Microsoft Word - Starter Boyfriend.doc

by Lana Jovanovic

  but um… did my brother call you?”

  Zoe’s stomach dropped a little bit as her memories turned to Colton Philips.

  It had been a long time since she had seen him and even then she hadn’t really gotten a good look. At the time, she had just knocked over a vase of beautiful flowers and was being yelled at by the shop owner who had demanded payment when he came up to the front. He quickly calmed down the blond and insisted that Zoe wouldn’t have to pay for the broken vase. He somehow made things better with the blond and had tried to do the same for her.

  He was the only man to ever give her a flower. And even though that wasn’t a symbol of romance—he gave it to her to make her feel better for being so ridiculously clumsy—it was a monumental thing for her. She thought about him quite a bit after that day.

  “A call from your brother? Why would he be calling—”

  A sudden sharp pain lurched in the pit of Zoe’s stomach. She felt the blood drain from her head and arms and in an instant she felt numb all over. To keep from falling out of her chair, she leaned forward across her desk and rested her forehead on a stack of papers.

  “You didn’t!” She gasped. “Please, tell me you didn’t, Minnie. Please, please, please, please….”

  The silence on the other end was too much. Tears of humiliation prickled the corners of Zoe’s eyes and began to drip from her lashes. She covered her head with her arms and tried to get a hold of herself, which was hard when you were spinning like a top, skittering all over the surface of a desk, refusing to stop until you were pitched forward over the side, free falling to the cold, hard floor.

  Minnie’s voice sounded small and quiet as it came through the speaker. “You said you’d consider—”

  “Consider!” Zoe shouted lifting her head to yell at the phone. “Con-sid-er, Minnie, I didn’t say that I would do this! I cannot believe you asked him to call me. I can’t believe you told him about me, which you would have had to in order to explain this stupid idea.” Flustered, Minnie stammered, “B-but…”

  “You know what,” Zoe sat up a little straighter. “I’m glad he hasn’t called me yet—you can call him now and tell him it’s all off. Tell him that it was all some joke that you were playing. I don’t want him to think I’m some loser who can’t find date!”

  “He was supposed to call you last night,” Minnie said quickly.

  Zoe dropped her head back to her desk and covered it with her arms again. The more her friend talked, the tighter Zoe’s chest felt. Minnie didn’t listen. She never did.

  “He’s been swamped with work, so he must have forgotten to call,” Minnie said quickly.

  “Look, I told him that you’d be willing to meet him this afternoon. His florist girl is sick, so he has to make deliveries this morning. His last delivery is about a block away from your building. A little coffee shop—Rylie’s Café—I told him you’d be there, but that he had to call and set up details. But then I forgot to call you last night and….” Zoe lifted her head off the desk and shouted: “NO!”

  “Zoe, hear me out.”

  “No, I’m done listening to you. I never agreed to do this, Minnie, I didn’t.”

  “But…”

  “I don’t want to do it either!” Zoe cried. “Do you know how humiliating this is? I’m twenty-six, I can find someone on my own, when I’m ready!”

  “You’re ready now!” Minnie cried desperately.

  “Just because you want me to be ready, doesn’t mean that I am!” Zoe exclaimed. “This is so stupid—you are stupid for asking him to call me. Jesus, what did you tell him?”

  “Nothing personal! Only good things!” Minnie insisted. “Please, don’t be upset with me, Zoe. Please—Colton is a great guy and…”

  “No,” Zoe retorted. Her heart had taken up a flurried beat that made her chest burn a little, her mouth was becoming so dry she could barely swallow. She picked up the X-acto knife again and tossed it to the pencil container, which fell over and scattered pencils and pens all over her desk an onto the floor. For some reason the mess made Zoe cry more. “No, I’m not doing this. I said I would consider it and I have—”

  “No you haven’t!”

  Actually, Zoe had considered it a great deal.

  She spent countless hours daydreaming about the idea. She thought about her “starter boyfriend” being incredibly good looking, sexy man who was very into her. Like, rip-her-clothes-off into. She thought about going on dates with him. She thought about kissing him. She thought about inviting him over to her apartment, but completely shot down that idea feeling too—naughty. She thought that maybe it would be Minnie’s poet friend Clark, with his superman tattoo on his bicep, would agree to it. Clark was wild like that—

  interested in new experiences. Zoe wouldn’t be too upset about that choice either, since Clark was just as cute as his boyhood hero.

  But never in ten thousand years would she have imagined that her “starter boyfriend” would be Colton Philips. That idea was absolutely ludicrous.

  Zoe remembered Colton’s girlfriend at the time she knocked over that flower arrangement. The woman, a gorgeous blond with super long legs, big boobs, an hourglass figure, and an absolutely perfect face, was like a model. Everything about her was picture perfect. There was no comparing Zoe to that girlfriend—she was in another league. Zoe was definitely not Colton’s type.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” she said, her voice shaking.

  “Are you crying?” Minnie asked after only a second of silence passed.

  “NO!” Zoe wailed, tears streaming down her face in earnest. She grabbed a handful of tissues and began rubbing her face. “God, Minnie!”

  “Zoe, I know you’re scared.” The soft tone of Minnie’s voice made things worse—it was full of pity and encouragement and condescension. Zoe didn’t want to hear it anymore.

  “No you don’t, you don’t know anything about me because you don’t listen, Minnie!”

  “I do listen!” She answered quickly. “I listen to verbal and nonverbal cues, Zoe, and your nonverbal cues scream that you want a boyfriend.”

  Zoe felt her cheeks heat. She wasn’t that desperate looking was she?

  “I don’t, I …”

  “Admit that you want something other than what you have now. You didn’t go out with your work friends for happy hour and you didn’t meet up with me and some of my buddies to go to that new club downtown last night. You sat at home, stuck to your couch cushions, thinking about being out and about!”

  “I don’t need this from you, Minnie,” Zoe spat as she struggled to wipe away all of her tears. “I know I’m pathetic, I don’t need your help pinpointing exactly why I was home alone last night. And I’m at work because I have an important project that needs to be done soon.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Just call your brother back and tell him that it’s off.”

  “I told him you’d meet him at cafe at twelve twenty,” Minnie said quickly. Zoe’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the phone with bewilderment. “It’s just a cup of coffee and time to talk out your first date.”

  “No, Minnie. Goodbye.”

  Frustrated, Zoe pressed the speaker button and ended the call. She didn’t move because she was trembling badly and didn’t trust her feet to carry her back across the room to her drawing desk. After a minute she pushed her chair away from the desk and rolled across her office to the large industrial window. She pressed her forehead to the thick glass and stared down at the tiny people and cars below. Tucking her knees to her chest, she turned her head as the phone began ringing. She watched the red light on the caller ID screen flash with each ring; finally her voice mail picked up.

  “You’ve reached Zoe Rayne with M.W. Advertising; I’m on the phone or away from my desk—please leave a detailed message. Thanks.”

  “Zoe… it’s me,” Minnie said softly. “I’m so sorry—I really am. The last thing I want to do is ruin our friendship over this. I took the initiative not only for you, but for my brother too.
Don’t you remember that his fiancée left him at the altar? He hasn’t dated anyone since then and it’s really time that he moves on because Cara’s not coming back.

  “I know that I’m a big trouble maker, but I care about you both so much and I want you to be happy. That doesn’t mean that you have to be happy together, but you both need a starting place. He’s not going to hurt you. He’s such a sweet guy, you know? He’d make a great friend. I know you’re scared, I really do and I understand. I promise that I didn’t go into specifics about your past with him. I just asked if he’d do it and he said—” The machine cut Minnie’s message off. Zoe stared at her hands, which were still trembling and thought about where she was in her life. She had a good job and made decent money. She had absolutely no social life. She was miserably single. Only a few positives in a tornado of negatives, she realized. Minnie was right; Zoe was scared out of her mind. This kind of thing was so alien to her—how could she ever explain her lack of history to someone and have them not laugh in her face?

  Colton would laugh—she knew it.

  The phone began to ring again, and after four shrilly jingles, the machine kicked on again. After a few seconds Minnie sighed into the speaker.

  “Can’t you set that to tape longer? Anyway…Colton said that he’d do it. He’s looking forward to meeting you and to just hang out and have some fun. Please, Zoe, please go meet him. He doesn’t deserve to be stood up again. Okay, that’s it… if he calls me later to say that you weren’t there, I’ll take the fall, but I really hope that you do go. Even if it’s to tell him that you’re not interested in the whole plan. Twelve twenty at Rylie’s Café, just down the block. It’s twelve ten now, you should probably get going. If you’re going to go. Okay—love you Zo!”

  The message ended and silence filled her office again. Zoe rubbed her face as the guilt sat in. She’d go to Rylie’s and she’d tell him that she wasn’t interested in having a starter boyfriend. Colton seemed like too nice a guy to ditch and she certainly didn’t want to become another tally in letdowns for him. Let him blame Minnie for this whole stupid thing falling apart.

  The deep coffee aroma of Rylie’s Café was somehow relaxing to Zoe as she slipped into the busy little eatery. She looked around casually and noticed a small two-person table just inside the window of the café. It was a good spot to sit and wait for Colton, unless he made his deliveries in the back. Setting her tote bag down to hold her spot, she walked up to the counter.

  “Hi there,” the bearded man smiled gently. “What can I get for ya?”

  “Um, just a cup of coffee—black,” she answered. He nodded and turned his back to her to pour her a cup. As he set it down in front of her, he placed a chocolate biscotti beside the cup and then rang up her purchase on the register.

  “One thirty,” he told her. “Free refills, just catch one of the girls when you’re ready.” She handed him two dollars and waited for her change. As he dropped the coins into her palms he assessed her carefully.

  “You okay?”

  Zoe felt the blood rush for her face. She stared at him with wonder. “Yeah, why?” Could he tell that she had cried for four minutes in her office before washing her face, adding a little makeup, and practically running over here?

  “You seem… anxious,” he answered. “Sorry… I just pick up on these things.” Zoe laughed lightly and waved her hand to dismiss his worry. “Have you received your flower delivery yet? I noticed my table didn’t have a little vase on it.”

  “No, not yet—the guy called, he’s running a bit late. You’re not the only one who asked about the flowers,” he grinned suddenly, “I thought it was because they were popular, but I just figured you all were waiting for the guy who delivers them.” Blushing, Zoe smiled and took her coffee back to her table. Just before she reached her table, a white delivery van pulled up outside the café: Cara’s Flowers and Design was printed in a flowing red font. Her heart launched into her throat at the silhouette of a man behind the wheel. Because she was so riveted by Colton’s sudden arrival, she missed a little step up to her table and stubbed her toe. She lurched forward, her coffee splattering all over her fingers and her tote bag. She had just managed to grab the end of her table, which, because it wasn’t bolted down, slid a foot banging into the chair of a business man enjoying his open turkey club sandwich.

  “Whoa, there,” Open-Turkey Club Guy exclaimed as he twisted around. He saw Zoe splashed with coffee on her blouse, hands and table. She forced a smile through her hair, which had flown in her face and struggled to right herself. He reached down to grab her arm and pull her to her feet so she wasn’t dangling across the little table. “You okay?”

  “I m-missed the…” her voice trailed off the moment the driver’s door of the van swung open.

  God she couldn’t do this, she couldn’t face him.

  Colton hopped out of the front seat with a clipboard under his arm and looked up at the Rylie’s Café sign. He didn’t look in the window, which she was thankful for because he would have seen her sprawled across her table covered in spilt coffee. Colton’s eyes moved straight to the clipboard as he drew a pencil from its resting spot behind his ear.

  And just briefly, as he opened the back door to his van, he looked in her direction. Zoe felt her heart catch in her chest as she turned away sharply, only vaguely aware that Open Turkey Club Guy was mopping up her hand and table with napkins.

  “Something startle you?” He asked as he patted her shoulder to get her attention.

  Zoe looked up at him and then laughed. “No… I’m just so clumsy! I hope I didn’t hurt you—I didn’t get any coffee on you did I?”

  “Nope, not at all—choked a bit on a cherry tomato, but it went down,” he smiled as he helped her straighten her table. “They should probably label that step a bit better, huh?”

  “Y-yeah,” Zoe stammered her eyes once again on Colton who had placed the pencil behind his ear again and was pulling a bucket of lilies out the back of the van.

  Geez. He was just as incredibly good looking as she remembered. A Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Patrick Dempsey, Orlando Bloom type of cute/hot. Colton Philips was kind of sexy that you stare at in awe and wonder why God likes torturing you; the kind of hot that was meant for Hollywood. He was tall in great physical shape for a landscaper, bronzed skin, dark hair, dark, deep eyes. Younger than she remembered, but still incredibly gorgeous.

  “My names, Ben.”

  Blinking, Zoe looked up at the man she had bumped and smiled hesitantly. “Oh, hello…

  um, Zoe.” She took his outstretched hand.

  Ben’s fingers lingered a bit before he dropped her hand, “Zoe’s a beautiful name,” he said gently. She smiled at him and pressed a napkin to the cloth of her tote.

  “Thanks for being nice about this—a normal person would have bit my head off.” She said quickly.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not normal.” Ben joked gently elbowing her. “Say, let me buy you a new cup of coffee or maybe a drink later.”

  “Oh… no, that’s okay,” Zoe smiled. “I’ll probably just spill it and burn myself again, and then—” her voice trailed off as Colton entered the café with the flowers. He walked right past her and headed up to the counter. He was wearing expensive blue jeans that fit him like one of those sexy GAP ads, a white button down shirt, and a black apron with Cara’s Flowers embroidered across the chest. She turned back to Ben, clearly distracted, and muttered, “But… thanks… really, for not yelling.”

  “Only a fool would yell at a girl like you, come on,” Ben laughed. “No problem at all…

  just let me buy you another cup and we’ll be even?”

  Zoe looked up at him for the first time. He was much older than she was, probably in his forties, only mildly attractive, but definitely not ugly. He had a kind face and kind blue eyes that has thin little smile lines outlining them.

  “Need a refill?” A waitress asked as she stopped beside her table with a pot of coffee.


  Zoe looked at Ben and then looked at Colton who was making his way out of the café.

  She watched as he approached the back of his van and drew out the clipboard again to check his paperwork. Using his pencil he made a few marks on the sheet and then began closing the doors.

  “Um… could you give my refill to this man?” Zoe asked as she grabbed her tote. “Sorry, but I need to talk to that man there—sorry. Thank you, Ben.” She touched Ben’s arm and hurried out of the café.

  Normally, in the past, Zoe would have let Colton get in his van and drive away. She would have made up some excuse to Minnie that she and Colton had just missed one another, but she couldn’t do that this time. Putting her tote bag strap on her shoulder, she hurried forward as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

  “Excuse me, Colton?”

  He looked out at her, his dark eyes slowly assessing her from head to toe.

  She shook off the ill feeling that look gave her and sucked in her gut a little. She ignored the damp places on her blouse where she had spilled coffee and hurried forward. “Hi, I’m Zoe.”

  “Zoe,” he said slowly. “Oh, right!” he slipped out of the van and smiled. “Right… sorry.”

  “Oh, it’s okay,” she laughed. “Minnie said you’ve been busy—”

  “Fuckin’ swamped!” he laughed. “I swear, I thought I knew this city, but I don’t… then people get their wads in a twist when I show up a little late. The wedding I can understand, but come on—donut shop flowers?” He shrugged, his eyes traveling up and down her body again. She crossed her arms, mostly to hide the coffee stains and because he kept glancing at her breasts. “Oh well, so what’s up? That’s a nice skirt.” As he said this, the wind off a passing truck rushed up her bare legs and poofed out her skirt in a very Marilyn Monroe way. Forced to expose her breasts and coffee stains, Zoe held down the soft material of her skirt. Colton laughed and leaned against the door. His smile was every bit as charming as she remembered.

  “Um… well I wanted to talk to you about this idea Minnie has about us dating—well, eh, not dating really but—”