This Time Around Page 18

  She tilted her head at him, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red. “It was just a date.”

  Exactly what he’d been thinking on the way over here to ask her out. It was just a date. It didn’t mean anything. It was practice for real dating. “It wouldn’t be a simple date to Landon. He’s got an ulterior motive. He always does.”

  Her arms dropped to her sides. “So you’re saying he wouldn’t want to go out with me unless he wanted something from me.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  The anger in her eyes faded to something else. Sadness? Oh no. “That’s not a reflection on you,” he added quickly.

  “Right.” She didn’t look at him as she gathered the business cards.

  Her forlorn tone propelled him forward. “Sophie, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She straightened the stack of cards. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “I am.” When she kept her gaze down, he touched her hand. “You have to believe me, Soph.”

  She yanked her hand away from him. “No one’s called me that in years.” She finally met his gaze, a bit of the fire back in her eyes. “You would know that if you knew anything about me.”

  He nodded. She was right. He didn’t know much about her, other than she was a good businesswoman and she was single. She was also generous, since she sponsored a girls’ softball team every year, had donated equipment to the high school varsity team, and mentored a few of the senior girls who wanted to learn flower arranging. He hadn’t thought about how she had served the community until right now. Turned out he knew more about her than he thought, but that didn’t negate the fact that he didn’t know her personally.

  Unexpectedly, he wanted to. “Let me make it up to you,” he said, surprising himself for the second time since he’d walked into Petals and Posies.

  “Are you going to call Landon and tell him I’m free after all?”

  “No.”

  She lifted her chin and put the cards neatly back in the holder. “Then I don’t see how you can fix this.”

  “Let’s have dinner tonight.”

  Sophie stared at him. If she rolled her eyes any harder, she’d have to pick them up off the floor. “Not funny.”

  “It’s not meant to be. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

  She frowned, her eyes filling with confusion. “To ask me on a date?”

  “Yes.” He put his hands behind his back and began rocking on his heels, a habit that showed up when he was nervous. And the nerves were hitting him like a tidal wave slamming into a tiki hut. He hadn’t been this ill at ease a few minutes ago. Why was he anxious now? When she slowly nodded, he stopped rocking, his unease turning to happiness.

  “I see,” she said, still nodding. Then she pointed to the door. “Get out.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Get out of my store. And don’t bother ever coming back.”

  He opened his mouth to say something else, but clamped it shut, then turned and left, his nose filled with the scent of dozens of different flowers as he hurried past the displays. Strange he would notice that now. When he stepped outside, he made sure to move away from the front door and windows before face-palming himself.

  “Stupid, stupid.” He’d not only made Sophie mad but also managed to get kicked out of a flower shop of all places. And he was upset that she was upset. Really upset. He glanced back at the store and saw that she had turned off the light for the electric red Open sign.

  There was nothing left for him to do but walk away. So he did, regretting how he’d handled the entire situation. His first jump into the dating scene had ended up in a giant belly flop.

  But there was one thing he didn’t regret—tanking her date with Landon. He hoped the smarmy lawyer wouldn’t ask her out a second time.

  Chapter 3

  “I can’t believe he did that.”

  Sophie nodded as April handed her a cup of chamomile tea. As soon as she drove away from Petals and Posies, she’d called her best friend, who immediately told her to come over. When Sophie arrived, she discovered that April had sent her husband, Darren, out for the evening. Now she and April were in the couple’s modest den, sipping chamomile tea and snacking on sugar cookies.

  Sophie was feeling a little better, but not enough to let go of her anger at Joe. “Trust me, he did,” she said, brushing a crumb off the corner of her mouth.

  April shook her head and curled her feet under her as she leaned against a gray-and-white checkered throw pillow. “He seems like such a nice guy. Why would he act like a jerk?”

  Shrugging, Sophie took a sip of her tea. “I have no idea. He’s never set foot in Petals before, at least as far as I know. And it’s not like we talk or anything.”

  “But he asked you out.” April’s thick brown eyebrows lifted. “And you’re not surprised by that?”

  “Of course I am. I go from not having a date in forever to two men asking me out at the same time.” She stilled, the reality of her words hitting her. She’d been so mad at Joe for lying about their date that she hadn’t fully realized he had asked her to dinner. She frowned. “I’m confused.”

  “So am I,” April mumbled.

  “One thing is for sure, though. Joe does not like Landon.”

  April nodded. “That’s obvious.” She sat up straight and looked at Sophie head-on. “But the bigger question is—what would you have said to Landon if Joe hadn’t butted his nose in your business?”

  Butterflies suddenly ramped up in her stomach. “I don’t know. I was so shocked that he asked me.”

  Grinning, April said, “Then you would have said yes.”

  “Maybe?” Sophie set down her mug. “It was so sudden. I didn’t have time to think it over.”

  “You mean overthink it over.” April’s grin faded into an annoyed frown. “Don’t tell me you would have turned him down because it was too spontaneous.”

  The thought had crossed her mind. She didn’t like surprises, which was another reason she was mad at Joe. But then again, when Landon asked her to dinner, she’d gotten that giddy feeling she hadn’t experienced since high school when Peter Lewis, the captain of the basketball team, had asked her to senior prom. Of course, those feelings faded quickly when she found out he asked her as a favor to her sister, Lis, who was on the cheerleading squad. Still, she and Peter had enjoyed the prom, even though there was nothing romantic between them.

  “Good grief, you’re overthinking as we speak.” April moved from the love seat where she’d been sitting and plopped herself next to Sophie on the couch. “The next time a man asks you out, you say yes. Do you hear me?”

  “Except for Joe.” She scowled. “I will never, ever go out with him.”

  “Never say never.”

  April’s singsong tone irritated her. “I can’t believe he asked me out,” Sophie muttered. “The nerve—after what he’d just done?”

  “I guess he really wanted to go out with you.” She tapped Sophie’s arm playfully. “Not that I blame him. You’re a real catch.”

  “That’s what all my friends say.” She picked up her tea again. “I’m not sure Joe really did want to go out with me. Like he said, he wanted to make up for wrecking my potential date with Landon.”

  “Or,” April said, giving her a pointed look, “he wrecked your potential date with Landon so he could go out with you.”

  Sophie thought about what Joe had said—that he’d come to the shop to ask her out. But he was acting weird when he said it, rocking back and forth, his gaze darting around the store. Which made her think he was lying.

  “I wonder what he has against Landon,” April mused.

  “Don’t know, don’t care.” Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She was curious why Joe—who, as far as she knew, was an upright guy—would lie to Landon, then turn around and lie to her. But she was still too irritated with him to find out, because that would mean she would have to see him again.

  “That doesn�
�t sound like you.” April frowned. “Neither does kicking someone out of your shop.”

  Now that she’d had some time to cool down, she felt a little bad about that part. She let out a sigh. “I shouldn’t have kicked him out,” she admitted. “But I was so angry.”

  April nodded, her expression sympathetic. “Maybe you should try online dating after all.”

  Sophie groaned and tapped the back of her head against the couch cushion. “No way. I’m thinking about dropping this entire romance thing.”

  “After just a little bit of drama?”

  “A little bit? That was more drama than I’ve had in an entire year.”

  April laughed. “But isn’t it just a little bit exciting too? I’ve never had two men want me at the same time.”

  “Joe doesn’t want me.”

  “Mm-hmm.” April grabbed the plate of sugar cookies from the coffee table. “Keep telling yourself that.”

  I will. Besides, even if Joe had been serious about wanting to go out with her, after today he’d never come near her again. She should be glad about that, but for some reason she wasn’t. She didn’t like having loose ends, especially when she was in the wrong.

  “I’m going to end up apologizing to him, aren’t I?”

  “Yes,” April said, handing her a cookie. “Because you’re a woman of integrity.”

  Sophie snatched the cookie out of her hand. “Just this once, I don’t want to be.”

  * * *

  Joe leaned his chin on his palm and stared out at the class full of students in front of him. Study hall had started thirty minutes ago, and he’d barely made a dent in the stack of history quizzes he brought to work on. He’d been lucky with his study hall class this year—the students were mostly upperclassmen and mature enough to keep quiet and at least pretend they were studying. He also didn’t have a problem with them closing their eyes for a minute or five. There was enough pressure on these kids as it was, and if they wanted to snooze a little, he wasn’t going to stop them.

  “Mr. Johnson?”

  He blinked and sat up straight, looking at the young woman waving her hand in front of him. “Yes, Mandy?”

  She got up from her seat and walked over to him. “Can I go to the restroom?” she whispered.

  Joe nodded and quickly scribbled a pass for her on a sticky note. Only after she left the room did he realize she’d already been to the bathroom once this period. She was one of the students who always tried to see what she could get away with, and usually he told her no when she asked to leave the room a second time.

  He glanced at the rest of the students, and a couple of them smirked, knowing exactly what had happened. He ignored them and looked down at his papers. Soon, however, his mind was drifting again, back to Sophie and what happened yesterday at Petals and Posies. He inwardly cringed for the dozenth time.

  He’d made a mess of things, and now he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Should he go back to the store and try to apologize again? But she’d told him not to come back, so that wouldn’t work. Should he forget it ever happened? That would be the easiest tack, since their paths rarely crossed anyway. Still, he would know he’d made a mistake and hadn’t rectified it, and that didn’t sit well with him. Maybe he could call the shop, since that would technically not be going to the store. But he didn’t relish the idea of her hanging up on him—

  “Bye, Mr. Johnson!”

  He gave his head a hard shake as the students filed out of the classroom. Oh boy, this wasn’t good. Not only had he not heard the bell, but he had no idea if Mandy had returned. Not that it mattered now, since she would be on her way to her next class anyway. He gathered up his papers and walked back to his classroom, determined to focus on the last two classes of the day. They were both about civics, which he enjoyed, and at least when he was teaching his mind wouldn’t get away from him again.

  At the end of the school day, Joe shut his door and sat down at his desk, determined to finish grading the quizzes. He plowed through them, recorded the grades in the gradebook on the computer, then shut down the machine for the day. He headed for home, still unsure how he was going to apologize to Sophie. He’d even thought about writing her a letter but nixed that idea too. What could he say, other than “I’m sorry”? She would probably tear it up anyway.

  He needed to burn off some steam, and his favorite way to do that these days was to go to the driving range. His football-playing days were long behind him. During the season he helped coach the team, worked out with the guys in the school workout room, and tossed the ball with them before practice began. As much as he still loved football, he’d really settled into golf and played as much as he could in his free time. There was nothing better than whacking a few balls to work out his frustration. He kept his clubs in the back seat of his extended cab, so he headed straight to the nearby range.

  An hour later he was feeling much better and headed home. He pulled into his driveway and stopped his truck like always to grab the mail from the mailbox. When he pulled out the stack, he was surprised to see a small envelope with only his name on it. He climbed back in the truck and opened the envelope, then pulled out a small note card.

  Dear Joe,

  I shouldn’t have lost my temper yesterday. I apologize for that and for kicking you out of my shop. You’re welcome to come back anytime.

  Sophie

  Joe grinned. They’d had the same idea, only she’d had the courage to go through with it. He put the card on top of the envelope, parked his car in the garage, closed the door, and went inside.

  He walked through the small alcove that housed his laundry room, ignoring the pile of towels on top of the dryer that needed to be folded, and went to the kitchen. He set the mail on the counter and glanced at Sophie’s note. Then he looked around the house. The only sound was the buzz of the refrigerator. No one was there to welcome him home, or to eat dinner with, or to talk to about his day.

  In the past he’d been too busy to notice. Or he’d ignored the loneliness. Probably some of both. But lately he couldn’t ignore the fact that he hadn’t expected to be single and without a family of his own at thirty-five. When he married Jenna, he’d intended to be married to her for the rest of his life. Look how that turned out.

  He picked up the note card again and reread it. She didn’t need to apologize to him, since he was the one in the wrong. Not only did she say she was sorry, but she’d also invited him back to the store. Okay, invite was a strong word, but still—maybe he was getting a second chance with her.

  A feeling that had long lay dormant traveled through him. Attraction. Anticipation.

  Joe tapped the card against his lips, then set it down, the courage he’d been searching for all day appearing full force. He grinned. Sophie Morgan had opened the door for him, and he was going to walk through.

  Chapter 4

  By four o’clock the next day, Sophie was exhausted. The flow of customers in her shop had been nonstop, and she’d fretted all night about the note she left in Joe’s mailbox.

  After leaving April’s she had gone home, fully intending to spend the rest of the evening watching TV and forgetting that Joe Johnson existed. Instead, she went straight to her junk drawer, pulled out the pack of note cards she’d tossed in three months ago, and wrote him a quick apology note. Before she lost her nerve, she searched for his address in the church directory, then drove over and dropped off the note. She assumed he wasn’t home because there was mail still in the box, but she sped off just in case.

  When she got back to her apartment, she took a long, soothing bath, which normally helped her sleep. It hadn’t worked last night. Why didn’t she just write “I’m sorry”? Why did she have to add the part about him being welcome in her store? He wasn’t, of course, but what if he took her seriously instead of realizing she was just being polite?

  Fortunately, there hadn’t been much time to ponder that during the workday. Hayley and MacKenzie were busy in the back filling a last-minute order for one of th
eir best customers who would be picking it up first thing in the morning. She leaned against the counter, glad that for at least a few minutes the shop was empty. She was thankful for the brisk business, of course, but right now she wanted to sit down and put up her aching feet.

  The phone rang, and she let out a big yawn as she picked up the receiver. “Petals and Posies. How may I help you?”

  “Hi, Sophie.”

  A tiny thrill traveled through her. “Hi, Landon,” she said, unable to keep the surprise out of her tone.

  “I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight?” he asked.

  Inexplicably, she paused. She hadn’t expected him to extend the invitation again so soon. Actually, she hadn’t expected him to ask her out again at all. It struck her as strange that he was expecting her to be able to drop whatever she was doing at a moment’s notice. Then again, her social calendar wasn’t exactly full, either.

  “I’m trying to stop you from making a terrible mistake.”

  Joe’s words came to her mind unbidden. Great, he was interrupting her thoughts now. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why he thought her going out with Landon was a mistake. Did he know something about Landon that she didn’t?

  “Sophie?” Landon said, impatience in his tone. “Are you there?”

  The chime above the front door rang, and she looked up to see Joe walking into her store. Unbelievable. How could this happen twice? Then again, it was her fault. She shouldn’t have been so polite.

  “Sophie, I’m waiting for your answer.”

  Landon sounded even more impatient now. When Joe reached the counter, she said, “Yes. What time do you want to meet?”

  “I’ll pick you up at five.” The charming tone was back. “At the shop.”

  She tried to smile but couldn’t with Joe staring at her. She met his gaze, surprised that he was back so soon. When her eyes locked with his, she froze. Had she ever noticed the gold flecks in his hazel eyes? Had she ever noticed he had hazel eyes? Gorgeous eyes, now that she was paying attention. And there was something in his gaze that made her mouth go dry. Oh my.