10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Archer

I was pacing. Crispin probably thought I was mad, and I was, but not at him. I just needed a minute to sort out my thoughts before I sat back down. I'd always been one to move when I was agitated, and I was seriously worked up at the moment.

How was it that this precious boy's parents couldn't see how they were adding to his stress? Like he didn't already put enough on himself trying to run a business while working side jobs to keep the lights on.

I knew I was lucky. When I told my parents I wanted to be a photographer, they didn't hesitate. They sat me down and helped me create a realistic plan for what was a very unrealistic dream, and they made sure I had a soft place to land if it all went south.

That was what Crispin needed. Someone to shore him up and reassure him that they had his back no matter what happened. What he needed was a…

"Daddy, come sit down. You're going to make your blood pressure go up if you keep pacing like that."

I froze mid-step. Did he seriously just call me Daddy, or did I conjure that thought because that was exactly what I was thinking? He needed a Daddy to take care of him, and not just any Daddy. Me.

I took a deep breath and gave him a weak smile. I went back over, sat down beside him, and reached for his hands. "Sorry, I hate that you're working so hard to make your dream come true, and they don't support you the way they should."

"They aren't horrible people." He squeezed my hand and didn't that figure. This sweet boy had poured out his heart to me, which couldn't have been easy, and now here he was trying to comfort me. "They just…" He paused, looking for his word.

"They have no imagination, and they don't get what I'm doing. It all feels weird to them. You have to open your mind to the possibilities if you're going to understand yoga and meditation and sound healing, and they don't have the ability to do that."

"But still, they should support you," I insisted.

"They should, and that's why I've been avoiding them. I don't need their negative energy, but once the business takes off, they'll come around."

How on earth was he so sweet? They probably would, and when they did, I had no doubt he'd welcome them back in his life like it never happened because he had such an understanding, caring soul. I, on the other hand, wanted to go over and shake some sense into them, but I doubted Crispin would appreciate that.

"You're too precious for this world, sweet boy. Has anyone ever told you that?"

He shook his head. "No, but Aziza has said something close on occasion."

I picked up his hand and brought it to my lips, placing a soft kiss on his knuckles. "Well, you are, and I'm glad you're here. We need more people like you in this world."

He let out a small giggle. "What? More people running themselves ragged chasing an insane goal?"

"No, sweet boy. More people like you to bring all of us cynics hope."

He sniffled, and his beautiful blue eyes glistened. "That's all I want, you know? To help people find hope."

"I know, sweet boy."

I'd been determined to take things slow. Crispin had enough on his plate without adding a new relationship on top of it, but the more I got to know him, the surer I was that I could help lessen his load simply by supporting him.

"Crispin," I said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to kiss you now, so if you don't want me to, I need you to say so."

He smiled at me and then reached up and pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key.

I chuckled. This boy. He was exactly what I'd been needing in my life. He was fun, he was sweet, and yeah, he gave me hope. I cupped his face in my hands and leaned toward him. He met me halfway, and our lips touched. I'd heard people say they knew from the first kiss that their partner was the one, and I'd always thought that was silly. How could you possibly know someone was the right person for you that quickly? But I did. Maybe even before the kiss. Years from now when people asked, when did you know? I would tell them it was this moment, right here.

He moved closer, and I slid one hand back behind his head, wrapping my fingers in his soft curls and deepened the kiss. He opened his mouth for me as his body melted against mine. He tasted like lemon and honey and something uniquely Crispin.

He pulled away from me panting, and I ran my thumb across his swollen lips. "You said you have an early class tomorrow, so you need to get home and get some sleep. Do you think your parents are gone by now?"

"What?" He looked a little dazed, and I grinned at him. At least the kiss affected him as much as it did me.

"Home, sweet boy. You need to go get some sleep. Do you think you're okay to go now?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure they gave up and left."

"Good. I have photo shoots all day tomorrow, but I want to take you out to dinner. What time is your last class?"

"You want to take me to dinner? Like a date?" He looked at me wide-eyed, like he was surprised.

"Yes, on a date." I tried not to laugh at him, but he was so just so damn cute.

"Umm, my last class will be over at seven, but we could go after that if it isn't too late."

"That's perfect. Shoot me a text with the address, and I'll come pick you up."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. We can leave from the studio, if you give me until like seven-thirty so I can get ready."

"That works. I'll meet you down there at seven-thirty."

Crispin

I legitimately felt like I was floating on a cloud this morning. Was yesterday real life? I spent the whole day with Archer, and it was amazing. Beyond anything I could've ever hoped for, better than anything I'd ever dreamed. I'd taken a chance calling him Daddy, and I was so glad I did. He'd called me sweet boy in return. Me, sweet boy. I wonder if he'd call me that from now on. I sure hoped so.

As I started the car to head into the studio, the phone buzzed with a call from Aziza. Too excited to hear from my mentor and friend, I answered quickly. "Aziza, how are you doing? I've missed you so much. I have so much to tell you. First of all—"

"Crispin." Her tinkering laughter followed. "Take a breath. If I'm not mistaken, you're headed into the studio now, correct?"

Even though she couldn't see me, I followed her advice and took a breath. I hadn't realized how much I missed her until I heard her voice. And it hit me how much I really wanted to tell someone else about Archer. "Yeah. You have perfect timing. I just got in the car to drive in." On that note, I put the car in reverse and pulled out of my brother's driveway.

"Ha, ha, good. It's so nice to hear your voice," she said.

"Yours, too. How's everything going? Are you still loving it there?"

She hummed. "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I do miss you, though, dear boy. So tell me, what's got you so excited?"

"I've met someone." Had I? Surely yes, but… "I mean, I think I've met someone. We spent the whole day together yesterday, and he's taking me out on a date tonight."

She whistled into the phone. "My, my, my. It sounds like everything's coming together for you."

She would think that. She didn't know how much money I still needed to save to buy her brand from her. There was also the fact that spending all day with Archer yesterday and going on a date with him tonight was all more time where I wasn't out earning those extra tips delivering food.

But Archer. So worth it. I sighed. "It feels like it is. And Archer—that's his name—is helping me build a website for the studio." I wasn't sure how she would react to that since she'd never had one, but how could I tell her about my maybe-new-Daddy if I didn't explain why we spent all that time together yesterday?

"Oh, Crispin, that's fabulous." In my mind, I pictured her clapping her hands together under her chin the way she did when I told her something good in my life, like when I'd given notice to the dreadful day job.

"In this day and age, you really need a website. An online presence is so important," she said in a business-like tone she rarely used.

If I hadn't been driving, I'd have demanded we go on FaceTime right this moment. "But, but, you never had one," I sputtered.

That tinkering laughter filled the cavity of my car. "Well, I didn't need to, did I?"

I thought of how full her classes always were. If she led the session, she didn't have to pay for another instructor, so I guessed that made sense. "I see your point." Kinda.

"Good. I'm glad he's helping you with that. I like him already. What's he do for a living?"

"He's a professional photographer. He took the most beautiful pictures of the studio for the website, and then when I said I didn't really know what to do with them, he spent the whole day listening to me babble away about my love for yoga and my plans for the future to help me figure out what I needed on it."

"I can't wait to see how it turns out. A photographer, you say. You wouldn't happen to be talking about the tall, brooding man who always walks around with the camera bag slung over his shoulder, would you?" she asked in a teasing voice.

I blushed furiously, realizing that I mentioned the hot, brooding man to her on more than one occasion. I cleared my throat. "That would be him."

"Mm. Good job. Look at you, attracting all the right things into your life."

"I still miss you, though," I admitted.

"I miss you, too. I'll be home to visit before you know it," she promised.

"Just a visit?" I asked, disappointed. As much as I loved the idea of owning Harmony and Joy, I wasn't so sure how I felt about being a business owner. Was I ready or equipped for this? Even if I was, I'd rather have Aziza.

"A long weekend, maybe. I must follow my own plan, just like you're following yours, and I'm definitely being called here."

" Ugh . Okay. I figured you'd say that, but it never hurts to ask."

"No, it sure doesn't. You're probably almost to the Windsor, so I'll let you go."

As I pulled into the hotel parking lot, I asked, "How do you always know when I'm arriving at my destination?"

"I'm magic," she said.

She certainly was. Maybe not the magic you read about in fantasy novels, but she'd help me find myself just by being… her. "Love you, Aziza."

"And I love you, my young friend. Have a beautiful day." Then she hung up.

I'd woken up and alternated between sifting through every moment of yesterday with Archer and anticipating tonight, feeling like trudging through today was what I had to get through before I could be with him again.

After hearing Aziza's voice, I remembered how truly blessed I was with all she'd entrusted to me, and I re-centered. I wanted to be for someone else what she'd been for me. I wanted the studio to represent peace and hope, quiet and stillness, vision and hope. To do that, I needed to be present.

Collecting my stuff from my car—but leaving my clothes for tonight hanging in the backseat so I wouldn't be a wrinkly mess for my date—I decided I'd start with a nice cup of tea. Sure, I had my own stash with me, and there was tea bags at the studio, but I wanted a reason to go into Bram's bakery. I'd been in before, but now that I'd met the owner, I wanted to be supportive. He, Hitch, and Cort were so nice to me last night. Plus, I still felt a little guilty that I'd ratted Archer out that we'd gotten dessert at Luxe instead of the bakery.

I made my way around the side of the building and entered the bakery through the outside entrance. I'd be able to leave through the interior door and cut over to the studio. Glancing around the busy shop while I waited in line, I spotted Elton, the guy who roamed around in his pajama pants. He was sitting by himself in black and white checkered sleep pants with a blue t-shirt, gazing out the window while fidgeting with something in his hands. He looked distracted… or lonely. It was hard to say.

"Good morning, Crispin," Bram said, pulling my attention to the counter. Wow. The line had moved quickly.

A sudden bout of nerves hit me, and I waved at him awkwardly. "Hi. I thought I'd stop in for a cup of tea before my first session."

His smile grew. "Nice. What can I get for you?"

"I usually only have a cup of tea, so—"

"That's no good," he interrupted. "Surely there's something here that will tempt your taste buds."

"Well…" I peered into the glass display cases at all the delicious offerings. He had several types of pastries, but they'd be too sweet for first thing in the morning, and I had a session to lead before I'd get a chance to eat. "Oh, you have scones."

He chuckled. "I sure do. There's a variety. You can pick from mocha chip, lemon ricotta, strawberry basil, and I have a lemon poppyseed."

I practically squealed with delight. "Can I have the lemon poppyseed? And do you have a lemon tea?"

"Indeed, I do. I have a honey-lemon or a lemon-ginger."

Since there were several other people coming in from the outside, I quickly chose the lemon-ginger and watched Bram as he poured hot water into my cup. He appeared to be working by himself. "Don't you have any help?" I asked him as he sat my order in front of me.

He shook his head and huffed. "I should. Staffing has been an issue lately." He waved me off. "But you don't need to hear about that. You have a good day and come back and see me soon."

"But I didn't pay yet."

"It's on the house." Then he turned to the customer behind me and started taking their order.

I took two steps to the side to let the woman behind me in, but hissed, "You can't do that," to Bram.

He finished with her before turning back to me. "I can, and I will. You're a new business owner, and we have to help each other out. Am I right? Besides, Archer would have my hide for charging his new"—he hesitated—"friend," he finished with a smirk.

My cheeks warmed at the mention of Archer and whatever was happening between us, and I felt silly arguing with him when he had so many people in line waiting to order, so I accepted gratefully. Picking up my tea and the bag with my scone, I turned and headed for the studio, convinced that it was going to be the most perfect day ever. How could it not? It started with Aziza, Bram blessed me with a yummy breakfast, I had classes all day, and it would all end with a date with the dreamiest man ever.