Me: Hey, it's Dove from the coffee shop. Wanted to make sure you knew where I worked and what time I get off.
I stare down at the phone thinking he’ll text me back right away, but there’s no response.
"He's probably busy, honey."
"Yeah," I agree halfheartedly. Sue gives my arm a squeeze and we both get back to work. I start putting flowers together, getting lost in the job until Luke comes in to pick up some orders for delivery. I help him carry some outside, making sure the balloons don't tangle as we load them into the truck.
When I walk back in I come up short when John is blocking my path. He’s actually making eye contact with me.
"Can I use your phone? Mine isn't working," he asks.
"Yeah, sure." I walk over to the counter where I left it and put in my code real quick, then hand it to him. He looks down at the phone and hands it back to me without making a call.
"Looks like you got some missed texts." He turns and walks away.
"I thought you needed to use it," I yell to his retreating back.
"I forgot I already had the part I needed. Don’t need to call anyone," he throws back without looking at me.
I glance at Sue, who just shrugs like she has no idea.
When I see the texts, my heart flutters at all the responses.
Beau: Sorry, sunshine, I was in a meeting.
Beau: I'll be at the flower shop at 5.
Beau: I can't wait to see you.
Beau: I’ve been thinking about you a lot today.
Beau: Dove?
"Oh my god, he texted me five times," I squeal. "That means he's excited, right?" I look at Sue, who is bouncing on her toes.
"I would think so," she laughs.
Me: I'll be ready!
I pause for a second, wanting to tell him more, but I need to try and play it cool. I’m new at this, but I don’t want to go overboard too fast. My face hurts from all the smiling. I don't know how I'm going to make it until tonight. I'm excited and nervous all in one.
Deciding to distract myself with work, I pick up more orders and see the one on top and roll my eyes. We get orders from this guy almost twice a week. Always two dozen white roses. They never have a note on them. Just the name, B. Heart, and it goes to a different woman every time.
It reminds me what dogs men can really be. Heck, for all I know Beau could be a player. My stomach rebels against the idea of it. He's so sweet. My mind can't wrap around the idea that I'm a conquest to him. We've been dancing around each other for weeks. Would a man who is after a quick lay do that?
"What's that look for?" Sue asks.
"I'm terrible at this dating thing. I'm already second-guessing everything. What if he's a player or something? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I fall hard for him and he breaks my heart?"
"Slow down, sugar."
"Maybe I should cancel," I blurt out, and my phone vibrates with another message.
"You're not canceling," Sue says in a stern voice.
I try to ignore all these crazy thoughts in my head and glance down at my phone.
Beau: You'll be lucky if I'll be able to let you go tonight.
"Doesn't sound like someone looking for a one-night stand," Sue says, looking over my shoulder, and I bite my lip. "He sounds like he's all in."
I hope she's right because I’m pretty sure I'm already falling in love.
Six
BEAU
I drop my phone onto my desk and run my hands through my hair. It’s a habit I've formed since meeting Dove, and it’s something I need to work on. I try to give nothing away when it comes to what I feel. It works well in the courtroom, but Dove gets me out of sorts.
When I saw I had a missed text from her that was thirty minutes old I got worried and kept texting her. Then when I didn’t get a response, I got desperate and called my plant at the shop, John, to do something about it. I got a message from him that my little sunshine was having second thoughts. Thinking I might be some kind of player or something. The thought is fucking laughable. If I'm not working I'm either in the gym working out, or in my bed alone. Sleep has been avoiding me lately because when I lie down all I can think about is Dove. It’s impossible to sleep with my body aching from head to toe. The ache harder in a couple of key places, but I can only jerk off so many times before I’m frustrated.
I've been drowning myself in more work to try and free myself from all these overwhelming urges. It’s my only option until I can have her in my arms. Permanently.
I'm thankful that Mrs. Barton's husband settled, because that’s one less thing I have to worry about. I passed the case over to be finished by a paralegal on my team because I wanted her out of my space as soon as possible. Divorce law has started to wear me down. I used to love my job, but I've lost the passion for it lately.
My mind floats back to Dove. Just the thought of her can somehow make everything okay. I need her more than she’ll ever know. She's the light that takes away the darkness that’s closing in on me lately.
I click on my emails and let myself fall back into work as much as I can. My eyes go to the clock almost every ten minutes, and I can’t force myself to stop. It’s dragging on and I try not to pace, but I’m going to explode. When I see it's four o'clock I'm out of my chair and heading for the door. Time be damned.
When I walk out Katie hands me my suit jacket. "Let's call it a day," I tell her. She gives me a knowing smile but doesn’t call me out for leaving early, which is something I've never done in my life.
Samuel is moving as I make my way toward the elevator. "Hang back when I get to her. I'm taking her home with me. We won’t be leaving again after that.”
“Yes, sir."
It doesn't take me long before I'm outside the florist shop. I’m early, but I literally can’t be still right now. Once I’m there, my jaw clenches when I see her through the window. She’s laughing at something the delivery boy said.
I take a deep breath, getting myself under control. I don't want to go in with a pissed off look on my face, but I nearly lose my cool when I see his eyes go to her legs. Yeah, I'm going to have to do something about him.
I push into the store even though I'm early. I don't care. I'll watch her work if I need to. I want to be close to her. I have to. Everything inside me is pulling me to her, and I can’t stop it.
Her eyes come to me when a bell sounds as I enter. She smiles and it lights up her face. She takes me by surprise when she half-runs at me and does a cute little hop and lands in my arms. I pull her into me, smelling her sweet scent and enjoying the feeling of her pressed against me. Her feet dangle a few inches off the ground, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst from my chest.
I give the little shit the death glare over her shoulder. The woman who owns the shop, Sue, fights a smile, not missing what I did. I’m thankful she finds it funny.
"I've been so excited all day," Dove says. "I’m probably not supposed to tell you that, right? I’m supposed to be playing it cool.” She pulls back to look at me, and like always her cheeks are a soft pink that's becoming my favorite color.