Delicate (Sublime Series Book 1)

by Michelle Everett

  He’d asked me if I’d gotten home safely. Said again that he had a great time. He wanted to hang out with Sarah and Eric again. I wanted to tell him I was sorry for saying what I did. That I hadn’t meant it… but I did. I did want him to be my boyfriend. I just didn’t want to admit it.

  “Ugh. No.” Hannah huffed from the other side of the door. “Not this one either.”

  I heard her unlock the door and step out to show me. Her face was flustered, her hair was a mess. This was probably the fifteenth blouse she’d tried on from this store.

  I sighed. “Eh, no. Take it off and toss it over.”

  Hannah deflated like a sad balloon left over from a birthday party. “Why was this so fun a few days ago and it sucks today?” she morosed.

  “You’re just stressed, Han. It’s going to be fine, you’re going to do great and they’re going to love you. You know that.”

  The interview with the company from Silicon Valley was this coming Thursday. Did I say interview? I meant interviews. Plural. As in two days worth of meetings with different managers and executives. The plan was that if they offered her the position, she’d be able to meet with human resources during the same trip. Apparently efficiency was the name of their game.

  Hannah would be flying out from Atlanta on Wednesday and be back Saturday afternoon. She was stressed beyond belief and it was understandable why. We had spent the last four hours at the mall, hitting every department store here, trying to find one more outfit for the formal interviews, plus at least two additional business casual outfits for the company dinners she had been invited to as well. So far we had one blouse, one skirt - from Wednesday’s excursion - and a whole bunch of “no’s” piling up on the hooks in front of me.

  “You know what, Han? Change of plans. Put your clothes back on. We need a break.”

  “Praise Jesus!” she called back.

  Hannah wasted no time getting dressed. She threw the stall door open, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. I tossed the pile of clothes onto the tiny bench in the stall.

  “Let’s go get ice cream.”

  Five minutes later, we plopped down at a small table in the mall eatery, both of us holding gigantic waffle cones of comfort. Nothing makes a girl happier than over indulging in ice cream. Especially if it’s chocolate.

  Hannah appeared slightly less stressed while she worked away at the massive mound of heaven in front of her, but I could still sense the apprehension that was gripping her.

  “You know I’m right, don’t you?” I asked as she licked a giant trickle sliding down the side of the cone.

  She grunted. “About what?”

  “About the interviews,” I pressed. “You’re going to do great. You’re made for this and they see it too. I’ve never seen a company move so quickly and go through such lengths to interview someone.”

  Hannah smiled a sheepish smile. “Yeah, that’s what Tobie said, too.”

  “Well, that makes us both right.” I took a big bite of my ice cream. This was the perfect segue to ask her about Tobie. I needed to find out how possessive of their friendship she was before I got too far into this. Into “us” as he had put it.

  “What’s up with you and him, anyway?”

  “Who, Tobie?” she was perplexed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you two. You’re closer to him than anyone else. Why haven’t you taken things further?” Oh, cheese on a bread, I don’t think I want to hear the answer… please no, please no.

  “Ew, Amber, gross.” Hannah wrinkled her face up at the suggestion. “Trust me, there’s nothing romantic between Tobie and me. Ugh. You’ve just ruined my ice cream.”

  I laughed at her response, a small weight fell from my shoulders. I was glad to know that her feelings for him didn't extend beyond their platonic relationship but I needed to know more. I needed to know what her reaction would be if Tobie wasn't exclusively “hers” anymore.

  “Then what are you going to do when one of you falls in love?” I questioned her, “What if he falls in love before you do?”

  Hannah stared at me. Like I had horns. And three eyes. Her head tilted to the side and she blinked. “Then I guess I’ll have to share him?” she finally responded. I could tell she knew the reality of the situation but hadn’t really thought about the possibility. I knew not to say anything else. Sometimes the best thing to say is to say nothing at all. Thank you, Chris Stapleton.

  Hannah’s brain continued to mull over the suggestion I had placed in front of her. I picked at my ice cream with a spoon. Hannah took a big breath and let it out slowly.

  “I know it’s going to happen. He’s an amazing guy, he’s good looking and all that crap. I just don’t feel that way about him and he doesn’t feel that way about me… so… I guess one day he’ll find someone who can fill that part in. I just hope that he and I don’t lose what we have because of it.”

  She paused for a moment as if she was drawing a picture of what the woman Tobie would one day fall in love with would look like. Sadness and hope, a bittersweet combination of emotions swirled around in her eyes. Not being one to dwell in yucky feelings, she quickly changed the tone.

  “Anyway. Who ever the lucky lady ends up being, she’d better treat him like a freakin’ king.” She took a big bite of her ice cream, and smiled, “Or I’ll be all ‘bitch, hold my earrings’ and claw her face off!”

  I laughed, albeit nervously, along with her. I was thankful that there were no romantic feelings on her end to get in the way, but was terrified that Possessive Hannah would flip her shit if I were ever the one to hurt Tobie.

  “I’m pretty sure he’ll find someone before me anyway,” she threw out there.

  Oh, crap. “Why do you think that?”

  “It’s just… I think he’s got his eye on someone already.”

  My ice cream turned into cement in my throat. I coughed. I took a drink of water. I tried to play off my surprise from her comment.

  “Really? Uh… why do you say that?” Oh, dear God, please don’t let her think it’s me. Please don’t let her think it’s me.

  “I don’t know.” Hannah continued to eat her ice cream as if this wasn’t the most important conversation we had ever had in twenty two years. “I can just tell. He gets a little funny when there’s a girl in the picture.”

  “Funny?”

  “Yeah, like goofy. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like I can see all the gears turning around in his head when he’s got a girl on the brain. It was almost comical when he first started dating Cassie. Well… until Cassie turned into Cassie.”

  “Cassie?” Angry Amber was making an appearance. Who the hell was Cassie?

  “Oh, geez. Fucking Cassie. She really did a number on him. They dated during our sophomore year. She was alright in the beginning, but after he introduced her to me, she went bat shit crazy. She accused him of cheating on her with me and then pretty much any other girl he even talked to.”

  “Ugh. What a bitch.”

  “No kidding! That wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. She started stalking him, showing up when he was out with his guy friends, trying to catch him ‘in the act’ of cheating on her. She’d go ballistic if some girl even bumped into him at a bar. She was seriously wacked out.”

  “Good grief. What a psycho.”

  “No kidding. It took months for Tobie to finally get rid of her. She kept calling and showing up. Poor guy was so over dating by the time she finally gave it a rest he swore off dating for the foreseeable future. Honestly, this is the first time since Cassie that I’ve even had the slightest inclination that he might be interested in someone again.”

  “Wow.” I was pretty shocked by Hannah’s confession. Then the weight of what Hannah was saying began to sink in. “So wait, you mean that he hasn’t dated anyone else in like two years?!”

  “Not really, no. I mean, he’s had some dates here and there, but only out of necessity. Like frat formals and stuff. So I guess if there’s someone who’s caug
ht his interest after all that Cassie mess, she must be pretty special to have cracked his resolve.”

  “Damn. Cassie sounds like a piece of work. Poor guy.” I knew first hand what a disaster you can become when a relationship crashes and burns, but Tobie’s story was far more traumatic than mine. Mine was just a waste of time and effort. His was a crapload of distrust, fighting and false accusations. I needed to get my act together. The last thing he needed was a needy, whiny, self-doubting girl hanging off him again.

  “Yeah, but enough about Tobie.” Hannah shifted, “Let’s talk about your dating life!”

  “Oh, no! We are not talking about this again!” I rolled my eyes.

  “Oh, come on! We need some good news today. Please tell me you’ve had another hit off the dating site.”

  Hannah was worse than Sarah sometimes. Despite their constant prying and over-reactions to innocuous events, I love the hell out of them. Deep down I appreciated their genuine concern for my happiness.

  “Sorry to disappoint, but no, I have not had any more hits. And I’m not looking for any either.”

  “Oooo…. Does that mean that there’s already someone in the picture!?”

  “Hannah! Good grief! You just won’t let this rest, will you?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, “You didn’t answer the question, Amber.”

  I took another big bite, refusing to look her in the eye. “Just eat your ice cream.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Amber

  Monday morning was Tobie’s first day at work. Well, technically, he’d worked at his dad’s company for several years but only during the summers. Today was a big day for him. Today he was officially one of the Project Managers. He had admitted to me during one of our late night phone chats that he was a little nervous about being in charge of guys he’d worked side-by-side with, and sometimes under, for so many summers.

  As soon as I woke up, I considered sending him a good-luck text. Is that too presumptuous? Was he as freaked out by my ‘boyfriend’ comment as I was? I didn’t want him to know that he was the first thing I thought of in the morning - even if he was. And every other moment of the day, too. Screw it. It’s just a text. If he doesn’t want to respond he doesn’t have to. Oh, dear Lord, I hope he responds.

  ME: Good luck today! :-)

  There. That’s pretty innocent. I hoped it wasn’t too early. I was an early riser and I knew Tobie didn’t have to be in until nine. Luckily, he was already up because his reply came back almost instantly.

  TOBIE: Thanks, love.

  TOBIE: Care to celebrate with me tonight?

  ME: Are you sure there isn’t anyone else you’d rather celebrate with?

  TOBIE: Are you kidding?

  TOBIE: There’s no one I’d rather be with.

  My anxiety was quickly vanishing. Knowing that he wanted to spend time with me more than anyone else made my body feel like one of those glow-worms I had as a kid. I was pretty sure that if I lifted my shirt up my stomach would be twinkling.

  ME: The feeling is mutual. ;-)

  ME: So what’s the plan?

  TOBIE: Food.

  ME: LOL You’re such a dork.

  ME: But you know how much I love food.

  TOBIE: It’s settled then.

  TOBIE: Food tonight. Meet me at my house at 6?

  ME: Sounds good.

  TOBIE: I’m counting the minutes.

  I readied myself for work with a smile on my face. I even took extra time to shave my legs and other important areas. His replies seemed as natural as they always had been. I was beginning to think that I hadn’t screwed it up after all.

  Once at work, I was greeted by a dozen red roses on my desk. My heart swelled to epic proportions. It took every ounce of self preservation to stop myself from squealing like a little girl at the sight of them. I pulled out the card.

  I tried to find flowers as beautiful as you but nothing came even close.

  I hope you like these anyway.

  - Boyfriend

  I laughed out loud at the same time that tears welled up in my eyes. Boyfriend! I didn’t screw up! Jim came around the corner to remind me of the nine thirty meeting in the conference room.

  “Whoa! Look at those! Looks like someone’s got an admirer,” he teased. “Actually, that reminds me… I should probably send my wife some flowers…” and he walked back into his office.

  “What’s his deal?” Sarah gestured at Jim as she walked in, stopping at my desk with two cups of coffee in her hands. She reached out to hand me one. Oh sweet heavens, a chai latte. I groaned as I smelled the sweetness.

  “He was saying he needed to send Carolyn some flowers.”

  “Why would he… oh my gosh, are those from Tobie?!” Sarah spotted the flowers on my desk. Seriously though, I wanted to hold the flowers up in the air and shout “Look everyone! My boyfriend sent me flowers!” but I didn’t. Because I’m an adult and things like that are frowned upon in professional settings. All the more reason life should be more like a musical. So I grinned like an idiot instead.

  Sarah shoved me out of the way, nearly spilling my latte to get a closer look. “Amber, they’re beautiful! Holy shit! Where’s the card?! I need to see it!”

  Laughing, I handed it to her. “It’s in his handwriting. He must have picked them out himself.”

  “Holy crap, Amber. He signed it ‘boyfriend’!”

  “I know! It was kinda a slip of the tongue on my part after we left the bowling alley. Actually, it’s a horribly embarrassing story.”

  As if on cue, Sarah dropped her purse on the floor, grabbed the spare chair and plunked down. Holding her coffee in both hands, eyes wide, taking a sip while waiting for the story to continue. “Well?”

  I sat down in my chair and recalled the heated driveway scene. Of course, I left all the really juicy parts for myself. When I got to the part when Tobie’s dad started flashing the porch lights at us Sarah about fell out of her chair. “Are you freaking serious!? He flashed the lights at you!?”

  “Yes! Oh, I was so embarrassed! I started rambling on about being caught my my ‘boyfriend’s dad’ and how mortified I was.”

  “Oh, good grief, that is embarrassing. But what did Tobie say?!”

  “He laughed at me! He told me that his dad knew about us anyway.”

  “No, not about that,” she waved her hand dismissively, “although I do want to hear about that later, but what did he say about the whole ‘boyfriend’ comment?”

  “Nothing really. He pointed it out that I said it, but didn’t really give me a reaction. He didn't confirm it, deny it, or call me his girlfriend or anything. Honestly, I spent all of yesterday freaking out that I had said too much and had screwed it all up but when I came into work and saw these with his note, well, I guess I didn’t.”

  “So wait. This makes it official now, then… right?”

  I shrugged. “I guess so? I mean, there’s still a lot of mess to sort through… we still need to make sure this isn’t something juvenile first. Then comes telling Hannah.”

  “Damn girl. At least you know he’s willing to play the game, though.” She hoisted her purse back up on her shoulder and stood up. She ooh’ed and ahh’ed over the flowers and note for a few more seconds before she headed over to her cubicle.

  “Uhhh…. Amber?” Sarah turned to me from over the wall that separated us.

  “What?”

  “This man isn’t playing the game… He’s playing for keeps.” And she held up a vase full of daisies.

  Tobias

  I was just getting out of my truck when my phone rang. “Good morning, beautiful,” I answered. She giggled on the other end. The sound of her laugh made my heart quiver and my cock jump.

  “Tobie?”

  “Yes, ma’am?” I heard her breathing hitch. Even through the phone I knew the effect of calling her that. I loved the way it made her eyes dilate and lips part.

  “The damndest thing happened this morning when I got to work.”

/>   “Oh, really?” I smiled to myself, “What’s that, babe?”

  “Well… there’s a gorgeous bouquet of roses sitting on my desk and a beautiful arrangement of daisies on Sarah’s.”

  “Huh.” I played along. “Sounds like some really amazing guy is trying to impress you both.”

  “It would appear as though it is working, too.”

  I had gone out on a limb when I decided to send flowers not only to Amber but to Sarah, too. I knew that Amber highly regarded Sarah’s opinion so I really needed to make a good impression on her best friend. Originally, I was just going to order them and have them delivered but if felt too impersonal. So I went to the florist yesterday afternoon, got both bouquets and kept them in my dad’s beer fridge. The look on his face was pretty priceless when he opened it up for his football watching supplies and found a bunch of flowers spilling out. I drove to Amber’s office early this morning to drop them off with the receptionist before I headed to work.

  “I’m glad you like them.”

  “Like them? Tobie. I love them. And so does Sarah. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, love. I’ll see you tonight?”

  “You bet. Six o’clock. Have a great first day, ok?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Her breath hitched again making me laugh.

  “Tobie, you have got to stop calling me that,” she hissed into the phone.

  “Yes, ma’am.” I replied in an even deeper voice.

  “Oh, sweet heavens, I have to go back to work. You’re distracting me.”

  “Ok, ok. I’ll see you soon. Bye, beautiful.”

  “Bye, handsome.”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Amber

  I pulled into Tobie’s driveway and shut off the engine. Where ever we were going tonight I knew that he wasn’t going to let me drive. It was a subtle gesture that I absolutely adored. I hadn’t ever really considered it before but I really enjoyed being with a man who wanted to take care of me. A man who valued chivalry. It was so refreshing and made me feel like a damn queen.

  Same as last time, Tobie came out of the house to greet me before I could even get out of my car. He opened my door for me and held out his hand. As I slid out he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a deep, slow kiss. Holy. Shit.