Sabrina

 

Leonardo made me promise to tell you that he’s been extra helpful this week. So there, I’ve told you. He’s a character. He kills me.

Character? Yeah, that was one way to describe Leonardo. Sometimes he was way too much drama for me, but he had a great eye. And that meant everything when it came to our floral business.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I had already changed my outfit three times this morning. All for coffee . . . coffee!

Okay, so it was more than coffee. It was coffee with Ethan—his broad shoulders, his strong jawline, and his intoxicating blue eyes. I couldn’t help but think of the nickname given to the one and only Frank Sinatra. I wondered what Ethan would think if I started calling him “Blue Eyes.”

If the whole bathroom window thing didn’t make him run away, I had no doubt a cutesy nickname would do the trick.

Working out what to wear was tricky. I finally decided on a salmon-colored peasant blouse and skinny white jeans, and I added a few loose waves to my long brown hair. I didn’t want to over do it, but I also didn’t want to look like I had just rolled out of bed, either.

Ethan and I made plans to meet at the Starbucks at Disney Springs. I parked in one of the huge parking garages and made my way toward the shopping and restaurants. It was crazy how much it had grown in the years since I’d been here with my family. I had really great memories of coming to Disney World with my cousins. There was always something magical about being here, even as an adult.

And now I was here on a . . . what was it? Part of me hated to use the word “date,” but knowing how I had begun to feel about Ethan, I didn’t know what else to call it.

I walked into one of the biggest Starbucks I had ever seen and immediately found a table near the door. Ethan had sent me a text minutes after I parked, letting me know he had just pulled in. I was really hoping I wouldn’t be the first to arrive, but there I was.

I didn’t want to appear too eager, so I considered walking around or hiding in the bathroom—hiding, not escaping—until he arrived. Instead, I sat in a chair near the door and watched the happy tourists walk in and out of the restaurant with their delicious treats.

I scrolled through my phone while I waited for him. I was so nervous my hands were almost shaking! For a split second, I seriously considered running.

Crap. I really hoped I wasn’t going to start looking for a way to escape every time I went out with a guy.

This habit could seriously damage my future dating life.

“Hey. I hope you haven’t been waiting too long?”

I looked up to see Ethan standing beside the table. I couldn’t help but notice that his smile lit up his whole face. And those eyes . . . I think I had become obsessed. He was wearing a tight blue T-shirt and dark denim jeans. I couldn’t help but notice how fit he was.

Damn.

How did I not see that before? He must work out—a lot.

I cleared my throat. “No, just a few minutes,” I said, dragging my eyes away from his biceps, thankful I wasn’t stumbling over my words. “Is this table okay? It looked like it was getting busy in here, so I just snagged the first one I could find.”

He placed his hands on the back of the chair across from mine. “It’s perfect. I’ll grab us some drinks while you save the table. What can I get you?”

I needed to keep my drink order simple. Nothing crazy, like some of my friends back in San Francisco. Naomi sometimes ordered a coffee with two drops—yes, drops—of almond milk and a splash of vanilla. There may have been a few other ingredients, but I couldn’t remember. Those poor baristas would see her coming and fight over who had to make her drink.

And it was almost always wrong by her standards.

“I’ll just have a tall skinny latte. Thank you.”

I watched as Ethan made his way into the line of coffee drinkers and tourists. I noticed two girls whispering and pointing in his direction as he walked by, not that I blamed them one bit. I was sure this was a regular occurrence for him, but he seemed completely oblivious to them.

The girls wore T-shirts that said “UCF” on them and one of them was also wearing a baseball hat. After having been here a few weeks, I knew that UCF stood for the University of Central Florida. The girls were both tiny, tan, and blonde. Was that a prerequisite for going to that university? It seemed like so many of the girls looked like they lived on diets of coffee, sushi, and alcohol. I felt like a giant compared to them. I had always been self-conscious about my height, and there was no part of me that was tiny.

Ethan returned with our drinks, drawing my attention away from his gaggle of admirers. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the girls still staring as he sat down across from me.

“Thank you,” I said, taking the cup into my hands. I nodded over at the girls. “I think you have a fan club.”

He raised his eyebrows. “A fan club?”

I smiled. “Oh, yeah. From the second you got in line those girls over there have been watching you.”

He glanced in their direction and shook his head. “I doubt that. I’m pretty sure I’m too old for them.”

I started to laugh. “No way.”

I glanced over at them again. They were still looking in our direction with a total lack of subtlety.

“See? They’re still staring,” I said, giggling.

He shrugged. “What can I say, I mean, look at me.” He started to laugh, which was the perfect icebreaker.

“I can’t argue with that,” I said, louder than I intended.

Well, that was embarrassing. I needed to say something, anything to change the subject away from how hot he was.

Even though he was.

“How’s everything going with your job? Are you still moving out of Orlando?”

He nodded. “That’s the plan. I can go anytime I’m ready. My brother is a realtor, so he can handle the sale of my condo. Until then, I’m commuting.”

I nodded. I didn’t know what it was about him, but I would have liked it if he was planning on sticking around. The idea of him leaving made me really sad.

But, then again, I may be leaving too, eventually.

“Are you excited to start over some place new?” I asked.

“I think so. There’s something to be said for a fresh start.”

I nodded. Oh, yes. I knew exactly what he was saying. Even though I was here in Orlando, basically living someone else’s life, it felt great. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt like I had this much freedom.

“What about you? Do you have any plans to head home to San Francisco yet?”

The mere thought of going home made my stomach twist into knots.

“To be honest, I have no idea,” I said with a shrug. “I know what’s waiting for me at home.”

He took a sip of his coffee. “And what’s that?”

I pursed my lips. “A life that was planned out for me. Family expectations I’ve never been able to live up to, and tons of people who know I ran away from my wedding.”

The corner of his mouth curled up into a smile. “So, about that . . .”

My heart sank into my chest. “What?”

“Did you know you’re famous?”

Oh, no.

The air was sucked right out of me. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, for starters, you’re one of those YouTube stars now. And you did it without doing something ridiculous, like eating a bowl of wasabi.”

The knot in my stomach grew. For a moment, I considered running for the door again. Instead, I decided to make light of it all. “Please don’t remind me. I’ve become famous for ditching my wedding? That’s just fabulous.” My voice dripped with sarcasm.

He laughed. “It’s not a big deal. And you looked absolutely beautiful in your wedding dress.”

I could feel my face getting hot. “Well, thank you. Between the dress and all that makeup, I was probably carrying ten extra pounds.”

He shook his head, laughing. “I couldn’t . . . nothing.” He shook his head as he took another sip of his coffee.

“You couldn’t what?” I asked, intrigued.

He cleared his throat. “Sabrina, I have a confession to make. Just promise me you won’t run out on me as soon as I tell you.”

Me, run? Ha!

I shifted around in my chair, trying to act nonchalant. “I promise.”

He took a deep breath. “This is going to sound insane, but here goes. I’ve watched that video of you at the airport a few times because . . . well, because I wanted to see you.”

I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out.

Ethan wanted to see me? I tried to remain calm. Internally, I was jumping for joy.

“And I’m not the one who found it. A co-worker of mine asked me if I saw the runaway bride at the Dallas airport. Of course, I figured that you would be the runaway bride she was talking about, so I asked her to show me the video. Sure enough, it was you, but I didn’t let on to her that I knew you.”

I rubbed my increasingly tense forehead.

Was this runaway bride persona going to follow me around for the rest of my life?

“I still haven’t seen the video,” I said, staring down at my coffee cup. “I’m not proud of what I did, even though I know I left for the right reasons.”

He reached over and placed his hand on mine to comfort me. An electric jolt shot through my body at his touch. I remembered having the same feeling that night at the Fuchsia Flowers and Gifts grand opening.

“I know it may be too soon to say this, but I’m glad you ran away from that wedding.” He didn’t move his hand from mine—and I didn’t pull mine away, either.

I looked into his eyes and I was completely captivated. “I am too.”

As cliché as it sounded, at that moment it was like we were the only two people in the coffee shop—maybe even the world. Our hands were still touching, and neither of us was making a move to pull away.

“Excuse me,” a woman’s voice interrupted.

We both turned to look at the short blonde woman wearing a pair of Minnie Mouse ears, standing by our table.

“Yes?” I asked.

“I’m sorry to bother you. This may sound really strange, but can you clear something up for me? My boyfriend and I just made a bet: he thinks you’re the runaway bride from the YouTube video. I told him you weren’t because you’re obviously on a date. Unless this was your groom?” She indicated Ethan.

Crap.

I opened my mouth to answer her question, when Ethan spoke up first. “You have the wrong woman. This is my girlfriend.”

I could’ve kissed him right at that moment, and not only because he’d defended me.

Instead, I shot him a grateful smile.

“I knew it! Sorry to bother you,” the woman said before she happily skipped away to collect on her bet.

Ethan raised his eyebrows. “I told you.”

I groaned. “Thanks for covering for me. That stupid video is another reason I don’t want to go back to San Francisco.”

“So . . . don’t go,” Ethan said with a shrug.

If only it were that easy.

But it got me thinking. What would I do here in Orlando? I couldn’t live in Addi’s home and run Blooms on Valencia forever. She would eventually want her life back.

Wouldn’t she?

“I’m not sure if that’s an option,” I replied eventually.

Ethan leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. His face was now closer to mine than it had ever been. I breathed in his amazing scent.

“Why? You can live wherever you want. You’re a grown woman.”

I locked his gaze. Yep, it was official—I was obsessed with his eyes.

“I know that,” I said, my voice barely over a whisper as my heart beat loudly in my ears. “I wouldn’t mind staying here, but I have a lot of loose ends to tie up in San Francisco. Not to mention my family and friends are there.”

His eyes lit up. “You have a friend here, too.”

If I had any doubt that this was a date, I didn’t any more.

My cheeks heated up again. “I know. But, you’re leaving Orlando.”

He shrugged and entwined his fingers with mine. Again, I didn’t resist. “Maybe I’ll keep commuting. I mean, if I had a good enough reason.”

I didn’t know what to say. Was he serious?

“That’s a long commute,” I said, half playful and half hopeful.

“Some people are worth it.”

Whoa!

Was it getting warm in here? Maybe it was the coffee? Or, more likely, maybe it was the intense flirtation going on between us? It had been so long since I’d flirted with a new man. Hopefully I wasn’t making an ass of myself, because I was really enjoying it.

“When’s your next trip?” I asked, trying to ease the intensity between us.

“Next Monday. I’ll be gone for five days.”

I couldn’t help but be disappointed Ethan wasn’t staying in Orlando. And although that shouldn’t make a difference to my decision about what I was going to do with my life, I wouldn’t have minded spending some more time with him.

A lot more time.

“I would love to see you again before I leave.”

Was Ethan a mind reader?

My pulse started to pick up. “I would really like that.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he replied with a huge grin.

Our hands were still touching, and my heart was beating faster. Although I had no idea what my future held, I knew one thing for sure: this feeling was exactly what I had been missing in my life.

And I wasn’t ready for it to go away.