Page 9 of Reckless Chances
“Hey, Charlie,” Emma said as he started to walk to the door.
“Yeah,” he turned. Damn, the woman was gorgeous. The temporary lighting made most people look zombie-ish, but under the halo of her white-blond hair, she looked angelic.
“The arrangements, they’re on the house,” she smiled and pointed to the display space. “To repay you for this.”
“I can’t accept that. You’re starting a new business.”
“One that wouldn’t be open if you hadn’t saved my ass. Don’t fight me on this one.” She made a playful stomp on the floor with her construction boots. “And...” she put her finger on her lip and tilted her head. “You’re a tough one...”
He had no idea what she was talking about. She kept tapping her lip. “Daisies. Local ones. Unpretentious, yet a little whimsical.”
He smiled. Was that how she saw him?
“Did I get it right?” her eyes sparkled. “Are they your favorite?”
Charlie laughed. “I hadn’t thought about it until this moment. You know, the whole favorite flower thing, but daisies sound nice.”
Emma jogged to catch up to him. “Are you expecting snow?” she playfully tapped him on the hat.
“It still gets chilly at night.” He adjusted the hat.
“Mmhmm,” she smiled at him. “Hipster.”
“Oh, you take that back.” He had been called a hipster before – and he didn’t like it. “I started this look.”
They stepped into the quiet of the street. The windows of the downtown storefronts were dark, and the streetlights glowed in the mist. “Where did you park? I’ll walk you to your car.” Chance Rapids was one of the safest places in the world as far as Charlie was concerned, but he told himself that accompanying her to her car was necessary for her safety. Truthfully, he just didn’t want to leave her side.
“I walked. See you tomorrow.” She started across the empty street.
“Emma, wait,” Charlie shouted. “Let me walk you home.”
She turned. “It’s not far. I can walk from here,” she said while walking backward.
He grabbed the handlebars of his bike and caught up with her. “It’s late, just let me walk you to your street.” He realized that she might think he was trying to weasel his way into her house in the middle of the night.
“I’m a big girl, Charlie. You go home and get some rest. Nobody is going to bug me tonight.”
The gentleman in him just couldn’t let it go. “That’s true. No person is going to give you a hard time. But...” he paused dramatically.
She stopped. “But what?”
“What about the bears?”
Her eyes widened. “In town?”
“Of course, that’s where the best garbage is kept. Why do you think I carry this with me?” He zipped open his backpack and showed her his canister of bear spray. “Why don’t you just take this.” He handed her the spray. He wasn’t going to force the issue. If he were a gentleman in the true sense of the word, he would listen to the lady. She accepted the canister, her eyes tracking over the instructions. “See you tomorrow.” He threw his leg over his bike and put the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.
“What are you going to do if you see a bear?”
“Oh, I’ll yodel all the way home. That scares them off,” he laughed.
Emma pursed her lips and handed him the canister. “I live just around the corner.”
Charlie nodded, accepted the spray, and slipped it into his backpack. “Lead the way,” he got off his bike and walked beside Emma, keeping a respectful distance.
“This is me,” Emma said as they reached a little bungalow with a red door.
“Is this Jimmy’s house?” Charlie asked.
“It is,” Emma smiled. “I’m renting it while he’s in Alaska.”
“And then what?” Charlie furrowed his brow.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead.” She laughed lightly and unlocked the door. “Good night, Hipster Charlie.” She turned and leaned against the door. Her hands were behind her and her head was angled up towards his. He could’ve sworn she had just adopted the ‘are you going to kiss me’ pose.
Charlie wanted to. He wanted to scoop Emma up in his arms and kiss her all the way to her bedroom. Instead, he did the dorkiest thing he’d ever done in his life. He saluted.
“Good night, flower girl.”
