Page 73 of Meet Jon, the Billionaire

I sighed. “Well, sure, but… hey, I know, I’ll ask Pedro he could probably use a smoke break—”

“No!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at Petunia’s sharp increase in volume.

“I mean, I need Pedro’s help moving something upstairs. Please, Amy, it’ll only take a minute.”

“Fine.” I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. I knew I was being set up. And I believed I knew in what way.

Fine, Auntie. I’ll leave so you can roll out the cake or whatever else surprise present you guys have hidden away for me. I’ll play along.

I reached the corner store, and the first thing I noticed was that the windows were covered with what looked like golden wrapping paper. I shrugged, figuring it was some kind of insulation to save them on heating bills or something. The doors slid back and I walked in.

As my eyes adjusted to the interior light levels, I realized that the corner drugstore had been transformed. The sales counter, the shelves of merchandise, it was all hidden behind stands of flowers. More flowers than I’d ever seen in any one place at any one time other than at a botanical garden.

The fragrance hit me, and I noticed there was a trail of red rose petals starting at the door and leading through the rest of the store. I followed, stepping carefully lest I disturb them.

“Hello? Is somebody there? When did this turn into a florist's shop…”

I walked around the corner and Jonathon was standing there. He held a bouquet of yellow roses—my favorite and a big smile on his face.

“Jonathon?” I approached him. “What is all of this?”

“I know that you’re not into grand gestures, but I am.” Jonathon handed me the roses. “Amy—Amelia—I’ve got something I have to say to you. If I don’t, it will just drive me crazy for the rest of my life.”

“W-what did you want to say to me, Jonathon?” My heart caught in my throat. He was so handsome, his hair freshly styled, a blade-perfect shave, and a pinstripe suit that was more fashionista than gangster. I didn’t know what he was going to say—but I knew what I wanted him to say.

“Amelia…” he took a deep breath and let it out. “I love you.”

My heart did one gigantic beat, and then seemed to stop for several seconds before resuming at a rapid tempo. I felt a thrill shoot down my spine, and I almost dropped the roses in my arms.

The heady scent of all the flowers, the heat pouring out of the overhead register, and the champagne I’d drunk combined with the intense stress of the Zoning Board meeting overcame me. My vision grew dim at the edges. I remember thinking—

I’m kind of lightheaded…

Right before everything went black.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Jonathon

Have you ever had one of those days?

Imagine paying a hundred grand to a corner drug store owner to use his shop for a day, hauling in exactly one million flowers, and then sacrificing three hundred more flowers for a rose-strewn path, only to have it end in disaster.

I had decided that if I was going to tell Amelia my feelings, I was going to go all out. In a typical Tiger fashion, I unleashed my full fury in a situation where it may not have been warranted. Fury, in this case, being replaced by a desperate need to win Amelia’s heart.

Remember how I said way back at the beginning of this story that I could get pretty much any woman because I don’t know the way desperation feels? Well, Amelia had introduced me to the animal named desperation.

So maybe I went a little bit overboard. For the perfect woman, wouldn’t you?

I saw Amelia’s eyes sort of glaze over before they fluttered close, and I knew she was out on her feet. She swayed like a drunken sailor on the deck of a storm-tossed ship. I swept in and caught her as she collapsed, sort of sitting down as I absorbed the impact of her fall.

“Amelia!” I cradled her in my arm and gently patted her cheek. “Are you all right?”

Her eyes opened, then focused on me. “Hey Jonathon.”

“Hey,” I said, relief flooding through me in a glistening deluge.

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