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No doubt the sizable extra fee I had paid to arrange the before-hours sign delivery and installation had made them a bit more enthusiastic… or maybe they were romantics, and had been able to guess that this wasn’t just about business.
I stifled a laugh, the thought making me realize how much my life had changed over the past year.
Doing anything purely for romantic reasons wouldn’t even have crossed my mind before meeting Joanne—but now? Now, I was seeing hearts and flowers everywhere I looked.
Hazard of the job, but one I’d happily embraced.
And this? Even if the burly men preparing to lift the large sign from the bed of the pickup were only doing it for the money, I didn’t mind. It would have been worth it to pay twice as much to make this happen. Evenmore. No amount of money would be too much for the reaction I knew I’d get when Joanne came downstairs in a bit.
Well, the reaction Ihopedto get.
“Any other special instructions?” one of the men asked, grunting out the words as he and his partner carried the sign toward the building.
I shook my head. “I just want things to go as quickly and smoothly—and maybe asquietly—as possible.”
How they’d manage to get it above the awning between just the two of them was a mystery to me, but I wasn’t about to question it. Everything else with my surprise had gone smoothly so far; now I just had to have faith that this final piece would work out, too. And faith in things working out? It was still a new sensation, but one I’d started to get better at with practice.
Another new development over the past year.
“Get it done before my girlfriend comes down and you guys can have breakfast next door at Castle Coffee on me,” I offered impulsively, partly to spur them on but partly because I was just…happy. It seemed natural to share it.
“Don’t worry about it taking too long. It’ll go pretty quickly once we get it in place. The next few minutes might be a little tricky, but after that,” the man gave a nonchalant shrug and snapped his fingers. “Piece of cake.”
His partner threw me a cheerful smile. “And we’ll definitely take you up on that breakfast offer. Castle Coffee has the best pastries in town.”
I grinned, agreeing completely.
I couldn’t quite contain a frisson of nerves at the “might be a little tricky” comment. My gaze kept darting from the progress the two men were making with the sign to the second-story window where the bedroom I shared with Joanne overlooked the parking lot as I tried to quell my last-minute anxiety that something would spoil the surprise.
So far, though, there didn’t seem to be any lights on, so I was going to assume that she was still sleeping.
The sign finally rocked into place, settling against the building with a thud that I was certain must have rattled through the entire building. I winced.
Joanne was a sound sleeper, but if she’d managed to sleep throughthat, it would be a miracle. At least if she got up and looked out the window now, though, she wouldn’t be able to see the sign until she actually put clothes on and came downstairs… and that would hopefully buy me and the guys the extra time we needed to make sure everything was just right for the big reveal.
“Just a few more minutes,” one of the sign installers said, grinning over at me as if he’d been able to read my mind. “Don’t you worry. You’ll have your surprise ready and we’ll be off enjoying that breakfast in no time.”
I nodded, deciding to take the man’s word for it. After all, itlookedlike it was almost done. Maybe some of Joanne’s natural optimism had finally rubbed off on me, because for once, my naturally skeptical inner voice had actually shut up. I was just…excited.
A few minutes later, the men had finished bolting the sign in place, and I took a moment to admire the new sign, nearly bubbling over with anticipation as I tried to imagine Joanne’s reaction.
When I finally got the thumbs-up, I was back inside and taking the stairs to the apartment two at a time before they’d even managed to get back in their truck. I’d have to thank them later, but knowing they’d be enjoying some of Luca’s mouthwatering baked goods on me relieved me of any guilt.
Besides, at the moment, there was something much more important to take care of.
Joanne.
Chapter Forty - Brady
And just like that, as if my lover had been conjured by my thoughts, Joanne was standing in the doorway of the apartment, her brow furrowed in confusion as she blinked at me sleepily.
“Is everything okay?” The worry in her voice sent a pang of guilt through me, briefly tamping down my excitement… but only a little. “You weren’t in bed when I woke up, and then you weren’t here… I was just about to call your phone.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” I kissed her on the forehead. “Everything is good—great, actually.Reallygreat. Whatever comes after great.”
My grin stretched my cheeks so wide they almost hurt, and I knew I’d been babbling, but I didn’t care.
“O-kay…”
