AllFreeNovel
Share Us
So, this is it? This is how it ends?
Not a chance.
Nine
Olivia
On a scale of one to ten of royally screwing things up, I am at an eleven. I kissed him. I actually flipping kissed him. I did more than just kiss him if I am being honest with myself.
What was I thinking? Okay, I wasn’t.
How could I have been when he looked so good, smelled so good, felt so good? My pulse quickens, remembering last night. Shit, I need a distraction from the hotness that is Parker. And fast.
Whatever this is between us, it can’t go anywhere. He doesn’t even live in the same zip code as me and he’s probably halfway home to New York by now. Plus, we are complete opposites. I’m ready to settle down in Reed Point while he is still the epitome of a bachelor. The thought turns my stomach.
I run my fingers over my lips remembering the way he kissed me, the memory seared in my mind. I have never in all my life been kissed like that and the way he touched me set my body on fire. His muscular body, hard and toned, those thick arms that I could have stayed wrapped up in all night long. Why is it suddenly hot in here?
I sigh, trying and failing to shake the memory from my mind. He looked so sexy in his fitted button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tempting me all night with his tanned, toned forearms. Why is that particular body part such a turn on?
No one has ever made me feel the way that Parker does, and I hope that I didn’t make the biggest mistake of my life leaving him last night.
I take a sip of my coffee as the morning sun peers through my window, feeling the sleepless night I had just endured. I found my phone and my purse waiting for me inside my apartment when I arrived back home last night. Thankfully, the girls had dropped them off at some point in the night using the touchscreen keypad I had installed after locking myself out of the house one too many times. Kate, Ellie and my mother all know the code in case of an emergency.
I am scrolling through my phone, trying to distract myself at the bar in my kitchen, when a text pops up from Ellie.
ELLIE: So whose bed did you wake up in this morning?
ME: If I told you I’d have to kill you ;)
ELLIE: Spill it Loosey Liv.
ME: This angel slept in her own bed all by herself. Now apologize right now.
ELLIE: WTF! You didn’t hit that? You let that man get away? You must be regretting that decision this morning.
ME: You would know, you’re the queen of morning regrets. I’ve seen you walk into work in the same clothes you had on the night before more times than I can count. It’s not a good look.
ELLIE: That depends on who you ask. I say it’s called living the good life, Liv. You should try it sometime. I guess you found your purse and phone?
ME: Got them, thanks. See you at work. Gotta go, you’re breaking up. Service sucks here, Byeee!
By the time Parker and I made it back to the restaurant last night, our friends were already gone, which was a good thing because I wasn’t in the mood for company. I also felt a bit embarrassed after ditching my friends to follow a guy I knew I could never have.
Parker had offered to drive me home and since it was that or a taxi, I accepted. It was a quiet and awkward ride. I did my best to avoid eye contact by staring out my window, wanting to get back to my apartment as fast as possible.
He was a perfect gentleman though, walking me right to my doorstep. He didn’t push me to talk, or try to kiss me goodbye, but the wrecked look in his dark eyes as I said goodnight almost broke me.
I went inside and closed the door behind me, then slid my back down the cool wood to the floor in tears.
* * *
Mondays are my favorite day at Bloom, a chance to get organized and plan our week. I contemplated taking today off, but decided the distraction will be good for me. I also didn’t want to make Ellie shoulder the day’s workload, so I stopped feeling sorry for myself, got myself ready and made the 10-minute drive to Bloom.
We need to put several orders through to our suppliers for some bigger events coming up, including a launch party for a new local up-and-coming magazine that has been getting a ton of buzz. We are excited to be included in the launch and about the publicity it could bring to Bloom, potentially expanding our clientele to the east coast. The magazine had agreed to a feature article about us in their new publication.
The phone rings and Ellie gets to it before I do, so I continue to go through our orders for the week. After a few minutes, she ends the call and meets me at the worktable where I’ve set up a makeshift desk to sift through outstanding contracts.
“That was Meadow Flowers. Our order is ready, but they can’t deliver because their delivery truck has a flat tire. One of us needs to do the pickup if we are going to make that deadline. You or me, let’s rock-paper-scissors.”
