“So, what’s this big surprise that you couldn’t wait to tell me about?” I pushed Easton’s coffee toward him, but instead of taking a seat, he looked around the coffee shop.
“Let’s move back over there.” He pointed to an empty table in the back corner.
I nodded, and Easton picked both cups up, careful not to drop the manila envelope tucked under his arm, and followed me over to the corner table. He set the drinks and the envelope down and pulled a chair out for me before taking a seat.
“So. . .” I took a sip of my tea, eyeing him over the rim.
“I talked to my mom earlier,” he started.
“Yeah? How’s she doing?”
“Better. She asked when I was coming home for a visit. Kipp has been asking about me, too. I guess the poor kid misses his big brother.”
“I’m sure he does. Why don’t you go visit him?”
“I am—we are, actually.”
“What?” I stared at him, unblinking.
“I made reservations for us to visit my family in New York. We leave in the morning for ten days.”
“Easton!” I balked. “I’m supposed to meet my mom for a late lunch, we didn’t even pack—”
“Calm down, Sunshine. It’ll be fine,” he said calmly, laying his hand over mine. “You won’t need much. And I’m sure you’ll have enough time to meet with your mother. I’m really glad you reached out to your parents.”
“I am, too. I hated the distance between us. Thankfully, they understood.”
Everything was starting to fall into place, and I couldn’t be any happier. Easton and I were doing great. My family was happy to hear that we were dating and I was taking life one day at a time. That was all I really could do.
“Packing shouldn’t take too long. Maybe grab enough clothes for the first five days, the second half we’ll be spending in the city, but I’m not sure how much of it you’ll get to see since I plan to keep you locked up for most of it.”
I chuckled but stopped midway. “Oh, no! If we are going to the city, you better believe you are showing me around, Mister. I’ve never been, and I refuse to spend my first time in New York holed up in some hotel room.”
“It isn’t a hotel room; it’s the penthouse suite. And the views are absolutely stunning.”
“What? That must have cost you a fortune!”
“Not really. My stepfather cashed in a favor. We’ll get two nights in the penthouse and another two nights in a regular suite, all for the same price.”
“Are you sure you want me to meet your family? I mean, it’s only been two months since your brother’s accident.”
“I’m not going unless you come with me, and unless you want to upset my mother and brother before they even get the chance to meet you . . .”
“You don’t play fair.” I narrowed my eyes and pouted my lips.
“Never said I did. So, what do you say?”
I gave it a second just to tease him. “Yes. I’d love to meet your family.”
“Good. There’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”
“And what’s that?”
“The paperwork has been finalized. The flower shop is mine.”
I smiled wide. Easton and his Aunt Millie had been discussing selling the flower shop, and I knew he had been toying with the idea of buying it, but he’d never mentioned anything more.
“That’s awesome. Congratulations!” I reached across the table and squeezed his hand.
“Thank you. There’s another thing . . .”
“Oh, what about?”
“How are things with the salon?” He took a sip of his coffee.
My face scrunched in confusion. I thought we were talking about the flower shop, not my sister’s salon.
“Fine. Good, actually. Things should be running pretty smooth from here on out. Why do you ask?”
“Well, since Aunt Millie won’t be at the shop anymore and I can’t run the place by myself, I was hoping you’d want to manage the day-to-day operations.” He held his eyes on mine and smirked. “Be the boss.”
I couldn’t resist matching his smirk, answering playfully, “I like being the boss.”
“I can tell.” He chuckled quietly. “What do you say?”
“Well, there are things we need to discuss first—”
“Like?”
“For starters, what kind of benefits are you offering? Then there’s scheduling. Will the hours be flexible, or will it be a set schedule?”
He licked his lips, and I liked that he knew where I was going with this, even if I was only kidding.
“If you accept employment, I’d offer you a signing bonus.”
I leaned into the table. “What kind of bonus?”
“It’s lucrative, but I’d have to show you . . . privately, of course. I wouldn’t want other prospects to accuse me of playing favorites. I’d offer this bonus exclusively to you.”
I laughed. I laughed so hard that I almost spilled my tea all over myself.
“Never a dull moment.” I took his hand in mine. “I do have one request, though.”
“And what might that be?”
“You provide me a lifetime supply of my favorite lollipop.” I licked my lips suggestively, taking our flirty banter just one step further.
“I got your flavor of lollipop, all right. Actually, I don’t think you can get it anywhere else.” He winked, and I almost died right there in the coffee shop.
“Oh. My. God!” I choked. “You really are too much.” I barreled over laughing.
“I know, and you love it.”
“I do. And I love you, and I’d love to work for you.”
“Not work for me, Sunshine. Work with me. I want us to be partners. This flower shop is just as much yours as it is mine.” He slid the manila envelope closer to me. “What do you say? Partners?”
“Easton.” I sighed, appreciating how much he wanted to include me in his life, but partnerships cost money. If this were something he was serious about, I would have to contribute to the cost. “How much?”
“How much what?”
“What would my portion of the sale cost?”
“Nothing.”
“Easton, don’t. If we are going to be partners, we need to do this right. And by doing this right, I have to be responsible for my half of the cost.” I would not budge on this.
“I had a feeling you’d be stubborn about this, so, if that’s the route you want to take, you owe me twenty bucks.”
“What?” I shook my head, confused. “How can you possibly tell me that all I would have to contribute is twenty dollars?”
“Because Aunt Millie only charged me forty.” He laughed. “She said that would cover her entrance fee at bingo. Besides, I already own my grandmother’s half, so if you want a fifty-fifty split straight down the middle, you can pay me the forty dollars, we call it even, and I’ll take you out for a celebratory dinner.” I stared at him wide eyed. Could he be serious? “Oh, but not somewhere too expensive, I’ll only have forty dollars to spend.” He winked, and we both laughed. “Come on, let’s get you home so we can pack.”
As we walked the couple of blocks back to his apartment, I realized I couldn’t have been any more grateful than I was in that moment. My husband might have been gone for barely two years, but I was living proof of how quickly life could change.
Sometimes better, sometimes worse.
There one day, gone the next.
I was fortunate to get a second chance, but only because of Tyler and how much he loved me did Easton and I find that second chance together.