Chapter 2
After I returned the e-mail, thanking the client for her kind words, I made myself a cup of tea and settled on my favorite piece of furniture—a big round chair with a plush cushion that made me feel completely embraced. I closed my eyes and sniffed the scent of my tea.
I had no idea why I had such a strange reaction to being around Trent. Maybe it was just because all my friends had begun to pair up. Hanna was married, Blu was with AJ ,and who knew what might happen next? It seemed to me that it was only a matter of time before Dawn and Garrett were an official couple, so that left me and Noella as the last single ladies in the group.
Perhaps I’d begun to feel the pressure, or their bliss was rubbing off on me. Either way, I was determined to ignore the feelings. Trent was crucial to my business and had become a friend as well. I didn’t want to lose him in my life, and with my dating style, we wouldn’t make it past a few dates. That was if he could possibly be interested in me.
I was confident, no question about that. I knew I was beautiful and that I could draw the attention of just about any man I desired. But I didn’t usually desire men like Trent. I pictured him with a tiny woman, someone with his build and a quiet personality. That wasn’t ever going to be me, as I had no desire to be either of those things.
After I finished my tea, I headed for bed. I had a meeting scheduled with Trent the next morning at my favorite coffee shop, Common Grounds. It was a special place that my good friend Alex owned.
Usually, I looked forward to our meetings because I learned so much from him. He didn’t just take care of the website and other technical needs, he insisted on teaching me every step of the way. But with all these crazy feelings rolling through me, I wasn’t so excited about it.
As I settled into bed, I turned on some low music. I enjoyed falling asleep to some of my favorite songs. It set the mood for the next day and ushered in pleasant thoughts before falling asleep. I was exhausted from the day at the bakery, so a heavy sleep came easily.
When I opened my eyes, my heart skipped a beat. Common Grounds was buzzing with people—so crowded that I could hardly see the front counter.
“Zoe, are you listening?” Trent’s voice drew my focus to him. He sat across from me, his dark straight hair in his eyes, his lips curved in that perpetual light smile.
“Huh? Sorry.” I looked around again. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“Don’t worry, I can wake you up.” He laughed, then reached across the table for my hand.
As he took it in his, my heart began to race. The sensation of his skin against mine created an electrical wave through my entire body. I’d never experienced anything like it.
He drew my hand closer to him. “You’ve been asleep way too long. You’re going to be late.” He lifted my hand into the air.
I watched him, too stunned to speak and very confused. When his lips grazed my knuckles, everything around me spun. My mind filled with scenes from some of my favorite movies—knights pulling princesses onto horseback, lovers chasing down trains and planes at the last minute, and my favorite scene, a long hard kiss in the rain after years apart.
He drew his lips back, gazed into my eyes with that soulful look that always took me by surprise, and smiled. “Why are you always late, Zoe?”
My eyes snapped open.
I stared up at my ceiling as I began to process the fact that I hadn’t just been in Common Grounds after all.
It was a dream.
My skin still buzzed with the electricity that coursed through me and my mind swirled with the imagery that his dream kiss had created.
“Ugh. No, no, no!” I slapped my pillow a few times, then sat up and wiped at my eyes.
As much as I wanted to forget the dream, the sensation of his touch still lingered within me.
When I glanced at the clock, I realized that one part of the dream had become very real. I was going to be late.
I jumped out of bed and started to get ready for the day. As I did, his smile—his touch, his lips—kept flashing through my mind.
How was I ever going to concentrate with memories of the dream to distract me? I pushed it as far from my thoughts as I could, but the moment I relaxed, it drifted right back.
For a few moments I considered canceling the meeting. But then I remembered one of my father’s rules of business success. Never let anything personal interfere with the business. I admired him not just because he was my father, but because he’d built a highly successful empire out of nothing. Because of him, I’d grown up wealthy and quite possibly more than just a bit spoiled. I trusted his advice when it came to business.
As I hurried out the door, I was determined not to let the dream or my strange feelings for Trent have any impact on the meeting. I would keep things focused on business and, most importantly, I wouldn’t let him touch my hand. Just the thought of it made my muscles twitch with anticipation.
“No, no, no.”
I started the car and drove as quickly as I could to the cafe.
When I arrived, I was only a few minutes late, but I couldn’t help remembering the way Trent had questioned me in the dream. It wasn’t as if he’d been upset as much as he’d seemed to be amused by me.
As I stepped through the door and into Common Grounds, I hoped the same would apply in reality.