I get the sensation of a swarm of butterflies with Fourth of July sparklers in their wings in my stomach. When our kiss deepens, I hear my dad clearing his throat, and the two of us rapidly pull back. Unlike in front of the house, there’s no darkness that can hide the fact that we were just sucking face. We stand there looking like two guilty teenagers, and my father treats us as such.
“I don’t need to tell you that there will be no hanky panky happening here.”
Hanky panky?! I am mortified.
“Dad!”
“Not a problem, Mr. Waverly,” Drew concedes with hands raised. “I’m sorry.”
“How old are you, anyway?” my father gruffs.
“Dad!”
“Thirty-one,” Drew answers without hesitation.
“Hmm. You’re kinda up there in age.”
“And you were eight years older than Mom.” I immediately regret the bite in my words after I say them.
“You’re right.”
My dad exits the kitchen in silence, taking all the air with him.
I was beyond furious over my Dad’s cockblocking last night.
How dare he discourage Drew from being naughty?
The most I got after that was a quick goodnight peck on the lips before turning in. I barely got any sleep. Imagine having the man of your dreams under the same roof and not being able to touch him. He refused to sneak into my room and give me the one thing I’ve been so desperate to have for weeks. I’m sure he wanted the same thing, but he held back due to his respect for my father and for me.
Fuck—if that didn’t make me even hotter for this man.
When I left my bedroom after a restless sleep, Drew was already showered and dressed. We kissed goodbye before I had the chance to cook him and Dad breakfast.
The last thing he said before leaving for the airport was that he wanted me to come out and see him in San Francisco the weekend after next. He wants to send his jet for me so we can finally have an opportunity to spend some time together.
Now I’m standing in front of the window, staring out long after Drew’s rented Mercedes left the driveway. I’m desperately wishing that I left with him.
“Quenie—I’m sorry for the interruption last night.”
I turn and see my father standing a few feet behind me. I’m stunned by the apology, but I remain silent. He has that telltale look on his face that lets me know he has more to say.
“You want a bit of advice from your old man? Give New Guy a chance to earn your affection. Who knows, if he doesn’t step up, it might give Jake the chance to do right by you and fight to earn it back for himself.”
“Jake?” I scoff. “No way.”
“Never say never.” He shrugs.
“I’m saying ‘never’. He’s had three years, Dad. Three.”
“Well…whatever you do, don’t just give your heart to this Drew fella just because of what Jake did.”
“It’s not just about what Jake did. Drew has shown more interest in me in less than a week than Jake ever did.” I chuckle at the irony.
“At least let your heart heal first. Don’t make long-term decisions about love when your heart is still in a vulnerable state.”
My father has me floored. In all these years, he’s never shown any interest in my love life whatsoever. In all these years, he’s never shown any interest in my love life whatsoever, and he chooses now to offer unsolicited advice? I think it’s sweet of him to care so much about my heart, but I can’t disagree more about his stance on Jake versus Drew. I am on the verge of arguing with him, but then something clicks.
I met Drew right when I promised myself that I’d be more careful with my heart.
With that truth and my father’s words fresh in my mind, I hug him, thank him, and then head toward my room to start getting ready for work.
“Hey…come straight home after work. Grandma Donna wants us over for dinner.”
My mother’s mom. Grandma Donna has this way of making me forget everything the moment I enter her presence. Even though I saw her at my graduation, I’m excited to be seeing her again.
“Whoa, Nelly—that’s one killer tan! And that smile! Looks like the time away has done you some good.”
“Yes, it has. Thank you so much for suggesting that I take a break.” I grin.
Mr. Glass greets me with such warmth when I enter his office in the back of the store. His office isn’t what you’d expect in an area tucked away in the stockroom. It’s bright with modern office furniture and a wall-mounted sixty-inch television. On his desk are trophies from the local business association and from causes that Lenny’s Electronics has been a longtime supporter of. Also, on his desk are photographs of him with his wife and three kids, who are around my age. Mr. Glass is a kind soul who hardly shows any sign of aging.
“How about we start you back on inventory duty? I think it’ll help you get back in the swing of things…roaming from back here and the store floor. We’ll put you back in front of customers tomorrow. No need to throw you into the fire just yet,” he says kindly.
“Works for me.” I smile back.
I enjoy working with customers, but I love working on inventory even more. I can be in the zone scanning and checking off merch unless a customer taps me on the shoulder for some sort of direction. However, they don’t usually bother when I have my earbuds on, which I’m glad I have with me today. After leaving Mr. Glass’ office, I hook them up to my phone and rev up my playlist before placing the device in the pocket of my black slacks. I head towards the storage closet and greet two fellow gray polo shirts along the way. I grab a scanning gun and a clipboard, then start my work in the back.
Three hours later, I make my way out on the store floor. I’m glad for the change of scenery—replacing the dull lighting of the back room with bright fluorescents. Although I’ve been zipping around and staying busy, so has my mind. It doesn’t help all that much that I’ve had Mumford and Sons’ Little Lion Man on repeat for the past hour. Inside my chest, there’s this wave of hope mixed with a tinge of the ever-present hurt. The hope of Drew blended in with the hurt from Jake.
I make my way over to the digital cameras and begin scanning and checking off items on the clipboard when someone taps me on the shoulder. On instinct, I look ahead and then off to the side to see if Mark, Jill, or someone is working the area before I turn behind me to face the customer. My heart jumps the moment my sight lands on a set of familiar sky-blue eyes.
I yank the buds out of my ears, silently cursing Marcus Mumford and crew for summoning my very own little lion man with their international ‘I fucked up, babe’ anthem. Meanwhile, the determination evident in Jake’s eyes tells me that he’s pissing in the face of the cowardly lion inside of him.
He’s here, and he’s ready to fight.
“Whatareyoudoinghere?” Instead of five separate words, my question comes out in a belabored gasp.
I catch his forlorn expression before he turns his sunken mouth up into a boyish grin. Even though it appeared fast, the smile doesn’t seem contrived by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it’s as if he found a jolt of something from somewhere within. And whatever it is, it’s now knocking at my ribs and demanding hurt to step outside for a serious ass kicking.