Page 1 of Approved

Chapter one

WEST

Leaving for work at noon is an affront to whatever higher power was in charge of this place. Even though my managers would have the bar under control, I knew they would appreciate me there just in case. It was Valentine's Day, and I thought it was a stupid holiday, but it was great for business. The Dapper Duck would be packed tonight with couples celebrating or singles sulking; I would happily serve either one of them. My bar was my baby, and we had become one of the best bars in Denver—social media said we were probably one of the top five in the country.

I backed out of my garage and slammed on my brakes since a delivery van blocked my driveway. “Are you kidding me?” I waited. I assumed they would move in a few minutes. Through my review mirror, I could see the side of the truck was emblazoned with the words Flower Power, which I thought was a cute name. Being a florist on Valentine's Day must be exhausting. After I waited about five minutes, I tooted my horn and hoped the driver would realize he had me blocked.

After five more minutes, it was already 12:20 p.m., a few hours before we opened. I usually didn’t even get there until 2:00 p.m. The truck stayed where it was, so I got out and headed toward where the driver pointed at the windshield.

“Earl, so help me if your lips touch those flowers. I am going to make you eat only vegetables for a month.”

The van’s hood was up, but I saw nobody inside the cab. I was unsure who he was talking to, but I decided to point out the situation he had put me in. “Hey, can you move up a little so I can pull out?”

“No.”

The fuck did this guy mean by that? He had blocked my driveway. “Look, I can see you are having some sort of problem here, but you are keeping me from my job.”

“We all have jobs. You think I do this shit for free. Stupid fucking holiday…” He looked inside the engine compartment.

“But great for business,” We said together.

He looked up at me. Our eyes caught for a minute, something sparked, and I smiled since we shared the same sentiment. Damn, he was hot and looked frazzled, but under all that, there was confidence about the way he held himself. He wore a polo with the company logo stitched into it, khakis, and a pair of well-worn Chucks. He was tall and lean, built like a swimmer, with a mop of blond hair flopped over his forehead. Yeah, he was fucking cute.

“I don’t know what is wrong with this thing, but it won’t start, and I am stuck in front of your driveway. So sorry, buddy, but I think we are both screwed.” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug and pulled out his phone.

“What about the other guy you were talking to in the cab?”

He narrowed his eyes at me, then smiled. “Earl? No, he won’t be able to help.”

I knew I should be annoyed at this guy, but something about him was like I knew him, but I couldn’t figure out where.

“Oh.” That confused me since I knew three of us could maybe push it a few feet, but it would be too much for him and me. “Well, that sucks.” I didn’t have much more I could offer.

“Indeed, it does. Do you want to take a look?”

“Sure.” I went over and looked into the engine compartment. It made no sense to me, but I figured I should at least give him some support since he asked. “It looks like an engine.”

He looked at me. “Aren’t you going to poke around to see what’s wrong?” I smiled when he narrowed his eyes at me again. It was cute that he thought I would be able to do something.

“I can make twenty different flavors of martinis, but this,” I pointed to the engine. “I know nothing about.”

He nearly threw himself down on the curb and put his head in his hands. “I could use one of those martinis now. This is my shop’s first Valentine’s Day, and it’s ruined.”

What I should do was call an Uber and leave this guy to figure out his shit, but he was cute, and as the owner of the bar, I didn’t have to be there. Usually, I walked around the bar greeting customers, handled issues when they came up, and helped my staff with whatever they needed. They could cover that. My problem was that I hated that this guy was distressed.

“Tell you what. You can come to my bar and have all the martinis you want on me. First, let's do something about our immediate situation.”

“Our? I am already behind on all my deliveries, and I have no hope of getting them done without the van. God damn it.” I felt bad for him, the situation had to suck. I knew enough about the holiday that people would want their tokens of love delivered promptly. He looked up at me. “I’m sorry. None of this is your fault. Let me call a tow truck, and I guess I will start notifyingcustomers that they won’t get their flowers or will be very late. I won’t be able to overcome this, and I will have to close my shop.”

Oh shit, when he said that I felt even worse for him. Without asking, I opened the back door of his van and found that the inside was packed with flowers. Nobody else was in the truck, which made me wonder who he had talked to earlier. The adorable florist was on the phone, probably calling that tow truck. Taking a minute, an idea formed. Closing the van back up, I sat next to him on the curb and waited for him to finish.

He looked over to me, even more frazzled than before. “The tow truck will be here in a few hours. Let me pay for an Uber so you can continue your day.” That was nice of him, but I was invested now.

“Nah. I think I have a plan. I’m West Parker.” I held out my hand.

“Tyler Brooks.” He shook my hand without any enthusiasm. That just wouldn’t do.

I took a good look at him, and he had gorgeous amber eyes that looked tired. Then, trying not to be obvious, I took a good look at his forearms and shoulders. I should be embarrassed by my ogling. “I can’t help but notice you have a lot of flowers to deliver, and you seem a bit agitated. I’d like to help.” He narrowed his eyes at me. When he gave me that look the first time, I was a little annoyed, but now it was his habit, and I found it sexy.Okay, libido, calm down.

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