Addicted (Addicted Trilogy Book 1) (2 page)

Sara

One Week Earlier

My day had started off well. I actually got up when
my alarm went off. I was having a good hair day. My mood was anticipatory.
Let’s just hope everything plays out the way
I need it to.

I had a meeting with my bank to discuss a small
business loan, my proposal all ready for them to review. Desperate for my life
to start heading on the path to something good, I wished and prayed this
appointment would turn in my favor.

I was ready to head out the door then realized I
couldn’t find my damn keys.

 
“Alexa!” I yelled, running around like a crazy
woman.

“What the hell are you hollering for so early in
the morning?” Alexa was like me in that she loved to sleep in until noon if the
desire struck her. So for her, ten in the morning on a Saturday was still too
early.

“Sorry, but I’m going to be late for my appointment
and I can’t find my keys.”

“They’re on the kitchen table, you loon. I can see
them from here,” she remarked as she leaned against her bedroom doorframe.

“Thanks, girl. I owe you one.”

“You can pick up some lunch on your way home. I’d
like some Chinese food, please. You know what I like.” Once she barked out her order,
she closed her door and most likely went back to sleep. I didn’t have the heart
to tell her I was going to the shop right after the bank.
Oh, well, I’ll just text her later.

~~~~

A little over a year before, I’d moved to Seattle
with my best friend, Alexa. I’d lucked out and landed a job at a cute little
florist shop close to our apartment. I was thankful for the short commute
because, out of the two of us, Alexa was the one who owned a car. She’d let me
borrow it whenever necessary but otherwise, I walked wherever else I needed to
go.

Every day that passed, I was eternally grateful to
have her in my life. Alexa
Bearnheart
was the kind of
person you definitely wanted in your corner. Two years my senior, we’d bonded
quickly in high school. When I’d told her I wanted to get a fresh start and
move somewhere I wasn’t constantly reminded of my past, she followed me,
packing her bags and never looking back.

“How did it go at the bank, honey?” Lost in thought
of my dear friend, I hadn’t seen Katherine approach as I walked through the
front door of the shop. I’d become rather close to the old woman over the past
year, her nurturing ways something I’d most definitely needed during the huge
transition in my life.

She was a stout woman with a friendly face, her
hair short and mostly white. She hadn’t bothered coloring it since she said she
greyed way too fast the more the years ticked by. “A waste of money,” she would
say.

“I think it went very well. Mr.
Hemsworth
took my proposal and said they would let me know for sure in a week if I was
approved to take over this gem of a place.” I smiled, hoping I didn’t run into
any complications. Katherine had told me she was ready to retire, offering me
the chance to buy Full Bloom.

“I’m sure everything will work out for you, honey. For
both of us.”

I really hoped so. I was in desperate need for a
normal life after everything I’d been through.

I loved working for Katherine, but nothing would
compare to actually owning the place. She had an excellent customer base,
having been in business for over forty years. We’d seen it all, from women
coming in to buy an arrangement for a special occasion to the men who’d messed
up with their significant other, some coming in almost monthly to try and
smooth things over.

Hello! Stop
messing up!

Then again, that would hurt business, so…

Since I actually had to work, I walked toward the
counter and placed my purse underneath, preparing for a hectic Saturday. Grabbing
a stack of invoices, I settled in and got busy.

Normally, I’d pitch in and help make deliveries
whenever we were shorthanded but both Matt and Pete were there. We also had a
few part-timers coming in later to assist, as well.

Pete was Katherine’s cousin. He loved helping her
out when he could, but he was also considering retiring.

Being the nice guy he was, he said he’d wait until
the sale was final, giving me enough time to try and find someone else.

Matt was closer to my age and had been working for
Katherine for about four years. He told me he adored flowers and loved working
with them. Whenever he wasn’t in the best of moods, they would work their magic
and lift his gloomy spirits.

We’d actually gone out a few times to eat, catch a
movie or grab the occasional drink. Sometimes, Alexa would even come with us,
hanging out until the early morning hours.

Initially, I had a small crush on Matt when I’d first
met him. Who wouldn’t? He was quite the looker. At six-feet tall, he towered
over my five-foot six-inch frame. He wasn’t gigantic by any means, but I did
have to look up when I was standing next to him, especially without any heels
on. Naturally wavy, dark blond hair adorned the top of his head, styled to
perfection each and every time. His physique resembled one of a male model; he
even had the wardrobe to boot. His eyes were a brilliant blue color, and he had
one of the most genuine, endearing smiles I’d ever seen.

I was aware of the reaction he obtained from women
when we went out together, but he never paid any attention to it. Sometimes, I
thought I caught him sneaking a peek at other guys. Deep down, I knew he was
attracted to men, but I never brought it up. If he wanted to tell me, then he
would, in his own time. Needless to say, our relationship had never been
anything more than a platonic friendship, which I was completely happy with,
especially considering my little crush had dissolved and was replaced with
genuine friendship.

I was in the front of the shop working on the
computer, when Katherine’s voice startled me.

“Thank goodness
you’re good with that computer, honey,” she said over my shoulder as she passed
by with a huge display of beautiful white and pink lilies. Even though the
particular display was more on the simple side, she really was an artist in her
own right. A customer could point to a variety of different flowers and she
would somehow know the right way to
arrange them. What
to put where, plucking out anything which didn’t belong. Every single arrangement
she made was a pure masterpiece, which was probably why she did very well for
herself.

I just hoped I could do my part to continue the legacy
she’d spent forty-six years building.

Lost in thought, I nearly jumped out of my skin
when the phone rang.

“Hello, thank you for calling Full Bloom. How may I
help you today?” I went on autopilot taking all of the information for the
order, from the date and time of delivery to the type of arrangement needed.

“Do you want the card to say anything in
particular?” I asked the man on the other end of phone. “Okay, let me read that
back to you. ‘Sorry for missing our anniversary last week. I love you. Tom.’”

 
I shook my
head and grinned.
Typical
. But it was
good for business, so I couldn’t complain.

Once the order was complete, I put it in the pile
for the following day’s deliveries, first giving Katherine a heads-up I needed
a mixed dozen of red and white roses. Thankfully, it wasn’t for that day, because
I didn’t think we would be able to accommodate on such short notice. Roses were
a very popular go-to flower for a lot of people, and I thought I’d seen the
last of them in the back room being wrapped up for one of the current orders.

For the next couple hours, I answered the phone,
entered invoices and double-checked Katherine had all of the order slips so she
could make sure she had the flowers to make up each and every presentation.

We didn’t typically get a ton of walk-ins. I
deduced people preferred to look up our website, pick out what they wanted, and
simply call it in. But I guessed it
was
the digital age, after all. One could simply give you their credit card information
over the phone and get on with life.

I found it odd sometimes most people didn’t even
want to write out their own cards, especially the really personal ones. Some of
them were quite deplorable. One time, I had a guy tell me he wanted me to
write, ‘Sorry I slept with your sister’.
 
I actually made him repeat himself to ensure I’d heard him right. Suffice
it to say, he didn’t spend any unnecessary time on the phone with me.

I was in the middle of pounding away on the
keyboard when I heard the bell above the door. Knowing most customers browsed
the ready-made displays, I kept my head down and continued working.

All of a sudden, I felt a presence across the
counter from me, instantly making me feel strange.

Then I heard his voice. Deep and gravelly. “Excuse
me, Miss. Can you help me?” he serenely asked.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, goose
bumps breaking out all over my body.

All of this and I still hadn’t even looked up yet.

Slowly raising my head, I prepared myself as best I
could to see who was causing me to have such a reaction. When my eyes finally
landed on his face, I actually felt myself wobble a bit, grabbing onto the edge
of the counter to steady myself.

What the hell
is happening to me
?

He was the most stunning male specimen I’d ever had
the pleasure of feasting my eyes on. He was almost too much; like looking
directly at the sun. Fearing he was going to think I was rude or just plain
weird, I tried not to stare for too long. Too bad my brain wasn’t communicating
with my trembling body.

He had the most perfectly sculpted face, almost as
if the gods used him as a blank canvas, gifting him the best attributes
imaginable. But the one feature which really garnered my attention was his
eyes. The most beautiful shade of dark green I’d ever seen. They seemed to hold
the power to captivate with just one glance.

His hair was a very dark, ‘chocolate brown yet almost
black’ shade of color. The freshly tousled style was a tad longer all around
than I was typically attracted to. But it worked. On him.

He was wearing what looked to be a very expensive
dark grey suit, the red tie giving it a small pop of color. I could tell he had
broad shoulders, but because the suit covered everything else, I had to use my
imagination as to what was underneath.

The guy looked like he had money and didn’t make
any apologies for it. But he also appeared as someone who wasn’t conceited or
purposefully showy; just knew what he had.
How
can I tell all this by simply looking at him?
I guessed it was just a
strong feeling.

I spoke only when I regained some of my composure,
which in reality was only a few seconds from when I first saw him. “What can I
do to you? Uh, for you? What can I do
for
you?”

That’s it,
Sara. Emphasize
the
for
you
.

His reaction was one of amusement. “I’d like to
purchase some flowers and have them delivered tomorrow. At one o’clock
precisely.”

“Did you mess up with your wife or girlfriend?” I
asked before I could stop myself.

What is wrong
with me?

He smirked, cocked his head and explained, “They’re
for a friend. She recently had surgery, and I thought it would be a nice
gesture to help cheer her up.”

“Isn’t that a little misleading?”
Seriously
,
what is wrong with me
? Why was I being so blunt and forward with
him? Probably because I couldn’t filter what I was thinking before it flew out
of my stupid mouth.

He laughed and asked, “How so?”

“Never mind. I don’t know why I asked you that. It’s
none of my business. I’m sorry.” I was sure my face was three shades of red, my
embarrassment taking a fierce hold.

“Don’t apologize. It’s nice to have a conversation
with someone when they actually say what they mean.” Taking a step back, his
gaze never left my face. It must have been a good minute before he spoke again.
“I have to tell you…I find you a bit intriguing.”

Me?
Intriguing?
I didn’t know about that, but I was sure
my bluntness was a rarity for him. Something told me people
yes’d
him to death, telling him only what they thought he wanted to hear.

“Hey, Sara, did you see the order slip for the
Canter Road delivery today? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find it.”

Matt came around the corner, looking like a madman
searching for lost treasure. He appeared panicked until I handed him the slip
over my shoulder, winking at him in the process.

“You are a lifesaver, girl. What would I ever do
without you?” He gave me his thousand-watt smile and headed back toward the
prep room, but not before giving me a big smooch on the cheek.