It's About Time (Blossom Peak #4)(27)

Colby’s mouth drops open slightly, but she clears her throat. “Oh, uh…yeah, sure.”

Dilynne twists to face me from the doorway. “I’ll text you with the details.” And then she leaves.

Colby twists her head back and forth between the direction that Dilynne just sauntered and me. “Um…are you two…”

“It’s…complicated,” I reply, not sure how to answer her question because her little comment right there is going to start a fucking fire. And until I know exactly what Dilynne has up her sleeve, I think it’s safer if I don’t add fuel to the flames. “I need to answer that call.”

Colby perks up. “Oh, yes. Just uh…let me know if you need anything else.”

“I will.”

After my phone call with my client, my phone pings with a text.

Dilynne: Meet me at Blossom Brews at 6:30 tonight so we can talk.

Me: You really think talking about this in a public place is the best idea? And calling me your man in front of Colby? What were you thinking?

Dilynne: I’m planting seeds. Duh. BTW Justin will let us use the back room if we ask. And besides, I think if people saw us sitting together, they wouldn’t believe it anyway.

Me: So you just revealed a flaw in your own plan, genius. This isn’t going to work.

Dilynne: Stop being so negative, Grumpzilla. Just fucking meet me there or no more baked goods for you.

I should blow her off just so she will stop bringing me shit from Carolina’s bakery. But that’s when I open up the bag Dilynne brought earlier and take out three shortbread cookies, reading the words on top of each one.

I smell smoke. Were you thinking too hard again? A reluctant grin pulls at my mouth as I pick up the next one.

I envy everyone that hasn’t met you. Shaking my head, I mutter, “Fucking Dilynne.”

And then I pick up the last one. Out of all the sperm to win the race…

Tossing my head back, I laugh out loud. “Oh, fuck.”

I never knew that cookies with insults could brighten my day, and that right there is a fucking problem—because they shouldn’t, especially because of who they came from.

Yeah, this is never going to work. Dilynne might think this is a good idea, but I’m not stupid. Nothing good can come from this. And later, I’ll make sure she knows exactly where I stand.





Chapter 10





Elliot



Relationship Guidelines


“Hey, Elliot. How’s it going?” Justin Cook, the owner of Blossom Brews, greets me as I walk up to the host stand, still in my suit since I came here straight from the office. It was hell trying to get any work done today after Dilynne dropped this bomb on me, so I had to stay a little later than usual.

“Well, it will be much better once I have a beer in my hand,” I reply. This restaurant and brewhouse has been a staple in Blossom Peak since we were kids. Justin’s dad opened the place, and now he runs it.

As my eyes move around the restaurant, searching for Dilynne, I ask, “Say, is—”

“Dilynne is waiting for you in the back,” he finishes for me. “She said you two needed somewhere private to talk.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “If it makes you feel better, there are cameras back there, so if she tries to murder you, I’ll have evidence to put her behind bars.”

I c huckle. “I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“Always. Honestly, it kind of surprised me that she said she was meeting you here. You two barely tolerate each other.”

I push a hand through my messy hair. “Yeah, well I was pretty surprised myself.”

I head toward the banquet room in the back of the restaurant. “Sally will be back there to help you two in a minute,” Justin calls out to me. Nodding in acknowledgment, I walk past several booths and tables filled with families and friends having normal conversations while I think about how abnormal the conversation is that I’m about to have.

When I enter the room, I see Dilynne sitting in the farthest booth from the door, staring down at her phone. “Did they remove all of the knives from the tables?” I ask as I greet her.

Her head pops up and then she’s rolling her eyes. “Killing you would negate the reason for this meeting.”

I slide into the booth opposite her. “Are you hungry?”

“Always. I went ahead and ordered a few appetizers. Sally should be back with them soon.”

“Did you order the onion rings?”

Dilynne scoffs. “Duh. I’m not an idiot, Elliot.”

“I don’t know, Dil. This idea of yours is pretty fucking stupid.”

Sighing, she sets her phone to the side and folds her hands in front of her on the table, staring right into my eyes. And those dark eyes of hers suck me in instantly. “It’s not stupid. It’s actually fucking genius.”

“Here’s your food, you two,” Sally announces before Dilynne can continue. She sets down a plate of the Blossom Brews’ famous onion rings, their mouthwatering potato skins, and a family-size plate of buffalo wings with several small containers of their homemade ranch dressing. “Anything else I can get for you?”

“ I’ll take the hazy IPA, please,” I say as Sally looks to me.

“Make that two,” Dilynne echoes.