Page 10 of Sweet Love From Saturn

“So, who is this man and how did you meet him? Last time I checked, your ass didn’t do shit outside of being in the shop. Don’t tell me the man came in to get his wife some flowers and asked you on a date.”

I would’ve taken offense to Tiffany’s statement if I wasn’t familiar with her sense of humor. It was a joke and she knew damn well I’d never knowingly mess with a married man. Deciding to come out with it, I gave my sister the scoop about Mccoy and me. Our coffee date went smoother than expected and I was looking forward to seeing him tonight.

“At least he was thoughtful enough to come down here and apologize. Had he been a real asshole, I’m sure he wouldn’t have thought twice about the situation. Just make sure he doesn’t have your log-in information after he installs the cameras. He may seem nice, but you don’t know him. Take things slow and see where it goes,” she advised.

Before I had a chance to respond, the bell chimed and customers started flowing in and out. Thankfully, I was able to get the deliveries out and inventory ordered while Tiffany was here. The shop was busier than I anticipated, which put me in an even better mood. The chocolate festival had ended and business remained steady. Now, it was a little after five-thirty and I waschecking out the last customer. After doing a walkthrough to make sure no one else was here, I locked the door and flipped the sign to closed. Since there wasn’t much for me to do, I set the alarm and left the shop at six on the dot.

When I pulled in my driveway, I cut the car off and hurriedly grabbed my purse from the passenger seat. I was in the middle of doing my last delivery when Mccoy called, asking different questions about what type of cameras I preferred. As long as I could hear and see, I couldn’t care less about anything else. He had my address and said he’d be here around seven fifteen. My house wasn’t a mess but I wanted to make sure it was spotless since he’d be in the rooms to hook everything up. Plus, I still needed to shower and find something to wear.

The smell of the lavender plug-in penetrated my nostrils when I stepped inside. My home was my sanctuary and I treated it as such. Outside of my parents and Tiffany, I rarely had people over. I loved being alone and that was when I was the most at peace. I shut the door and threw my purse on my cream-colored loveseat, walking further into my house. I reached for the bun on top of my head and took out the scrunchie before shaking my curls free. Once I made it to my en-suite bathroom, I cut the shower on and tested the water temperature until it was perfect. Locating my Bluetooth speaker, I turned my favorite station on then got in the shower. After my hygiene was taken care of, I settled on wearing a gray two-piece short set. It was comfortable but still appropriate.

By the time I had the house cleaned and a lemon drop made, Mccoy was calling.

“Hello?”

“Hey, beautiful. I just pulled into your driveway.”

Standing from the bar stool and setting my drink on the coaster, I walked to the front door and pulled it open. Just as Mccoy said, he was in my driveway with his tall frame leanedagainst his pickup truck. Unlike earlier, he was now dressed in a pair of black jogging pants with a black t-shirt to match. His beautiful waves were tucked under a black durag and his feet were in a pair of Nikes.

“This is the second time today I made you smile,” Mccoy said as he approached me, pulling me from my thoughts.

“You’re keeping score?”

“Yeah. I figured I can take you out on a date for every smile.”

Blushing, I turned away with the shake of my head.

“Careful now. We’re up to three more dates now,” Mccoy teased.

I was caught off guard when he pulled me in for a hug I didn’t know I needed. Being in the arms of a man was a feeling I’d forgotten long ago. My head landed just below his neck and it took all my strength not to look up and kiss him.

“You look more beautiful every time I see you. Is that your real hair color?”

“Thank you. And yes, it is,” I answered honestly.

“I only asked because I noticed your eyebrows are the same color. I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”

Mccoy’s statement was one I’d been hearing since I was a little girl. Out of all three of my parents’ children, I was the only one born with ginger hair and freckles. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned to love my unique features. I knew I was pretty, but half the time I felt like a zoo animal from all the stares I got.

“The gene was passed down from my grandmother,” I admitted.

That was yet another thing that me and my Grandma May had in common. She understood my struggles of being the oddball. My parents always reminded me that I was pretty, but it was my grandma who taught me acceptance. I stepped aside and allowed Mccoy to open the front door for me.

“I got a camera for every room. The only places that won’t have cameras are the bathrooms. I got the best of the best. You need to be able to always see your home from all angles. Since there will be a camera at the front door, you’ll be able to see them before they even make it up your porch.”

“That sounds good. Thank you again for doing this for me. I never thought I needed security living here, but it’s good to be prepared.”

“No thanks needed. What kind offriendwould I be if I didn’t make sure you were straight?” he asked with a smile, causing me to do the same.

“We’re up to date four. Let me get everything from the truck and I’ll be back in.”

“Would you like anything to drink? Water, liquor?” I inquired.

“A bottle of water is good for right now. I’ll see what your liquor collection is looking like when we start dinner.”

I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves when Mccoy walked outside. I was doing cartwheels on the inside but trying hard to stay cool. No other man I’d entertained asked me about home security and they knew I lived alone. Mccoy was different and I hoped things only got better from here.

SIX

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