Page 4 of Meeting Mr. Adorkable
He’d been in town, and working in the store, for almost two months, yet it felt like a lifetime. A wave of longing and regret swept over him, weakening his knees; he slumped against the table. He closed his eyes, fighting down the urge to run and jump on the first flight home. It rose in him like nausea, just as it did every day since he’d arrived, but like nausea, it would settle and fade.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. Come on, get a grip… At least he was working with flowers, even if Bibi’s Blossoms, Blooms and Bouquets offered only unimaginative, uninspiring bunches of blossoms and blooms and basic bouquets. It wasn’t much of a florist, but it was the only one around.
Picking up a cloth, he cleaned down the table of scattered leaves and the cut ends of stalks. He could do so much to make the store… more. He could make it spectacular. Hadn’t he been the head floral designer at Danebury Manor? Breathtaking bouquets for brides, stunning table arrangements for high class, stylish weddings, eye-catching contemporary displays for corporate events… He’d done it all and covered himself with glory. Until BridezillaGate… Which had led to his dismissal… Which had led to here.
Another wave of homesickness engulfed him, this time a real and physical pain.
He was here because he needed a change… It wouldn’t be forever… When he went home he’d be making a new start… It was what his family had said, what he’d said… The faces of his mother, brother and sister filled his head. They were right. He agreed they were right. He knew they were right, but sometimes — just sometimes — all that good advice to take some time out to reset just made him feel like he’d been banished.
Lucian jumped as the door crashed open before being thrown closed. Bibi collapsed against it.
“I’m sorry, Luci, but I had to jump in. Tiffany’s wedding… it’s complicated.”
“Not as complicated as that dress of hers.”
Bibi laughed. “She’s never going to wear that dress, nor any other. Not this side of the next ten years. It’s her little fantasy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bart.”
“The fiancé?” Lucian frowned before his eyes widened. “You don’t mean that he doesn’t exist? He’s literally her fantasy?” He’d dealt with some seriously deluded brides at Danebury Manor, but a non-existent one took the biscuit. Or should that be the cookie?
“Oh sure, Bart exists. He exists in jail, where he’s been for the last three years, and he’s going to be there for a few more. They jailed him for theft and a ton of other things. It’s not the first time he’s been incarcerated, and when he’s finally freed, it won’t be the last. Tiffany’s a sweet girl, but she’s not the brightest star in the night sky. Any dreams she has of a picket fenced house, kids, and a dog would soon turn to a nightmare with that guy.”
“So, has she put in an order — or not?”
“Of course she hasn’t. We talked about what might work and that’s all. I kinda feel bad for feeding her Bart addiction, but that girl’s nothing if not determined.” Bibi shrugged as she pushed herself off the door. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Forget about Tiffany — but if she comes in again, you call me. I wanna know what happened to you last night. You disappeared. You meet somebody?”
“In Randy’s? The temple of fried and breaded animal pieces? I’m a vegetarian, remember, so no, I really don’t think so.” Or not unless he counted the tall guy he’d drenched in beer. The tall guy with the good natured wonky smile, when he’d really had nothing to be good natured about. The tall guy with the sandy blond hair with a few silver threads running through it, and warm green-gold eyes. He coughed. “I went home. Had an early night. Thanks for the invite, but…”
“No need to apologize. You like what you like, even if it isn’t a night out at Randy’s.” She laughed. “It’s fun if you’re with a crowd, but the Collier’s Creek Cowboy Combo were playing, so going was a no brainer.” A soft, misty expression appeared on Bibi’s face, one Lucian wasn’t sure he’d seen before. “The lead singer, Brad, we went to high school together. We even dated for a while and he’s as good looking now as he was then.”
“Well, if leather chaps and plaid shirts float your boat…” Lucian squirmed under Bibi’s glare.
The jangle of the store’s bell announced the arrival of a customer.
Saved by the bell. Literally.
“At least it won’t be another delusional bride-to-be. The Creek can only take so many of those,” Bibi said, striding into the store front.
Lucian picked up a broom from the corner and began to sweep up, his drifting thoughts stopped dead as Bibi stuck her head around the corner of the door and grinned.
“Hey, Luci, you’ve got a visitor.”
CHAPTERFOUR
“I think you might be missing this.”
The guy from Randy’s, the guy he’d drenched in bad beer, the guy who was holding up his — wallet. Lucian’s jaw dropped. How the hell had he missed his wallet? His credit and debit cards, his driver’s license, all contained in the soft leather that was the only good thing to come out of his time with the Shit Formerly Known as Miles.
“Don’t you want it back?” The guy with the sandy blond hair and the crooked smile quirked his head to the side.
“Yes! Yes, of course. Thank you.” Christ, the man would think he was an imbecile, but then he wouldn’t be the first, nor the last probably.
The guy held it out across the counter. Taking it, their fingers brushed, sending a tingle over Lucian’s skin. He swallowed as he shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans.
“Don’t you want to check everything’s there?”
