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“What says ‘Go to the Halloween Festival with me?’”
When I don’t get an immediate response, I turn and discover my friend staring at me with the biggest smile.
“What?”
She blinks, and her smile widens. “You’re gonna ask Cordelya out?”
“That’s the plan,” I say coolly, even though nerves have my insides churning like a whirlpool.
Kallie grabs my wrist and tugs me to the counter. “Nothing in there. This requires something fresh.”
She leaves me at the counter and heads to the back.
“Ember mentioned you and Cordelya were over at Logan’s for dinner the other day.”
“Kind of an impromptu dinner. Cordelya hurt her ankle, and then her apartment flooded. Logan and Ember came over to help us move her stuff to a new unit. We figured we might as well make a night of it.”
There’s some rustling and what sounds like the crinkling of paper. A moment later, Kallie reappears with a beautifully wrapped bouquet of flowers. Dahlias, sunflowers, and mums burst in shades of oranges, reds, and gold. Woven among the stems are tiny pumpkins, bats, and skeletons in shimmering blacks, silvers, and purple.
“It’s perfect,” I say, smiling brightly.
I reach for my wallet, but Kallie clears her throat.
“On the house,” she states.
“Kallie—”
“Nope. Your money is no good here,” she says, waving my wallet away like it’s an annoying fly. “Besides, every one of those stems is worth seeing you light up when you talk about Cordelya.”
She smiles warmly.
“You take such good care of everyone else; I’m thrilled to help you take care of the woman who finally has you smiling.”
“Thanks, Kallie,” I say as emotions threaten to overwhelm me.
“My pleasure.”
I wave goodbye and head back to the car to make the short drive to the Twisted Broom. The place is packed as always, the scent of fried onion rings and tap beer drifting temptingly through the air.
My gaze sweeps the room until it lands on Cordelya.
She’s leaning against the bar, chatting with the bartender while he pours drinks into the glasses waiting on her tray.
Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, she makes the bouquet I have tucked behind my back pale in comparison. Even with Kallie’s meticulous eye and lovely design, these flowers can’t hold a candle to the woman smiling across the room.
It takes a troll saying “Watch it, buddy” after he bumps into me to realize I’ve been standing in the middle of the pub staring at Cordelya like a creep.
Way to look like a stalker creep, Augustus.
I watch as Cordelya takes the tray of drinks to a table in the far left corner. There’s an empty booth nearby that I slide into, setting the flowers next to me. I watch as she travels from table to table, checking in on her section.
She stops short when she turns to see me sitting in the booth.
The smile she gives me is otherworldly.
It illuminates her face in an ethereal glow that could rival the moon. I feel my smile widen as she walks over.
“Hi, Auggie,” she says with a slight blush.
