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Chapter 14
“We haven’t seen you for weeks,” Poppy complained from my phone screen. “Surely you can spare a moment of your time to inform me about what’s happening in your life.”
I laughed. “We literally text forty-seven times a day. You know exactly what I’m up to at all times.” I stood in the storage room of the Watering Can, waiting for our flower refrigerators to arrive. We’d ordered four, and I was excited to get them installed.
“That’s not the same as seeing you,” Poppy argued. “Yasmine is all moved into her new place. Summer’s freaking out about her new client, which is a major brand, which is super exciting. Annabel has a new girlfriend that she’s head over heels about, and you’re missing in action.”
“I’m not missing,” I insisted. “The timing just hasn’t worked out. And stop being so dramatic. We saw each other last week for coffee.”
“For, like, five minutes.”
I chuckled. “It can’t be helped. I’ve been super busy setting up the shop and working with my accounting clients. Not to mention, Marco and I are in that honeymoon dating phase, and it’s been a little”—I winked—“time-consuming.”
“Yes, I’m well aware that Marco has a magical penis.”
I sputtered, which turned into a bark of laughter. “Well, then, see? You already know everything that’s happening with me.” I hadn’t told her about Marco’s penis at all, but she had correctly inferred.
The last month together had been absolutely incredible. We’d hardly spent any time apart.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. I want to see your beautiful face in person for more than five minutes. How about tonight after work for drinks at the Driftwood? It’s a few blocks from you. Surely you can muster up the energy to walk there to meet your very best friend in the whole entire world.”
“I can’t tonight,” I told her. “Marco’s surprising me with a mystery date. He’s picking me up at four, and I have no clue where we’re going.”
“Fine.” I could hear the grumble under her voice. “Lunch tomorrow, then?”
“That should work.”
“Great. How about Torino’s? It’s in Ballard. I’ll come to you. That way, you can’t wiggle out.”
“Perfect. How’s it going with Leo?” I wandered to the front of the shop, sitting on a stool behind our newly installed counter, which was also a refrigerated cooler that would hold houseplants, ready-to-go arrangements, boutonnieres, and corsages. Our handyman had installed floating shelves that looked amazing. I’d thrifted two wooden tables that I’d painstakingly sanded and coated with oil to serve as displays for merch. They looked fabulous.
Everything was coming together.
“Crappy,” she replied. It came out as a harrumph. “He’s still completely distracted. Always on his phone. I have no idea what he’s up to. I hint around about it, trying to fish out some information, but we don’t know each other well enough for me to launch into a full inquisition. Plus, I’m still really into him, so I don’t want to turn him off by being a Nosy Nicole when he obviously doesn’t want to share.”
“Have you asked Xander about it? They’re best friends after all.”
“Yeah, Summer’s been acting as my intermediary. But so far, she’s found out zero things. The grand opening of Zoe’s Lager is two months away, and I’m really hoping we’re a couple by then. The man is still a sexy beast to me, and I totally want to be with him. Those few times when he’s engaged with me, and not on his phone or glancing over his shoulder, he seems totally into me. The flirting is outrageous. But honestly, it could just be my imagination at this point. Cross your fingers that the tide changes soon.”
“They are totally crossed,” I said, holding up my free hand to show her.
It’d taken Poppy a long time to recover from her breakup with Michael. She deserved to have a new relationship she was excited about. I was rooting for her and Leo to work out.
“Tell me about Annabel’s new girlfriend.” I’d seen Poppy and Summer a few times separately since we’d gotten back from our wild road trip. But I hadn’t seen Annabel yet. She’d found a full-time job and had been apartment hunting fairly seriously.
“Her name is Stephanie, and she’s a six-foot-tall semipro Amazonian volleyball player who’s utterly gorgeous. Like, stunningly attractive. She has this long, beautiful, wavy, chestnut hair.” Poppy gave her head a shake, mimicking the waves with her fingers. “Leave it to my knockout sister to date a knockout. I barely ever see her anymore, but I’m so happy for them. They seem over the moon. That is, when they come up for air. Kind of like yourself.”
I giggled. “I’m not that bad.”
“I beg to differ. It’s ‘Marco this,’ ‘Marco that,’ ‘last night I had twenty-five orgasms,’ ‘he leaves me love notes all over the house,’ ‘he bakes me cakes,’ ‘he sings me lullabies,’ ‘he gives me full head-to-toe massages each and every night.’”
“I’ve literally never said any of that.” I laughed.
She swished a hand. “It’s all implied.”
“I’m very happy”—so, so happy—“and I guess that’s leaking through. And if I were counting, I have had quite a few orgasms. No cakes. No lullabies. But his sexy talk is to die for. He says things to me he’d never say outside of the bedroom, and they make my toes curl, among other things. Speaking of feet, I’ve been on the receiving end of a couple of foot massages and a few shoulder rubs, but now you got me thinking a full-body massage is in order.”
“Aww.” Poppy mocked wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “Your happiness is leaking through, and I’m so here for it. I’m lapping it all up. You’ve waited so long for this. I know I’m just being a big grouch insisting you come and see us in the flesh, interrupting your happy fun time with Marco, but I miss you.”
