“What are you doing in my kitchen?” I asked as calmly as I could, which in my opinion was executed pretty damn well, considering the level of internal freak out I was experiencing.
“Silly girl, you told me I can stay indefinitely until my place is finished with the renovations. Don’t you remember? You offered me your bedroom but I didn’t want to impose, so I took the couch so I could be closer to Ruins in case he needed to go outside.”
“I thought you were staying with Bentley. I could have sworn that’s what he told me.”
“I was. But I came early and he wasn’t home, so I came here. You were so excited to see me last night and insisted I crash here instead. Truthfully, I didn’t want to oblige, but you were so happy that it was contagious and I just couldn’t tell you no. So here I am, drinking coffee and sharing my breakfast with Ruins.” He looked down at his dog for a moment. “Oh yea, this is Ruins. Don’t get near him and he won’t bother you. He’s not a people type of dog, he likes space.” He took a giant swig of his coffee and shrugged his shoulders.
“Does Ruins know this place belongs to me and not him?” I watched as he fed his dog another toast crust.
“I’m not sure if he really cares. Hey, mind if I use the shower first? It’s an early day for me.” He asked like he actually cared for my answer when in reality, he didn’t. My opinions were never important enough to him.
“Are you sure I said you could stay?” I rubbed my aching temples with the tips of my fingers.
“Positive.” He walked past me toward the bathroom, his dog at his heel, leaving me completely and totally confused. I didn't even remember opening the door for him last night, let alone inviting him to stay at my place. What the fuck had I done?
I really shouldn’t drink. Like, ever again.
I stumbled into work a few minutes late, still barely functioning. The tardiness didn’t matter so much since I was employed by my mother, but I was usually always on time. The principle of being late irked me but it couldn’t be helped. Beckett’s “quick” shower was nearly an hour long and I barely had time to wash my hair before it was time to leave the house.
“Rough night?” Myra smirked as she handed me a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
“You know it was; you ditched me to deal with hangover life by myself. I thought you were my wing woman, my BFF, my Bae. You know who I woke up to?”
Myra bit her lip to try to hide her smile. “I could probably guess.”
“Beckett. Beckett Fucking Cole. The biggest cock block of my high school life. And...” I held up my hand to stop her from talking. “… and you let me volunteer my couch for him to sleep on until his place is ready. Why would you let me do that, Bae? Why? You shouldn’t let drunk me make decisions, you know this. Now I’m stuck playing hostess.”
She cleared her throat before speaking. “So, he’s staying there indefinitely?”
“That’s what I volunteered for, didn’t I?”
Myra’s lips transformed into a big grin, “Yes. Yes, you did.”
“Myraaa? What are you not telling me?” I shot her with my death glare look while she just smiled, completely unaffected by my distress.
“What? You insisted on answering the door last night. The fall out of your actions is not my fault. Plus, the look on your face when you saw Beckett… absolutely priceless, doll. Priceless.”
Myra was too busy laughing at me, and I was too busy glaring, to notice a customer had walked into the shop. A throat cleared and we both turned at the same time to see Eugene standing at the front counter, holding a bright bouquet of gerbera daisies. Eugene, like clockwork, came into our flower shop twice a week to buy flowers to take to the nursing home while he visits his grandmother.
“Oh, hey Eugene. How are you this morning?” I asked politely, trying to initiate a conversation. He looked extra nervous today, more so than his usual jittery self.
“I’m ah, go-good. Thanks, Lotus.” He stuttered while he wiped his hands on his pants.
I nodded my head, acknowledging his answer. “What color paper would you like me to wrap these beauties in today? Pink? Orange? I think teal would really make the colors in this bouquet pop.”
“Teal is fine. Thanks.” He began wiping his hands again as I reached for a sheet of paper to wrap his flowers up. I heard his throat clear and I looked up. “Say, Lotus. I was wondering if maybe…” another throat clear. Please God, no. Don’t let this happen. Don’t let him ask. “I was wondering if maybe you’re free tonight.”
No, no, no. “Uhmm…”
“I know it’s last minute,” He rushed, cutting off my reply. “My company is having a small retirement party for one of the partners, and, well, I was going alone, and I just thought…well…you’re just so pretty, Lotus. And…”
“What do you do again, Eugene?” Myra cut him off before he could continue on his horrifyingly awkward attempt at asking me out on a date. A free date to his company party, no less.
“I’m an accountant.” He answered, looking more than a bit confused.
Myra’s face transformed into a cat that swallowed the canary type grin. “Why Eugene, of course Lotus would love to go with you. Wouldn’t you, babe?”
Myra turned her gaze towards me and I inquired back to her, “I would?”
“See, Eugene! She can’t wait. Here’s her address, pick her up at let’s say, hum… seven? Oh, and don’t worry about the flowers. They are on me today.” Myra ripped the bouquet from my hand and shoved them at Eugene as she practically pushed him out the door of the shop.
As soon as he was out the door and I got a chance to process what had just happened, I turned towards my friend, who sported a proud smirk. “What the actual fuck, Myra! I can’t date Eugene. He’s so, so…”
“Not your type?” she offered.
“Exactly! Not even close to my type. So far from my type he isn’t even on the outskirts of my radar.”
She signed dramatically. “Have you forgotten already? You are on a strict diet; a tremendously restricted man diet. Eugene is the ideal opposite of your usual low life men. He is a perfect first date for this side of the dating pool.”
‘But… he’s just so…so…” I tried searching for the right words to describe him.
“Awkward?” she presented.
“Yes! That. He is so awkward. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy but…I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Ohhh you can and you will sweet pea. Do you remember last night when we wrote a scroll sized list of things you didn’t want in your men? Well, I can guarantee that Eugene doesn’t even come close to anything on that list…plus he has all his hair.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, it’s thin but it’s all there, and really? That’s all you wanted, right?”
“What if it doesn’t work?” I knew he was a nice guy, but seriously, I couldn't see good things happening there.
“What if it does?” she countered.
“One date?” I bartered.
“That’s usually all it ever takes, honey, just one.” And with that, I had officially committed to dating one Eugene Herbertson III. Yay me!
Five minutes into the date and I already knew it would never work between Eugene and I. He knocked at my door at exactly seven, offering the free bouquet of flowers that Myra had given him earlier in the day. The same bouquet that I wrapped in teal butcher paper and tied off with a charming piece of twine. If I was keeping a numeral score, I imagined that would be somewhere in the negative points given.
He was quite the gentleman, holding open my car door, however, being a gentleman didn’t counteract the fifteen-minute car ride of silence that was filled only by his nasally breathing. With each inhale he took, I swear my right eye twitched a little.
The retirement party was held at a swanky restaurant called Le Four Rustique. It was well known in our area for comfort foods with a slight twist and I’d been dreaming of going there since I first heard about it, years before. Ironically, despite the name, it actually served a var
iety of food; not just French specialties.
Eugene pulled his car up to the curb and ran around to my side of the car to hold my door. Taking the few steps to the nearby valet, he handed over his keys and gave the valet a dollar with instructions to ‘take care of his baby’. A dollar. The mortification that engulfed me could never be duplicated. As he turned his back, I slipped the valet a twenty and mouthed my apology.
At the time, I thought him tipping the valet a dollar would be the peak of the evening of “No’s”, but I was wrong, so very wrong. After making our way into the private party room and taking one of the small tables on the outskirts of the dance floor, Eugene then proceeded to tap his fingers in an obnoxious manner while searching around for the waiter. When the waiter showed up, a mere two minutes later, he rolled his eyes before saying, “There you are. We have been waiting for at least ten minutes for you to show up. Bring us a bottle of red wine. Also, two plates of shrimp fettuccine; hold the bread until the pasta comes. Two house salads, dressing on the side.”
I tried to cut in, since I’m actually allergic to shrimp, not to mention his complete disregard for my opinion, when he held up his hand and shushed me. He. Shushed. Me. After that I put little to no effort into engaging conversations, even when he tried to talk about my interests. He may not be selfish and only talk about himself like the last date I had, but he most definitely was still an asshole.
At dinner, he was too busy staring at my boobs to realize I never touched my fettuccini and instead only consumed bread and salad. Once the table was cleared, he dragged me around, showing me off to his coworkers, no doubt enjoying the way his nerd herd was drooling over me. Following the toasts to the retiree, we hit the dance floor where his hands continued to roam into territories that unauthorized personnel were forbidden to rove.
By the time the party was over and the valet received another tip from me, I was completely done with Mr. Eugene Herbertson III. He drove me home and insisted on walking me to the door, which was where we now stood, having the most painfully awkward conversation that had existed this decade.
“I had a great time.“ He told me, completely oblivious to our difference in opinions.
“The wine was good.” I told him because really, that’s all I had.
I fumbled for my keys, hoping to get the door open and be inside my apartment before he tried to move in for a kiss. I only managed to get one lock opened before I felt him tug on my arm. Crap. No.
“We should really do this again sometime. You’re an amazing dancer.” He used one of his hands to brush a strand of my hair behind my ear. I shivered, only not for the reason he thought. He took my shivering as a good sign and started to bring his head toward me, going for the kill. Oh, Hell! I continued to fumble with the lock, even as his face moved to be a mere inch from mine. He rested his arm on the door frame beside my head, and if it was anyone else, I might have swooned right then. But it was Eugene, happy hands, stingy tipper Herbertson III and there was nothing I wanted less in this world than him to kiss me.
He was so close to me that I could smell his shrimpy breathe and I seriously sent a prayer to the man above to save me. The irony wasn’t lost to me that instead of God Almighty answering my desperate pleas for help, it was the one and only Beckett Fucking Cole who swung open the door at just the right moment, catching me as I fell through.
“There you are! I was wondering when you were coming home, baby. Ruins missed his mama.” He snapped his fingers and his German shepherd let out a frightening growl, deep from within his throat. “Is this the friend you mentioned going out with tonight? Beckett Cole.”
Beckett held out his hand toward Eugene as introductions were exchanged. I didn’t miss the glint of humor in Beckett’s eyes when Eugene shared his full name. Eugene, seemingly confused on Beckett’s presence asked, “Are you Lotus’ brother?”
Beckett rolled his eyes with a smile plastered on his face. “Of course not! Her brother isn’t nearly as cool as I am. No, no, I’m her brother’s best friend. Lotus and I, well…” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and nuzzled my neck. It felt good, so good, even when Beckett was everything wrong. “We just sleep together.”
At that declaration, I saw Eugene’s eyes saucer and suddenly his fumbling words resurfaced. “You’re seeing someone, Lotus? I thought this was a date.”
I pretended to be confused. “Oh? I’m sorry; I thought this was just a friends thing. Like, you needed a wing woman for the night. I mean, you never asked me out on a date, just to go to the party with you. I’m so sorry for the misunderstanding.” I held my palm to my lips as I apologized, giving him my sincere eyes. It was at that moment that I realized why the big man didn’t answer my prayer; I’m a terrible person. I reached over and gave Eugene one of those uncomfortable hug back pat numbers before we said a tight goodbye. The minute he was out of sight, Beckett slammed the door behind him.
“Saveeeed you.” He smugly announced.
I pointed to my couch where his pillow and blanket were already laid out and said, “Saveeeed you.”
His vision followed my finger to where I was pointing, “Touché, Blue Eyes, touché.”
Chapter 4
BECKETT
I was going to tell her. Really, I was. I swore to myself that I would confess to my lies after I finished my coffee. Only once the lies slipped out, and those big, fucking blue eyes looked at me so confused and believing, I couldn’t do it. Looking at her crazy nest of blonde, matted curls, I only hoped that Myra wouldn’t ruin this for me, because I had a feeling this older Lotus Bishop would be way more fun than the fifteen-year-old girl I left behind, thirteen years ago.
“Are you sure I said you could stay?” She questioned me as she tried to rub away some of her hangover. I almost lost it. I could hardly hold my lies in when she was so pitiful, so pathetic, and so goddamn perfect in her muddled state. I had to leave or I’d undo my progress this morning.
“Positive.” I tossed over my shoulder as I headed to her bathroom, Ruins following closely behind. Ruins, being adopted from the shelter, tended to not trust people. Well, besides me of course. When I was at home, he was practically my shadow, which Alexa used to hate. They never got along, which was her loss because Ruins was a great guy to hang out with.
Ruins placed his body right in front of the bathroom door and watched as I closed it. I planned to take a quick shower and arrive at my new job early. But once I got under the spray of hot water, my mind started wandering and before I knew it, I was getting reacquainted with Mrs. Palmer and her five daughters, directly onto Lotus’ shower tile. I would like to say that her face didn’t cross my mind, not even for a second, but that would be a lie and hadn’t I lied enough for one morning?
I wasn’t late for work, but I wasn’t as early as I hoped either. I arrived with just enough time for my new boss’ daughter, Stephanie, to show me to my office, accidentally brush my arm, drop her pen in front of me, then show me to the meeting room where I was to get caught up on all things Peters, Schwartz and Associates.
I knew pretty much everything that Daniel Peters was droning on about, I wasn’t new to the company; just this particular location, run by Peters. Still, I respectfully listened, took notes about his expectations, boundaries, and his projected public imagery. Meanwhile, his lovely daughter used her time by running the tips of her heeled feet up the side of my calf, under the table, while sending me smoldering looks any chance she got.
I’m no stranger to Stephanie’s antics. She had had her eyes set on me from the moment we met. Way back to the time when I was a new hire, fresh out of college, just embarking on my career dreams. Back then, Alexa was still alive, but that never stopped Stephanie from trying to snag me in her grip. Even now, when I am a hundred percent single, I won’t let Stephanie’s claws take hold. She is gorgeous; don’t get me wrong, but despite her beauty, there is something so incredibly unattractive about her desperation that just the thought of taking her to bed caused my cock to shrink up like it was
taking a damn ice bath.
“I was so excited to hear about your transfer, Beck. I’m looking forward to spending more time with you.” Stephanie batted her mascara caked eyes at me as she intentionally rubbed up against my arm as we walked back toward my office. That damn hall was big enough for three people and a wheel chair to stroll together without bumping shoulders. I took a step sideways, hoping she would take the hint on giving me space, but instead she followed my lateral move and attached her arm to mine.
“Ya, sure. It is definitely nice to catch up.” Not really, no. It wasn't nice to catch up, but proper etiquette doesn’t have an option for informing someone they are the equivalent of a blood sucking leech on your radar and you would rather keep your distance.
“So, I was thinking, lunch is coming up soon and it really has been a while. Why don’t we go grab some food somewhere? There’s a diner around the corner? Or a café two blocks down? We can catch up on life. I’m dying to know how things have been with you.” She winked. I’m pretty sure her bottom lashes got stuck to her top for a second, unable to completely fight the black globs hanging on for dear life on each strand.
“Gee.” Golly. Gosh. I fought not to roll my eyes. “That sure is nice of you to offer, Steph. Unfortunately, I have to go home at lunch and check on my dog. It’s a new place and all and I would hate for him to be distressed.”
Her nose squinted in disgust before her face transformed into one of obviously fake joy. “A dog? I love dogs! What type of dog do you have?”
She listened intently, waiting for my reply. “Ruins, that’s my dog’s name, is a German shepherd.”
“Ohhh.” She nodded her head blankly. “So it’s a small dog then. That’s good. Why don’t you bring him into the office and I’ll watch him while you work?”
I took a deep breath, trying to find that mythical ‘center.’ Was she for real? Seriously? “No really, it’s fine. Thanks Steph, I appreciate the invitation but I really can’t right now.”
Obscured Love Page 2