Spring Fling Trio- Beyond Love Starter Set

by Karice Bolton

  “She wants another,” I whispered to Jason and he nodded.

  “Hey, are you Brandy?” the blonde guy asked.

  “I am,” she said, looking very sheepish. “And this is Gabby and her boyfriend Jason.”

  I stiffened at her introduction. Would that totally freak Jason out?

  “I like the way that sounds,” Jason murmured, warming me up before I stuck my elbow into Brandy’s side as inconspicuously as possible. I couldn’t tell if her blind date had a chance with her or not. Her demeanor changed, but I wasn’t sure in which direction.

  “I’m Evan. Nice to meet you all,” he said, taking a seat.

  The table held an awkward silence, and I knew Jason was busting at the seam to save the guy, but I kept squeezing his leg, hoping Brandy would take the bull by the horns.

  “So this is my first set-up,” Evan replied, glancing at me and then Brandy.

  The server delivered another Guinness for Brandy, and she blushed but still took another sip.

  “I wish I could say the same,” she confessed.

  “Really?” he asked.

  “Yup, we’ve both been on them,” she said, pointing at me.

  Jason scooted a few inches away so he could better see my expression.

  I bit my lip and shook my head. Boy, she was on a roll.

  “I’m assuming it didn’t work out?” Evan shot back. “If we’re here…”

  Brandy started laughing. “Definitely not.”

  Phew! She wasn’t elaborating.

  “Have you ever watched Laverne and Shirley?” she started up again.

  Oh God!

  Rather than Evan replying, Jason spoke up. “Yeah? What about Laverne and Shirley? That’s a great oldie.”

  “Well, not when Squiggy shows up as your date,” Brandy replied, looking over at me. “Poor Gabby had to entertain Squiggy all night.”

  “It wasn’t that bad and it wasn’t all night,” I said, brushing it off. Not wanting to get into the details.

  “Really?” Jason asked, puzzled. “Not that bad?”

  “I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Brandy continued. “Not only was Squiggy her date, but he also had to be driven home because his mom wouldn’t let him borrow her car, and bus service had stopped for the night.”

  I glared at her, while I tried to kick her ankle to shut her up.

  “And the best part was on the way home, he asked if we both wanted to join him at the hot tub place…”

  I was completely red.

  “Why don’t you tell them who was by your side in that car ride, Brandy?” I said, grinning. “The one who got so excited at the prospect of a dip in the hot tub with you.”

  “Yes, It’s true,” she said, acknowledging defeat. “My date was Father Time. Beard, belly and all.”

  Both guys started busting up at her admission, and I watched Brandy, noticing her gaze fall to someone out in the crowd, but I couldn’t catch who she was looking at.

  “Well, how was the hot tub?” Jason asked, wiggling his brows.

  I threw my napkin at him and missed terribly. It landed in the plate of nachos that our server had just brought over.

  “Nice one,” Brandy giggled.

  The rest of the night at the pub went smoothly. We all shared a lot of laughs, but I didn’t see that spark I thought I might between Brandy and Evan. It definitely ended in the friend zone, but I think it was mutual. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t end up as one of her many friends showing up for a Sounders’ tailgate party.

  Brandy had slowed down on the shots and Guinness so I felt perfectly fine when Jason and I dropped her off at home on our way to the ferry. She gave me a big hug as we let her out in front of the building.

  “You two are made for each other,” she whispered. “And the date with Evan wasn’t bad. I actually enjoyed it so you’re forgiven. But I think I might have my eyes on someone else. I’m just not sure yet.” She pulled back and gave me a wink.

  “Well, now I’m completely intrigued.” I huffed.

  “Only time will tell,” she sang into the night air as she turned around to walk up to the lobby.

  So true.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I’ve been thinking about it and I’m going to go for it. If I was being smart, I’d wait a couple years until my trust fund opens up, but I’m tired of being that girl and I don’t want to wait,” I said, looking up into Jason’s eyes. “I’d like to buy the espresso shop. I’ve gone over all of your balance sheets and expenditures and you’re right on. Outsourcing all of your pastries is what’s making it less profitable. The fact that you’ve been able to turn a profit at all is pretty impressive.”

  Jason’s eyes sparkled with amusement as his grin widened. “I’m so proud of you,” he said. “When are you going to give your notice to your father?”

  I shook my head, popping a grape into my mouth. “I’m not. I can do both. If I continue to draw my salary and dedicate all my evenings and weekends to getting everything going then I think.”

  “Whoa,” he interrupted. “Isn’t that a lot to handle?” The worry in his eyes was evident as he took a step closer.

  “There’s apparently a lot about me you still don’t quite understand,” I said, folding my arms.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he whispered. “It only seems that if there was another way to do it, you might enjoy it more.”

  “I don’t want to ask my father for help, if that’s what you mean. And I’ve got a really nice savings built up that I can use in the beginning.”

  “I don’t want you making me any payments until—”

  “No special treatment,” I interrupted, holding up my hand. “I want to do this on my own. The whole thing. If I keep the staff, the transition will go smoothly and…”

  “You are so damn incredible,” he said, sliding his fingers along the waist of my jeans.

  “Is that so?” I smirked.

  His expression clearly bemused, he pulled me into him. “Yeah. That’s so.”

  “Well, I might need to bunk in your guesthouse a few nights a week. You know to make the travel less cumbersome and all,” I said, looking up into his eyes.

  “Guesthouse, huh?” He laughed.

  I stood on my toes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Yep. You said it yourself. That’s what happens when you live on the islands.”

  His eyes were smoldering as he drank me in. I had never had someone look at me in this way, and I absolutely loved it.

  “If you are anywhere but in bed next to me…” he growled, bringing his mouth next to my hair.

  A spike of desire ran through me as I imagined myself curled tightly next to him in bed, and I wondered if this would ever wear off.

  “I prayed for so long that I’d somehow experience joy in my life again,” he whispered, caressing my hair.

  My chest tightened at his admission, and I couldn’t help the tears that wanted to escape.

  “You’re definitely the answer to my prayers,” he said, taking a step back. “I want to do anything I can to help you succeed in this business. I know once you really get into it, you’re going to love it, and cheese sales and distribution will be a distant memory.”

  His prediction made me giggle. I knew he was right. Worrying about cheese displays and product placement wasn’t something that came easily. I tried to act like my world was shattering if cheddar was down, but I honestly didn’t feel that way. It was cheese for crying out loud. Every time I heard that someone on my team had to drop everything or stay late because of a ‘fire drill’ that they had to complete, all I could do was cringe. Really? A fire drill? It’s cheese. No one’s going down with the ship over cheese. Yeah… Maybe I wasn’t destined for the cheese industry. Unless it was in one of my Danishes.

  “I hope so,” I said, smiling. “Do you mind if we stop by the shop on the way to the ferry?”

  “I already planned on it,” he said, his eyes sparkling.

  “Sweet.”
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  “Wow. You’re spoiling us nonstop,” Brandy chirped as I brought a platter of oatmeal-cranberry cookies by her cubicle.

  “Just practicing and Jason and I would gain a hundred pounds each if I didn’t spread the love.” I stopped so she could take one off the tray.

  “It’s nice to see you doing this again.”

  “I guess when you really enjoy doing something, it’s impossible to completely ignore.”

  “Yes, and I think the word for that is passion,” she chuckled. “So whatcha doing for lunch?” Either she displayed an odd expression on her face, or I was just being paranoid.

  “I’m actually having lunch with Aaron.”

  “Really? That’s awesome,” she said, taking another cookie.

  “Why do I feel like you already knew that? And why don’t I want to know how?”

  She shrugged and I rolled my eyes. “I’m gonna drop these off in the conference room. Could you send an email?”

  “Of course. But they’ll probably be gone before they make it there,” she laughed. “They’re delicious.”

  I dropped the tray off on the conference table and quickly walked back to my desk. I double clicked on my email and saw several emails from my father, questioning the latest numbers from the Southern division. It wasn’t a division I oversaw, but when my father saw a discrepancy he always liked to include everyone under the sun. Poor Peter. He was the guy in charge of the South.

  I let out a sigh and looked at my calendar. There wasn’t anything too huge coming up in the next month, which was a relief considering everything I wanted to get done at the shop.

  An email came over from Aaron wondering if we could move up the lunch. Apparently dad was on a rampage over there, too, and scheduled an impromptu meeting at one o’clock. I wrote a quick reply letting him know that was totally fine and began working on a PowerPoint deck that I’d be presenting to the execs at the end of the week. It was pretty bland, but I tried making it sizzle a little here or there. On one slide, an arrow spun in place three times, and on another page the positive growth number flashed in bright red on the screen. I started laughing as I realized I couldn’t even lie to myself about this job any longer. It didn’t matter what type of special effects I added to this cheese presentation, it just wasn’t cutting it for me.

  My phone buzzed, delighting me to no end.

  Ain’t nothing but a cheese thang

  I started giggling and texted back to Jason.

  Seriously? Do you not have anything better to do?

  He texted back

  Apparently not

  I stuffed my phone back in my purse and felt extremely giddy. That was all it took—hearing from Jason, and I had the energy to continue bedazzling my presentation. I spent a couple more hours on it and was pleased with the outcome when my calendar reminder for lunch with Aaron popped up.

  I picked up my purse and went to say bye to Brandy, who was staring at her textbooks. As long as there wasn’t anything pressing, she knew she could sneak in reading and it would be fine with me.

  “Off to lunch with Aaron,” I told her. “Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need luck,” she said. “He loves you and you love him.”

  I smiled at her and walked toward the elevator, hoping that was true. I’d tried my hardest to put a lot of the stuff behind me, and I really didn’t want to bring it up over and over again. What was done was done. Granted, if Jason hadn’t popped up into my life, I might be feeling very different.

  I stepped in the elevator and rode it down to the lobby where Aaron was already waiting for me. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, and I noticed more than one woman turn to take notice.

  “Good to see you,” he said, giving me a brotherly hug.

  “Great to see you too. Ready for a quick dad’s-on-my-ass lunch?”

  Aaron started laughing as we walked through the lobby to the outside world. Breathing in the fresh air felt good for the soul or at least my soul. I didn’t want to squash the dreams of my brother or Brandy for that matter. Whatever floats whosever’s boats.

  “Sandwich shop okay?” I asked, pointing across the street. “They’re usually pretty quick.”

  “I love that place. Their salami is the best.”

  We placed our order and found seating outside. I was sipping my iced tea wondering what to say.

  “Everything going well at work?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Same old, same old. But I enjoy it,” he said, leaning back on the chair.

  Right. He’s been at this longer than I had. Maybe I’d learn to enjoy it.

  I nodded.

  “You?” he asked.

  “I’m not really feeling it,” I confessed.

  “It takes time and if it doesn’t I’m sure dad would be fine with you moving into a different role at another—”

  “Weeell,”I interrupted him. “I’m thinking I’m not really into it as in the whole corporate thing.”

  He pushed his lips into a thoughtful position and stretched out his legs.

  “I kind of wondered about that,” he replied after a few seconds.

  “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “What are you thinking of instead?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what Jason may or may not have already told him.

  “I’m thinking of owning a nail salon,” I replied. “There’s one for sale down the street.”

  His brows furrowed in a confused expression.

  “Aha,” I said. “Jason’s already told you.”

  Aaron’s confusion quickly turned to amusement. “Jason was right. You really are something else.”

  “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that, and I honestly don’t know if I’m supposed to be thrilled with that assessment or not.”

  “Coming from the both of us, it’s a compliment,” he said, grinning. “Trust me.”

  Our sandwiches got delivered, and I scooted closer to the table.

  “So you think it’s a good idea? Owning the coffee shop and making my own pastries and stuff?” I asked, suddenly wanting his approval.

  “I think whenever an opportunity presents itself to merge what you like to do with a way to make a living, it’s something that can’t be ignored.”

  “That’s a yes?” I asked, smiling.

  “That’s a yes.” He grabbed his sandwich and took a bite, but I noticed his gaze drifting behind me.

  I turned quickly and saw Brandy walking down the sidewalk.

  “Brandy,” I called.

  She turned and waved and kept on walking.

  “That’s weird,” I said.

  “What’s weird?”

  “I would have thought she would have come over to say hi. I wonder if she’s on her way to see the guy she hinted about awhile ago…”

  “You are speaking in tongues,” he laughed. “She hinted about seeing someone?”

  “Yeah. She got setup on a blind date and Jason and I went with her because she wouldn’t do it alone. And she was pretty miserable about it.”

  “Who made her go?”

  “I did.”

  He started laughing. “So you think she’s seeing that guy secretly?”

  “No. She had no interest in him romantically, but she told me she had her sights set on someone else, if it all went well. I have to admit I’ve been kind of an absent friend since the ‘I have a long-lost brother and I met a boy’ ordeals, so I haven’t heard the latest update. But she promises me she needs the time so she can have a head start with her classes.”

  He looked completely captivated as I went on and on about Brandy and me while we were in college or else he was just polite. Regardless, it felt really amazing to be sitting with my older brother talking to him about life, my life. He told me about the types of training that he and Jason received in the military. Apparently, that’s where Jason learned his mad EMT skills that he tried to whip out on us on the bridge. I told Aaron how he brought that up, and he busted out laughing.

  “That
’s a pickup line I haven’t heard before,” he said, shaking his head.

  “He’s full of them,” I said, grimacing.

  “Can I count on another lunch date?” my brother asked.

  “Absolutely,” I said, giving him a quick hug before I walked back across the street.

  A pulse of continual happiness pulsed through my veins as I thought back to how drastically my life had changed once I started accepting my past and being open to the future. Maybe there was something to what a person puts out into the world. I opened up the door to the lobby and felt the ice-cold blast of air hit me, reminding me that I was indeed still human, and my bubble could burst at any moment. After all, I was going into my magnificently mundane cheese job and happily lying to myself about it, kind of.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next few weeks were a glorious whirlwind of secret planning for the opening of Gabby’s Goodies while holding down my day job. Jason and I had decided to do a soft open with a slow transition from one owner to the next. We didn’t want to disrupt the already established clientele or make the staff nervous.

  I’d been testing out recipe after recipe and all were selling out daily. Kayla even became a fan, which told me things must be tasty, and I allowed myself to relinquish a little bit of the fear about taking the espresso shop over.

  Every morning I woke up exhilarated and grateful. I had wanted to know what it felt like to live my life for no one but me, and now I had that chance. No one else would make my dreams come true. I had to take control of my own destiny. And I had Jason to thank for showing me the way.

  It also didn’t hurt that many of the mornings that I was waking up, happened to be in Jason’s bed, like this morning.

  I heard his breathing change slightly and knew he was on the verge of waking up. I’d always been one to love sleep, but ever since I started working toward taking over the espresso shop, I’d had newfound energy. I turned on my side and Jason slowly opened his eyes, a small smile spreading across his lips.