Chapter 18 #2
“Do you know about our promotion today? If you buy two, the second is 30 percent off. Any other lucky lady in your life? A sister, or a mom maybe?”
By the time he walks away, he’s purchased two bouquets.
As I add them to my tally, Zoey sighs dramatically and bumps me with her hip on her way back to her spot.
“I swear you could sell weeds and people would throw their money at you.”
I’m about to retort when Justin steps up to the stand.
“Hey, man.” I check the time, surprised he’s stopping by so early, only to realize lunch break is already over.
“Just dropping by to say hi before I get back to work.” He leans in, giving me a conspiratorial grin, and nods toward Zoey. “Heard through the grapevine that you had company today.”
“Of course you did. Let me introduce you.” Time for our second game of the day. “Hey, Zoey.”
Hands in a crate of daisies, she peers back at me. “Yeah? Oh.” She straightens, brushing the dirt off her fingers, then steps closer. “Hi,” she says, sliding her hands casually into her back pockets. “Justin, right?”
Justin raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement tugging at his lips. “How come you know my name when all I’ve heard about you is that Matt found his dream girl?”
I sputter, nearly choking on my saliva.
“Wow,” she says with a laugh, unfazed. “Gossip sure moves quickly around here. But between you and me,” she adds, leaning in. “Your van gave you away.” She nods toward Justin’s construction van parked down the street, the one with his name and face plastered on the side.
“You gotta get rid of that thing, dude.” I let out a chuckle. “I don’t think it’s bringing you the kind of publicity you think it is.”
Justin shrugs. “I don’t know, man. Business is going pretty well. And it doesn’t hurt that it gets the ladies’ attention too.” He winks at Zoey.
She snorts in response, her eyes dancing.
“I’m right here,” I mutter, wrapping an arm around Zoey’s waist, pulling her to my side like a jealous asshole. I have to play my part, right?
“Calm down. I’m joking.” He holds both hands up.
“I’m calm,” I grumble.
I glance at Zoey, but her focus is stuck on Justin’s van. “So business is good, huh?”
“Yeah.” Justin shrugs again. “Can’t complain. Things are running pretty well.”
She narrows her eyes. “But could be doing better, am I wrong?”
I frown. What is she up to?
“Yeah. Well, you know.” He smooths his hair. “You always need more money when you’re your own boss.”
Zoey nods, her voice leaking confidence. “Absolutely. Especially when you have employees to take care of and raises to hand out every year. Not to mention the costs of material these days.” She scoffs. “Hello inflation, am I right?”
I hold back a snort. She’s brilliant. She carefully weaves a web until her target can no longer escape. Then she goes for the final blow.
“There may be a new lodge in the area soon,” she continues, her voice low, as if she’s spilling her secrets. “That would be a whole lot of work for your company.”
Justin narrows his eyes. “I’ve heard about it. I thought it got turned down.”
“Nope. And if it gets the green light, then you and I could talk about what it’d mean for your construction business.”
Justin chuckles awkwardly, his attention drifting to me. He shifts his weight like he’s ready to bolt.
“What’s the catch?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” she grins. “All I need is your vote at the next town meeting. Simple as that.”
I can see the wheels turning in Justin’s head as he considers his options. Finally, he lets out a long sigh. “All right. You’ve got me intrigued. I’ll think about it.”
She smiles, keeping the expression tame, but the way her leg shakes against mine betrays her excitement. “That’s all I ask.”
Once Justin is out of earshot, I turn and grasp her upper arms.
“You were fantastic.” I breathe. “The way you got him exactly where you wanted him? A master class.”
I don’t realize I’m jiggling her with each word until she laughs. The rich, spontaneous sound stops me cold.
She tilts her head back, and it’s like my whole world tilts with her.
“What?” she asks, her laugh fading in the breeze.
I swallow, my breath hitching in my throat. “Do it again,” I whisper, steadying her.
She searches my face, her brows pulled low in question. “Do what?”
“I want to hear you laugh again.”
Her frown deepens, her smile faltering. “I laugh all the time.”
I trace my thumb gently across her cheek, soaking in the heat of her skin. “Not like this. Not with your whole heart.”
Her expression shifts, a flicker of vulnerability peeking out from beneath the layers of her usual confidence.
Give me more , I want to tell her. I want more.
“No one has ever noticed that before,” she says thickly.
I lean closer, my chest pounding, and stroke her cheek again, as if this small touch could somehow coax her closer. “I do. I notice everything about you.”
She wraps her fingers around my wrist, holding on to me like she’s afraid I’ll slip away if she lets go.
Her eyes take a pleading edge. “Are we still pretending?”
I scoff, locked in on her completely. “Look around, Zoey. There’s nobody watching us.” Fingers threading through her hair, I tilt her face up. “I haven’t had to pretend for a while now,” I say, throat dry.
The truth is laid bare between us, pulsing in the thick tension we’re shrouded in. My heart slams against my ribs as the silence stretches.
How could I ever have believed she wanted to take advantage of our town the way her father wanted to? But behind that question come ten others. What if I’m wrong? What if she’s still stuck in her father’s shadow? What if she’s not ready? What if this is a repeat of what happened with Andie?
The silence is unbearable. Thankfully, she breaks it before my thoughts consume me, her voice barely above a whisper. “How about when we kissed on stage last weekend? Was that real too?”
“It—”
I’m cut off by a drop of water landing on her cheek. I chuckle, brushing it away with my thumb, but before I can blink, another one falls, and then another, each one coming faster than the last. A low rumble of thunder rolls overhead, and then, as if on cue, the sky breaks open.
“What the hell ?” I shout, my words barely audible over the roar of the rain, my laughter bubbling up despite the chaos unfolding around us.
Wind howls through the market, lashing the rain against our skin like needles. Within moments, we’re drenched, our clothes clinging to our body, water streaming down our faces.
“The flowers!” Zoey’s voice cracks through the din.
I turn, and my stomach drops. Dammit. The storm is already hammering the petals. “Shit, we have to get them in the van.”
I rush to the roses, hauling several pots, shielding them from the worst of the downpour as much as possible. Zoey’s already scooped up the daisies and dahlias, her feet slipping in the puddles as she bolts for the van.
“Matt, the tarp!” Her voice rises above the clamor, her eyes wide and fixed on something over my head.
I catch the tarp as it tears free of the ropes, snapping at me like a whip. I yank it into my grip, barely able to keep hold of the slippery material, and scramble to tie it to the pole.
“We have to pack everything up,” I shout. “You finish covering the flowers, and I’ll take care of the stand.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and Zoey.”
She halts mid-step, looking back at me, drenched to the bone, her hands shielding her face from the torrential downpour.
“My jacket is on the back seat. Put it on.”
An amused smile stretches on her lips. “Thanks, but have you seen me?” With the soaked wool of her cardigan pinched between her fingers, she laughs. “A little late for that, I think.”
It takes ten minutes to pack everything into the van and dismantle our stand. All around us, the market is a frenzy of rushing vendors and drenched customers darting for cover.
“Let’s find shelter,” I tell Zoey once we’ve salvaged all we can.
“Where?” she shouts over the pounding rain.
I point to a spot down the street where the shops are all tucked under alcoves, then hold out my hand. “Over there. Ready?”
Without hesitation, she slips her palm against mine. Her freezing skin sends a small jolt up my arm.
“Three. Two. One. Go,” I shout.
We bolt for the street, laughing as we dodge puddles, rain pelting us the whole way.
“This weather is crazy ,” she shrieks between spurts of laughter.
I can’t hear much beyond the rush of water, but I don’t need to.
Her face says it all. Her eyes squinted from the deluge, her mouth wide open in a laugh that’s more wild and free than I ever imagined it could be.
Her wet hair clings to her cheeks the way her clothes cling to her body, but she’s lit up brighter than I’ve ever seen her.
She’s running without a care in the world, and the sight will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life.
I don’t know how it’s possible, but time slows, as if the universe knows how desperately I want to savor this moment.
For a few quiet beats, it’s just Zoey. The real Zoey.
A version of her I don’t think she’s ever realized exists.
And I’m the lucky bastard who gets to experience her like this.
It’s enough to make my chest a little tight.
And just like that, time bends and snaps back to the present, and I’m running at full speed again, Zoey dragging me along, her fingers still tangled with mine.
When we finally reach the alcoves, out of breath, she doesn’t let go of my hand. Her chest rises and falls, and mine follows the same pattern.
I can’t tear my eyes away from her. I don’t want to.
“You haven’t answered me,” she heaves, gulping down air.
With my free hand, I smooth the hair out of my face. “About what?”
She steps closer, the words heavy on her lips. “About our kiss. Was it real?”
I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”
My answer hangs between us, raw and electric, a spark so powerful it could set the whole world on fire.
She’s so close to me.
I could bend down and kiss her.
Not like I’m about to fuck her into the wall. Not in front of a room full of people.
No. Kiss her like nobody’s watching.
Like it’s just the two of us.
My gaze drifts to her parted lips, and without a second thought, I grasp her waist, bringing her flush to me. “Can I kiss you for real now?”
Her breath hitches and she steadies herself by gripping my arms. She tilts her face up, her fingers roaming over my chest, then intertwining behind my neck. I shiver. “Yes.”
I close the rest of the distance between us and finally kiss her like she was always meant to be kissed.
Slow and unhurried. Soft and lazy.
The first time I kissed Zoey, I didn’t know anything about her, except how beautiful and stubborn she was. I was kissing a stranger that I thought I’d never see again. No connection behind the obvious physical attraction. Just a tangle of wet lips and instant gratification.
The second time I kissed Zoey, I wanted to do so much more, but my restraint kept me on a tight leash. I could tell behind that soft peck that she was hungry for more, but it didn’t feel right to give in, knowing she didn’t have any clarity regarding how much I truly wanted her that day.
Kissing Zoey now is a whole new experience. One I may never come back from. She tastes like rain and promises.
She’s not a stranger anymore. I’ve spent the last two weeks peeling the layers off, stripping away the hard shell, and uncovering versions of her I’ve never met, ones that she had forgotten. And each one makes me want her even more.
Kissing Zoey now is kissing the woman she’s always wanted to be.
There’s no hesitation or second-guessing in the way she responds. She takes what she wants, as if I’ve denied her the possibility all along, and now she’s starving for it.
She tightens her arms around my neck, pressing herself closer until there’s not one inch where her body doesn’t touch mine.
I groan against her lips, sliding my fingers into her damp hair and tilting her head so I can savor her better.
She lets out her own throaty whimper, and now, all I want to know is how to get her to make that sound again.
She deepens the connection, licking into my mouth, her hand curling around the back of my neck.
I jolt at the ice-cold sensation. “You’re freezing.”
“I d-don’t care.” She kisses me again.
“Zoey.” I grasp her upper arms. “You’re gonna catch a cold.”
Her fingers rap against my ribcage, fisting my soaked shirt in her grip. “I don’t c-care,” she repeats.
“I do.”
Her mouth is back on mine, and I forget what I was arguing about, losing myself in the abandoned way she clings to me.
But rational thought wins out after a moment.
“Wait.” I pull myself away with the last shred of willpower I have left. “No more kissing until we get someplace warm and dry.”
She pouts, her sigh almost impossible to hear over the rain still beating down. “F-f-fine.”
I curse under my breath. If she wasn’t trembling like a leaf, the blueish color of her lips would be a dead giveaway that she’s freezing.
“You’re unbelievable. You’re gonna die from pneumonia if you stay in these wet clothes in the fucking cold for one more second, and you’re really pouting at me right now? ”
She shrugs, her teeth clattering. “Wo-o-orth i-it.”
My heart drums impatiently in my chest. We need to get warm, and fast. “Come on.” I lace my fingers with hers. “Ready to run again?”
“C-can’t we k-k-kiss inst-tead?”
I shake my head, unable to keep from smiling. I’m fucking soaked and cold. The wind bites at my skin, and my wet hair snaps at my cheeks like frozen whips. But I couldn’t care less. The thought of Zoey wanting nothing more than to kiss me warms me more than any fire ever could.
Thumb brushing over her cold hand, I lean in. “Once you’re dry and comfortable, we’ll do whatever you want.”
She gives me that look, the one that says she’s not going to make this easy. So I tug her toward me, grazing my lips against hers quickly, just enough to make my pulse throb. “There,” I say. “Now, let’s go.”
This time, I drag her into the rain before she has a chance to negotiate.