Page 70 of Jilted Jock
Yeah, that’s right, I’d sent them to her office instead of her apartment. Sharing the beauty of flowers… or maybe just making it known she had someone who wanted to give her those things. I wasn’t trying to lay claim or anything that caveman, but I wanted the whole office, fuck, the whole damn world to know she deserved it. All the ridiculous, all the over the top, completely frivolous gestures a man could make.
“I looked at flights this morning. I can be there Friday morning around seven, but then I’ll have to turn around and come back Saturday night so I can get back in time for therapy Sunday morning. Maybe we can have breakfast before you go to work on Friday?”
She didn’t respond.
“Or not. I’ll probably be tired so I can crash and when you get off work, we can have a proper night out.”
I checked my phone to make sure the call hadn’t ended.
“Adele? Are you still there?”
“You’re really coming this weekend?”
“Uhh, yeah. We’ve been talking about it all week. Did you make other plans?”
“No, sorry, nothing like that. I’m glad you’re coming. I’m just surprised. I saw you last weekend.”
“Yes, and it’s already been four painful days without you.”
Her light laughter filled my truck.
“Get used to it, sweetheart.”
“All I’m trying to say is, it’s not necessary. I know you’re busy in LA and I don’t expect you to fly here every weekend.”
“Good because once I’m cleared to play, it might be every other week until I can find a day to fly out.” I pulled into my driveway and hit the garage opener. “I know you and what’s his face went weeks without seeing each other, but that’s not the type of relationship I want.”
“You keep saying relationship, but Finn, we haven’t even tried dating yet. Don’t you think we’re rushing things?”
I killed the engine and sat in the silence asking myself if she was right. Was my need to push ahead at breakneck speed some unresolved wound from the fact she’d chosen Richard over me – the second woman in my life to leave me for someone else in the span of a month?
I knew, deep in my gut, that wasn’t it.
“Dating is for getting to know the other person and deciding if you like them. I already know how I feel about you and even though it was months ago and only for a short while, those nights sitting on your couch together were better than any dates I’ve been on. If you need to slow down to catch up to how I feel, we can do that. But I don’t need it. I already know I want to keep you; I don’t need a date or ten to figure that out.”
I picked up the phone and hit the FaceTime button. She accepted a second later and I was staring into those blue eyes I’d missed like hell. She thought I could go weeks, as in plural, without seeing her? Girl was crazy.
“You’re pretty sweet when you want to be.”
“Does that mean I can come?”
“Yes, I’d love to see you, Finn.”
My plane was delayed, so I didn’t get into New York until after eight on Friday morning. Adele was already at work, so I took a nap, and then ventured out to meet her for lunch.
Grabbing flowers on top of the ones that should have been delivered seemed like overkill, but I didn’t want to show up empty-handed. A café one block before her building came into view. A cupcake store with bright colors and the smell of sugar so thick in the air I swore I could taste it. There was a short line, so I stared at the many flavors while I waited.
Chocolate wasn’t just chocolate, it was Triple Choco Addict. A red one with hot pink sparkles was Dazzling Strawberry. And so on and so forth. A man couldn’t ask for any one of them without sounding ridiculous, but when it came my turn, I leaned on the counter with one hip and with the straightest face I could muster, asked, “Can I get a dozen of the Better Than Sex cupcakes?”
The girl behind the counter bit back a smile.
“Should I have gone with Orgasmic Vanilla instead?”
Her cheeks pinked.
“They’re for my girlfriend.”
“I’d go with half of each.”
