An Exceptional Twist (20 page)

Caleb's annual Fourth of July Bar-B-Que was
in full swing. All of his and Abby's family, along with their
friends, were present—minus one. No matter how selfish it was,
Stefen really wanted to see how Leah was doing before he left.

Abby had been acting weird since returning
from Leah’s, and he was wondering what Leah told her. Everything
had him on edge, waiting for the shitstorm to blow up.

Rather than socializing with people he
didn’t know, Stefen offered to do all of the grilling. One of
Abby's coworker’s hung around, tossing suggestive comments his way.
She’d flirted with him at the wedding, too, but he wasn't
interested.

Very slowly, she slipped her number into the
back pocket of his cargo shorts before strolling away to have a
conversation with someone else that might actually give a damn.
There was only one woman’s hands he wanted right now, and she
currently thought he was the scum of the earth.

He had to agree.

Abby left Caleb’s side to momentarily join
Stefen. “I see you have a fan.” She glowered at him, her back
facing Caleb’s inquisitive stare.

He shrugged. “Not my type.”

Narrowing her eyes, Abby said. “Interesting,
I thought Sofie was every man's type.”

He shook his head. “Not mine.” The meat
hissed in front of them, giving him something else to focus on.

Clasping her hands in front of her, Abby
probed, “And what, pray tell, is your type, Stefen?”

“Where are you going with
this, Abby?”
Shit, what did she and Leah
talk about?

Abby pursed her lips,
raising an all-knowing eyebrow. “As you know, I came from my
best
friend’s house a
few hours ago. Her eyes were swollen like she'd been crying for a
week.” A sharp pain of remorse penetrated his chest. “You wouldn’t
happen to know
why
my closest friend is so upset now, would you?” With her arms
folded across her chest, Abby shifted from side to side.

“Why, did she say anything?” Hoping that she
hadn’t, he only had to stick it out one more day, then she could
smear his name all through town if she wanted.

He took a swig of his beer, avoiding Abby’s
smug stare. “No, she’s sticking with the sham that she’s sick, but
I know it's something, or rather, someone. Found a little evidence
left behind.”

He froze.
Oh shit
.
What did I leave ther
e?
He was sure he took everything. He kept a straight face. “She
didn’t mention any guys to me.”

Her eyebrows raised. “I never said it was a
guy, Stefen.”

“Oh, I just assumed.” He had to come up with
something quick, or he was screwed. “You know, when we went to the
farmer's market right after you left, she said something about
being lonely now that you’re married. Maybe she’s just upset about
it.”

Abby looked at him, aghast as her eyes
glossed over.

Biggest prick of the year
award goes to Stefen Hunter
.

She fisted her hands by her sides. “That was
a low blow and you know it.”

Ashamed, he looked down at
the grass. “I’m sorry Abby. That was uncalled for.” He tried to
repair what he’d done. “Maybe she is having guy troubles, and she’s
afraid to tell you because you’re so happy.” He tested how that
would be received. “It’s possible she fell for the wrong
guy.”
Yeah. Me.
“One that is a total ass and isn’t worthy of her
anyway.”
Again—me.
“A jerk too egotistical to put his own selfish desires aside
to give her what she deserves.”

Shut the hell up, Stefen!

Her voice softened as a smartass smirk
appeared. “That’s awfully specific…Stefen.”

He cleared his throat and tried to salvage
what was left of this conversation. “Leah is very special. She’ll
find someone.” He added softly, “I know it.” He wondered what
facial expression he made because Abby looked at him like she truly
understood.

“Yeah, maybe she’s already met him and they
need to work out their differences first.” Abby eyed him.

Shit
. The last thing he needed was her mentioning this to Caleb.
Or worse—to Leah.

He looked down at his feet again before
peeking up at her. “I don't know about that.” He hoped that worked
but didn't think it did.

“Whatever you say.” She started to turn, but
added, “Oh, and Stefen, you might be good at a lot of things, but
blowing smoke up my ass isn’t one of them. Caleb told me all about
your bull, and I’m not a fool.”

Acknowledging her words, he nodded. Abby was
a good friend, a good girl. Caleb was a lucky guy. He watched her
walk away, into her husband's waiting arms. She kissed Caleb, then
looked back at Stefen like she held the power to annihilate
him.

He swallowed hard, flipping over the last of
the steaks. Tomorrow, he would leave all this drama behind.

Stefen sat at the small cafe table, sipping
his coffee. Periodically peering out the window beside him, he
hoped to catch a glimpse of Leah. The tiny fifties-style diner sat
directly across the street from her flower shop, Sassy Stems.

“Can I get ‘cha anything else, sweetheart?”
The older female waitress with a beehive hairdo had flirted with
him from the moment he sat down. He had a feeling this was her
normal hairstyle, not one she wore for her job alone.

“No, I’m fine.”

Strutting away, she mumbled, “That you
are.”

Movement from the other side of the street
caught his eye. Leah was carrying a large container of purple
flowers out of her door. She fussed around with them, placing the
bucket on the stand that sat outside her store.

Checking the clock on his phone, he noted
that her shop didn’t open for another thirty minutes. Mesmerized by
her beauty, he watched as she darted inside and came back with a
few more flower displays. She put one down, lifted the other to her
nose and inhaled. No matter how stalker-like it seemed, he could
sit here, studying her from afar, all damn day.

As though she sensed him, Leah turned her
head quickly in his direction, looking suspiciously around. On
instinct, he ducked behind the wall next to him.

“She can’t see you, honey.” Florence, as her
nametag proudly displayed, reached across the two-person table and
tapped the window with her pen. “Smoked glass.”

Sheepishly, he replied, “Was I that
obvious?”

She slid her pen above her ear, leaning on
one leg. “You’ve got good taste. She’s a cute girl. Really nice,
too. Comes in here every so often but seems to work a lot, like
me.”

“Yeah.” He picked up his cup of coffee and
shook his head. “I messed up big time with her.”

Why did I just share that with a
stranger?

“No one is beyond redemption,” Florence said
with complete conviction. “And she seems like the forgiving type.”
She poured more coffee into his cup, filling it to the rim.

“If only it were that easy.” Not sure what
else to do, he took another sip of his now full mug and glanced out
once more. Leah was gone.

“Love is simple. People make it
complicated.”

Whipping his head in her direction, he set
the record straight, “I think you have the wrong idea. Nobody’s
talking about love here.” That word really bothered him. People
threw it around so casually. He didn’t love Leah. He had feelings
for her, yes, but it wasn’t love.

“If you say so.” She placed the check on the
table, eyeing him before she walked away.

She watches too many chick
flicks.
He shook his head, annoyed, and
sighed as his gaze returned to her shop.
Yep, I’ve become a damn stalker.

Taking his last swig, he tossed some bills
on the table to cover the tip and went up to the cash register to
pay. An even older woman, who smelled like cigarettes, took the
bill and his cash. Showing off her yellow smoke-stained teeth, she
smiled, wishing him a good day. He tried not to shiver from being
so grossed out.

Uttering a quick ‘thank you’, he dashed
out.

As he stood on the sidewalk, facing her
store, Stefen contemplated going through with this or leaving. He
just wanted to be near her one more time. Was that selfish? Maybe
so, but he found himself crossing the street anyway.

Passing the flower displays on his way, he
couldn’t help but breath in the floral aroma. It smelled just like
her. That scent would forever remind him of Leah.

This is such a bad idea.

Not caring, he entered the store, triggering
a chiming bell.

Leah called out, “I'll be with you in a
minute.”

A huge vase full of tropical flowers covered
her face as she carried it from the back to the cooler behind the
register. She really did have talent for this stuff.

His eyes roamed the back of her body when
she bent forward to place the vase down. Seeing her like that again
spiked his pulse. Her dark hair fell freely over her shoulders. It
took all of his strength to not come up behind her and run his
fingers through it.

How the hell am I going to leave without
kissing her? Shit, I’ve got it bad for this girl.

When she stood, her smile
faded into a glower. “What the hell are
you
doing here?”

His jaw opened and closed,
the words not coming to him. He felt as if a knife sliced right
through his heart when he noticed how puffy her eyes were.
I’m a selfish bastard.
He should’ve stayed away. He should’ve listened to the
warnings his brain was giving him.

“I need to get a couple of
bouquets of flowers,” he said lamely.
Dumb. You could’ve thought up something better than that
shit!

“There are plenty of other shops in Santa
Barbara. Go somewhere else.” She narrowed her swollen eyes,
tempting him to reach over and kiss them.

Not feeling the humor, he smirked anyway. “I
was told by a reliable source that this was the best flower shop in
town.”

“I reserve the right to refuse service.” She
pointed to a little sign that said exactly that. “Plus, we aren’t
even open yet.”

A very petite blonde girl came from the
back, carrying more flowers to the cooler. She momentarily locked
eyes with him. He was used to women staring, so he paid her no
attention. The woman he wanted was currently glaring at
Blondie.

Leah snapped, “Don’t even bother, Melissa.
He’ll chew you up and spit you out, too.” Melissa’s eyes rounded
before she awkwardly returned to the rear of the store.

Well, brazen Leah was
back.
Not that I blame her.

“The sooner you help me, the faster you can
get rid of me.” He set his palms on the counter, letting her know
he wasn’t leaving yet.

Her face flamed. “Too bad
I didn’t know that earlier. Would’ve saved me a lot of hassle.” She
plastered on a very fake smile. “Okay then,
sir,
what did you have in mind?” Her
mocking sickly-sweet pitch was like nails on a
chalkboard.

This interaction wasn’t healthy for either
one of them. Time to get this over with. “I was thinking about two
bunches of red roses, a dozen in each.”

“How original,” she mumbled sarcastically on
her way to the back.

Returning through the velvet-covered
doorway, Leah held the most gorgeous red roses he'd ever seen, and
he'd given plenty of roses to women. She arranged some foliage
around them, then wrapped them in cellophane.

He sucked in a breath, watching her work.
Leah was even more breathtaking when she concentrated.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he tried
to fill the uncomfortable silence. “I’m leaving tonight but had to
tie up some loose ends first.”

Briefly glancing up, Leah gave him an ‘and
am I supposed to care’ look. “I don’t remember asking, but I do
have today marked on my calendar. I couldn’t be happier that you’re
leaving, Stefen. I can finally go visit my best-friend in her new
home.” She tied a wide ribbon around the thin, transparent sheet
and shoved the bundles at him.

Stefen huffed, “You didn’t have to stay
away.” Reaching in his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet.

She spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t
want your money. Just go.”

It was his turn to narrow his eyes. She knew
how much he hated that.

“Whoever those are for, I hope they enjoy
them. Goodbye, Stefen.”

“You’re an artist, Leah. I’m sure both
ladies will love them.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before
he had a chance to stop them. He flung a hundred dollar bill onto
the counter and snatched up the roses. He felt her disbelief
following him out the door.