“Come in,” I called.
I was greeted with the scent of flowers. A woman carried in a large bouquet in a glass vase. They were stunning, as was the tall, slim brunette holding them. I wondered if she modeled. She had on a form-fitting yet office-appropriate blue dress that made her blue eyes glow.
She set the vase on my desk. “Hi, I’m Lisa. You must have one hell of a boyfriend or husband, because these are gorgeous.”
I smiled. “Hi, Lisa. It’s so nice to meet you. I don’t have either, so they’re probably from my parents.”
“Well, open the card and find out. I’ll be at my desk,” she said. “If you need me, just pick up the phone and press the button next to my name. We’ll leave for lunch in about fifteen minutes.”
She shut the door, and I opened the card.
FAITH,
I HOPE YOU’RE HAVING A GREAT FIRST DAY. DINNER TONIGHT?
TEXT ME AND SAY YES.
ERIK
I put the card back in the envelope and smelled one of the tulips. I smiled as I sat back in my chair and texted Erik.
Me: Thank you for the flowers.
Erik: You’re welcome… and…
I smiled.
Me: And yes.
Erik: Great! Text me when you’re done for the day. I can either pick you up or meet you somewhere. We can keep it casual and go to The Pub.
Me: Sounds good. I’ll go home and change and meet you there. How about seven p.m?
Erik: See you then.
My door opened as Lisa knocked and asked, “Are you ready?”
I grabbed my purse. “Yes, let’s go.”
On our way to the elevator, Lisa explained that Mr. Haverty had been called to a meeting, so it was just us for lunch. We took her car. She suggested we go to a diner around the corner from our office. I knew the area well, and I loved it there.
The small restaurant was relaxed and comfortable. Max and I had been there several times. The smell of pickles and fried food hit my nose. Nothing like a good burger to make me feel better. We slid into a booth and were greeted by our waitress.
We didn’t need menus, so we just ordered. Lisa only had an hour for lunch, but she said I could take longer. I didn’t want to do that; an hour would be plenty.
“So before we get into the nitty gritty of the office, tell me who sent the flowers! Was it your parents?” She smiled as the waitress set our Diet Cokes in front of us.
I took a sip. “No, they were from—”
She practically foamed at the mouth as her eyes landed on something behind me. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Do I look okay? The guys from the band I love are here.” She grabbed her lip gloss and quickly applied it, smoothed her hair, and even fixed the flatware in front of her.
Meanwhile, I prayed it was a different band. I closed my eyes when I heard my name. Shit! I turned to see Max and Ryker.
“Hey, Faith.” Max leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Are you on a lunch break?”
“Yeah, I am.” I didn’t dare look at Ryker. “This is Lisa. She works with me. Lisa, this is—”
Her glossy lips parted before I could finish. “You’re Max Morrison.” She looked around Max. “And you’re Ryker. I love Raging Urge. You guys rock!”
Max smiled. “Hi, Lisa. It’s good to meet you, and thanks for liking our band.”
She totally fangirled on them. “Are you kidding? I love, love, love you guys. Are you the one who sent Faith flowers?”
“You got flowers? From who?” Max raised his brows and looked at me with a grin.
“Erik.”
“That was nice of him.”
I nodded. “Yes it was. He’s a really nice guy, and apparently he knows how to treat someone he cares about.”
Max’s face said it all. He knew everything and wasn’t going to acknowledge my comment. “Faith, I’ll catch you later.” Max looked at Lisa. “It was good to meet you. Come out and see us with Faith some time.”
They started to walk away to find their own table, and I let out a breath, thinking I had bypassed an uncomfortable moment in front of a new co-worker. But of course that wasn’t the case.
Ryker, being Ryker, had to say something. “Hey, Dude.”
I didn’t look at him or acknowledge him.
Lisa did though. “Hi, Ryker.”
He looked at her with his beautiful hazel eyes. “Hey. Well, I’ll see you ladies around.”
He walked away, and my phone chirped.
Max: Sorry
Me: It’s okay
I set my phone on the table, ready to tell Lisa what I needed for my office.
“You need to tell me how you know those guys! Oh my God, you have to be the coolest accountant I have ever met!” Her voice was giddy.
I tried hard not to laugh. “Max is like family. He grew up next door to me.” Please let that be enough.
She took a sip of her soda. “He’s hot. Does he have a girlfriend?”
“Yes, he does, and she’s also a good friend of mine. I’m sure you’ll meet her if you come to a show with me.”
The waitress came and set down our food. I didn’t know how long I could stand playing Ryker off as a nobody when I had just slept with him. I took a bite of my burger, and when I looked up, my eyes met Ryker’s. Really? Did they have to sit so close to us?
“So tell me about Ryker.” Lisa was overly enthusiastic.
I saw that all the time when it came to those guys. “What do you want to know?” That he’s an asshole?
“Does he have a girlfriend?” She popped a fry in her mouth.
“No. He doesn’t do girlfriends. He does girls and casts them aside.”
She nodded. “Well, that’s shitty, but look at him. Tell me you don’t want to be one of those girls, even for one night. To pull on that hair? And that tattoo… He’s got to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”
My mouth gaped as I stared at her.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Ms. Bishop. That was extremely inappropriate. Please don’t tell Mr. Haverty.”
Ms. Bishop? I giggled. “Relax, Lisa, and if you call me Ms. Bishop again, I will tell Mr. Haverty.” I took another bite and tried not to read not too much into Lisa’s comment. I was going to enjoy working with her.
“Oh my God, I feel horrible. But he is fantastic looking, and when he plays the drums…” She shook as if she’d gotten a chill.
I shook my head. “Yeah, he’s hot. Just don’t forget what I said about him not being a one-woman man.”
Her eyes bore into mine, and she opened her mouth to say something. My heart sped up, wondering if she was going to ask about us. I could never hide my feelings very well. My face made my life an open book. We ended up talking about the office, and that was it.
The waitress left our bill on the table. Lisa paid for our lunch explaining that Mr. Haverty gave her the corporate card to use. We gathered our things to leave the restaurant. I didn’t bother saying good-bye to Max. I knew he’d understand why I left without saying anything.
I heard someone shout my name as we walked out the swinging doors. I kept walking because I knew who it was. Lisa stopped on the sidewalk. I watched the cars zoom by, hoping for a breeze.
“Someone’s calling you,” she said. “I think I heard your name.”
“Faith!”
Lisa leaned into me. “Oh my God, it’s Ryker.”
I glanced at her, and my mind raced. What should I do? Keep walking? Acknowledge him? If I kept going, Lisa would ask me a million questions, so I stopped and looked back. He walked up, and I swear Lisa was about to lose it. She looked as if she was swooning; maybe she was. I was just pissed.
“Faith, can I talk to you?” he said.
“I’ll be over here.” Lisa walked away.
I willed her to stay, but that didn’t happen. When Lisa was out of earshot, I looked at him. “What do you want?” He put his hand on my arm, and I abruptly pulled away. “Don’t touch me. You don’t have the right to touch me. Ever.”
&nbs
p; “Faith, I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”
Laughed, that’s what I did. I lost it and became hysterical, the think-you’re-going-to-have-some-sort-of-breakdown hysterical. “Sorry. Always sorry. Maybe that should be your next tattoo. ‘I’m sorry.’”
“Yeah, maybe. Look, about this weekend…”
My hand rose. “Don’t say a word. You’re off the hook. I’m fine, you’re fine, it was fine. I’m over it, and I won’t tell anyone your secret. Feel better?”
“No, let me explain.”
“Don’t you get it, Ryker? I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to hear some bullshit explanation. It doesn’t matter. You’re you, and I’m me, and that explains enough, don’t you think? You want a good time, and I want forever. The only thing we can agree on is neither of us wants the other for that role. So go have a good time with some no-name, and I’ll find my forever with someone who doesn’t leave me.” My breath hitched as I walked away from him.
I met Lisa at her car, and she unlocked it. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. He’s just… Ryker.”
We got in the car and drove to the office. Thankfully it wasn’t a long drive. We stopped at a light, and a group of construction workers walked by us and whistled at Lisa. She beeped the horn, waved, and we laughed as we drove away.
“Men, I tell ya.” Lisa chuckled.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend? You’re beautiful, like classically beautiful.”
“You’re nuts, and no, I don’t. Well, I did, but we broke up. He wanted to get married, and I didn’t.” She shrugged.
“You don’t want to settle down someday?”
“Yeah, maybe, just not right now. I’m twenty-five. I just want to have fun.”
Wow, I was younger than she was, and I was all about settling down. Maybe there was something wrong with me. We pulled into the office parking lot, and Lisa parked. I went to open the door, but she stopped me.
“Faith, I know we just met and I spilled probably more than I should have, but I think you’re super nice, and I don’t want you to think less of me,” she said. “I think we could be friends. A lot of my friends are settling down, and they don’t hang out without their men. That makes me feel out of place.”
“I like you too, Lisa. I don’t have many female friends, but I’d like to hang out with you sometime; you’re real.”
We got out of the car, and the smell of the freshly cut grass engulfed my senses. It was a sign of summer. Everything about that season made me happy, and I wanted to enjoy it. I decided not to worry about what happened at the lake. I just wanted to focus on today.
The office was buzzing, and Rich came up to us. “Did you ladies have a good lunch?”
“Yes, we did,” Lisa said. “I’ll get Faith settled in, and then she’ll be ready to start working.”
“I had no doubt.” Rich looked at me. “You’re in good hands, Faith.”
He walked away, and we both went back to our offices.
My phone buzzed with a text from Erik.
Erik: Did you leave work yet?
I looked at the clock. It was five forty-five.
Me: I’m leaving now. I will see you soon.
I packed up my laptop and grabbed my purse. I made my way out of the office and went from air conditioning to sticky, humid air. I welcomed it, though. The heat warmed me all over. The sprinklers turned on, making me jog in my high heels to get to my car without getting soaked.
On my drive home, I sang along to the songs on my phone. I thought of Erik. I was nervous to see him. I wondered if he would be able to tell that I had been with Ryker. I think I’m losing my mind.
My windows were down, and the sounds of kids playing permeated the air. The park near my house was packed. Some of the dads were in suits, and I figured they had just gotten home from work and went right to the park. I loved kids, and I really wanted one or three someday. I used to fantasize that they’d have blond hair and be musically inclined because I would have them with Ryker.
I pulled into my apartment complex and saw Max’s car. I was happy that he was there. I wanted to tell him I was sorry for leaving the diner without saying good-bye. We lived on the third floor, so I kicked off my heels and ran up the stairs. I was running late, and I needed to change for my date. I walked in to see not only Max and Tyf, but Ryker too.
Tyf came running up. “Hey, Faith, how was your first day?” She hugged me and whispered, “I didn’t know he was coming or I would have called to warn you.” She pulled away with a frown.
“My first day was amazing. I have a nice boss, and I really like one of my co-workers. You’d like her too.”
“She’s totally hot,” Ryker chimed in.
Not letting it get to me, I said, “Yes, she’s very pretty. She’s tall and has a beautiful figure, totally your type. You should date her.” I gave Max the usual kiss on the cheek. “Hey, sorry I didn’t say good-bye before I left today. We needed to get back to the office.”
“That’s fine, I knew you had to be busy.” He winked.
I smiled. “I need to go change.”
Tyf said, “Got a hot date?”
Ryker looked at me, waiting for my response.
“As a matter of fact, I do. I need to get ready, or I’ll be late.” I went into my room, changed, and freshened up. I grabbed my cross-body purse, transferred what I needed into it, and threw it over my head.
Trying to escape any form of inquisition, I hurried across the living room. “Okay, well, I’ll see you all later.”
“Hey, just a sec,” Max said.
Shit. Quick escape denied. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“I wanted to tell you I’m moving into Ryker’s place.”
“What? You’re moving into his basement apartment? Why?”
“No, not the basement. It’s a long story. I’ll call you tomorrow. Have fun tonight. Who are you going out with?”
“Erik. See you all later.” As quickly as I could, I closed the door and leaned against it.
Between seeing Ryker at lunch and now in my apartment, it was too much for me. What was that about Max living with him? I was so confused, but I didn’t have time to think about it. I needed to get to The Pub to meet Erik. I blasted the tunes in my car. They cleared my head as I drove.
Fuck! Erik? Really? I left the girls’ apartment solo. I thought about driving down to Durand Beach, but being there would remind me too much of what happened at the lake. I decided to go to the bar near my house, grab a beer, and try to forget that Faith was on a date. Just because I couldn’t be with her didn’t mean I wanted her with someone else. I was being selfish and totally unrealistic, but the fact that she was out with someone else two days after we’d been together hurt more than I expected it to.
Arriving at the bar relaxed me. The place had a decent crowd, mostly regulars, for a Monday night. Maddie was tending bar. She and her husband, Hank, were the owners.
As she wiped down the bar, she looked up and saw me. “Well, look at what we have here. If it isn’t the famous drummer. How ya doin’, slick?”
I laughed and sat at the bar. “Hey there, Maddie. I’m okay, how are you?”
“Uh oh, no snide comment about me calling you slick? There must be something going on. What’ll it be then? You can tell good old Maddie about it.”
“Beer, whatever you have on draft. You know what I like.” My voice was flat, and I wasn’t my usual sarcastic self.
She placed the beer on the shiny wood bar. “Okay, now I know something’s up.” She looked at the other bartender. “Ron, cover me for a minute.” She tossed the white towel down and leaned on the bar. “Who is she?”
My beer slid down my throat. “No one.”
“That’s bull, and you know it. You know you can talk to me, so tell me. You didn’t go and knock up a groupie did you?”
My eyes went wide, and I almost choked. “No, but thank you for that.” I cleared my throat and took another swig.
“So
talk. Tell me about her.”
My shoulders raised, and my lips curled in a crooked smile. “She’s perfect. Totally and absolutely perfect, and she likes me a lot.”
“And this is a problem, I take it?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it is. I don’t know what it is about her.” My smile grew as I thought of Faith.
Maddie definitely saw that. “You love her.”
My head shot up. I swallowed a gulp and wiped my lips with the back of my hand. “Excuse me?
She leaned in closer and raised an eyebrow. Maddie was real people. Hank was a lucky guy.
“How’s the hubby? Is he around tonight?”
“You’re avoiding what I said.”
No shit. I opted to stay silent. Naturally, Maddie wouldn’t let me off the hook. I knew if I didn’t say something, she would keep hammering away or slap me, and neither option was appealing.
“I’m no good for her.”
“That’s a line of bullshit if I’ve ever heard one.”
“Nah, it isn’t,” I said. “It’s the truth. Plus, I made a big mistake, and well, it was pretty unforgivable. All I do is apologize to this girl. She deserves better.”
“But you don’t want her with anyone else. Do ya?”
My head dropped. “No, and she’s on a date right now.” I heard a giggle. I looked down the bar and saw Paige with another girl, sipping pink drinks.
Maddie saw who I was looking at. “Don’t. That girl is in here all the time, and she always leaves with someone different. You get it on with her, and your dick will fall off. Guaranteed.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Paige. Not looking for another go with her.”
“Hey, Maddie, can you come here? I can’t figure out this thing.” Ron was pushing buttons on the register, and he looked frustrated.
“I’ll be back. Want another beer?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I drained what was left in the mug in front of me right before I felt a hand run up and down my spine. I turned and saw Paige standing next to me.
She licked her lips. “Well, aren’t you a sight. How’ve ya been?”
“Hey, Paige. How are you?”
She bit her lip. “Better now that you’re here. I see you’re alone. Want to get out of here?”
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