He tucked his hands in his pockets and strolled away.
I really doubted there would be a next time, but it had been fun while it lasted.
Chapter Six
Saoirse
I’d been playing the long game with the honey guy at the farmers’ market. Every week, I flirted a little more, slowly luring him to my hook. Not that I’d know what to do with him once I caught him, but the game was fun.
Today, I’d come away with a free pack of honey sticks, one of my favorite snacks. I supposed they weren’t exactly free since I’d jumped in to help Mick while he was in the weeds with a long line of customers. I wasn’t an expert like he was since he was the beekeeper, but after a summer of stopping by his booth and sampling all his goods, I could answer questions and bag up purchases.
Of course, my impromptu job meant I was running late for brunch with Elise, Weston, Elliot, and Luca.
I was finally going to meet him, and I was just a little bit giddy about it. Technically, he was my boss, but I was trying not to think about that. Having brunch with my boss was somewhat intimidating.
I made it to the brunch spot with a minute to spare, so I ducked into the restroom to wash my hands and make sure my hair didn’t look too crazy from my morning outdoors.
Pleasantly surprised to find my hair cooperating, draping over my shoulders in soft waves and my cheeks slightly pink from the sun, I passed inspection. I smoothed out my red-polka-dot wrap skirt and tugged down my cropped white T-shirt then pushed open the door, intent on finding my friends.
But I ran straight into a man. He caught me by the arms so I wouldn’t fall backward after bouncing off his solid chest.
“Excuse me, bella.”
My eyes jerked up, but not far, finding Luke was the delicious-smelling obstacle.
“What—？” So shocked to see him for the second time in less than twenty-four hours I couldn’t get my mouth or brain to function.
Luke had no such problems. He dropped my arms like he’d been scalded and practically leapt away from me.
“What the fuck is this?” he hissed. “I was joking about you stalking me, but Christ—”
“Wait a second. You think I’m stalking you?”
His heavy, dark brow furrowed into a furious line. “This isn’t a coincidence. It’s impossible. And since I’m sure as hell not stalking you, it’s pretty clear what’s going on here.”
Incensed at his ridiculous accusation, I folded my arms over my chest. “You’re nuts, aren’t you? How do I know you aren’t following me? That’s much more likely. Or…I don’t know. We both ended up at a popular brunch spot on a day when half of Denver goes out to brunch. Did that occur to you?”
“No.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You aren’t the first girl to chase me like this, but it ends now. If I see you again, I’ll be forced to take action.”
“Go for it, buddy. And see how stupid you feel when you’re proven pathologically paranoid.”
I stormed by him, making sure not to touch even a thread of his stupidly fitted T-shirt. What an egotistical bastard. The idea that I’d ever stalk a man. Pfft. It was outrageous.
When I found my friends, I yanked out my seat and flopped into it. Their conversation came to a standstill, all eyes on me.
“Bad day at the farmers’ market?” Elliot deadpanned.
Mentally, I was flipping him off, but I refrained since there were children present around us. The stink-eye I gave him conveyed my displeasure at his condescending question just fine.
“I just ran into the biggest a-hole in Denver, that’s all.”
Elise had been thoughtful enough to order me a mimosa, which I slammed back. Of course, champagne and orange juice weren’t meant to be chugged, so I choked on my own fucking drink. Weston patted me on the back, and Elise took the glass from me, placing it gently on the table.
When I stopped coughing, I wiped my mouth on my napkin and waved them off. “I’m fine. Sorry to make such a dramatic entrance.” I glanced around the table. “Where’s Luca? Is he not coming?”
“He’s making a call.” Elise glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, there he is now.”
Time stood still when I spotted the man in question. Tall and lean, wearing a fitted black T-shirt and dark-gray pants, Luca Rossi strode to our table. But Luca wasn’t Luca. He was Luke.
Or…Luke was Luca?
Oh shit.
He spotted me at the same time, and his expression was thunderous. Did he think I’d stalked him all the way to this table? Was he not putting the pieces together like I had?
Dummy.
Elise hopped out of her seat and grabbed Luca’s arm, steering him directly in front of me. I slowly rose, leveling him with a gaze filled with more confidence than I felt.
“Luca, I’d like to finally introduce you to my best girl, Saoirse Kelly. Sersh, meet Luca.”
I held out my hand. “Hi, Luca. It’s nice to meet you after all this time.”
After a beat of hesitation, his hand enclosed mine, and he squeezed slightly too hard. “Saoirse. Do people often mispronounce your name and call you Sasha?”
“All the time.” I blinked at him. “Do you ever go by Luke?”
“Sometimes.”
I tried to pull away, but he held on, searching for something in my gaze…or my expression. With a huff that sounded like frustration, he dropped his hold and turned away from me, placing a swift kiss on Elise’s cheek, then took the empty chair across the table from me.
Once we were all seated and had ordered, conversation picked up between the five of us. While I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’d hooked up with Luca Rossi, my technical boss and Elise’s friend, I attempted to play it cool.
“By the way, I have a present for everyone.” I picked up my canvas bag from where I’d stashed it beneath my chair and reached in, grabbing the first item. “These are for West.”
I handed him the six-pack of hand-embroidered cloth napkins. His brow crinkled as he studied them, and I laughed at his befuddled expression.
“They’re cloth napkins. I know how important the environment is, so I thought you might like these instead of using paper. I bought some for Elise and myself too.”
“Thank you.” Weston smiled gently at me. “That was really thoughtful.”
“Changing the world one napkin at a time,” Elliot intoned.
“That’s right.” I was used to him, so I never let his teasing get to me. And that’s what I’d decided it was. Despite how closed off and uptight he was, he wouldn’t be mean to me simply because I was Elise’s friend. “Don’t worry, I got something for you too.”
I handed him the beet I’d chosen just for him. He immediately dropped it on the table to stare at it. “What is this?”
“A heart-shaped beet, Elliot. I saw it, and it reminded me of you.”
Luca’s low snicker drew my eyes to him. I grinned at him, and his humor fell away. He straightened in his seat, composing himself.
“Oooh, El, I’ll send you a recipe for beet salad.” Elise scrolled through her phone. “I haven’t made it myself since…you know, cooking and I don’t mix, but you’re much better in the kitchen than I am. You can handle it.”