Page 53 of Lucky Chance

REMI

Ifloated through the day, still on a high from those orgasms and waking up with Colton in my bed.

I felt so good, I thought it was time to showcase my new smoothies. I left my assistant in charge of the shop and took bottles of my whey smoothies to different health clubs, talked to the managers, and left the samples. No one had said yes, but no one had said no. I took that as a good sign.

My energy was so positive, someone had to say yes. The unprecedented good feelings made me wonder if Colton was a necessary part of my morning routine. Yoga, meditation, and Colton.

He lifted me up and put me in a better mood.

It was hard to believe given his known grumpy demeanor, but it was true. It wasn’t just the sexy times. He’d held me in his arms all night. I never took him for a guy that stayed overnight or cuddled, but he had. And I loved it.

Waking up early, my body sated from the orgasms, I hurried through my morning routine, wanting to cook him breakfast. I wanted to take care of him, to show him that he could have so much more in his life. Someone to care for him. Someone to love him.

Something told me he denied himself things that made him feel good. He avoided relationships and entanglements. I seemed to be an exception for him. But why?

I was surprised he owned a dog and possibly a house. He was responsible and hardworking, but he didn’t strike me as a guy who put much effort into his personal life or home. I’d have expected a cookie-cutter apartment on the outskirts of town. A place he crashed at the end of his shift. Not the picture of him watching his dog sleep as the sun rose over his deck.

I was curious about what else he hadn’t told me. Everyone changes after high school, and I wanted to know what he’d been doing, why he’d enlisted. I didn’t care why he and Delilah broke up. Teenage relationships rarely lasted, especially long-distance ones.

The deeper I got with Colton, the less I thought about Delilah. It seemed impossible that she had the same depth of emotion and feelings for him as I did, and I’d only been spending a short amount of time with him compared to their two years.

Maybe I was naïve, but I thought what we had was different. Special.

But I’d convinced myself of that before and been wrong. Sometimes, good feelings were false. Sometimes, people hid their true selves from you. I shouldn’t be so trusting of Colton.

Feeling like there was still something I needed to do with my excess energy, I called the owner of the new yoga studio down the street. I told her how I’d love to offer my post-workout smoothies and juices to her yogis, and I was shocked when she said she’d love to try it out.

It was a small thing, but I loved these collaborations. The chance to meet people and to work with the community.

I’d gotten distracted last night, and we hadn’t made any progress on planning the fundraiser. Not that my still-humming body was disappointed.

Pulling out my phone, I wanted to see Colton again, and the fundraiser was the perfect excuse.

Remi: Is it too early to reschedule our planning meeting? Like you said, we didn’t get much done.

I waited, wondering if he would respond right away or if he was actively working a call or case.

Colton: I’m not sorry about that.

I smiled, my cheeks hurting from the pressure.

Colton: Dinner at my place tonight?

My heart jumped in my chest. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he kept our interactions to my place or a restaurant in town. Something told me he didn’t invite many people to his home.

Remi: Should I bring anything?

Colton: Wine or whatever you’d like to drink.

Colton: Or just bring yourself.

Would we be able to keep our clothes on this time and work, or would there be more of what happened last night? More importantly, would he open up about his past?

* * *

When Kayla called to tell me to get back to the store, I didn’t ask why. I knew something had happened, and it wasn’t good.

I rushed across town, where a few people were standing in front of my window. Seeing Kayla, I hurried to her side. “What happened?”

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