In Full Bloom (Second Chances 1)

Plucking the bag out of her hands, he opened the top and inhaled. “This smells awesome. Thank you for dropping it off. Did you tip the delivery guy?”

She nodded and said, “I put five on the card. That’s not too much, right?” A flash of something that looked suspiciously like uncertainty crossed over her face. A moment later, she added, “I don’t think those guys even make minimum wage.”

Shaking his head, he said, “No. That’s perfect.”

Her face relaxed into a smile as she said, “Enjoy.”

Intrigued by the flash of vulnerability he saw on her face, he cocked his head, inviting her in. He said, “I’ve got an extra egg roll if you’re interested.”

She looked at him, considering, then shook her head. “No,” she said, “I’ve got carbona

ra waiting for me. Thank you though.”

“Enjoy,” he said, echoing her earlier response. “Thanks again.”

It was probably for the best, he thought, as he took the bag inside. They probably shouldn’t complicate the landlord-tenant relationship. The sexual tension that arced between them was bordering on insane though. Even her drunk sister realized that. He had a sneaking suspicion that they were going to complicate the hell out of things at some point.

He worried she might be a little young for him. He was thirty eight. Over a decade separated them in age. She’d actually hit the nail on the head earlier when she accused him of feeling less pervy knowing her age now. He had assumed she was even younger. Legal, but younger than twenty-six. He’d been relieved.

Shaking his head, he realized that this was all pointless speculation, anyway. He reached into the bag and pulled out the containers of food. Setting them on the table, he dug through a few boxes in the kitchen until he located a plate.

Giving it a rinse, he scooped some of the rice and shrimp onto it, then dug through the bag until he located the egg rolls. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, wishing it was a beer, and sighed. Tomorrow he’d need to go to the grocery store. Finally he sat down and ate.

Twenty minutes later, he exhaled and scooted away from the pub table in his dining room. Feeling full and happy, he tossed the trash into an empty box, and put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Washing his hands, he surveyed the stacks of boxes and decided he’d unpack the kitchen first.

This place was about two thirds of the size of his old condo. He couldn’t stand clutter and he already had a feeling that would end up being an issue here. The boxes were going to drive him crazy if he put off unpacking them. He supposed it was the growing up with such a big family. With six kids, there was always clutter everywhere. When he’d been able to finally move into his own place, he’d turned into a little bit of a neat freak.

Over the next few hours, he unpacked the kitchen and the books. Deciding he could sleep in tomorrow, he tackled his office, too. He was only going to his sister’s tomorrow.

He needed to pick up the flowers that he’d brought with him now that he had a place to put them. He really hoped that she’d been misting them like he asked. The climate change from Seattle to Los Angeles would be a shock for them. The air was much hotter and much drier here.

By the time he finished with the office, it was almost two in the morning. He took the broken-down boxes down to the Dumpster. When he surveyed the apartment, it was mostly put together now. He needed to unpack some clothes and stuff, but the majority of the boxes were gone. He’d tackle that tomorrow though, he thought, as he crawled into bed.

Evan woke to the sound of loud voices and even louder thuds in the hallway. Groaning, he lay there a minute then rolled out of bed. He looked through the peephole and saw a hideous blue sofa in the hall way.

Opening his door, he saw Taryn standing there watching delivery men drag out the offending sofa. She spotted him and had the grace to look somewhat apologetic as she said, “Sorry. This was the only time they were available. We’ll keep it down.”

Despite the fact he was running on five hours sleep, he felt his lips twitch. He scrubbed a hand over his face and said, “Point made, Princess. Are we done with this now?”

Nodding, she said, “Yep.”

“Good. Going back to bed,” he said.

“Sweet dreams,” she said, giving him a little wave as he closed the door to his apartment.

He shut the door with a little more force than necessary in response. Unable to help himself, he had to laugh, though. He’d not been expecting that at all.

As he moved back to bed, he acknowledged that scheduling the greenhouse delivery that early had been kind of a dick move. He’d totally deserved that. And hey, at least she’d waited until the sun was up. He’d done her a favor if he’d somehow hurried along her purchase of a replacement sofa. That thing was ugly.

He briefly considered going back to bed, but realized he was wide awake now. Over the next few hours, he managed to unpack the rest of his apartment and run to the grocery store. Since it was eleven now, he deemed it appropriate to call his sister.

Picking up his cell phone, he dialed. When she picked up, she answered, “Hello?”

“Teeny, it’s Evan. You gonna be home? I wanna come get my plants.”

“I’ll be home,” his sister said. “Ya know, you’re the only one that still calls me that. After all these years, you’d think you would know how to say my name right.”

He hadn’t been able to say Christina when he was younger, so he’d called her Teeny. The nickname had ended up sticking. Most of the family had stopped calling her that when she became an oncologist.