Forgetting Yesterday (10 page)

It felt good, finally, to make
my dad smile.

“I got a job, too,” I said, not admitting that Claire and I had a rather unorthodox agreement in place. While it was new, it was currently working well for both of us.

“You did?” he asked. “Good for you! What are you doing?”

“I’m working with Claire.”

“She owns that flower shop, don’t she?” he asked.

“She does. Mostly I’m doing bookwork right now. Her financial records were a mess. But now I’ve gotten them pretty cleaned up so I’ve started helping with other things. I run with the deliveries and lately I’ve been taking some orders.” I laughed. “She won’t let me touch the flowers and I won’t complain about that. She’s the one with the real artistic talent. But we’ve just started talking about a new mark
eting plan. She’d really like for me to get a website up and running. I’ve had a few ideas about that, mostly just different gifts that can be purchased in addition to floral arrangements. I’m really excited to get started on that,” I admitted.

I’d started looking through some of her supply catalogs. I’d started tracking items I thought would be popular online, items that would nicely complement floral arrangements for every event imaginable. I was anxious to get started on the website but she hadn’t been joking. Summer was a busy time. Even so, I had an appointment scheduled for the following week with a computer programmer.

Dad chuckled. “You sound excited. I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that things are falling into place. Claire, she’s always been such a sweet girl. You two are a good pair. I’m glad she was able to take you on.”

“Well, that’s part of the reason I haven’t been able to make it back to town. The problem is that right now is her busy season.
Most Saturdays are especially crazy. She’s closed on Sundays though, so I was thinking maybe pretty soon I could make a quick, day trip.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

We spoke for a long while. The entire time, I was overcome by a mixture of emotions. I felt guilty for how I’d avoided my dad for so long. But it felt good to be taking a step in the right direction.

We ended the call with a promise to keep in touch.

It was a promise that I was absolutely going to keep.

“Go ahead,” Sean said, “get another. I’m driving you ladies home for a reason. What more do you need for an excuse?”

I
thought that over for just a second.

“Besides,” he said with a grin, “I’m sure you both deserve it. I’m sure
Claire’s been working you hard.”

“Oh, yeah, she’s real hard to work for
,” I said with a laugh. I’d been helping out at the shop for almost a month now. I’d straightened out the books, for the most part. I’d also been running deliveries to their destinations. I was quickly coming to know the town inside and out.

Dottie still came in on a daily basis and it was easy to see why Claire kept her around. Her arrangements were beaut
iful and she made it known regularly just how much she loved her job.

I loved the gingersnaps she brought in.

Alex had called a few more times over the past few weeks. I blew off the messages both times but was now regretting it. The last time he’d called had been earlier in the week. And now, I wished I’d called him back immediately because it felt like too much time had passed to finally pick up the phone.

Yeah, I could use another drink. Not to drown my sorrows but to maybe drown out the feeling of frustration I felt with myself.

I glanced at Claire with a questioning look.

She
held up her nearly empty glass. “Count me in.”

We
were at The Bear’s Den Tavern. It was a Friday night. Claire and Sean had talked me into joining them. I had declined at first. No one wants to be the odd girl out. But they’d been persistent. Finally, they won me over when they told me the burgers were the best in town. After trying one, I thought they were probably right.

Not to mention that Claire was right, I wasn’t doing myself any favors by hiding out at home, wallowing.

Sean had offered to be the designated driver. Since he didn’t seem to mind in the least, Claire and I had gladly accepted. Now we were both on the verge of feeling pretty damn good. I realized I should listen to Claire more often.

The girl gave good advice.

I glanced around. Our waitress hadn’t checked in on us for a while. A long while. Too long, I decided.

“I’ll just go up to the bar and order,”
I said as I slid out of the booth. “Otherwise we might be waiting awhile.”

I
gingerly moved through the crowd. The place hadn’t been too packed when we’d first arrived. It was sure filling up now, though. I assumed it would only become more crowded as the night wore on. I skirted around the mob near the pool tables and edged my way to the bar.

The bartender was
in the middle of mixing a drink. I perched my elbows up on the countertop, patiently awaiting my turn. Occasionally I was jostled by the ebbing mass of people behind me.

After sliding a pair of drinks to the patron directly in front of him, the bartender glanced at
me. He held up a finger indicating he’d be a moment. I nodded and he turned to someone whom I assumed had gotten there before me.

I
already knew I was ordering an amaretto sour but as I waited, my eyes scanned the bottles lining the shelves. There wasn’t much else to do. My subconscious must’ve latched onto the glimpse I caught of Alex moments before it registered in my brain. My heart began thrashing and it took me a split second to figure out why.

I
caught a glimpse of his tan skin, dark eyes, and serious expression as he worked his way through the crowd. I noted the intense way his eyes were narrowed, the stubborn way his jaw was set. I noted all of this in the mirror on the back wall as he quickly worked his way toward me. I was trapped, really, with the bar in front of me and people on each side. The only direction that led anywhere was straight behind me, the direction Alex was coming from.

My
immediate thought was to flee. I thought about it a few seconds too long, trying to formulate an escape route out of nothing. Then it was a moot point because he was there, directly behind me.

His firm body
was pressed into mine. He slid one arm around my waist and used his other to brace against the bar. I was trapped for real now, held tightly in a cage made by his arms.

I
shivered as his hot breath hit my ear.

“I didn’t peg you for the kind of girl that was into random hookups
,” he said, keeping his voice low.

Though
my back was to his front, our gazes tangled in the mirror straight ahead. I instinctively tried to lurch forward, out of his grip. Not that I had anywhere to go. The bar was inches in front of me. It wouldn’t have mattered. He had a steel grip on me with the arm that was wrapped around my waist. It was obvious he had no intention of letting me go.

I
turned my head slightly, hoping for at least minimal privacy. Not that anyone was paying any attention to us. Not in this crowded place. But still, this wasn’t something I wanted to discuss in public. Apparently it hadn’t been something I wanted to discuss in private either. If it had been, I would’ve called him back.

Right then, I was wishing I
had
called him back. Then I could’ve avoided this unexpected encounter.

“I’m
not
that kind of girl,” I truthfully told him. Hell, that was the reason I’d left that morning. My humiliation led the way right through the front door. “I don’t do random hookups, either. That was a first for me.”

“Is that so?” he asked.

I
nodded as my gaze dropped to the floor.

“Don’t start being shy with me now,” he whispered.
There was an edge to his voice. One I wouldn’t have guessed him capable of. “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” His mouth moved in, close to my ear. I felt his lips brush against my earlobe. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was buried deep inside you. You had your legs wrapped around me. And you were screaming my name. Now you can’t bother to talk to me?”

He raised his eyebrows at that
. It was surreal to watch him as he stood behind me, speaking quietly so that only I could hear. And to see myself as I listened to his words, the way my cheeks heated and my eyes had gone wide. I blinked rapidly at our reflection but couldn’t conjure up anything worthwhile to say.

Or maybe it was simply that having
Alex’s body pressed to mine had taken my breath away. Leaving me too dazed to speak.

“Should I feel lucky that I had the honor of being your first?” Before
I could answer, he went on. “To tell you the truth, I don’t feel lucky. In fact, it kind of pisses me off. I don’t do random hookups.”

The fiery look in
Alex’s eye had me believing he was telling the truth. It snapped me back to reality. He was good and pissed. I tried to blow him off because more than anything, I just wanted this moment to be over with. I had expected him to be a lot of things but mad wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t sure what to do with that so I chose to be defensive, probably the worst possible option.

“Sorry,”
I told him. “I thought all guys liked random hookups.”

His eyebrows shot up and he scoffed. “What kind of guys have you been dating?”

The question shot a prickle of fire down my spine as I felt my body become rigid.

“Sorry,” he said,
his arms loosened. He backed off just a bit when he noted my discomfort. He didn’t let me go completely. If he had, I would’ve surely bolted and he seemed to know that. “But here’s the thing. I don’t appreciate being used. Not even for sex,” he said with a smirk. But there was something in his eyes, something like a combination of astonishment and disappointment. “So I think you need to make it up to me.”

A surprised laugh tumbled out of
my mouth. “Oh, do you?” I took advantage of the way he’d freed me. I twisted my body around so that I was facing him.

It may not have been the best idea. At least his
reflection in the mirror gave me the illusion of having some distance. Now, I felt more intoxicated than ever and it was almost entirely due to his scent.

H
is rock hard chest was pressed against mine. Those deep brown eyes were cutting into me. His now-familiar cologne hit me hard, almost knocking me to my knees.

“I do,”
Alex smugly told me.

I
shook my head and futilely tried to step out of his grip.

“Hey,” he said,
the tenor of his voice rumbled through me. “If this had gone the other way around and I’d used you and walked away and refused to answer your calls…I’d be the bad guy, wouldn’t I?”

“We were both consenting adults,”
I tried as my excuse. I would have to thank Claire later for putting that thought in my head. But heaven help me, his persistence was wearing on me. Or perhaps it was his nearness that was wearing on me. “And I didn’t hear any complaints.”

He leaned in again, making sure his words were heard by only
me.

“I
t’s not sex on the first date I’m objecting to. I’m objecting to you sneaking out. And not calling me back. I didn’t hear any complaints from you, either. So I really don’t get it.”

I bit my lip a second, trying to figure out what to say. I finally decided on short and simple. “I’m sorry.”

This earned me a smile.

“
Really?” he asked. “I think you should prove it. Otherwise, I’m probably going to think you don’t mean it.”

“And how would I do that?”
I wondered as I tried to fight off my own smile. Oh, he smelled so good. He was standing close but I suddenly felt myself wanting to lean in to him. I did without thinking and he let me. In fact, he held me tightly for a moment as he rubbed his cheek against mine. Then he pushed me back just a bit.

“A date. A real date this time,” he said.
His tone had morphed back to the tone I was familiar with. Deep, friendly and knee-melting. “Let me take you out. Dinner out and whatever else I come up with.”

I
didn’t bother trying to hide my smile this time. “So the way for me to make my inconsiderate behavior up to you…is by letting you take me on a date?”

“Yes,” he said with shrug, a
s if that should be completely obvious.

I
hesitated. What would it hurt? Maybe I’d been acting ridiculous, avoiding him like I had been. Truthfully, I didn’t want to avoid him.

“A date
,” I repeated as I tossed the idea around.

“That’s what I said.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

He reached for his wallet, tugging it out of his pocket. He pulled out a business card. “Home and cell are both listed. I’m heading out of town in the morning. A buddy and I have a fishing trip planned. I’ll be back for work on Monday. So you’ll call me then?” he pressed. “So we can set something up?”

Despite the awkward moment,
a sudden wave or relief trickled through me. I hadn’t really
wanted
to avoid Alex. I’d hated the idea of never seeing him again. I was an absolute coward for deleting his voicemails before calling him back.

But here he was, right here, giving me a second chance that I probably didn’t deserve.

I was going to take it anyway.

“Yes,” I agreed. He gave me a look of comical uncertainty, as if unsure if he should believe me. I laughed before saying, “Yes, I promise I’ll call.”

“Good.” He smiled
and leaned in. I reflexively closed my eyes, my hands going to his shirt to clench the hem in my fists. When the kiss came it wasn’t what I’d been expecting, hoping for. It was a short, sweet kiss on the cheek. My eyes fluttered open, my hands fell to my sides and he took a step away from me. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” With that, he took off, melting back into the crowd.

“You ready?” the bartender said, redirecting
my attention.

I
turned to him and ordered drinks for both Claire and me. As he was mixing them up, I turned, my eyes scanning the crowded bar. There were so many people in here now, I couldn’t see past the first cluster in front of me. I wasn’t sure whether Alex was still around or if he’d left. I wondered if he’d been there a while—the whole time I’d been visiting with Sean and Claire. Or had he just come in and happened to spot me? And had he left just now? I felt warm just thinking that he was still around.

When
I returned to the table, I was surprised to see two unfamiliar faces.

“
Zoey, this is my friend, Dane and his girlfriend, Morgan,” Sean explained. “I went to high school with Dane. He and Morgan have just moved back to town.”

Since
I had a glass in each hand, I simply smiled. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“You too,” the couple chimed in together.

“Thanks,” Claire said as I placed her glass in front of her.

“
Claire was just saying you’re new in town?” Morgan asked as I slid back into my seat.

I
gave a little nod. “Yeah.”