Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Flowers, cake, and dancing."
Tolliver looked up.
"That's the text Stacia sent me today," I said, showing him my phone. "They're part of her wedding agenda. She should be here"—the doorbell rang—"any second. I'll get it."
"Nah, I will," he said, standing.
"Tolliver."
"I'm your maid, remember?" He put his hands on his hips. "You sit back and relax. Use me while you can."
"Fine," I said. "Can you get me a tea while you're up?"
"You got it, boss."
My gaze met his, and I smiled. "I actually don't mind that one."
He gave me a nod then disappeared.
When Tolliver reentered the living room, Stacia was with him. He was carrying two large bags, while she was frowning at his back. "I told you I can carry them."
"I know," he said, placing the bags on the table then gesturing to the kitchen. "You want anything to drink?"
"No, thanks," she said, holding up her thermos, "I brought water."
His eyes moved to mine. "I'll be right back with that tea."
"Get yourself something too," I said.
"I need to get you one of those Best Boss mugs."
"I wouldn't turn it down."
Tolliver smiled then left.
"Stacia," I said, standing to greet her, "it looks like you robbed a bakery and a flower shop."
She chuckled. "That's not far from the truth."
"It's good to see you again."
"Really?" she said. "You're not sick of me yet?"
"No. Why would you say that?"
Stacia lifted one shoulder. "Some people say I'm too much, too happy—whatever that means."
I shook my head. "Those people are stupid."
"Freya!"
"I'm serious. They're not your tribe."
"Hard to find your tribe when you're homeschooled.
" Stacia smiled, but for the first time, it seemed a bit forced.
"Or if you're not home, you're at the pool.
The only people I socialize with are my parents—separately, of course—and other swimmers, who can be intense, viewing their teammates as competition more than friends. "
"Well, we're friends," I said.
Her eyes brightened. "Yeah?"
"You brought me flowers and cake. I'm pretty sure that seals it."
Stacia's arms were suddenly around my shoulders, squeezing me so tight it was hard to breathe.
"You're strong," I choked out.
"Excellent upper-body strength," she said. "From all the swimming. Oh, I'm so happy!"
"Me, too. Hey, Stacia?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't suffocate your friends."
"Oh, sorry." She leaned back, and air rushed into my lungs. "I'm a hugger."
"I can see that," I said.
Tolliver came back in with two steaming mugs, set them down on the table, and took a seat in the recliner beside us. "What did I miss?" he said.
"Me almost killing my new bestie." Stacia laughed at Tolliver's horrified face. "Don't worry, Toll. She's fine."
"It was a close one," I said. "That was a lot of hug."
"It was."
"But I'll survive."
As Tolliver relaxed, Stacia watched him in amusement. "So, flowers," she said, reaching into the first bag. "I've actually already chosen most of them, put in the orders. But I had questions about the crowns."
"The what?" I asked.
"The flower crowns," she repeated. Several circles of flowers were placed on the table. "We're going for an ethereal, woodland fairy look."
I laughed then swallowed it back as Stacia stared. "Oh, you're serious?"
"Mmm."
"Very whimsical," I said.
Tolliver scoffed, and Stacia sent him a dirty look. "And how many weddings have you helped plan, Toll?"
"None."
"That's what I thought."
Stacia held one of the arrangements up.
"These will make Coach's event unique. People can take them home if they want, dry the flowers and keep them forever. We'll have enough for the bridesmaids, of course, but there will also be some for guests."
"That's a good thought," I said.
"Thanks, Freya." She gestured to my head. "May I?"
"Sure."
Stacia placed the wreath on my hair and sat back.
"How does it look?" I asked.
"Gorgeous. How does it make you feel?"
"Like a queen." Catching Tolliver's eye, I shrugged. "What? It does."
"And that," Stacia said, setting a crown on her own head, "is what we're going for."
Tolliver reached forward, plucked one out of the group, and set it on his own head.
Or he tried to.
The flowers ended up tilted, lying half on his head, half-off.
"It's a little small," he commented.
"Or you've got a big head," Stacia said back.
"My head's normal."
"Whatever you say."
I bit my lips as he tried another only to have the same result.
"We can just add more flowers to yours," I said to him. "To account for the circumference—"
"Sounds good."
"—of your totally average-size head."
Tolliver sent me a playful glare. "It's possible my brain is bigger than most."
"Hmmm, do they have to get you a special hockey helmet?"
Stacia cracked up first.
"For your big brain?" I finished then couldn't help but laugh.
"You both suck," Tolliver said, tugging the flowers off his head, tossing them back to the table. "I'm taking back my Best Boss mug."
Through my laughter, I said, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Stone. My parents had to buy me special hats as a baby."
"They did?"
"Nooo," I said.
Tolliver tired not to laugh, but his smile broke free. "Again, you suck, Kent."
"Ah, you love me."
"I..."
"Stacia, pull yourself together," I said to the girl currently rolling on the couch. "You'll crush the flowers."
"Oops," she said as her laughter quieted. "Do you have a favorite crown?"
I studied them then pointed to one made of daisies.
"Good choice. Next up, cake."
As she explained the different flavors to us, I whispered to Tolliver, "I didn't mean it. Your head is proportional to your body."
"Too late for apologies, Kent," he said.
"You can't really be upset."
He shrugged, avoiding my eyes.
"Tolliver."
"Eh, you know how fragile the male ego can be."
I studied his face. "I'll give you extra cake if you forgive me."
"Deal," he said.
Well, that was easy.
"But I also want something else."
"What?" I asked.
"I'll let you know when I decide."
I blinked as Stacia handed me a small plate. There was a square of cake on top, three layers with white frosting. She and Tolliver had theirs as well. It looked and tasted delicious, almond cake with cream cheese filling. But my mind was still stuck on his words.
"Maybe you could let me know now," I said.
Tolliver stopped with his fork halfway to his lips and arched a brow. "I haven't had time to think yet."
"How much time do you need?"
"Not sure."
"I hate not knowing, Stone."
"Well, I hate to be rushed."
His lips twitched as I frowned.
Oblivious of our standoff, Stacia smiled and said, "So, what do we think of the almond?"
"It's very tasty" I mumbled.
"The nutty flavor really comes through," Tolliver said.
"I like it too," Stacia said, nodding to another box on the table. "This would be a good option, but people might be allergic. Just in case, let's keep tasting."
Trying not to overthink my owing Tolliver something and what he might ask of me, I ate a forkful of the fluffiest, most velvety chocolate cake I'd ever eaten.
"Oh my," I breathed, trying not to moan as my eyes slid shut.
"Right?" Stacia said.
"So good."
When I reopened my eyes, Tolliver was staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
He cleared his throat. "Nothing."
"Don't you like it?"
Stacia chuckled. "I think he liked it a little too much," she said.
"Stass," he said warningly.
"What? You were watching her like—"
"Everyone loves chocolate," he cut her off. Then he sent me a small smile, "I don't know if they love it as much as Kent does though."
"Whatever, I will not be cake-shamed," I said.
"It looked like you were having a religious experience."
"Maybe I was."
Tolliver bit his lip.
"Tasted like heaven," I said.
"Mmm, sounded like it too," he said.
"Enough flirting," Stacia said and heat filled my cheeks. "Confetti with buttercream is next. Freya, do you think your mom's a vanilla and sprinkles type?"
I shrugged. "Honestly, Mom's never been that into cake."
"Which is probably why she gave this task to me," she said seriously. "Okay, we'll just have to try them all."
As she placed each of the boxes in a stack on the table, Tolliver nodded while my eyes went wide. "Let's do this," he said, loosening up his shoulders. "Kent, you in?"
"I've never backed down from a challenge," I said.
"Didn't think so."
"Have you decided what you want yet?"
"No," Tolliver said with a wink, "but I'm thinking."
That was what worried me.
* * *
"I can't move," Stacia said with a groan.
"Me neither," I said.
Tolliver patted his stomach. "I don't know. I'm feeling pretty good."
We sent him matching glares.
The cake was gone, only crumbs and empty boxes left to signify the sheer amount of baked goods we'd consumed.
Although, I did manage to save Dad a few small pieces currently in the refrigerator.
Not going to lie. I had a sweet tooth, and I'd enjoyed everything on the way down.
But now, Stacia and I were sugared out, stomachs aching, sprawled on opposite sides of the couch.
Tolliver, on the other hand, looked ready to take on the world.
"What's next, Stass?" he said.
"It was supposed to be dancing," she said, "but I'm so tired."
"I could go for some dancing."
I eyed Tolliver then asked, "How do you have so much energy?"
"I think they call this a sugar high." Tolliver shrugged, bouncing around in his seat. "I don't usually eat like this, so I don't know."
"Who is they?"
"People, the masses."
I shook my head.
"Man, I feel good," he said. "Like I could lift a building or something."
"Wait about an hour," I said, leaning back. "You may feel differently when the crash hits."
Tolliver just smiled. "Or maybe it won't come. Maybe my metabolism is burning through the sugar at an increased rate, and I won't feel any bad effects."
"You're annoying."
Stacia rolled her eyes. "So annoying," she said and tossed me her phone. "Here's the wedding playlist. Listen and help me decide what to trash or keep. Dancing optional. I'm just gonna...take a little nap."
"No problem," I said, but her eyes were already closed.
Music.
Finally, something I knew and could help with.
With a smile, I started the playlist, turned up the volume, and closed my eyes.
"Yes," I said, switching to the next song. "No. No. Absolutely not. Yes. Yes. No."
Tolliver's voice interrupted my flow. "Are you sure? That last one was good."
"It's okay," I said, "but we can do better for my mom's wedding."
I went through a few more.
No, no, yes, no, no.
"At this rate," he said, "you won't have enough to last the night."
"She's got like 500 songs on here."
"And you're nixing most of them."
I opened my eyes to squint at him. "Only the wrong ones."
"Never knew you were so picky about your music, Kent."
"I have good taste—unlike you, Stone."
"Kind of a music snob honestly."
"You did not just say that."
Tolliver opened his mouth then paused as I flipped to the next track.
"This is the best," he said.
"It is," I agreed, shifting in my seat, trying not to smile as the music moved through me like it always did. "I love this song."
"Me too," Tolliver said.
"No, seriously, this is in my top 10. Ever."
"Me too."
I couldn't tell if he was serious or not. But I didn't have any reason to doubt him. Humming to myself, I said, "Scarlett wrote an arrangement of this. For me and my cousins. It's beautiful."
"I'd love to hear it sometime."
I nodded. "Now, this would be an ideal track for the wedding. People will be falling in love left and right."
"You really think one song can do that?"
"Music is powerful. The right song can change your life," I said.
"It can."
He stood and offered me his hand.
"Wanna dance?"
I blinked. "Who? Me?"
Rolling his eyes, he pulled me to my feet and led me to the center of the living room. "Stacia said dancing was optional. So?"
"Fine," I said, "but only to make sure it's danceable."
"Purely scientific," Tolliver said.
"Exactly."
As I put my hand on his shoulder and his settled on my waist, my breathing grew shallow.
This really was one of my favorite songs.
I felt the melody in my bones, the lyrics an extension of my heart.
The music could sweep me away if I let it.
Tolliver could too, I was pretty certain—which was why I made sure to keep space between us, even as we swayed.
But a moment later, Tolliver released a quiet laugh.
"What?" I asked.
"Could you get any farther away?" he said.
"If you want to close the distance, it's fine."
Without hesitation, Tolliver moved forward. "You sure, Kent?"
I shrugged, playing it cool, but I couldn't control the way my pulse started racing at his nearness. How he gazed down at me. The way he said my name. Well, my last name. But strangely, even that did something to me.
"This really is a good song," he said quietly.
"Mmm."
His hands flexed on my waist, and I swallowed.
"Did you ever decide?" I asked.
Tolliver tilted his head.
"What you want."
"Yeah," he said, studying my face. "To be honest, I already knew."
"You did?"
A nod.
"Then why not tell me? Why did you make me wait?" I asked.
"Just trying to level the playing field," he said.
"Which means...?"
"Waiting is my thing, Kent."
"What?"
Tolliver shook his head and spoke close to my ear, "You really don't know."
His breath caressed my sensitive skin, causing my eyes to drift shut.
"Let's go out," he said. "That's what I want."
"We are on Saturday," I said. "Sabrina's 16th, remember?"
"This would be real."
"Why?" I asked softly.
"Because it'll be fun," Tolliver said. "Because I want to make your summer a little brighter, and you feel bad for making fun of my huge head."
I bit back a laugh as he leaned away, far enough so I could meet his eyes.
Light blue stared straight into my soul.
"And because you want to," he said.
There was only one thing I could say.
Yes had never fallen so easily from my lips.
Tolliver's smile could've lit up an entire city block.