“You haven’t. I just have a few things I need to do before I head back home. And besides, I think you’ll find you have yourself a visitor.”
“A what?”
She opens the door and standing there with one hand raised like he was about to knock and the other holding a bouquet of flowers, is Duke—handsome Duke looking even more delicious in a fitted white T-shirt and a pair of light washed denim jeans and black boots. My ovaries rev their engines.
“Er..hi,” Duke says, running his knocking hand through his hair before he lets it settle at his side. “These are for you.” He gestures with the flowers toward me, and I smile as Jade steps to the side to let him in.
“I’ll leave you to it,” she says, disappearing through the open door and closing it softly behind her.
DUKE
“Sorry if my visitin’ caused an interruption to you and your friend,” I say as I glance at the door the blonde woman just promptly exited before turning back toward Ava and handing her the flowers. My palms are sweaty, and I try to wipe them on my jeans without looking obvious. I don’t know why, but even after our mess of a date, just being near this woman makes me feel nervous.
“You didn’t interrupt a thing,” she says quickly, lifting the bouquet and inhaling the sweet scent before offering me an equally sweet smile. “She was just…” She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. “I don’t really know what she was doing. It was a somewhat confusing interaction.”
“Small towns, hey?” I say, following her as she takes the flowers into the kitchen and looks for a vase.
“I suppose.” Finding one in the cupboard under the sink, she sets the flowers aside and fills it up with water. “The hospitality part is nice though. She brought food, and now you’re here with flowers.” She glances at me over her shoulder. “Thanks for these by the way. They’re beautiful.”
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I give a shrug. “Figured flowers was the least I could provide after the way last night ended.”
“I’m so sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me last night. I’m actually surprised you’re even here.”
“Nothing to apologize for. I wanted to check in on you.” Even though it took a little prodding from my sister to get me here. “How are you feeling today?”
“Like I got hit in the face with a swinging door,” she says, smiling at me then freezing all of a sudden, her eyes widening—as much as a couple of swollen eyes can widen—before she gasps and rushes off with an ‘oh shit’ trailing behind her. A door slams shut somewhere in the house, and I’m left standing in the kitchen with the faucet running and an overflowing vase.
“Er… Everything OK?” I call out, shutting off the tap and draining some of the water. I hear a distant, ‘I’ll just be a minute,’ and occupy myself by putting the flowers into the vase while I’m waiting, clearing away the mess and even finding a nice spot for the vase of flowers to sit before she finally makes it back.
“You goin’ somewhere?” I ask, turning and finding her changed from sweatpants and oversized T-shirt into a pink gingham dress and a wide-brimmed sunhat in a deeper pink hue. Her face is completely made up to hide the bruising around her eyes, but it does little to assuage the swelling—not that I can really see her eyes with that hat in the way. “I can skedaddle if you need?”
“Oh no. I’m not going anywhere at all. Please, won’t you sit?” She smiles and gestures to the kitchen table.
I do as she asks and sit down, trying to work out what the hell is going on while she attempts to navigate her way around the house with a giant hat in the way. She clips the corner of the counter with her hip and winces.
“Why don’t you let me help you,” I say, jumping out of my chair and taking over the arranging of baked goods on a serving tray.
She stands for a moment like she’s not sure what to do or say next, so I try to help again by speaking first, but that only ends up with both of us saying, “About last night,” at the same time, then laughing awkwardly and again saying, “You first,” together.
“Ladiesfirst,” I say, smiling because despite the mess of last night’s date, there’s just something about this woman that draws me in. I don’t know what it is or why this is happening, but I think Dottie was right and I owe it to myself to take a chance or spend my life never knowing.
“I just wanted to apologize for the way I behaved,” she says, her face so hidden by that damn hat that I can’t read her expression properly.
“What do you mean?”
“I monopolized the entire evening by talking constantly, then I ruined any chance of it ending well with my clumsiness. I was just so nervous when you arrived because you are so,sohot”—I chuckle at that—“that I couldn’t stop spewing nonsense. And I could hear myself going on and on, and I even told myself internally to shut the hell up, but I just couldn’t—” She turns away to do something else and ends up walking into the cupboard with a thud. I spin around fast and steady her by the shoulders. “See? I’m a klutz. You can leave if this is all too much for you. I know I’m a lot.”
Something tugs inside my heart the moment she puts herself down like that, and I instantly regret any of the feelings I had walking away from our date last night. I’d gone home thinking I wasn’t good enough for her, and here she is feeling like she isn’t good enough for anyone. I won’t stand for that.
“How about we just take this thing off?” I suggest, reaching up and removing the hat from her head while she quickly smooths down her messy curls. “What are you even wearing this giant thing for, anyway?”
Her gaze flicks from my eyes to the floor. “I didn’t want you to see how awful and hideous I look with my face all swollen the way it is,” she whispers, her voice shaking a little.
“Oh kitten,” I say, setting the hat aside and lifting her face so her eyes are meeting mine. “You are probably the prettiest little thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Swollen eyes or not. You didn’t need to go put all this on your face for me. I came here to seeyou,however you come.Don’t you dare hide behind a mask for my benefit.”
Her watery, vulnerable eyes lock on mine, and without giving it a second thought, I bring my mouth to hers and press a soft kiss to her lips. “How about we try that date again?”
AVA
