But when she got out of the car and saw him standing there with a grin on his face, she couldn’t deny the fluttery sensation she felt inside. She was never going to doubt Laura again.
Chapter 9
“He’s quite the dish, isn’t he?”
Britt shifted on the mustard-yellow plastic shell chair in the back room of K&Bs, struggling to act nonchalant and unaffected by Maude’s assessment of Hunter. She gulped down the rest of her third bottle of water. She had to stop drinking or she would be running back and forth to the bathroom for the next two hours. Managing a shrug, she said, “If you say so.”
Maude grinned and sipped a cup of tea. Today’s flavor: Japanese orchid sencha. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who says so.”
She fidgeted in her seat again. This style of chair was ubiquitous in the sixties and seventies, and they weren’t comfortable at all. At least in the teaching area, Maude and X had regular folding chairs, complete with padded seats. Why they insisted on still using these things was a mystery.
When Britt had gone back into the store on Saturday, she reassured Maude and X that she was okay and explained about Hunter. They’d both been relieved, and Maude had seemed quite excited that he was returning to the store to see Britt.
When she arrived today, the two of them headed to the back room that doubled as a break room and an office. Britt had been a bundle of nerves all day, although she managed to hide her state from Mom, who spent the morning weeding around the back patio. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and went to K&Bsmore than an hour early. Although that gave her some time to visit with Maude, she still couldn’t relax.
For the fifth time since she arrived, she glanced at her watch. Ten minutes to two.
“Worried he won’t show up?” Maude asked.
“I’m not sure I want him to.” There. She said the one thing that had been bothering her since Hunter had introduced himself.
Maude took another sip and set the teacup down on a matching saucer on the coffee table in front of her. “That’s understandable. You can never be too careful nowadays. But my gut says you don’t have anything to worry about.” She patted her rounded stomach that was covered with a turquoise, white, and red paisley caftan. Maude rarely wore pants, and when she did, they were bell bottoms. Britt loved her style.
But she wasn’t sure she could even trust Maude’s sixth sense. After Hunter had told her who he was and said he wanted to convince her that he wasn’t a creep, she still couldn’t believe that a) he lived in her vicinity, b) he was so ridiculously good-looking, and c) he seemed nice. Really nice.
Ugh, her mouth was parched and when she looked at her hands, she realized she was tugging at her shirt hem again. She’d made three different outfit changes before deciding to choose comfort over fashion and selected a loose-fitting navy blue T-shirt, her favorite pair of high-rise jeans, and white tennis shoes.
When Britt glanced at her watch again, Maude stood. “I can feel the nervous energy coming off you.” She gestured for her to stand up.
“I’m sorry.” She rose, feeling guilty that she was making her friend uncomfortable. “I can’t help it.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Maude put her arm around her shoulders. “Iknow it’s a struggle for you. In this case, you have a good reason to be nervous. I’d be on pins and needles too if I were waiting for Mr. Dreamy to walk through the door and wow me with his seashell.”
Britt laughed, releasing some of her tension. “What would X say?”
“Oh, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Not too much anyway. Have you been doing those deep-breathing exercises you learned in therapy?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’ve been too anxious.” Which sounded dumb now that she said it out loud. The diaphragmatic breathing did calm her. So why wasn’t she doing something that worked?
“Let’s practice.” Maude lifted her ample chest, closed her eyes, and took a huge breath through her nose. Then she exhaled. “Breathe in... breathe out...”
Britt followed suit.Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out...
After they did that for ten more breaths, Britt opened her eyes. That was better. But she couldn’t exactly do that in front of Hunter, not without him thinking she’d lost her marbles. Then again, she still wondered if he was the weird one. “Thanks, Maude.”
“It’s two o’clock.” She spun Britt around and gave her a gentle nudge toward the door. “Your budding artist awaits. Oh, I asked X to put some lavender in the diffuser. It’s such a soothing scent.”
Britt nodded and entered the showroom floor. Mondays were usually slow, and today was no exception. Carrie, their part-time employee, only worked on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and every other Saturday. The shop was closed on Sunday. Right now, the store was empty—the way it had been on Saturday afternoon.
Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in...She started to yank on her shirt again, then realized what she was doing and put her hands in her pockets.Breathe out...
When she reached the front of the store, she stopped breathing altogether. True to his word, Hunter was there, standing at the counter and talking to X, who then noticed Britt. He nodded to Hunter, who turned around... and smiled.
The thumping started again, and now she was seeing spots before her eyes. Oh, right.Breathe!A huge amount of air whooshed from her lungs and out of her mouth.
He tilted his head, a small frown tugging on his lips. “Uh, hey.”
“You’re here,” she blurted.
