Almost Married

He pulled up in front of her place and immediately saw the limo parked out front. Damn. Griffin had gotten there first. Still, he wouldn’t give up. Just another hurdle on his quest. He untied the ladder and pulled it off the top of his car. Opening the passenger-side door, he reached for the flowers on the seat. The ladder slipped a little from his grip. Too heavy. He was going to drop it. He set the ladder gently on the front lawn.

The sky was overcast, and he prayed the rain held off until he completed his task. The weather report hadn’t said anything about showers. If Dave believed in signs, this would’ve been a bad one. But it was simply a drop in atmospheric pressure combined with the Gulf Stream. It was getting dark with all the storm clouds, and he hoped there was a light around back by her bedroom. He stuck the flowers down the front of his gray fleece jacket. Some petals came loose and fluttered to the ground.

He lifted the ladder, and the roses crushed into his throat. He shoved the flowers further down his jacket with one hand and awkwardly made his way to the back of the house with the ladder, the petals tickling his neck. He heard a car door slam behind him.

“Just ring the buzzer, man.” Griffin appeared in front of him. Apparently, he'd still been in the limo. Maybe Dave would have the first chance at Steph. “You're going to slide right off the back of the house.”

Dave stepped to the side, determined to stick with his plan. “I can do this without any advice from you. I just need the right angle and some traction. It's simple physics.”

Griffin rolled his eyes. “I'll ring the buzzer.”

“No!”

Griffin ignored him and bounded up the front porch steps, hitting the buzzer.

“Who is it?” Steph asked.

“It’s your honey,” Griffin sang.

Dave dropped the ladder on the front lawn and sprinted up the porch steps. He leaned into the intercom speaker. “It's Dave.”

“And Griff.”

“Just Dave gets in.” Steph hit the buzzer.

Dave opened the door. “You can go now,” he told his nemesis.

Griffin inclined his head. “Good luck.” He strolled down the steps, heading for his limo.

Dave took the stairs two at a time, secretly relieved he didn't have to actually climb the ladder. Without someone to keep it steady, it really could've slid off the back of the house. He couldn't keep up with Griffin if he was in traction.

Steph opened the door, and his mouth went dry. She wore an oversize Columbia sweatshirt with leggings.

“Columbia,” he said reverently. She looked so sexy.

“Yup. Come on in.”

She stepped back from the door, and he followed.

“I’m sorry about Griff showing up here,” Steph said. She stared at his chest. He looked down, and the flowers poked his throat again.

He unzipped his jacket and pulled out the crumpled roses. Some petals stuck to his white sweater. He handed her the flowers. “For you.”

She buried her nose in them. “Oh, Dave, they're beautiful. Thank you.”

“Sorry they're a little squished.”

“It's fine. Let me get a vase for these.”

He followed her to the kitchen, his mind racing with all the romantic things he was supposed to do, because now that he was here he felt like the poem wasn’t going to cut it. He really wanted to touch her. That Columbia sweatshirt made him so hot. He could give her a foot massage! Michelle had said women loved massages. And the feet were one of the top erogenous zones—another very informative Google search—without being too demanding right up front. He was sure slow and steady would get him where he needed to go with Steph. A guy like Griffin was all flash and moved like a race car. Women liked a man who took his time. That much he knew from his women friends.

While he pondered how to get her out of her pink striped fuzzy socks, he heard a tapping.

Steph turned her head toward the back of her apartment. “What was that? It sounded like it was the window.”

“Probably just the blinds. I'll check on it.” He made his way toward the sound, wishing it was just the blinds.

He stopped at Steph's bedroom window and pulled up the blinds. Wishing had never worked for him. He came face-to-face with Griffin standing on his ladder. This guy played dirty.