2
A yawn claimedViv as she pulled up a stool behind the counter to sit down. She’d let Carly go home early because it had been a slow afternoon. She knew that Audrey had only scheduled her because she felt guilty for leaving Viv alone, but Viv could handle it.
The bell above the door dinged and Viv glanced up to see the most reliable man in her life.
“There he is. My boyfriend!” she said brightly.
Mr. Henley grinned revealing a deep dimple on his right cheek which was covered by salt-n-pepper, heavy on the salt, scruff. Viv had always loved a man with a dimple. Audrey, who had a dimple, explained to her that it was actually classified as a birth defect. To which she’d replied that the heart wants what it wants.
“Boyfriend, huh?” the seventy-three-year-old mailman repeated.
Every time Viv asked him why he hadn’t retired, he said, “And do what?” as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard of. She guessed the saying was true, if you do what you love you never work a day in your life. And Mr. Henley loved delivering mail. He knew and loved everyone on his route and the feeling was mutual.
“Yep.” Viv stood up off the stool. “You show up every day. You bring me gifts. And you always have a smile on your face. You and I have the healthiest relationship in my life. Are you sure you don’t want to marry me?”
“Well, now, I don’t think Mrs. Henley would be too keen on that idea.”
“What about if I’m a sister wife?” Viv loved the show Sister Wives. She and Nonna binged all the previous seasons every time a new season aired. “Do you think she’d be into that?”
He chuckled. “Nope. She doesn’t like to share.”
“Right. I get it.” Viv nodded. “Welp, I hope she knows what a good man she has.”
“I don’t know about all that.” Mr. Henley shook his head as a twinkle appeared in his dark brown eyes. “But I know what a good woman I have. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Viv inwardly swooned. She wished a man’s eyes would twinkle talking about her that way.
“How long have you two been married?”
“Comin’ up on fifty-five years. And she was my sweetheart for five years before that. I asked her to go steady when we were thirteen years old. And I married her a month after I turned eighteen.”
“You’ve been together almost sixty years.” Viv couldn’t fathom that sort of love. “And you still get a twinkle in your eye when you talk about her.”
“She’s still the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Mr. Henley gave Viv a wink.
Viv smiled and something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She saw a man she didn’t recognize step out of a black SUV in the Lucky’s Gym parking lot and stretch his arms above his head.
Instantly, her mouth watered as a shiver of awareness rushed through her body. She was witnessing pure physical perfection. The white T-shirt he was wearing clung to all the right places. Even from this distance she could see the curves of athletic muscles in his arms and chest. He was tall, definitely over six feet, had dark brown hair, and a jaw that looked like it had been chiseled by Michelangelo himself. He was, by far, the hottest human she’d ever seen.
“Do you know who that is?” Viv pointed in the direction of the sexy Adonis.
Mr. Henley turned, leaned forward, and squinted his eyes. “I heard that a new fighter was going to be coming to town. Cruz, I think his name is.”
Viv had heard the same thing and had taken it upon herself to google Arturo Cruz and get a glimpse at the fresh meat. Arturo was attractive but he was young and had a baby face. The man across the street was just that, he was a man.
Mr. Henley turned back around to face Viv. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason,” Viv shrugged.
“Do you think he’s cute?” The twinkle in Mr. Henley’s eyes was back.
“If his face was on a coin, I’d be a coin collector,” Viv stated firmly.
Mr. Henley’s head fell back, and he laughed. “You crack me up. I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”
“See, that’s why you’re my boyfriend. Most men do not appreciate that quality in me.”
“Then sounds to me that you’re spending time with the wrong men.” Mr. Henley’s bushy brows lifted as he spoke to her in a very paternal tone.