Love Actually (Love By Design 5)

“It’s good for you to go out while you can still fine a young man willing to take on an independent woman.” She nodded her head like she was speaking the gospel. It was endearing if she wasn’t so wrong.

The three of us coughed. Clearly Mrs. Laurie wasn’t aware my tastes ran in the opposite direction. It was sweet and she was well meaning.

“Oh Mrs. Laurie.” I placated her, patting her wrinkled hand softly. “I’m not sure any man could handle me.” I was a chicks before dicks kind of girl and figured that out long ago.

Tommy snorted and I gave him a withering look to shut him up.

Mrs. Laurie hummed and rolled her eyes as her hand went to clutch her necklace. “I fear for your immortal soul, my dear. Every woman needs a man.”

“I got toys on auto-delivery. I don’t need no man.” Gemma overshared.

“Seriously, Gem?” Tommy groaned and I’m sure the image was equally disturbing to both of us. I’m sure she said it to draw the heat off me which was appreciated but unnecessary.

I cleared my throat addressing Mrs. Laurie instead. “Sinning is the least of my worries, but thank you.” I kindly added. Was today over yet?

“I hear prayers work wonders.” Gemma clasped her hands together pretending for a hot moment to be somewhat angelic and spiritual. One of us was going to hell, but it wasn’t me.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I smiled doing my best to diffuse this conversation with no help from my peanut gallery.

“We are so going to Hell.” Tommy murmured my sentiments between slapping color on her light lavender locks that would make her the envy of all the ladies at the assisted living home where she resided.

“If you’re going to Hell, Mr. Cox, I’ll be seeing you there. After my Winston died I hooked up with Reginald Foster. Now he lived across the street and his wife had taken off with the man who delivered meat from the widow Esther Ashby’s farm.” She said dramatically like were transported decades into the past.

“That hussy.” Gemma chuffed pretending to clutch her own pearls.

Mrs. Laurie nodded her head agreeing. “Mind you, this was twenty years ago when things just simply weren’t talked about, but a woman has needs. My Winston was dead and buried. Surly Jesus Christ could forgive me for my moment of weakness.”

We all looked at Mrs. Laurie a bit in shock and maybe a little in awe as she continued her sordid tale of sexual exploits that amounted to visible ankles and sidelong glances in the produce aisle. She might want to set me up on a blind date with her nephew when she remembered having one, but it seemed our resident granny had a few skeletons in her closet as well. We were in good company then.

Now if I could get Sydney to stop calling me and my brother and assistant to lay off the dancing and drink I might be okay.

6

Carmen

I slipped my hoop earring in when the buzzer sounded in my apartment above the bakery. My heels clicked on the floor and I peeked out the window. Noah stood at the door leading up with a bunch of pretty flowers in his hand. He dressed in a button down shirt and black slacks. He upped his game since I last saw him and the effort was sweet, but it didn’t spark the chemical reaction I was hoping for. It was too late to call it off and far too rude to pretend I wasn’t home. This poor man didn’t have a chance, but I felt compelled to see it through dinner, pay my half and let him down gently.

I stuck my head out the window and called down. “Come on up.”

Noah opened the bottom door and made his way upstairs to my place. Each footfall echoed and I greeted him at the apartment door as he handed me the flowers.

“These are beautiful.” I sniffed the bright pink and purple flowers, reminding me of late spring, early summer. “Let me put them in some water and we can go.” I grabbed a vase and filled it in the sink placing the bouquet on the counter. The colorful buds added color contrasting to the freshly painted walls in the sterile cream color. Taylor would have a field day decorating my apartment.

“Wow, you literally meant you just moved in.” Noah looked around the tiny one bedroom apartment filled with boxes and cookbooks. He wasn’t nosy, just assessing the sum total of my new life with kind eyes. I kept thinking that someday he’d make a lovely husband to a nice girl, but it wouldn’t be me and I remembered to not muddy the signals further.

“Call it a case of a bad break up and a new opportunity.” I focused on dropping hints here and there that I wasn’t interested. No sense in shocking him later. It really wasn’t him, it was me, and the confusing feelings I had for a gothy chic who probably knew more lyrics to Ani Difranco than I ever would.

So our date digressed.

“Ah, I hope you gave him hell then.” Noah moved into my space and went to put his arms around me, but I ducked out of his hold twirling on my heels and grabbing my purse.

“Actually, he ended up with my restaurant once he proposed to another woman. I’m not as bitter as I thought I’d be, but it still stings, you know?” I said doing my best to keep the ever present frown off my face when I was reminded of Neil and how he sold out what I thought was a good relationship for chance to top my career.

Noah shook his head and ran his big paw of a hand over his head like he couldn’t believe it. Sometimes I still didn’t believe it, but here I was in a small town determined to do this my way.

“We probably have more in common than you know, Carmen. How about dinner, drowning our sorrows in wine and then dancing like idiots?” He asked while politely respecting my space. Noah got it. He understood the pain I didn’t show on the surface and for that reason I put my hand in his and let him take me to dinner.

We ended up at a little outdoor Italian bistro in the next town over. Cute iron scroll work enclosed the patio and white lights had been weaved in between g