by Lexy Parker
I had just pulled up my news app when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw Jamie waving at me, gesturing for me to go inside. I sighed, a little bummed I wasn’t going to get a few minutes of quiet time. There was nothing to be done about it now. I couldn’t very well ignore the woman. I got out of the truck and headed her way, pasting a fake smile on my face.
“Good morning,” I called out. “I’m a little early. I didn’t want to rush you,” I said, making sure she recognized I was early.
“You are early, but you don’t have to wait out here. That is very creepy-stalker like. Come in, I promise I don’t bite. I just have to put the finishing touches on one of these arrangements,” she said in an upbeat voice.
I scoffed. “I couldn’t be a creepy-stalker like if I wanted to. I don’t have that kind of time on my hands.”
She burst into laughter. “Stalking would definitely be a full-time job, I suppose.”
“I can’t say I know from experience, but yes, I imagine it would be. I’ll let you know if I decide to take it up anytime soon and report back with the amount of time I have to invest into my stalking duties,” I said dryly.
She laughed again. The sound was refreshing. She had a bit of a deep voice for a woman of such small stature, which took me by surprise. There was a very sexy quality about it. I liked that she wasn’t afraid to laugh. Some women fought so hard to be dainty. I hated that. I didn’t like the fainting-flower types.
“Thank you for your excellent work the past couple days. I’ve gotten great feedback from the customers on both ends of the flower arrangements. Some of the ladies were convinced you were a stripper,” she said, still laughing.
I felt my cheeks turn red. “Definitely not a stripper.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just, well, you’re new in town and something for the ladies to look at,” she said.
I detected no flirting in her voice, which was nice. She was talking to me like a friend. I guessed a woman as beautiful as she was probably used to being hit on. I didn’t notice a ring on her finger, but I bet she had a man at home. I couldn’t imagine her being single for long.
“Well, I aim to please,” I joked.
“Have you been driving long?” she asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking how old I am?”
She smirked. “No. I meant, have you been working as a delivery driver very long?”
I shook my head. “No. What’s today, Friday?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Then I’ve been working as a delivery driver for five days. Well, four technically, but after today, five,” I said with a grin.
Her eyes widened. “Oh! Wow. I would have never guessed. Do you like it?”
I shrugged. “It’s a job.”
She smiled, nodding. “Ah, so it isn’t your dream job?” she joked.
I shook my head. “Not exactly. It just happened to be the job that I got when I moved to town. Actually, it was the only job I tried to get. I know the owner. He promised me a job if I moved here.”
She nodded again. “So, you’ve been in town a week?” she asked, busily fixing the flowers in a vase on the workstation.
“A little longer,” I replied, realizing I had just told the woman far more about myself than I had told anyone else in a long while.
“Oh?” she asked, waiting for me to elaborate.
I didn’t. Things were getting way too personal for my liking.
“I’ve got to get going. I have a lot of deliveries to make today,” I said, hoping to make a quick escape.
She looked at me strangely before nodding. “I’ll hurry.”
I watched as she tied a big bow on the vase and then quickly attached the card. Without saying a word, she moved to her computer and printed out the delivery sheet before handing it to me.
“Here,” she mumbled.
I felt like a jerk for rushing her, but I didn’t want to tell who was technically my employer my entire life story. I wasn’t there to make friends. I was there to do a job, collect a paycheck, and mind my own business.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the sheet.
“I’ll help you carry these out,” she said, not all that nicely.
I was going to apologize for being so hasty but thought better of it. I needed to keep people at arm’s length, including the pretty blonde. I carefully arranged the flowers in the back seat, securing them to keep any from tipping over.
“Thanks, and I guess I’ll see you Monday,” I said, turning to look at her.
She nodded and offered me a small smile. “I’ll be here.”
I watched as she spun on her heel and disappeared back inside the building. I had been rude. I knew it. I hadn’t meant to be. She made it too easy to talk to her. I wasn’t sure why or what it was about her that made me feel comfortable enough to open up to her, but it wasn’t right.
As I got behind the wheel, I replayed what had been said and then really felt like an idiot. I hadn’t exactly given her my life story. I didn’t tell her I had a kid or any other personal information. I was overreacting. She was probably making small talk and nothing more. I was giving myself too much credit, as if she was itching to learn all about me.
“You’re getting jumpy in your old age,” I muttered, pulling onto the street and heading for the first delivery address.
I wasn’t sure why I was worried about anyone finding out who I was. I didn’t really have anything to hide. It was more about the huge wall I had erected around myself and Sadie. I didn’t want to let anyone in. Letting people in made me vulnerable. I couldn’t let myself feel that same vulnerability ever again. I wasn’t ready for any of that.
I berated myself a little longer over the way I had acted toward her, promising myself I would apologize on Monday for my abruptness. She was only trying to be polite. Just like normal people did. I had spent too much time in the military and was vigilant about OPSEC. Operation security wasn’t just about protecting myself and my fellow Marines and other service members. It was about protecting my family. I never talked about myself or revealed anything too personal.
I had to remember I wasn’t in the military anymore. No one was going to target me or my kid. I was a civilian. I needed to start being civil and blend in with the masses. I would have never guessed it would be so hard to transition back into a normal life, going to work every day and then going home at night. It was a little strange, but I was looking forward to the new stage in life—kind of.
Chapter 8
Jamie
I decided Philip was a bit of an odd duck as I watched him walk away. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was about him that threw me off. There was a way about him that intrigued me, but not in a romantic or sexual kind of way. I mean, obviously, he was good looking, but it was him—the man. The way he carried himself, the look in his pretty green eyes that said there was so much more to his story, and the way he spoke. He was an intriguing man. Maybe it was because he didn’t openly flirt with me. I didn’t think I was conceited, but men his age, married or otherwise, tended to act different around me and Dani, or any woman for that matter. It’s like they were programmed to act like that.
I wasn’t sure if he was really shy or really aloof. I knew it was easy to confuse the two. I was often thought to be stuck-up, when in reality, I was a little shy. I wasn’t really all that outgoing outside of my shop. I was, once I got to know someone, then I could be the life of the party. People assumed things about me because of the way I looked. Women were the worst, dubbing me a bitch before even giving me a chance. I had a feeling he suffered the same kind of assumptions. I had made it a point to never assume anything good or bad about anyone without actually talking to them and finding out what they were all about. The verdict was still out on Philip.
I wasn’t sure if he was good, bad, or in between. It really wasn’t any of my business. Well, a little bit my business since I was going to be seeing him every day and he was delivering my flowers.
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“What’s got you scowling?” Dani said, breezing into the back room with her hair up and her usual workout outfit on.
“I’m not scowling,” I said, immediately trying to relax my face.
“Yes, you are.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m thinking. Thinking isn’t scowling.”
“You look angry.”
I sighed. “I’m not angry. I was just thinking.”
“I guess you must have been thinking about something that made you angry,” she said with a grin.
I shook my head. “Nope. Not angry at all.”
“You’re going to get early wrinkles if you keep scowling—wait—I mean thinking.”
“So, I shouldn’t think anymore?” I asked sarcastically.
“Not if it makes you scowl.”
“Oh my God. Why are you here?” I asked her with feigned exasperation.
She giggled. “Because you missed me and who else is going to remind you not to scowl. I have to help you remain pretty at least until you get a man. Then you can scowl all you want and get all kinds of forehead wrinkles.”
“Gee, thanks, you’re so helpful.”
“I try. What’s up? Why are you scowling?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I just handed off the deliveries for the day to the new driver. That’s it. No scowling.”
“Oh, the sexy new driver,” she said. “He’s got you thinking dirty thoughts. Is that your sexy face?” she said, her lip curling in disgust.
“No! What are you talking about!” I shrieked.
“Honey, if that’s the look you get when you think a guy is good looking, we really need to have a long talk. This could explain why you’re single. I should have been paying closer attention. You could be married and have five kids by now if you didn’t always look angry,” she said.
“Five kids? Really? Am I a machine? That’s like a kid a year,” I pointed out.
“You could have twins and, if you quit scowling at your man, he’d definitely want to do what needs to be done to get you pregnant,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing.
“You are crazy, absolutely certifiable. Do you even need another person in the room to have a conversation?” I asked her, joking with her as we tended to do.
She shrugged. “Not when I know I’m right.”
“Stop.”
“What’d you find out?” she asked.
Her jumps in topics made me dizzy. “Find out about what?”
“Him! Sexy delivery guy!” she practically shouted.
I shook my head. “Nothing really. He said he just moved here and the delivery job kind of fell into his lap. We talked for like a minute. He was in a hurry and had to get going,” I said, still feeling the little pinch of irritation at the way he’d basically told me to shut up.
She wrinkled her nose. “That sounds vague and sketchy. Is he sketchy? Does he have shifty eyes?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, his eyes are a very pretty green actually.”
“Oh, that does sound hot.”
I laughed. “I don’t think he’s vague. I think he is a private person. That’s not a terrible thing.”
“I bet he’s in the witness protection program,” she said with a laugh, completely disregarding anything I had to say.
It was the way Dani rolled. She truly could have lengthy conversations without anyone else offering a single word. She could be the life of a party of one.
I rolled my eyes. “You have a very active imagination.”
“Why would someone just up and move here? I mean, it’s not exactly a booming metropolis. We have nothing to offer in the way of high-paying jobs. We’re miles from anywhere.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe his wife got a job here or maybe they have family in the area. I know next to nothing about him. I don’t think it’s fair to assume anything about him. You’re being mean.”
“I’m not mean. I’m naturally inquisitive.”
“Nosy. You are naturally nosy.”
“I’m going to do some digging. I want to know who this guy is,” she muttered, again ignoring my objections.
“Why the interest anyway? You haven’t even met him.”
“Because hot guys don’t move here, and I saw you scowling. He’s got you thinking and that means something,” she replied.
I laughed. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Have you been drinking this morning? I think all that spinning is loosening the few screws you had that were tight.”
“You know what I mean. He sounds mysterious and all my screws are perfectly in place,” she said haughtily.
“He’s married. He has a wife and they probably want to live a quiet life. It’s generally why people move to small towns,” I reminded her. “It doesn’t mean he’s a member of the mob or some crazy person. He wants a quiet life. I can respect that.”
She didn’t look convinced. “I’m still going to check around.”
“Suit yourself.”
“What are we going to do for Valentine’s?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you want to do? I do have to work, and you promised you would help out.”
She nodded. “Of course, but you’re not going to be opened all night.”
“We’ll figure something out. We could go to a movie or dinner or both,” I suggested.
I didn’t want to leave her alone and knew she didn’t want to be alone on the day that was all about love. It was a shitty holiday. It was great for my business, but I could definitely see why most people hated the damn holiday. It was stupid and just reminded single people they were all alone in the world. I had promised to do my best to take care of Dani and that meant spending the day, which was set aside for lovers, together with her.
“I’m open to anything. If you want to sit at home and watch TV, I’m down with that,” she said.
“Really?” I asked, not believing her.
She shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
“We should plan a weekend away,” I blurted out.
“Away, where?”
“I don’t know. We could go up to Nashville and be tourists for a day,” I told her, smiling at the idea.
She groaned. “Bumper-to-bumper traffic and tourists doesn’t sound like a lot of fun,” she mumbled.
“How about Memphis?” I said.
She laughed. “Graceland, again?”
I shrugged. “Can anyone really get too much Elvis?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. That might be fun,” she said, not sounding all that enthusiastic about the idea.
“Well, you let me know. I’m up for anything. We could use a little break from the day-to-day.”
She nodded, checking the watch on her wrist. “I should get going. I’m working at the clinic for a few hours today. They offered me full time, but I don’t think I’m ready to do that.”
I nodded. “Don’t rush it. Take your time and go when you’re ready.”
She sighed, that familiar forlorn look in her eyes, as she stared off into space. “I will. I should. I mean the work is easy and it pays pretty good. I could do a lot worse, I suppose.”
“True.”
“I’ll think about it. I’ll call you tonight,” she said and headed back out front.
I went into my office and sat down at my desk. I stared at the picture of me, Dani, and Gage. Gage was between us, his arms draped around each of our shoulders. We had taken the picture on one of our day hiking trips. Me and Dani were makeup free, our faces red from the sunburn we’d gotten despite the copious amounts of sunscreen we slathered on our faces.
Despite being exhausted, stinky, sweaty, and absolutely dehydrated, we all had huge smiles on our faces. It had been one of the best days of my life. We’d laughed so much over the dumbest things. Gage was a prankster, always teasing the both of us. I missed him so badly it hurt. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it was like for Dani.
Valentine’s Day was like slicing open
a freshly healed wound with a jagged, rusty knife. It was going to hurt, and it was going to take a long time to recover from. The road had been long and difficult already. We’d gotten through Christmas and we’d get through Valentine’s. I hoped by the time his birthday rolled around, we would be in better shape. All the firsts sucked.
I wiped the tears that had leaked from my eyes and looked up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths and fighting back all the emotions. I worked in a flower shop. It didn’t seem like a great sales tactic for me to be bawling my head off or stuck in a depressed mood while I tried to sell pretty flowers. I would have been great for a funeral home, but not so great at a place called Cupid’s Arrow. I was still regretting my naming decision.
Gage had given me hell about it forever. I had thought it was cute and catchy. In many ways it was, but with a couple years under my belt and more failed relationships than I cared to count, it brought out the bitter side of me. That bitter bitch in me was always pushed way down. She was not allowed to come out and play. I did not like feeling grumpy, bitter, or jaded and simply chose not to. Although, there were times when I got a case of the grumps and had to lock myself in a room until I could get my head straight.
I stood up, pasted on my happy face, and headed up front to begin what I hoped was a busy day. Busy meant money. Money meant I could save up to take Dani away on a nice vacation. I’d been eyeing some short Caribbean cruises. I thought a little sun, a little ocean, and a lot of tequila would be just what she needed. I knew I could certainly use a vacation from life.
Chapter 9
Philip
I hoisted Sadie up onto the counter next to the stove. I knew I was probably violating like a million parenting rules, but I survived in one piece and my mom always cooked with me next to the stove. I had a few splash burns from some wild bacon grease, but I survived. I wouldn’t cook bacon with her in the splash zone.