Chapter 28
From the minute Blake unlocked the doors of his new store Wednesday, he was swamped. The ads and radio spots had done their jobs. If not for Ross and Joanie helping with bike rentals, sales of cycling peripherals and bike orders from customers eager to buy, he’d have been in trouble.
As busy as he was, he kept an eye out for Vi. Knowing she’d be coming from work, he didn’t expect to see her till late in the afternoon. He looked forward to celebrating with her and the team.
Earlier, Ross’s girlfriend had stopped by. She seemed nice, and Ross was clearly crazy about her. Which amped up Blake’s eagerness to see Vi.
By six o’clock, business had slowed down enough to relax. Blake ordered dinner for the three of them delivered from Hastings. Not long after they finished, a fresh crowd of biking enthusiasts showed up.
“I thought Vi was coming,” Ross said when things quieted down again. “We close in less than an hour.”
“She has that new job and is real busy,” Blake explained. “She’ll be here.” But he was beginning to wonder. Something unexpected at DD Telecom might keep her from showing in time. “Let’s straighten up in here.”
They were hard at work when the door opened and Vi finally arrived.
Ross and Joanie greeted her with smiles. “You made it,” Ross said. “You can finally stop checking the time every few minutes, Blake.”
He gave a sheepish grin. He was awful glad to see her and relieved she’d made it. “Busy day?” he said, fighting to keep his hands off her.
“Pretty bad, but I survived. You got a haircut.”
“Finally, right? Thought I should.”
“Looks good.” She glanced around. “The store looks really good. Those are beautiful flowers.”
“They’re from Grandpop and Caroline.”
“So nice of them. Wish I’d thought of that.”
“I didn’t expect you to. Your being here is gift enough.” He smiled into her eyes, but she didn’t seem to notice. He sensed that once again, she’d pulled back. In the past, he’d put the blame on fatigue, but it’d happened enough that he was beginning to wonder what the real problem was.
“Was today as busy as you expected?” she asked.
“From the midday sales report, better. We’ll find out more when we get the final tally after closing. I couldn’t have made it through the day without these two,” he said, jerking his thumb at his employees. “You guys are the best.”
Joanie beamed. “I’m going to like working here. You’re a darned good boss.”
“What she said,” Ross agreed.
Joanie glanced at the wall clock. “We close in twenty minutes. Mind if I print out the numbers now?”
Figuring they wouldn’t see any more customers that night, Blake nodded. “Go ahead. You may as well get the deposit ready, too.” He doubted they’d taken in much cash, as most customers paid with a card or by phone, but some had pulled out their wallets or written checks. “Why don’t you restock the merchandise, Ross. If you’re hungry, there are cookies left,” he told Vi as his staff prepared to close for the day.
“I ate at my desk. Can I talk to you for a minute? In private.”
Maybe she’d warm up again and congratulate him with a steamy kiss or three. Blake nodded. “Let’s go into my office.” He shut the door and started to reach for her.
Holding up both hands palms out, she stopped him. “Not now or I’ll lose my nerve.”
“Uh, what?”
“Just listen, okay?”
With her chin high and a fiery glint in her eyes, she was spectacular. Also somewhat intimidating. No telling what she’d say. He sucked in a breath and nodded for her to go ahead.
After murmuring something about self-confidence, she squared her shoulders. “We haven’t known each other long, yet sometimes it feels like years. You’re easy to talk to, and we laugh a lot.”
He wanted to add that the sex was amazing, but kept quiet.
“Here’s my question. Do we have a chance at a real relationship?”
“Aren’t we in one of those now?”
“I mean a relationship with a future.”
Talk about blindsiding him. His mind stumbled around, searching for an answer. She stared at him expectantly. “Where did that come from?” was all he came up with.
“Just answer the question.”
At the moment, impossible. “I really like you, Vi. You know that.”
“But?”
“I won’t lie. It’s too soon to commit.”
“I’m aware of your feelings, but that’s not what I’m asking about. I want to know if in the furthest stretch of your imagination you see a future for us.”
Heck if he knew. Hadn’t thought that far ahead. “This is a complete surprise. Can I let you know later?”
“Sure.”
The way she said it and the dismissive flick of her hand prompted him to ask another question. “We’ll still see each other in the meantime, right?”
“I don’t think so, Blake.”
Oh, man. “But you said…I thought…When did you decide this?”
“The day after the wedding. The vows Gran and Malcom exchanged and the obvious love between them really made me think. I want to be with a man interested in settling down and starting a family.”
He couldn’t have been more stunned if she’d sprouted a tree on her head. He realized his jaw was on the floor and shut his mouth.
“Call me when you’ve made up your mind.”
“We can’t see each other till then?” he repeated.
“I don’t think so. Congratulations on the store opening. I’m glad it’s a success.”
She exited his office, said goodbye to Ross and Joanie, and left.
After Vi’s unexpected departure,Blake’s two employees stared at him with mixtures of sympathy and confusion. “You eavesdropped,” he accused them.
“Didn’t need to,” Joanie said. “We heard it all.”
Should’ve thought of soundproofing.
Ross shook his head. “By the look on your face, she crushed you.”
“I’m in shock,” Blake admitted. “She caught me totally by surprise.”
“That was obvious. You blew it, man.”
Blake scrubbed his hand over his face. “It just happened and hasn’t sunk in yet, so lay off.”
Joanie bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Blake. I think I know what Vi’s talking about. Jack and I have been happily married for almost twelve years, but there was a time while we were dating when I got tired of us going along, getting along without any idea if he wanted a future with me. I asked him if we were ever going to get married. Like you, he didn’t have an answer. We broke up for almost three months before he wised up.”
Blake doubted Vi expected a proposal. It was way too soon for that, and they both knew it. Wanting to be alone, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Give me the printout, Joanie, and go home. You, too, Ross. I’ll make the deposit tonight. Thanks again, both of you.”
Minutes later, they left. The numbers were thirty-two percent higher than he’d anticipated. Great news, but at the moment, he was too numb to care.