Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories (The Flirts! Collection) (14 page)

I felt my teeth grinding.

He looked back and forth between the two of us. “I’d love to, but I promised Brianna I’d help her find what she needs. She’s one of Virginia Collins’s clients.”

Sherry narrowed her eyes at me and raised her chin. “I’ll be in the storeroom if you need me.”

Zach set his hand on the small of my back and steered me in the direction of a display in the rear of the store. A big, bare tree branch strung with lights was mounted to the wall, with bins of gems and crystals glittering beneath it.

Zach picked up a pink rock and set in his palm. “Pink quartz. The love stone.”

I gave him a questioning look. “So, you know about the properties of gems and crystals?”

He dropped the rock back in the bin. “Sure, that doesn’t mean I believe in them.”

I held up a dark blue stone. “What about this one?”

He took it from me and held it toward the light. “That’s lapis. Associated with marital love and fidelity.”

I snatched it from him. “Better keep one handy just in case.”

I checked out racks of jewelry and flipped through books. I spent at least half an hour browsing around, picking out some interesting essential oils and handmade soaps. I turned to Zach. “You know, you’re my first.”

“Excuse me?”

I tossed my hair over my shoulders. “I’ve never been shopping with a man before. And it didn’t hurt a bit.”

Shaking his head, he chuckled. “I guess when you own your own store, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like you’re looking for clothes. I don’t understand why some women need dozens of shoes. Or more than a few pair of jeans.”

“Yeah, that’s weird.” I wasn’t opening that can of worms.

I took my crystals and gems to the counter, where Sherry was rearranging a display of earrings. “Oh, and can I have that hunk of Amethyst on the shelf behind you?” I asked.

“Certainly.” Sherry was short with me as I paid for my things. I hoped she hadn’t slipped me an unlucky-in-love crystal or some evil charm. I’d have to double-check my things when I got home. I didn’t know much about vibes or auras, but something green and jealous was emanating off her.

She babbled some flirty nonsense with Zach, and then he walked me back to my car.

“Can I use your bathroom in the shop?”

“Sure.” He unlocked the door, and I dashed to the bathroom—even though I didn’t have to go. Then, while he was occupied with something behind the register, I hid the hunk of purple Amethyst in the back left corner of his shop, behind a big trunk. I snatched a purple napkin from a nearby table display and tucked that behind the trunk, too. That was his wealth bagua, and I wanted to do a little experiment.

I surprised the girls by showing up for brunch at the Parkside Bistro Sunday morning.

“Brianna! It’s so nice to see you. That handsome gentleman from the wedding called Mildred,” Patsy said. “They went out last night on their fourth date.”

I pulled up a chair. “Tell me everything,” I said.

We giggled and chatted over mimosas and crepes and I finally learned their names.

“What about you? Have you met anyone?” Mildred asked. She’d been the one in the lavender dress. “Are Virginia’s methods helping you yet?”

I frowned and shook my head.

Ettie, minus her rhinestone purse, patted my hand. “These things can take time.”

“I promise you things will change,” Virginia said.

“I’ve got another wedding to go to next weekend. We’ll see.”

This time, I tried dress number two: the strapless, pale, pink sheath Sarah loved on me. And this time there were single guys right at my table—one seated right next to me with horrendous breath, another across from me who never asked one question about me, and the one who asked if he could have the rest of my steak since I wasn’t going to finish it. This time, I didn’t even wait around for the cake.

Zach had left a message that my pillows were in. I stopped by after work and I knew he’d ask how things were going in the romance department.

The bells on the door jingled and a smile unfurled when he saw me. “I’m surprised you have time to squeeze me in with all the dates you must be juggling.”

I picked up a stained glass bowl and pretended to inspect it. “Maybe I’m just too picky. There was a very nice fellow I met at a wedding this weekend with a gorgeous toupee who was just dying to take me to bingo.” I set down the bowl and looked at him.

“I stand corrected; it is working.” He winked at me.

I turned away from him so he couldn’t see my blush. I blushed easier than a bee made honey. “Wow, who cleared out your shop?” I looked back at him and he shrugged.

“It’s been crazy busy around here. Stuff that hasn’t moved in months is going left and right.” He snapped his fingers. “And all without feng shui. Imagine that.”

It was hard to hide my smile. I was dying to drag him over to the chest and show him the hunk of amethyst I’d hidden. But why did he see such quick results and not me?

He looked at his watch. “I close at seven on Tuesdays. Wanna grab a drink? There’s a new pub down the street I want to check out, the Sundowner. I like to support the locals when I can. And I have a brand new catalog you might want to look through.”

Hmm, does he want my company or my business?
“That would be great.”

We ordered a bottle of wine and a plate of cheese and fruit. Our fingers brushed as we both reached for the same slice of smoked Gouda.

He pulled his hand back and fiddled with his silverware. “So, you’re not into Bingo, huh?”

“Hard to believe, I know.”

One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Helpful information; I’ll be sure to make note of it.”

Well, if that wasn’t an invitation to do a little flirting of my own, I don’t know what was. “Enough about the search for my missing love life, how is it you don’t have a girlfriend, Zach?”

He laughed and set down his wine. “I hate to use the work excuse, but launching a new business takes more time than I ever imagined. And I do all the support work myself—the bookkeeping, marketing, and all that. I’m lucky I get to spend any quality time with my dog. And all I get from her is an occasional lick on the cheek.”

I fingered the stem of my glass. “It seems to me Miss Moon Child would be interested.”

“Sherry?” He shook his head. “No, she’s not interested. We’re just friends.”

My jaw dropped. “You’re seriously telling me you don’t think she’s into you?”

He looked at me like I was speaking Mandarin Chinese while he was holding a Spanish dictionary.

I reached over and patted his hand. “Zach, my poor boy. Not only were you born with Foot-in-Mouth disease, but you seem to also be lacking proper flirting radar.”

He scrunched his eyebrows together and poured more wine. “That’s not true.”

“When we’re done here, let’s go to her place and tell me you don’t think she’s hot for you.” It was a little strange to be steering Zach toward Sherry when sparks were starting to pop between us, but he really wasn’t my type. He was so different from any other guy I’d dated, I was certain it wouldn’t work.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter, because I’m not interested in her.” He finished off a slice of cheese.

“Chicken.”

“What’s the point?”

I snapped an apple wedge and pointed it at him. “I think it’s important that you know your flirting radar is shot. Knowing there’s a problem is the first step to fixing it.”

“Just so long as you don’t try to fix it with rocks or crystals.”

We finished the wine and cheese, and he led me down to her store, very determined to prove me wrong.

Sherry’s eyes brightened when he walked in. She set down her magazine and came straight over, smoothing her hands over her hips while nibbling her bottom lip. Then she saw me. “You’re here helping your customer again?”

“No. Well, yes. We were out for a drink, and Brianna said she needed to stop in for a few more things.”

Frowning, she looked away. “Out for a drink?”

“Yeah, I wanted to check out the new pub. Have you been?”

She shook her head. “Stop by some night after work, and we can go together.” She clenched her hands together in front of her, which pushed her cleavage out. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she hiked up her skirt.

I smirked and wandered back to the crystal bin, just to make it look like I really did need to pick something up. I grabbed a few more pieces of pink quartz. Maybe the ones I’d bought were duds. I took them up to the register and she rang me out—while talking to Zach the entire time.

We left the store, and a pouting Sherry. “See?” I said.

“What? We’re friends. We were talking.”

I rolled my eyes. “No wonder you’re single.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “If you’re in, she’s in. Trust me.” Surprisingly, I felt a little jab to the gut saying that.

He shook his head. “I’m still not convinced. But even so, it doesn’t matter.”

I pulled out a hunk of quartz. “Apparently, you need this more than I do.”

He stepped back and held up his hands like it might bite him.

I laughed and moved forward until his back was pressed against the brick building. I held up the rock between us like a shiny little prize.

He stared at me with those eyes, and I felt a flush down to my toes.

“Just what do you intend to do with that?” he asked, in a husky voice.

“The question is what are you going to do with it?” I tucked it in his front pocket and he sucked in a breath. “Give it a shot,” I said.

“With Sherry? No.”

I swallowed hard and he stepped forward, closer to me. He reached for my hand and we stared at each other, with our fingers linked. There was definitely something there. But he quickly drew back his hand and smoothed his hair. “There are a few things I forgot to do. In there.” He pointed to his door. “I’ll see you soon, Brianna.”

He walked into the store, and I didn’t dare follow. We were both surprised by that hot touch of skin. I’d always thought he was nice eye-candy, but now I was imagining maybe he could be more than that.

And I kept thinking about it the rest of the week. Sarah and I hit a new place for lunch every day, hoping we might find some single guys doing the same. But any time I saw anyone who might be a possibility, I thought about Zach, with his easy smile and his intense eyes, and how his fingers might feel on the rest of me. He was a far cry from Mr. Clean-Cut-and-Corporate who was my current “ideal.” Maybe my ideal was all wrong.

Friday night, the only thing I wanted to do was see him again and find out if there was really a spark or not. I was going to another wedding the next night, and this time it wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t meet anyone. Not with Zach keeping me preoccupied. I parked on Main Street down from his shop and double-checked my hair and makeup in the rearview mirror. My hair was now more magenta than red and I was feeling sassy. Everything was looking good, so I sauntered over to his door and went in just before closing time.

His smile made it worth the trip. “Hey, how are you?” He looked me up and down. “More colorful, that’s for sure. I like it.”

I curled a piece of hair around my finger. “Thanks.”

“Was that one of Virginia’s feng shui things?”

I laughed. “No. Changing my hair color is a hobby of mine.” I walked over to a new chair he had on display, sat down and crossed my legs. “Comfy.” I patted the armrests. “Business still booming?”

He pulled a chair next to me and sat down. “Yeah, it is.”

My instincts were telling me to wait until I confessed about my secret feng shui treatment. “Great.”

He reached over and set his hand next to mine. “I had fun with you the other night. Do you have plans tonight? Or are the eligible men finally rolling in?”

I gave him a slow smile, pleased by his attention. “One possibility. But no one else.” I didn’t get it; why was his business booming while my love life was a bust? Besides Zach, there was no one. The damn feng shui was working for him and he didn’t even believe in it!

“I don’t have any plans tonight. Other than coming here to see you.”

“Wanna hit the pub again?” He walked over to his front door and flipped the sign from open to closed and pulled down the shade. He turned back to me and the look he gave me hit me straight in the gut.

Oh, yeah. There’s a spark
. I took that as my cue and walked over to him, cutting the space between us to just inches. “Maybe I don’t want to go to the pub.”

He raised one eyebrow and smiled. “What are you thinking instead?”

I pressed my hand against his chest. “I’m wondering if that’s a piece of rose quartz in your pocket, or if you’re just happy to see me?” I wasn’t too bad at flirting once I found a worthy subject. And that was always my problem.

He looked down and his hair swung in his face, obscuring what might have been a blush. He tucked his hand in jeans pocket and pulled out the rock. “I like it. It feels lucky.” He set it on the counter and wrapped one hand around the small of my back.

I tipped my head up to look at him. “I guess it is.” His lips covered mine and he cupped the back of my head with his hand.

His kiss was soft, but demanding, then he broke away. “Hang on one minute.” Holding up a finger, he dashed to the door. He flicked off the lights and grabbed a candle, and a box of long matches.

“Get two candles!” I called. “One’s unlucky.”

He laughed and shook his head, but he grabbed another candle and set them on the counter. He lit each one, then grabbed a few big pillows and tossed them on the floor. Taking my hand again, he pulled me down to sit on the cushy seating arrangement.

“I like this even better than the pub.”

“One more minute.” He disappeared to a room behind the counter, and emerged with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Leftover from my holiday open house last year.” He popped the bottle and poured us each a glass.

He sat down next to me and I leaned against him. His shirt was soft, yet his shoulder was hard against my cheek. I took a sip of the sweet, bubbly liquid and I looked up at him. Taking my face in his hands, he kissed me, gently at first, then more urgently.

I tangled my hands through his hair, and he lowered me onto the pillows. His eyes swept over me and he smiled. “Yeah, much better than the pub.”