked, perplexed.
I nod my head as the waitress drops off our drinks and a plate of fried mushrooms. Reaching forward, I grab my drink and take a sip.
“Seems early, right?”
“It does,” he says, releasing my hand and plating each of us some of the mushrooms and sauce.
“The sooner I can get a portfolio going, the easier the process is. Brides tend to have an initial vision, but change it midway through or even a few months before. I have a questionnaire that could rival that of any dating company to get the most well-rounded impression of the bride. That way, I can keep an eye on prices for flowers that they love as well as others that may become the new favorite closer to the date.”
As I explain the bridal portfolios, Evren doesn’t interrupt. He just watches me with that same focused intensity I remember from the cruise. The kind of attention that makes me feel seen and has me coming undone at the same time.
Evren pops a mushroom into his mouth, contemplating my statement. I snag one as well and enjoy the well-balanced flavor. We had fried mushrooms on a few occasions at one of the restaurants on the cruise that were incredible. These are tasty, but not cruise-tasty.
“How often do they change last minute?”
I puff out a breath. “More often than I would prefer. And with social media being what it is and trends changing faster than a runway model, it’s becoming even more common.”
He nods his head. “That I can understand. There are a number of viral accounts that give investment advice. Don’t get me wrong, some of it is great, but a lot of it is garbage.
Even so, I get clients who swear that they got an inside scoop from some social media guru and demand we make adjustments to their accounts. ”
“Can you tell them no?”
“I can advise against it, but in the end, it’s their account. If they choose to ignore my advice and it goes poorly, that was their call.”
“This is how I feel about brides who want to try crazy gravity-defying floral arrangements. Can I make it? Yes. Is it going to be successful? I can’t guarantee it. But if that’s what they really want, I’m gonna do it.” I shrug before sipping my drink.
The waitress comes back, and we order our meals. From there, we slip right back into things as they were when we were on the cruise. Laughter and easy conversation. When plates are cleared, the waitress stops by once more.
“Can I interest you two in dessert?”
I snag a dessert menu and do a quick perusal. “What do you think?” I ask Evren. When I look up, his eyes are blazing.
“We’ll take something to go,” he says in a deep rumble that has my nipples pebbling.
I have a feeling I know what dessert is, and it’s definitely not cake.