by Catori, Ava
“Sure, maybe you could put a link on your site to mine in return for payment. Sort of like, I use Reed Amwell for all my photography needs.”
“Wow, that’s genius, which would be great. I wouldn’t mind at all,” her words spilled out too quickly. Why it that she either spoke too fast, mumbled, or could barely get out words around this guy? Becky tried to meter out her words, so they sounded almost normal. “I’d love that, thanks so much.”
“No problem. You have my card, why don’t you give me a call next week and we’ll set some time aside to work on the design you have in mind.”
“Okay, great,” she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. It was so big that her cheeks hurt.
That’s when she came back; Miss-gorgeous-model-girlfriend walked up. “I’m ready to go,” she sighed. “That chair massage at the spa booth was fabulous.”
Becky knew she should have hired someone to do something like that! Trying to break the ice, “Congratulations, I heard you’re getting married.” She hated saying the words out loud, but she couldn’t think of anything else.
“Yep,” she looped her arm around Reed’s. Pulling him away, “This fall, can’t wait.”
“Thanks again,” Becky called out as they started to walk away.
“Holy shit!” Samantha’s mouth hung open. “He came back, I think he likes you.”
“What are you talking about? He’s getting married.”
“Why would he offer his services out of the blue like that?”
“Maybe he just wants to help, or to get word about his business out too. Stop jumping to conclusions, it’s not like that. He was just being nice.”
Sam shook her head slowly. “Becky Holgate, I think Reed is interested in you.” She stared at her friend, stunned by the turn in events.
“Oh stop it,” she said, blushing. “That’s ridiculous.” Could he like me?
Chapter 7
Reed wasn’t sure why he went back. He convinced himself it was to network and to make a good contact. Besides, helping her get her business started seemed like a nice thing to do. It’s not like it would cost him anything but time. He’d just help her set up a basic website. It was almost crucial to have a website in this day and age if you wanted to be taken seriously. Besides, he could link back to his photography site and help grow his own side business in the meantime.
He convinced himself that’s all it was.
When Jessica mocked her, he felt almost defensive, not even knowing why. Was it really necessary to use that tone with the girl? She was trying to start her own business; Jessica didn’t have to be so cold toward her. He thought it was a good idea. Sure it wasn’t a dating agency he’d frequent, but he was sure plenty of guys would. Maybe he’d ask some of his single friends if they’d be interested in helping her get started. Scowling, he realized it probably wouldn’t go over well. The first thing his buddies ask about a girl is if she’s hot. His friends didn’t generally go for chubby girls.
Reed suddenly felt shallow. Did he and his friends only care about looks? That was crazy; he wasn’t like that was he? He wanted to believe he liked people for who they were. When he stopped to actually question himself, he saw how quickly he shut out the idea of dating somebody larger, and yet he was drawn to Becky for some reason. She was soft and sweet.
What if a friend was trying to set him up on a blind date, and he described the girl as chubby? He’d stop his buddy there and shut it down. Let’s face it, his looks afforded him the cream of the crop, and he usually only settled for gorgeous women that other guys drooled over.
Reed’s stomach turned at his reality. He did judge people by their appearance way too quickly, and yet he was attracted to Becky. She wasn’t his type, and it’s not like he wanted to go out with the girl, he just thought she was cute. She felt real. He hated seeing this side of himself. It was usually tucked away, not something he thought about, and now that it was staring him in the face he wasn’t feeling very good about himself.
Shaking his head, he realized he was fighting an uphill battle. Here he was trying to convince himself he’d date fat chicks, when he knew damn well he’d never once dated a girl that was chunky – not once. So why was he drawn to this blonde cherub that smiled and made him want to be around her?
He was happily engaged, ready to be married to a gorgeous girl. Okay, so he wasn’t totally thrilled about being off the market completely, and it really had been her idea. She was ready way before he was, but they’d been dating for such a long time, and it was time for him to man up and finally make the ultimate commitment. He just wished he was more excited.
She was over the moon when he asked, but something deep inside told him she might not be the one. He loved her, they were good together, hell, they’d been living together for the last two years, but something was missing. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he always thought he’d be certain when it came time to propose. Instead, he did it because he felt obligated. It was the next step in their relationship. First comes love, then there’s marriage, and then kids…he froze at the thought. He wasn’t ready for kids. He wasn’t ready for this.
What he did know is that he loved Jessica. The moment he saw her, he knew he had to have her. He pursued her like every other guy on campus did, but she chose him. She used to make him weak in the knees and want nothing more than to spend every waking moment with her curled up in bed. It was such a strong biological response, he couldn’t even deny it. Only after so much time together, they’d grown comfortable with “good enough”, and he wondered if that’s what married life would be like.
Would he never feel the spark again? She’d be his one and only for the rest of his life. Was that enough? Reed felt almost guilty thinking like that, but he was a man, and some days he couldn’t help himself. Usually it was just a passing glance at a nice set of legs, maybe a great rack, but it was never more than a quick look. He didn’t take it further, never tried to make more out of it than that. He loved Jessica, and had no urge to go elsewhere – only even with all of that, there were still the tiniest bits of doubt creeping in. Maybe it was cold feet, who knows, but he hated that it stayed with him.
His interest in Becky took him off guard. She wasn’t the kind of girl he’d ever be drawn to, but for some reason, she drifted into his thoughts time to time. It’s not like he wanted to throw her down and make mad passionate love to the girl, it wasn’t that kind of response. It was more that he wanted to spend time with her, talking, listening to her laugh, and watching her milky complexion flush, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. What was that? He barely knew the girl, barely spent time with her, but still she sat on the edge of his brain.
Whatever it was, he needed to knock it off, because it wasn’t doing him any favors. Speaking of favors, he told her he’d help her with her business website. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. If he spent more time around the girl, it would be harder to forget about her. He tried to shift his focus back to Jessica and their wedding, but the soft, curvy blonde he’d met recently was stealing more and more of his attention.
Chapter 8
“How is this even possible?” Becky stared at her inbox. She’d gotten four more applications, and counting the ones from community day, she now had close to fifteen women interested and two men. It was a start, though she’d need more guys to get things moving. At least she could try to get the two guys matched up. Scanning the applications, she groaned at the answers one guy left behind. Okay, so at least she had one decent application. She tucked the second application aside for desperate times. Even with so few applications, she wasn’t that desperate yet. Some things are better left unsaid. She looked it over again and flinched. Yep, we’ll just tuck this into the “better off not dating this century” file.
When the phone rang, she absentmindedly picked it up, while still scanning the applications. “Hello?”
“Hi Becky, it’s Reed.”
Catching her breath, she responded as calmly as possible. “Hi, how are you?” Her heart k
icked into high gear.
“I’m good, thanks. I wanted to see if you had time this week to talk about a vision for your web page.”
“A vision,” she suddenly felt stuck. She really hadn’t put as much time into it as she thought she did, because when it came down to it, she kind of didn’t know.
“Yes, like what type of information you’d like available, what you want your main page to look like, if you want it to look edgy and current, comfortable and homey, or were looking for a more business feel, very upscale and clean.”
“Wow, I don’t really know.”
“Do you have a logo, or colors you’d like to work with?”
“Umm,” she froze up. What had started as an iota of an idea was fading from her brain. “Maybe I’m not ready for this yet,” she said, anxiety creeping in. Was it anxiety over her business, or was it that Reed Amwell, the guy that made her feel all gooey inside was on the phone. She wanted to sound sharp and well thought out, but instead went into a panic.
Her pulse was racing, her palms were sweaty, and all Becky wanted at that moment was to get off the phone. It’s not that she didn’t want to talk to Reed. It’s that she wanted to do more than talk to Reed, and that thought alone was rushing through her brain at full throttle. As her words choked in her throat and her mind seized, she was stuck.
Out of nowhere, Bella went tearing across the room and slammed into a vase sitting on a side table, “Bad Kitty!”
“Bad kitty?”
“I’ve got to go,” she spurted out and hung up. “Dammit Bella,” Becky said, going to clean up the mess, and in that instant realized she’d just hung up on the very guy she not only had a crush on, but was willing to help her create a website. No, no, no, she didn’t mean to. Should she call him back and apologize, or has the moment passed?
She quickly checked the caller ID and redialed his number.
“Hello?” Reed answered half curious, half amused on seeing her number pop up on his phone. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, rambling. “Listen, I really appreciate you wanting to help me, I just don’t know where to start and it overwhelms me. You overwhelm me. I mean,” she startled herself, she didn’t mean to blurt that out, and then she kept going, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just that I seem to freeze up when you’re talking to me, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me, and I feel like a fool, and…” her words were getting faster and faster, and soon she was tripping over them.
Reed interrupted “Breathe.”
Becky took a deep breath. Exhaling, she admitted, “I want your help, I’m just not sure where to start.”
“Why don’t we start with a basic piece of information? You know the name of your company, but have you designed a logo yet? Will you be using a logo?”
“I had a basic idea, but I feel silly. I’m not very artsy, as you could tell from the amateur poster at my booth the other day, but I’m not really sure how to start.”
“Why don’t we start with your logo? I can help you. What were you thinking of?”
“I was thinking of a white daisy with the petals outlined in blue, a yellow center outlined in red, and then the words of the company maybe in the petals, in the center, or as part of the stem and leaves. I’m kind of torn on that part.”
“It’s a solid idea. Why don’t I sketch a few ideas and you can see if you like one?”
“Why are you helping me? This is so sweet of you, but you really don’t need to.”
“I want to help you. You seem like a nice girl, and it’s a good idea.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “I’d really like the help. I feel stuck.”
“Why don’t I meet you over at the coffee shop one night this week, and you can see if any of the designs appeals to you, and from there we’ll discuss colors for your website.”
Becky wasn’t sure how it was possible, but once again she was on the way to the coffee shop to meet Reed, the very man that made her dizzy with excitement, made her heart race like a thoroughbred, and left her breathless with lust.
Before running out of the house, she checked the mirror one last time. Smiling, there was no sign of spinach, no sign of life, and no sign of a small beaver damn between her teeth. Feeling content with a final check, she headed out the door. It was so sweet of him to be doing this for her. She was excited to see the designs he sketched out. It was pure luck that he was so good with creative stuff, and that he was offering her to help. What are the chances?
Pulling up, she was giddy on seeing his truck. The very SUV that had been sitting in the driveway that first night she met him. She was glad he had the truck and not the sporty red car. It was an ego car, and he didn’t seem like an ego person, he felt more down to earth. His girlfriend, now she seemed like the flashy type that liked eyes on her. Yep, his truck was here because he wanted to talk to her, help her, and spend time with her.
Walking in, she smoothed her skirt down in the front and scanned the room. He waved on seeing Becky. Feeling her anxiety kick in, she talked herself down. Keep calm, act professional, don’t trip, don’t make a fool of yourself, and simply offer your hand as a friendly gesture.
Reed stood to greet her, and as he spoke she smiled graciously, forcing herself not to jump his bones the second she heard his voice.
“Becky, it’s great to see so much of you. I think the rest of the coffee shop is happy to see so much of you too.” Lowering his voice, “Your skirt is tucked up into the back of your panties.”
Dying would have been too painless. If Becky could have single handedly plucked the nails embedded in the hardwood floors, and skimmed the planks off the floor, she would have gladly crawled under a board and had Reed hammer it back into place.
Reaching down, her brain frozen in time, she felt for and then found the offending piece of material that was wedged into the backside of her panties. How had she not felt the breeze, holy cow, how many people saw, and as her fingers went to her rounded thigh, she reached up and yanked down the fabric.
She couldn’t breathe, each breath felt shallower and shallower, and as her pulse quickened, her breathing went with it. Trying to gain control, she forced herself to count each breath, no, no, you’re not allowed to panic, breathe.
“Are you okay?” She heard the voice in the distance. Before her was beautiful Reed, gorgeous, handsome, attractive Reed looking directly at her.
Shaking herself out of it, slowly regaining her composure, she stopped before going into full blown hyperventilation mode. “Yes,” she said flatly, “I think I need to sit down.”
“Of course,” his hand was wrapped around her waist, helping her back onto one of the overstuffed chairs. His hand was touching her, holy cow, don’t let go.
Blinking, she took in the scene. Reed was standing over her, and in a moment of total exhaustion, she felt it rise up from her belly. There was no stopping it, and though she felt like she might be sick from the traumatic embarrassment, a fit of nervous giggles spilled out of her like a pot of boiling water that couldn’t be controlled.
Horrified, her face completely flushed with what could only be described as total humiliation, Becky Holgate laughed like there was no tomorrow. Caught up in the moment, Reed laughed with her.
When the tears started, she couldn’t stop them. Not only had she made another absolutely miserable impression on the guy, she looked like she couldn’t even dress herself. Sure, why not…why the hell not? The laughter slowed to a trickle, and then started back up again. Reed wasn’t even sure what he was laughing at anymore, but her laugh was contagious, and soon he was grasping at his sides, trying to catch his own breath.
“Holy shit,” she started, when a horrible goose like honk came out of her. The laughter went from normal to weird noises and then there was no noise, just air as she was gasping for breath, and before she could stop it, a goose honking sound again.
Reed bent over laughing harder on hearing the obnoxious honking. And then it happened, wit
h all the laughing there was no control, Reed farted in front of the entire coffee shop. Becky lost control all over again, honking, wheezing, crying, and screaming with laughter. They were quite the pair.
Everyone was staring, but Becky couldn’t help herself. She was in pain now, and desperately needed oxygen. Did he really just do that, oh my god, her skirt was tucked up in her underwear, what the hell? Finally, after they couldn’t laugh any more, they sat side by side in two chairs and looked at one another. It started with a small giggle, but then erupted into total chaos with more tears, more honking, and more uncontrolled laughter.
Becky was the first to speak, barely able to catch her breath. “So, I can’t be trusted to dress myself, and your bottom has quite a reputation for being vocal,” she started. “And here I thought I looked all classy in my new skirt,” she sighed.
Reed smiled. “Your skirt is great, but your laugh is amazing,” he said, looking over at her, unable to look away.
Becky turned away, blushing. “Thank you.”
“Can I get you a cup of coffee? I have the designs for the logo here.”
“That would be great, thanks.”
“I’ll spread them out here, and you can look at them while I go get your drink.” Reed pulled out different images he sketched out, and laid them side by side.
Becky moved to the small sofa and scanned the designs spread before her. They were incredible. He’d taken her thoughts and created visuals that got her excited. They were all fantastic. She’d have trouble deciding which she liked the best.
Returning with Becky’s coffee, Reed sat beside her on the small sofa. “What do you think?” He asked, handing her the beverage.
“I love them,” she turned to look at him, and as he looked up, she knew she was in trouble. Their eyes met, and sitting only inches apart, she looked at his lips.
He couldn’t pull himself away. He knew he was too close, he should move, this isn’t right, and yet he was stuck. This was wrong, back up fella, you’re going to get in trouble, and as his eyes lowered from her gaze to her lips, her eyes following his, he leaned in closer, his lips about to brush against her own – when he finally stopped himself. Righting himself, he quickly stood, realizing how close he had just come to cheating on his fiancée, how close he’d come to kissing the girl before him, and how much he desperately wanted to kiss the girl sitting beside him.