Paige kicked at nothing on the ground, then looked back at me. “I had a meeting today with Virgil, from the bank in town. There is a little bit of storefront on highway 290. I was thinking of maybe opening a flower shop.”
This time I did smile. A full-on smile, and I felt my chest fill slightly with pride. “You always did love flowers, just like your mamma. You talked about owning a flower shop.”
“It’s always been the long-term plan, learn the business world and then settle back here.” Her voice trailed off toward the end.
That felt like a kick in the stomach. I hadn’t given Paige the chance to tell me what she wanted in this life. I had only focused on what I wanted. Once I’d broken up with Paige, the idea of moving back to Johnson City became a distant memory. Every trip I went on with Bianca made me feel like that much more of an asshole. The woman I had loved, planned on spending the rest of my life with, had asked me to follow her plan, just for a bit, and I wouldn’t do it. How did it make her feel to know I traveled all over the world with another woman, lived in Austin, so close to her? I’d seen her from time to time, and always hidden. I’d watch her, laughing with a friend at dinner, trying to pick the perfect cantaloupe at the Whole Foods on Sixth Street. From afar, I’d study her. I’d wonder if she was happy, who she was dating, if she’d found love again. All the while I lived a life I despised. A life that didn’t include her, and it gutted me.
“Will you be renting or purchasing the space?”
“Well, I have either option. Long-term-investment wise, it would be smart to purchase it.”
“I agree.”
She gave me a weak smile. “I was going to talk to my dad and Tom about it. Then maybe have Carl swing by and give me a bid on what it would take to renovate and redo the store front. Milo said he’d help with painting, to keep the costs down.”
Anger boiled up all over again at Milo and his fucking paintbrush, but I tried to hide it. The sound of his name off her lips would forever drive me mad. I knew for a fact neither one of them were interested in each other, but it still boiled my blood.
“Paige, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have…”
She held up a hand. “Please, can we just forget it happened?”
Hell no, I’d never forget her desire for me because it was for me. Not for Milo or some other guy she might have wanted to hook up with. It was entirely for me, even if she didn’t want to admit it. I made her feel that way, moan that way…
“Did I ruin your evening?”
She gave me a sexy smirk. “Yes. You did.”
My hand rubbed at the back of my neck. “I’m sorry.”
“So you said. Now, we need to figure out why William wanted us in this house together. What did he want us to find?”
Paige sat down on the old chair with a frustrated sigh.
“I don’t think he was trying to play matchmaker. It was something else.” She went on, leaning back in the chair in deep thought. That’s when I saw it. A paper sticking out of the bottom of the chair, maybe?
“There’s something on the chair.”
With a scream, she leaped to her feet. Paige ran over and jumped into my arms. She scared me so bad with her sudden movements that I didn’t have time to laugh.
“Get it off me!” she yelled, shaking her hair and letting out small yelps.
“Paige! I didn’t mean a bug!” I said, trying not to double over with laughter, setting her down on her feet. “I meant there was something sticking out of the chair, like paper.”
She stopped jumping around. It was adorable as fuck to watch her toss her hands in the air and swipe at bugs that weren’t even there. The way her ponytail swung around inspired amazing dirty thoughts.
“Jesus, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” she said.
“Just so you know, that’s not how I want to gain your half of the house.”
She snarled at me then looked back over to the chair. I pulled the seat cushion up and gently tugged on the piece of paper sticking out.
“What is it?” Paige asked, hitting me on the side of my arm. She always had been impatient.
Giving her a look that told her to settle down, I carefully unfolded it and read it out loud.
“M, will you do me the honor of having dinner with me? I have a very important question to ask you.
Yours truly, William”
Paige and I lifted our gaze from the paper to each other. We both smiled.