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It was easier to put space between us when Deon arrived. The guy was good, and I couldtotallysee him being Sia’s type as she needed someone who challenged her.
And he was so clearly and deeply in love with her it felt like a shot in the heart. Yeah, she deserved that, she really did.
But so did I.
Fuck Finn.
It seemed like he tried to bring it up again a couple of times, but I shut it down with a bit of flirting. That was all it took and he was on me.
It hurt because I realized he didn’t want to end things but didn’t want real. That was the “talk.” He didn’t want real and wanted to work that out in a way that didn’t ruin my launch.
I was going to beat his… Everything. Just everything after tricking me he was so respectful of women and appreciated how I treated him.
I felt like I blinked and it was Saturday. I didn’t even go to the farmers markets that day, focused on the launch and all the last-minute everything.
The site was live and already getting orders in that would keep us seriously busy. People were taking care of the local delivery for orders over a hundred dollars or with a small delivery fee. Some businesses wanted me to do exclusive deals with them and I wasn’t feeling that.
I barely knew anyone, and to try and do exclusive my first month was silly. If I had people offering that, why would I limit myself?
It was almost showtime now that the caterers had taken over, and some of my employees were helping out with drinks and working the party. I had an outfit picked out, but then I thought of how Finn had been acting with me, hesitant and like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop because he didn’t think I’d give him the answer he wanted, so I changed my choice.
Maybe he shouldn’t have been so hesitant to grab someone so awesome when he had the chance? Sure, now if I could convince myself I was such a catch.
But I did feel much better when he saw me step out in the sexier sundress and it looked like he’d swallowed his tongue. Good.
The party started at four, and it shocked me that people arrived then instead of fashionably late or just for dinner. I’d thought it odd to start so early, but Meave said it was clear it was a late afternoon into dinner party instead of dinner andnightparty where trouble could start.
Smart. But the invites said people could use the pool and a few looked ready to jump on that.
And the wine we had. Tallulah had sent a shit ton of wine for the party from her fancy labels and more of her new fruit wines since I’d sent her a ton of extras and some saplings she couldn’t get anywhere else very easily.
I’d gathered everything for my greenhouses myself in my travels so yeah, it wasn’t all that easy, and using cuttings to make magical dwarf trees took some know-how.
But there were several fruits they made wine from in South America that she wasn’t. She might be now and was really grateful.
What I wasn’t grateful for were the looks Finn kept giving me like he was going to bury the people I was talking to in the greenhouses. Fine, the men, but what was his deal? He’d had his shot, and why didn’t I deserve real?
Why didn’t I deserve to be adored like Deon adored Sia?
It made me be petty and flirt back with the guys who started it. Fine, I got really flirty, but it was a hot day and the party was a hit.
Aserioushit, so fuck it. I could take the victory lap and maybe make a date or ten if I wanted to. That was what being single meant.
AndthenI kept finding little girls around him, flirting and not being brushed off.
Oh, that was it. We were completely done, and if he thought he’d bring girls into my house, he could find another place to stay.
Still, I enjoyed my victory even if some of the business owners were getting a bit pushy about me only selling to them. A few were just ridiculous about me not selling toany otherbusiness, not only their competition.
Why in the world would I only bulk sell to one local bakery who wouldn’t even have a sales display of my wares and cut out anyone else? And the discount they were asking was ridiculous.
I wouldn’t be bullied like that, and finally I had to say as politely as I could that clearly I had lots of options as I gestured to the party.
I headed off with Derrick and a few others to show them where the next bags of crawfish were to start rinsing them as the boiler was reheating. People had given me funny looks that I wasn’t doing Cajun-style and I flat out said I wouldn’t be able to do it proud not being a native from Louisiana, but I could cook damn fine food my way.
That seemed to go over pretty well since I wasn’t turning my nose up at them.
Hell no, I loved Cajun food. It didn’t always like me, but I loved it.
