Thorn in My Side (Bunch-A-Blooms 2)

e double duty has me running ragged. Kane, Micah, and Asher hold positions in the company, but I bear the brunt of the negotiations. Kane is more artistic, and Asher and Micah are good with people, so they make the majority of public appearances. I don’t envy them that. They traveled just as much as I do, but I’m working with our products, which I prefer. People are tedious, needy things much of the time. I make my way to the garage, and opt to take the Black Escalade.

There’s a high chance of snow, and I’m sick of sedans. I’ve been driven around in a black town car for the better part of a week now. As I pull out of the garage and close the door behind me, the air gets lighter.

The garish pink building makes me cringe the same way it always has. It’s like someone took a massive bottle of Pepto-Bismol, coated the building and shellacked it to preserve the finish. They took the phrase Sugar N’ Spice a little too far. But the good food and stellar customer service make up for any let downs I get from the décor. The statue of the pig covered in syrup with a stack of flapjacks balanced on his snout makes me snicker. I think it’s illegal to not walk out feeling like he looks when you leave. The building has been around since the nineteen fifties, and there’s an authenticity to their food that tricks your brain into thinking you can eat more than your belly can handle every single time. I pop the collar of my coat and step out into the wind. The chill climbs its way inside and slides down my spine as I walk quickly to the building.

Inside, there’s an explosion of colors and signs. A silly mural of a chef slipping on an egg flying into a pan, and the white and yellow diamond pattern represents a time gone by, which wars with the bright colors of the vinyl booths. I walk up to the counter where the Davenport crew plus Joseph have staked out the chairs.

“Hello, family.” I peer down the row of familiar faces, and my spine stiffens. “And Ms. Bateman. I’m sorry, I was under the impression that this would be a family breakfast.”

There’s something about the woman that infuriates me. With her blinding white smile, dancing brown eyes, and flawless mocha-colored skin, and thick dark mane, she’s like a fairy come to life, hawking her handmade items and living in her horribly mis-matched niche apartment. She’s got so much personality it oozes out of her pores and all over anyone in close proximity.

Her long legs, curvy frame, and the button nose featured on her heart-shaped face with its high cheekbones, and cupids bow lips aren’t lost on me either. Her go with the flow attitude, and optimism about everything makes me uneasy.

“It is.” Rachel frowns. “Rude, Luk. I invited her. I wanted the boys to meet her outside of work. She’s going to be so involved in the wedding. It only makes sense. I see her more than I see you some weeks.”

“And pray tell whose fault is that?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes and Asher, Micah, and Kane chuckle.

“I think Papa bear is missing his cub, sister,” Kane says. His green eyes sparkle, and I scowl. It’s okay when they give me shit alone, but not in front of this interloper.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this would be a big deal,” Olive says. The sincerity in her voice almost makes me feel bad.

“It’s not,” Rachel says from between gritted teeth.

“Don’t mind, Luk, Ms. Bateman. He doesn’t like when plans are changed without him knowing,” Asher says, smoothing ruffled feathers.

“She’s been quite charming,” Micah says with a smirk that makes me want to slap him upside the back of his head. The little womanizer thought he was God’s gift to women.

“Oh, you can call me, Olive,” she says with a bright smile that reveals a tiny dimple in her left cheek.

“Well then, I insist you call me Asher.”

“Okay, Asher.”

“I’m Kane,” he says waving like the annoying man-child he is. Traitor. It’s clear she’s not going anywhere, so I take the only seat left, beside her. I nod my head.

“Micah,” he says delivering a wink.

“Ms. Bateman.”

“Oh come on, Luk. We’re not at work anymore. It’s Olive here,” Rachel insists.

I want to wring her neck, but I’ve already made the deposit on the flowers and the venue.

“Olive.”

“Luka,” she says dryly. Her eyes sparkle with laughter and her lips twitch upward. Mine attempt to respond in like. I shut them down with a stern frown as I look at the menu in front of me and try to gather my bearings. I wasn’t expecting this.

“How do you manage to put up with him, love?” Kane asks. The boy loves to push my buttons.

“He’s easy to work with. I prefer a client who knows what he wants and has no problem instructing me on the way he likes things.”

Micha snickers. “Well then.”

My head whips around as I study her. The words paint pictures I don’t need to be thinking about in front of my family. Her insanely long legs wrapped around my hips while I drive into her fast and hard. I shift in my seat and give her a quick once over out of the corner of my eye. I can’t help but notice how the off the shoulder, cream sweater shows off the smooth expanse of her graceful neck, and shoulder. I wonder if her skin is half as soft as it looks. I swear I can feel the warmth rolling off her right now, and she smells spicy and floral. The contradicting scents shouldn’t mesh well together, and yet they do. Just like her eclectic personality, it’s a blend of a million things that don’t make sense until you put them together just so.

I clear my throats. “Clearly, the lady, has common sense,” I say.