“Does he have a brother? Because I’m ready to drink from whatever fountain you’re tasting.”
“Sorry. Only child.”
“Of course he is.” She stops again, holding her arms out to her sides and looking up at the sky when she yells, “What does a girl have to do to meet a good man in this city with a steady job and a semi-decent face, who doesn’t want to dip and ditch?!”
I grab her forcefully and pull her to walk again, away from the woman with her dog, staring at us like Charity is a mental patient. “Maybe you need to ditch the dating apps.”
“And what, start randomly texting guys to see if they’re single?”
I shrug. “Worked for me.”
She lowers her chin and stares up through curved brows, as if to say, Fuck you, Amy, and the white knight you humped last night.
“Teasing. Kind of. Swiping left and right isn’t getting you anywhere. Maybe you need to hit the clubs like Shawn. He always has a girlfriend.”
“That’s because he’s hot.”
Now, it’s my turn to freeze and face her with a wild expression. “You think Shawn’s hot?”
She points a finger at my face. “If you ever tell him that, I’ll kill you.” With a sway of her hair, she starts to walk again. “That man’s ego is already huge.”
“I knew you felt something for him.”
She waves a hand in dismissal. “No. I was just making a point, and you can’t deny that he’s not a catch.”
“I suppose you’re right. He does make a steady paycheck, has more than a semi-decent face, and probably won’t … what was it? Dip and ditch?”
“Mock away, my friend. My standards are starting to become lower and lower. Did you know that in Philly, there’s point-seven-six-nine men to every woman? I can’t even get a whole man! I have to share a piece of him with some other broad who’s also looking for her true love!”
A car drives by and honks at us, the driver screaming obscenities about our butts. We both turn and give him the finger as he rolls on by.
“Where is my Romeo? When am I going to find someone to snuggle and watch movies with? To take me dancing and laugh with?”
Poor Charity. She might come off needy to some, but she’s just vulnerable to love. She wants it badly. It breaks my heart for someone so beautiful, successful, and fun to still be on the lookout for her guy.
I snake my arm around her shoulders and pull her in as we stroll. “Tell you what. I’ll ask Sebastian if he has any friends. There’s a whole law firm of men. I bet he can find someone who has Romeo potential.”
She grips my hand that’s resting on her shoulder and perks up. “A lawyer, huh? I can definitely go for some courtroom role-play in the bedroom.”
I laugh loudly. “That’s my girl.” I give her the flowers in my hand, which makes her smile in thanks.
Charity takes off for her apartment while I head back to my place. The gym is bustling today, but I sneak into my secret door without a strange look, making sure to lock it behind me since Shawn isn’t coming in.
I put on some music and tie my apron on, getting to work on making extra-dark truffles. I grab a cutting board, metal bowl, and Santoku knife. The chocolate bars are in a box on the counter, so I unload the bricks of semisweet chocolate and start chopping it up. The trick to successful truffles is to get the chocolate into very small pieces. The finer the chocolate chunks, the quicker they are to melt.
I’m getting things ready while singing along to the music when there’s a ring at the back door. I look at my phone to see a man on my Ring app, holding a bouquet of flowers toward the camera. After I wipe my hands on the side of my apron, I head toward the door to see who it is.
“Delivery for Amy Morgana.” He hands a large vase to me with an impressive assortment of sunflowers, and I falter a little, not prepared for how heavy it is.
“Wait one second,” I command. I put the vase down on a table and then rush over to my purse to grab money for a tip. I hand it over, and then I close the door behind me and look at the arrangement.
It’s covered in cellophane and tissue paper, so I peel away the decoration and remove the card that’s stapled onto it.
A little something to brighten your day.
—Sebastian
A giggle escapes my lips. It’s so ridiculous since I’m alone, but this guy has totally gotten under my skin in the best way. I place the flowers closer to the window and throw out the excess paper. Then, I snap a picture to send to him.
A beautiful display of flowers just arrived.
Looks like you have an admirer.
Shame for him because I met this very handsome,
very loyal lawyer who has whisked me off my feet.
Sounds like a catch.
If not a little cocky. ;-)
I’ve heard cocky can be very good …
My teeth are gripping my lower lip as I let out a frustrated growl. Sebastian put the brakes on us fooling around, and it’s all I can think about. I’m usually not the one who is desperate to jump into bed with a man, but this wild and crazy energy has taken over me lately, and I’m dying to move things to the next level with him.
I’d love to see you tonight.
I’m making truffles … are you interested in trying them?
Death by chocolate and a beautiful woman.
How can I say no?
You can’t.
I’ll even whip you up my famous lobster bisque.
I’ll bring wine.
Make it a champagne blanc.
And I’ll come to you. My place isn’t the best for company.
Lucky for you, my place is.
See you at eight.
There’s a knock at the back door as I slide my phone into my back pocket. I lean over and open it, only to try to close it immediately when I see Hardin on the other side.
“What the hell, Amy?!” Hardin pushes his palm against the door, halting me from closing it fully. “Are you trying to take my hand off?”
I let out a deep, exasperated breath and reluctantly open it up. “You’re lucky I haven’t tried to cut something else off. What do you want?”
He’s standing in the alley, looking devilishly rugged, wearing a black leather jacket over a blue T-shirt, and his dark hair is styled back, which is kinda cute.
“I’m here because Gerry won’t return the security deposit.”
I balk at the audacity of him coming here with this gripe. He’s flustered, too, like he can’t imagine why the landlord would hold on to our funds.
“You skipped out on two months’ rent.”
“So?”
“And you trashed the place!”
“It wasn’t trashed. That sink was old as fuck. I called him and told him it fell off the wall. He’s the landlord. He should deal with it.”
I place a hand on my hip while the other runs up and down my face, flabbergasted by his reaction. I try to hold back, but I can’t.
“You rat bastard!” I’ve been dying to yell at him. I suppose now is as good a time as any. “Get it through your thick skull that you can’t bail out on rent, especially when the lease is in my name. You haven’t a clue what I’ve been through to save my credit from getting destroyed because of your carelessness.”