AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure. You just got a package. I left it on the kitchen table.” He hooks a thumb behind him as he continues to eye us with suspicion.
I scamper off towards the door and curse when I step on something sharp. I lose my balance and stumble, only to be caught by a pair of large hands on my hips. In one fluid movement, Charlie bends and puts an arm behind my knees and the other across my back and lifts me like a bride. He carries me out of the barn while I hold the shoebox on my stomach.
“My hero,” I deadpan, and he chuckles.
“Can’t have those pretty feet getting hurt.”
He glances at me with a crooked grin before his eyes return to the path in front of him. I wiggle my toes and smile. “You think my feet are pretty?”
“Everything about you is pretty.”
His cheeks turn a light shade of pink. It’s the first time he’s ever openly flirted with me. “Presents and compliments? It must be my birthday.”
He laughs and sets me on my feet on the top step of the porch. “I better get back to work. I’ll see you tonight for dinner.”
Garrett raises his eyebrows. “Woah guys. Dinner? Moving a little fast, aren’t we?”
Charlie laughs and shakes his head. Then he winks at me, and tingles erupt like fireworks in my gut. He returns to the barn, and I watch him go.
“So, how was it?” Garrett asks, pulling me from my trance. I’m reminded of my sleepwalking episode that Charlie helped me forget and frown. Garrett eyes me, but I don’t know how to explain what happened, so I file it away for later.
“I didn’t sleep with him.” I pull up the hoodie to show him my shorts and he rolls his eyes.
“Duh. It was fun to watch you squirm though.”
My lips flatten as I push past him into the house. Garrett’s laughter follows me, and I can’t help but smirk.Jerk.
I turn the corner in the kitchen and find a large cardboard box on the table. Garrett helps me open it and pulls out a Styrofoam cooler. He pops it open and cold condensation escapes in a fog from the open lid. I peer inside and find chocolate fro-yo with coconut and almonds in separate containers. “Holy shit,” I whisper.
Garrett pulls out the fro-yo and frowns. I close my eyes when I see the logo. It’s from the shop Luke and I had our first date.
“There’s no note,” he says. But there doesn’t have to be. There’s only one person who would bother to send fro-yo halfway across the country.
“It’s from Luke.” The return address is the Maddox building, so at least I know Dylan sent it for him.
Garrett sets the fro-yo back in the cooler. “Oh.”
“Yea.”
We both stare into the cooler for a few minutes. Garrett leaves my side, only to return a moment later with two spoons. He hands one to me and pulls out the container again.
“I haven’t even had breakfast yet,” I protest.
“It’s your birthday. Who cares?”
I stare at the delicious treat as he holds it out to me. He wiggles it in encouragement, and with a resigned sigh, I scoop it onto my spoon and shove it into my mouth. My eyes close with a groan, then I take the container from Garrett and scoop more into my mouth. It’s not the fro-yo’s fault. It would be a shame if it went to waste. Garrett digs in and I spread coconut and almonds over the top.
“Why did Luke send you fro-yo?” he asks.
I sigh and tell him the story of our first adorable date. We were both so nervous, and already falling in love.
“Sounds like a pretty epic first date.”
I only nod and we fall silent. Luke was always thoughtful. I can’t hide the smile after my fourth bite, thinking about the fact that a big shot billionaire used his considerable world changing resources to send a very specific brand of fro-yo to me for my birthday. God, I miss him so much.
Later that night, my dad grabs the wrapped gift from the table and hands it to me. “It’s from all three of us.” I grin while Garrett, my dad, and uncle watch me tear through the paper. They all pitched in and got fancy camera accessories for my new hobby. I hug them in thanks and race to the door when Charlie arrives.
He looks so handsome in jeans, clean boots, and a blue and white plaid button down. “Hey, we match.” I say like an idiot when I open the screen door for him. He scans my navy-blue cotton dress and smiles.
