“Yep.” Lauren dug in her purse. “And, hey, moving on…about that guy you might like.”
“Oh, God. Not again.”
“But this one’s good. His name is Mark, and he works at the Shillings Agency.”
Steven gripped the flowers tighter.
Fucking Mark.
“Stop right there.” Her friend shook her head. “Prior military?”
“Yeah, but—”
“No way. Those men are way too hesitant to let people in.” She glanced at Lauren and flinched. Steven did, too. She was right. “Oops. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Lauren said, but her voice was tight. “But this guy’s different. He’s handsome and sweet and a single—” She broke off, stumbling back a step.
Fuck. He’d finally been spotted.
It was go time.
“Hi,” he said, forcing a smile. “You look beautiful, Lauren.”
And she did. Then again, he couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been absolutely breathtaking. Even back in elementary school, when he’d spotted her panicking because she didn’t have a number two pencil, she’d been stunning.
“Thanks,” Lauren muttered.
The other woman glanced up, and scowled. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting. With flowers.” He stood and smoothed his jacket nervously. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you wouldn’t be alone.”
“Have you been here since you left work?” Lauren asked.
“Well, I stopped by the bakery first, but yeah.”
Lauren held her keys tightly and hugged her purse to her chest. “That was four hours ago.”
“Yep. It was.” He swallowed. “I’d have waited four more, too.”
“I went to dinner with Daisy,” she said, not looking the slightest bit swayed by his statement. “We made plans yesterday.”
Ah, yes. Daisy Gallagher. “Nice to see you again, Daisy.”
Daisy stared back at him blankly, playing with her red side braid.
“Anyway, it’s late. And you’ve been out here all night, so I think I’m gonna crash.” Lauren forced a tight smile. “It was nice seeing you, though.”
He shifted on his feet. “We need to talk. I’ll wait out here till tomorrow morning, after you get a good night’s sleep, if I have to. It’s not like I’m actually getting any myself anyway.”
Lauren cleared her throat. “Did you need something?”
“Yes.” You. “I, uh, brought you flowers.”
Lauren gaped at Daisy.
Daisy glared back.
Finally, Lauren glanced back his way. “You don’t need to do this.”