“You’ll see,” he replied. “Don’t make any plans for this Thursday.”
“Thursday? That’s my day off.”
“Exactly. I told you, I have a plan.”
After he dropped me off at work, I daydreamed about what he had in store for me.
Meanwhile,Yours Forever Gemstoneswas primed and ready to take off. The graphics designer we hired on Fiverr sent me ten ad images, and they lookedamazing. Eye-catching and professional, even though I hadn’t spent much at all. Now all we needed was to sit down and create Facebook ads with them.
“I’ll chat with my marketing person and get more details,” Hunter told me while the three of us ate dinner the next night. “Which types of ads to run, how much we should spend to start. That kind of thing.”
“You’re lucky he’s here,” Brad told me, gesturing with his fork. “I don’t know what you would’ve done without him.”
Me neither,I thought, sharing a secret smile with Hunter.
The next day was Thursday, and I hopped out of bed as if it was Christmas morning. But when I went downstairs, Hunter’s SUV was gone from the driveway.
“He said he was going on a long drive,” Brad told me when I asked. “He won’t be home until late tonight.”
I texted Hunter, but he didn’t respond. Disappointment collected in my gut, heavy like a stone. Had he forgotten about the plans he had promised me?
Around noon, he finally replied.
Hunter: Agent Porter. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to drive to Millstone Park in Dayton, Ohio, this afternoon. Be there promptly at four o’clock or your status as My Favorite Piece Of Ass will be revoked. Wear something sexy so I can eye-fuck you all night. This text message will self-destruct in five seconds.
Erica: You’re silly. What’s in Dayton?
Hunter: The best thing in the world, of course.
Hunter: Me!
Erica: My car won’t start. Remember?
Hunter: Someone fixed your car yesterday. It was REALLY nice of them to do that. Whoever it is, you probably owe them a huge favor. Something sex-related.
Erica: I can’t wait to thank this mystery person. I hope he has a big dick.
Hunter: I’m sure it’s satisfactory in both length and girth. I have to go. Counter-agents are tailing me. Radio silence until we meet at four o’clock.
“What’s got you grinning so hard?” Brad asked me.
Thinking quickly, I said, “A jeweler in Dayton emailed me. They want to meet to discuss selling my gemstones in their store!”
A huge smile split my brother’s face. “Sis, that’s fuckingawesome. If jewelers outside of Columbus are hearing about you, then word must be traveling fast. Good luck!”
I felt bad about lying to my brother, but at this point I would do anything to see Hunter. And my lie gave me an excuse to dress up and put a little extra effort into my makeup and hair.
Like Hunter said, my car started without any trouble. To give my story teeth, I did visit four jewelers in Springfield and Dayton. I walked into each one with a marketing pamphlet and asked to speak to the owner. Thanks to Hunter’s support, I felt confident in my business and was able to give my pitch without trembling.
Three of the jewelers politely declined to carry my gemstones, but the fourth owner had a lot of questions, and seemed enthusiastic about the idea. She took all of my information and told me she would get back to me within the week.
I considered that a win.
By then it was nearly four. I parked where Hunter had told me to and stepped out of my car. It was a sunny day, and I had to cover my eyes to gaze around the park.
I spotted the devilishly-handsome man sitting on a park bench, wearing jeans, a polo, and his own pair of sunglasses.
I walked as fast as I could toward him in my heels. He swept me up into his arms, spinning me around and kissing me like we were long-lost lovers who had finally been reacquainted.