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Not that he understood, but our pups did have a good time together. I was glad they got along because it'd royally suck if they didn't. Yes, I was briefly ignoring the fact that Spencer was now in front of me with a ten-watt smile on his face. Lord, baby Jesus, this man was fine.
"Good morning, sweets. I see my buddy, Beethoven, has you up early. Did you rest well? I heard Brenna took you out. Glad to see you're still alive."
Are you kidding me right now? Could he be any sweeter? Yes, he called me sweets. The first time he came into my shop, he said my sweets are mouth-watering, and he's called me that ever since. Before you ask, yes, I got the sexual innuendo he threw out there. He also knew Brenna too well, but really, she was a kick in the pants to hang with.
"Duty calls. When he jumps in my bed and starts licking my face, I know I've ignored him long enough. I've had better mornings, but Brenna is always a good time, so I can't complain too much."
Abel had a smirk on his face, so I wasn’t at all surprised when he said, "I bet Spencer would like to be the one in your bed, licking—"
Brenna cut him off with a smack to the head. Abel was a clown. He was always messing with everyone. I saw it as his way of showing his love and happiness with us all. The world needed more people like him, although we probably could only handle one Abel. He and Brenna were a perfect match too. It gave me hope that someday I'd find what they had. After I left Stefan, I was very much against ever letting another man have my heart. I was still leery but would rather try than be an old cat lady with a chip on my shoulder.
I laughed Abel's comment off, as he blew me a kiss. "You're lucky Brenna is my girl, or I'd smack you on the other side of your face. You big goof!"
Brenna gave me a quick hug, saying she needed to get to work, and Abel followed in line. Now it was just me and Spencer. Somehow this felt like a total setup on their part. I fidgeted with Beethoven's leash, not knowing what to say next. The man flustered me, and it has been a long time since I've had feelings for someone. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. It was silly, really; I'm a grown ass woman, for criminy sakes.
"You want to grab some breakfast with me? I know a great little place that serves fresh pastries and amazing coffee. You might know the owner, Dana?"
Funny guy. I agreed to meet him at Dana's shop, Sweet Escapes, in thirty minutes. I needed to take Beethoven home first, and get a shower in, as I had to open up my shop in a few hours. Hopefully, all the Karen's would stay home today, so I could have a better day than yesterday.
I took a quick shower, dressed in casual clothes, and got Beethoven settled in his crate. I didn’t trust him quite yet. I didn’t feel like coming home to any messy surprises, if you know what I mean. I know he's a year old, but I haven't had him that long, and he was still a puppy in my eyes. Plus, he didn’t seem to mind his crate. It helped that it was full of toys, food, and snuggly blankets.
When I got to Dana's shop, there was no sign of Spencer. Did he really stand me up? I knew it! It was the morning Medusa hair. I didn’t blame him, I mean, shit. I looked pretty ridiculous. I may as well head over to my shop and get things prepped for the day. Should I call Spencer and see what's up? Or should I act like it didn’t bother me and say nothing? If this was the kind of stress a coffee date brings on, how the hell was I going to get through an actual date? I'd been out of the game for a while now, and had no clue what the hell I was doing.
I was fumbling for my keys, as usual, when I saw another yellow note on my store front door. Dammit! It's been awhile since he’d left one, so I was praying his little game was over. I was wrong.
Good morning, beautiful. Just wanted to say you looked deliciously fuckable last night. My girl is back to her seductive ways, I see. I think you need a stern hand to teach you a lesson. Looking like a slut will only get you into trouble, Cynthia. Oh, and tell your new lover boy to keep his hands off my property!
Yours forever,
Stefan
Walking out into the middle of the street like a crazy person, I screamed as loud as I could, "I'm right here, you piece of shit! You hear me? I'm right fucking here!" I dropped to my knees, still screaming. I'd completely lost what little composure I had, and I was sure everyone was whispering about the nut job in the street. Did I care? Well, I'd be lying if I said no. Could I control the rage I was feeling? Hell, no.
I felt two strong arms lift me from the self-imposed pile of rubble I'd made with my body and the mess of tears, and carry me to my shop. I didn’t know how, but Spencer was able to unlock the door and still keep me bundled in his arms. I was going to owe him big time for this embarrassing rescue. He must think I was certifiable at this point. I doubted I was gaining any cool points, that's for sure.
"Jesus, Spencer, I'm so sorry you have to see me like this. Thank you for getting me out of the eye of all the old ninnies around here. They're going to have a heyday with this. You can set me down now. I promise I'm okay."
He set me down on my feet but didn’t let go of me. Putting two fingers under my chin, he lifted my head so I was looking at him straight in those beautiful blue eyes of his.
"Sweets? I wish you could see what I see when I look at you. I don't know much about your past, but I know you're a little ass kicker, even if you don't think so. Whoever this guy is that's pushing your buttons? Just know, he has one hell of a fight on his hands if he ever decides to show his pussy face around here. You know that, right? You're worth saving, sweets, remember that. You. Are. Worth. Saving."
Then he gently kissed me on the lips, and it was everything I never knew I needed. I'm worth saving. He's right. I knew he was right. I just had to believe it for myself, and I would.
"Thank you, you sweet man. Well, I guess this earned you a real date. What do you say? Still hot for Medusa?"
He laughed and looked a little confused, as he said, "Lead the way, my lady."
We could only move forward from here. Right?
Chapter 4
Dana
Apparently yesterday afternoon had led to a breakdown for my bestie. Today, I was going to find out why and what I could do to help.
I’d been swamped with questions from a few of our regular locals. Why was the candy shop closed all afternoon? What had happened to Cindy? Why was she so upset? And the best question of the day… Why was the hooligan with her? Did he make her upset?
I was assuming the hooligan Mr. Graham was speaking of was Spencer. I’d seen him on my camera feed heading toward her shop and them walking away together but not what set Cindy off to begin with.
