Be Mine… Or Else

“John, I don’t think I have anything else for you to fix around here,” Sue tells him.

“I’m going to be checking the water lines today. Can’t have a flower shop going without water.” He shoots Sue a wink. I love all that he’s done around here, but I feel like he doesn’t like me. He never meets my eyes and barely acknowledges I’m here.

“Hi, John,” I try, but he only gives me a nod as he heads toward the back.

“Such a sweet boy,” Sue says. “If you and this Beau don’t work out—”

“Married, ma’am,” we hear John say from the back.

Sue giggles. I shake my head, feeling a little embarrassed. “Okay, okay. I’ll go text him,” I say as she goes back to her arrangement.

I put in his name and type out the text.

Me: Hey, it’s Dove from the coffee shop. Wanted to make sure you knew where I worked and what time I get off.

I stare down at the phone thinking he’ll text me back right away, but there’s no response.

“He’s probably busy, honey.”

“Yeah,” I agree halfheartedly. Sue gives my arm a squeeze and we both get back to work. I start putting flowers together, getting lost in the job until Luke comes in to pick up some orders for delivery. I help him carry some outside, making sure the balloons don’t tangle as we load them into the truck.

When I walk back in I come up short when John is blocking my path. He’s actually making eye contact with me.

“Can I use your phone? Mine isn’t working,” he asks.

“Yeah, sure.” I walk over to the counter where I left it and put in my code real quick, then hand it to him. He looks down at the phone and hands it back to me without making a call.

“Looks like you got some missed texts.” He turns and walks away.

“I thought you needed to use it,” I yell to his retreating back.

“I forgot I already had the part I needed. Don’t need to call anyone,” he throws back without looking at me.

I glance at Sue, who just shrugs like she has no idea.

When I see the texts, my heart flutters at all the responses.

Beau: Sorry, sunshine, I was in a meeting.

Beau: I’ll be at the flower shop at 5.

Beau: I can’t wait to see you.

Beau: I’ve been thinking about you a lot today.

Beau: Dove?

“Oh my god, he texted me five times,” I squeal. “That means he’s excited, right?” I look at Sue, who is bouncing on her toes.

“I would think so,” she laughs.

Me: I’ll be ready!

I pause for a second, wanting to tell him more, but I need to try and play it cool. I’m new at this, but I don’t want to go overboard too fast. My face hurts from all the smiling. I don’t know how I’m going to make it until tonight. I’m excited and nervous all in one.

Deciding to distract myself with work, I pick up more orders and see the one on top and roll my eyes. We get orders from this guy almost twice a week. Always two dozen white roses. They never have a note on them. Just the name, B. Heart, and it goes to a different woman every time.

It reminds me what dogs men can really be. Heck, for all I know Beau could be a player. My stomach rebels against the idea of it. He’s so sweet. My mind can’t wrap around the idea that I’m a conquest to him. We’ve been dancing around each other for weeks. Would a man who is after a quick lay do that?

“What’s that look for?” Sue asks.

“I’m terrible at this dating thing. I’m already second-guessing everything. What if he’s a player or something? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I fall hard for him and he breaks my heart?”

“Slow down, sugar.”

“Maybe I should cancel,” I blurt out, and my phone vibrates with another message.

“You’re not canceling,” Sue says in a stern voice.

I try to ignore all these crazy thoughts in my head and glance down at my phone.

Beau: You’ll be lucky if I’ll be able to let you go tonight.

“Doesn’t sound like someone looking for a one-night stand,” Sue says, looking over my shoulder, and I bite my lip. “He sounds like he’s all in.”

I hope she’s right because I’m pretty sure I’m already falling in love.

Chapter Six

Beau

I drop my phone onto my desk and run my hands through my hair. It’s a habit I’ve formed since meeting Dove, and it’s something I need to work on. I try to give nothing away when it comes to what I feel. It works well in the courtroom, but Dove gets me out of sorts.

When I saw I had a missed text from her that was thirty minutes old I got worried and kept texting her. Then when I didn’t get a response, I got desperate and called my plant at the shop, John, to do something about it. I got a message from him that my little sunshine was having second thoughts. Thinking I might be some kind of player or something. The thought is fucking laughable. If I’m not working I’m either in the gym working out, or in my bed alone. Sleep has been avoiding me lately because when I lie down all I can think about is Dove. It’s impossible to sleep with my body aching from head to toe. The ache harder in a couple of key places, but I can only jerk off so many times before I’m frustrated.