Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
This was not what I was expecting. I liked it. I liked it a hell of a lot. It just wasn’t what I’d been expecting.
“Uh-hm. Hey, can I help you? Or are you just going to perv on the owner half the day?”
I turned my head to see a man in his thirties, with wooden ear gauges and green hair. “Actually, I was planning on perving on Zoe all day. I was hoping to talk to her though.”
We both went back to looking at Zoe on a step ladder, in a pair of tight jeans, as she reached for some multi-colored candles.
“Well, at least you’re honest, and you have good taste. My name’s Ernie.” He held out his hand.
“Adam Beckett,” I replied as I shook his hand.
“Holy shit, are you the guy who delivered her baby on the side of the road?”
I nodded.
“Dude.” He clapped me on the back. “That… That was the best. The idea of our Zoe alone in a ditch in a blizzard. Giving birth. I mean that’s kind of typical. But that you came along and manned up, that was amazing. Thank you. Stay right here.”
He moved faster than I would have expected, and was soon joined by a woman who looked dressed for a board meeting.
She was grinning from ear to ear. “Ernie told me that you’re the man who delivered Olivia.
Thank you so much. Zoe gets herself in perilous situations from time to time, so it was fabulous that you showed up when you did. ”
“Hey, Ernie!” Zoe hadn’t turned around; she was yelling at the wall.
“Yeah,” he yelled back.
“Hand me up some more candles. I want the taller ones, so they really show up.”
“Got you covered.” He turned back to me. “Duty calls.” Then he turned to the woman he’d brought out. “Leslie, he was perving on Zoe. Your mission is not to let him leave without making sure they set up a date.”
The blonde laughed. “Got it.”
Ernie jogged over Zoe’s way and Leslie turned to me. “My name’s Leslie Youngren. Ernie and I both report directly to Zoe, and then we manage any extra help she needs, which can be a lot when her online orders go crazy.”
“Hello.”
“So you’re the hero with the funny kid.”
I rubbed the back of my neck and grimaced. “I wouldn’t say hero, but I definitely agree to having a funny kid.”
“Where is he?”
“Right now he’s in a daycare that Carrie Lancaster recommended.”
“She’s good people, and she’d know what’s good.”
“Do you think your boss would have time for lunch or at least a cup of coffee?”
“Ernie and I could make that happen.” Leslie grinned.
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Hold on.” As Leslie walked over to where Ernie and Zoe were talking candles, a group of four ladies came into the store, and she greeted them. They started up a conversation with her, so I wandered over to where Zoe was.
“I don’t know, I think if you put the candles small, medium and large side-by-side they would make more of an impression, than doing it from front to back.” Zoe jerked on the ladder at the sound of my voice, but I was ready for her, and I caught hold of the ladder on either side of her hips.
“Adam, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d see if I could take you to lunch.”
Her expressions changed from surprise to pleasure and landed on a scowl.
“I haven’t heard from you in ten days. As you can see, I’m busy.”
“No she’s not.” Ernie said. “You’re right about how to display the candles, Adam. They’ll sell like crazy. Get down from there, Zoe. I’ve got this.”
Her annoyed expression turned from me to her employee.
“You do not have this. You have other things to do today. Darla and Wendy are coming in an hour. You need to get everything prepped for them.”
“They don’t need a damn thing prepped for them. When it comes to shipping orders, they run circles around me. Now come on off the ladder.”
“I don’t know, I kind of like you where you are.” I grinned up at her and Zoe realized what a great view I had of her butt.
“Both of you suck. Actually, men in general suck. Adam, get the hell out of my way.”
“Does that mean you’re going to have lunch with me?”
“As long as I’m back by one-thirty. I need to have a talk with one of our suppliers then.”
I stepped away from the ladder, and kept an eye on her as she stepped down. “I can promise that,” I assured her. “Where should I take you?”
“Down Home Diner,” three women’s voices called out. I looked around and saw that the ladies with Leslie had been listening in. They had opinions.
“Down Home Diner it is.”
“Let me get my bag,” Zoe said as she headed to the register.
“Dude, you haven’t been to Down Home? What’s the matter with you?”
“We’ve been living off room service and PB being observant is mandatory.”
Her shoulders loosened a little bit. “Well yeah, with James, you do have to be on your toes.”
“And Drake?”
She sighed. “Yeah, a lot of what I just said is the family schtick, or maybe more, my schtick.”
I saw Lettie coming toward us. “Have you decided what you’ll have?” she asked.
“Zoe?” I asked.
“I’ll have a turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes.”
“You want the mashed potatoes inside the sandwich, hun?”
Zoe looked up at her with a twinkle in her eye. “Is there any other way?”
“Cranberries too?”
“Of course.”
“You’ve got it.” Lettie turned to me. “And you?”
“I’ll have a hot pastrami sandwich, coleslaw on the side, and a cinnamon roll if you still have one.”
“We still have some.”
“I want one, too,” Zoe exclaimed.
“Two cinnamon rolls,” Lettie smiled. “I’ll bring them out first.”
“And extra icing and butter,” Zoe wheedled.
“Is there any other way?” Lettie winked. “I wouldn’t give you a cinnamon roll without extra icing and butter.” Lettie grinned down at her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Zoe turned back to me. “Okay, let’s make this quick.
When it comes to Drake, he went through heavy shit as a kid in our family.
We all did. Shit I really don’t want to talk about.
He is loyal and dependable, and he would kill or die for anyone he loves.
He’s always been a mouthy buttinsky so it’s easy to say he doesn’t have the skillset to be a psychologist, but really?
Really, he totally has the depth and heart to help others.
I think this is a wonderful path for him, and I would recommend him for anyone but me.
I would giggle too much in his office, but I would totally trust whomever he recommended me to go to. Did that cover it?”
“And did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Go to the person he recommended for you?”
“Luckily, I have the support network I need to get through the surrogate thing, at least so far, but if I don’t, I’ll reach out to him.”
“Here you go.” That time, I didn’t even notice that Lettie was coming our way.
“Thanks, Lettie,” Zoe waved to her as she placed the drinks and the cinnamon rolls in front of us. Then Zoe turned back to me. “Did I pass the mental stability test of our date?”
I winced.
“I—”
“If you try to deny it, I won’t go out with you again. I’m only giving you a pass on this because you’ve got to be careful about who you bring around your kid. But stay sharp, Beckett; I have some tests that you’re going to have to pass.”
“Oh fuck,” I muttered.
“Yep, that’ll be one of them,” she said.