AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She skewered me with a sour glance. “Don’t give me that pickled look, Hadley Leroy Burton. I know what he said about Quebec.”
Bailey’s eyes rounded as he coughed into a napkin.
“No, not Quebec I said sex and let’s move onto something else. How are the Beavers doing?” I asked while pouring more water into poor Bailey’s glass. I bet he would bolt out of the door after this rousing meal and never be seen again. Which was probably for the best. I still couldn’t grasp why he was interested in me anyway.
“I once ate beaver. It’s not bad. Kind of tough but tasty. Do they eat lots of beaver back in Quebec?” Aunt Midge asked our guest.
“Oh well, uhm, I’ve not had much beaver meat,” he replied, his hair plastered to his head from his hat. He still looked delicious even with flat hair. “I think he meant my hockey team.”
“Yeah, his life has been rocky but I think a young stud like you could perk him right up!” Aunt Midge gave Bailey a shot in the side with her elbow then left the table to go find dessert. Sweet Jesus only knew what.
I buried my face into my hands. “I am so damn sorry,” I mumbled into my palms.
A light flutter of a touch skimmed down my forearm. I lowered my hands to see Bailey smiling softly.
“Don’t be sorry. I think she’s funny and honest.”
“Oh, she’s honest.”
“You think maybe we could play with each other when the shop closes tonight?” A rush of lust tore through me. “I still can’t get past the troll queen. I think I might need an experienced bard to help me walk through the rainbow forest?”
“I have work to do after we close. Arrangements to make. I’ll be here late.”
“Oh well, how about I help?” He ran his finger back up my forearm.
My dick leaped to attention while my brain slowed to an idle. For someone with little experience in the art of flirtation he was doing a damn fine job of stirring me up. Who knew a soft touch of a finger could arouse so completely?
“Help?”
“Yeah. I don’t know anything about flowers. Not really, but I can fetch stuff. And answer the phone while you and your aunt make the orders. Then we can go to your place to play someSpellborn Wars.If you want to help me, that is.”
I stared at him. He was just...amazing. “Are you sure you want to adventure with an old potbellied bard?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. As long as you don’t mind adventuring with a newbie who has no clue how to hold his sword.”
How on earth could I refuse him? I nodded. He grinned. My aunt arrived with canned peaches and Cool Whip for dessert.
The rest of the day flew by. Bailey was a natural at taking orders and talking with the customers. He cited his time interacting with fans as to why he could chit-chat so easily with people he wasn’t attracted to. Hearing him say that made me feel all sparkly inside. Due to the low foot traffic and the ever-mounting snowfall, I closed the shop early and doubled down on creating the arrangements, crafting the bouquets, and filling the long boxes filled with roses, baby breath, and forget-me-nots. Feeling giddy for the first time in years, I slid a white rose across the table.
He looked up from the spool of floral wire in his hand. “What’s this for?” He touched the white flower tenderly.
“I just wanted you to have it. If you want, we can make a small bouquet for you?” He appeared to be stunned. “Or not. I guess most hockey players aren’t really into getting flowers.”
“No! I love it. I’ve never had a man give me a flower. Thank you.” And just like that the moment was calling. We glanced around the work room, saw no sign of Aunt Midge, and leaned over the mounds of clipped stems, floral foam, and spools of ribbon to press our lips together. The kiss was soft and tender as a flower petal.
“I can’t wait to start our adventure,” he whispered. “I brought my controller. Just in case.”
That made me chortle. And steal another kiss. “Let’s get back to work. The rainbow forest awaits!”
***
We worked until eight. Midge was petering out on us by then and the last buses running during this storm would be arriving soon. After getting Midge upstairs, I locked the front door, turned off the lights, and met Bailey in the back room. There we bundled up. I caught him slipping the rose bouquet he’d crafted into his winter coat. It was a simple little thing with that lone white rose, some forget-me-nots, and a bright blue ribbon holding everything together. Seeing him taking it with him touched me. I yearned to kiss him again but that seemed rather bold, so we stepped out into the snow, door locked behind us, and walked to the bus stop hand-in-gloved-hand.
It was easily the most romantic thing I had ever done. I guess that said a lot about my previous relationships. Walking down a snowy street to catch a bus—it didn’t seem like it would be so special, but it was. He kept looking my way, his toque catching the delicate flakes. I reached over to brush the snow off his hat when we stepped into the shelter. He smiled then dusted the flakes from my beard. I thought to kiss him, deep and hard, but the bus pulled up in a thick cloud of diesel fumes.
We sat close to each other, his long legs nearly under his knees as we talked about gaming, food, and books. He and I were big readers of fantasy and sci-fi. By the time were walking up the front steps of my home we were deeply into a discussion of our favorite stories by Rothfuss, Gaiman, and of course Tolkien and Martin.
I led him up the stairs, still chattering away about a new fantasy author I had just discovered when he took the keys from my hand with a timid expression.
