I stand in silence for a moment, debating. If she were to leave me, I’d be empty. There’d be nothing left for me. But if she didn’t want me, I would never force her.
“If she doesn’t want to be with me, I’ll stay back and let her be. But I won’t ever stop protecting her.” That’s the best I can agree to, and it seems to settle them.
“Okay, then it’s settled. Two to five, we won’t interfere. But we will be keeping an eye on you.” Katerina seems slightly calmer than she did before, so that makes me feel better.
I nod, and we return to the sitting room. When Mom grins at me, I have the feeling that she can tell something’s different about me. That she can sense I’m happier. But I don’t confide in her about Lizzy. Not yet.
…
As I pull into my driveway, a basket on my doorstep catches my eye. Placing my car in park, I reach for the gun tucked into my pants and free it. But the smell of blueberries as I approach has me holstering the firearm.
I don’t need to pull back the towel on top to know my angel has baked me another delicacy. From the smell of it, blueberry muffins. Despite being full from dinner, my stomach rumbles.
Quickly, I scoop up the basket and unlock my door, ready to taste the treat from my angel. Maybe, if I’m lucky, she hasn’t gone to sleep yet, and I can watch her while I eat.
Chapter 19
Lizzy
The knock on my door has me abandoning my puzzle. Fear strikes me at the possibility of Chris on the other side, but I must be lucky today, because instead of that crazy man, my sexy neighbor stands on my doorstep holding a bouquet of purple peonies, my favorite flower.
“Hey,” I say shyly, not sure how to navigate this situation. I’ve never had a man show up with flowers before.
“Hey,” Bash responds softly. He’s quiet for a moment, pensive, and I see the muscle jump in his cheek. “I’m here to ask you on a date. I’d love to take you out and get to know you better.”
The words wrap around my ribs in a hug. I can’t believe he’s here asking me out. I had every intention of pursuing him, but here he is.
“I’d really like that. It was my baked goodies that won you over, right?” I tease him.
He lets out a little chuckle, then shakes his head. “You’re an incredible woman who I’ve been interested in for a while. The baked goods are just an added bonus.”
That comment has me blushing. I never even considered the possibility that my sexy neighbor running buddy who I’ve been crushing on for a while could share the sentiment. Maybe I should thank Chris for instigating our official introduction.
“What did you have in mind? For the date?” Anything is better than a sports bar. Something tells me Bash won’t pick something so grimy.
“I figured since we both like being intellectually challenged, we’d make a great team. There’s trivia night at Andromeda’s on Mondays and Wednesdays. I know it’s technically a bar, but it’s an upscale wine bar, so I was hoping it beats Duvic’s.” He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I mean, we can do something else if you’d like. I have dozens of date ideas for us.”
I don’t give him the chance to second-guess himself anymore. I’ve never been to Andromeda’s. In fact, I’ve never even heard of it. But trivia night with him seems exciting.
“Trivia night sounds fun. Let me change, then we can go.” I don’t even mind that he’s asking me out with such late notice. It’s only been three days since we’ve started talking, and he’s already made such an effort.
“Oh. I was thinking we’d go on Wednesday. But if you’d like to go tonight, we can do that. I was just expecting more time to prepare.” He glances down at his slacks and button-up shirt as though they aren’t up to standard. His shoulders tense, but he breathes in, then rolls them back. “I would love to go out with you tonight. I don’t mean to rush you, but we will have to leave in the next twenty minutes if we want to get there on time.”
“I’ll be ready in fifteen,” I assure him, then run to my bedroom.
I’m tempted to wear my new outfit but refrain since he saw me in it on Friday, and I don’t want him to think I don’t own any clothing. I land on a pair of camel-colored plaid pants that I had tailored, a sleeveless black top, and a chunky belt. I leave my hair down to add some femininity to the look. Before I can convince myself that I look like a professor instead of a sophisticated woman, I leave my bedroom.
When I enter the living room, Bash stands from my couch, the perfect gentleman. Somehow, he seems to get bigger as he drinks me in. As if seeing me dressed up for him feeds his masculinity, making him more of a man.
“You look…” He gulps. “You look heart-stopping. The personification of the feeling of finishing a puzzle.” He reddens and coughs awkwardly. “I’m sorry. That was meant to be a compliment, but it sounded so strange.”
“I understood you.” That feeling of accomplishment mixed with seeing the full picture put together, it’s sweet bliss.
“Let’s get going,” Bash suggests. Once I get close enough to him, he leads me to his car with a palm on the base of my spine. The touch has my breath quickening.
The car ride is spent slyly bragging about our past trivia triumphs. We’ve come to the conclusion that we should win tonight because our combined intelligence is insurmountable. It may be egotistical of us, but unless we’re up against genius-level opponents, then we’re the favored team.
When we enter the extravagant establishment, I realize it can’t be put in any category even close to Duvic’s. Andromeda’s is classy and refined. The maroon and black aesthetic is perfectly matched with the dim lighting and jazzy music coming from the band. Even the wall art must cost thousands. I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a place so nice. They certainly don’t have these types of wine bars in my small town in Mississippi.
