Page 11 of Hit the Ground
The smile that spread along her kiss-bitten lips was brighter than sunshine. I felt it all the way to my gut. I wasn’t sure what she thought she saw in me, but the feel of her lips on mine had made me curious enough to want to find out.
Things looked different in the cold light of day—when last night’s kiss had faded, and I was walking through the Grocery Barn, looking at flowers, feeling out of my depth.
The only women I bought flowers for were my mom, grandmother and on occasion, my sisters. Scanning the small selection for a bouquet for Alice, I stopped and rubbed my jaw. Alice what? Hell, I didn’t know her last name and I was in the midst of trying to decide if she’d prefer daisies or carnations. What had I gotten myself into?
“She’ll like anything you bring her.”
I turned my head, lifting a brow. Joy had sidled up beside me without me noticing. “Who?”
She narrowed her eyes, leveling me with an assessing look. Joy wasn’t a big woman, but life hadn’t been easy on her. All the years she’d had to get by with nothing but vim and vigor were worn right on her face. If she wanted to cut a man down, all she had to do was glare and he’d feel it in his bones.
I knew this through experience. When I was eighteen, I’d tried to use a fake ID to buy beer at her bar. She hadn’t said a word to me. All she’d done was look, and look hard, and I’d walked myself right out, not going back once until I was twenty-two.
“Don’t play coy with me, Caleb Kelly. I know exactly who you’re looking to buy flowers for. I have to say, I approve.” She reached for a bouquet of mixed flowers. “Alice likes color. She’ll appreciate these.”
I took the bouquet, trusting she knew what she was talking about. “Thanks.”
She wagged a finger at me. “I don’t think I have to tell you to treat her right. She’s the sweetest woman I know, but she went through some serious shit before she got to town. Going out with you…” Her chest rose as she took a deep breath. “Yeah, going out with you’ll do her some good. It’s been a long time coming.”
A long time coming? What the hell did that mean? She’d only asked me for this date last night.
“You don’t have to worry about me treating her right, Joy.” I waved the flowers. “Thanks for the help with these.”
I’d said the words without thinking, and they echoed in my head after I walked away.Treat her right. Of course I would. That wasn’t where my doubts came in.
Truth was, I didn’t know much about dating. Or Alice. But something told me if I screwed this up, it’d stick with me, and I didn’t know how to feel about that.
Once I was clear of the grocery store, I had time and questions, so I stopped by Sugar Rush to check in on my sister, Phoebe.
Her café was all pink and sugar, just like her. She was behind the counter, smiling at her customers, spreading her special brand of sweetness around like confetti.
If she didn’t have the Kelly eyes and my mother’s face, I’d have suspected she’d been switched at birth. Our parents were good, solid people, but Phoebe was like a fairy, sprinkling pixie dust everywhere she went. She was the best of all of us, and my siblings and I were extra protective of her. In the last couple years, since Deke had come into the picture, we’d eased up, but that was because he’d lay down his life for her without a moment’s hesitation.
When she was free, she rounded the bakery case to throw her arms around me. “Hey, you.”
I gave her a squeeze. “Hey, Phe-Phe. How’s your day been?”
She took a step back, nodding toward her nearly empty case. “Busy, as you can tell. It flew by, though, so that’s always good.” She smiled at me. “How about you? What’s up?”
“Does Alice come in here? You know Alice, the waitress at Joy’s.”
A tinkling laugh burst out of her. “I know who Alice is, Cay. She comes in once or twice a week.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, uncomfortable with this entire situation. “What’s she usually get?”
“You want to bring her something?”
I went with the easiest explanation—the one that didn’t involve me mentioning our one-and-done date.
“Mmhmm. Some idiot gave her a hard time at the bar last night, and she ended up cutting her hand. Thought I’d take her a treat to cheer her up.”
Pink rose on Phoebe’s cheeks as she pressed her lips together. It was a strange expression I couldn’t decipher. Almost like she was about to burst.
“Okay,” she squeaked. “That’s so nice of you. I’ll box up some of her favorites.”
She rushed behind the counter, pulled out a large pink box, and set about filling it to the brim. Alice wasn’t a big woman, and while her appetite might’ve been healthy, I couldn’t see her eating all this before it went stale. But my sister was determined, so I wasn’t going to stand in her way.
I leaned my elbow on the top of the case. “What’s Alice’s last name?”
