12. Not A Cow

Not A Cow

Benjamin

I pulled up to the curb outside of Icing. I left work early, hoping to convince Nova to play hooky with me and work out to test the fitness tracker I had given her. I couldn’t stop thinking of her in stretchy workout clothes. I also couldn’t stop thinking about her out of them. Maybe bent over the weight bench while I plowed into her from behind. I shook myself from my thoughts as I followed one of her employees into the shop. I had only seen him around a couple of times, and I couldn’t remember his name.

Stef was behind the counter when we entered. I could remember her name because she never took her eyes off us whenever we were here. I almost ran into the kid as he sniffed the air and stopped dead in his tracks.

“Uh, oh,” he said. I sniffed the air as well and bit back a moan. It smelled like the best cup of coffee man has ever made in here.

“Yep!” Stef snarled.

“What upset her this time?” the teenager asked as he grabbed a cupcake behind the counter. He took a large bite and moaned.

“Who else? Paul. He saw the picture of her from yesterday and came in to scream at her,” Stef replied.

I approached the counter and noticed the kid’s name tag: Jared. I was pretty sure they were talking about Nova, and now I needed to know who the fuck came in and yelled at her. Neither of them paid me any attention as Jared took another bite of his cupcake.

“I hate it when she gets like this, but God is the result delicious,” Jared mumbled.

“What’s the deal with the cupcakes?” I asked.

“When Nova gets upset, and her mind is all over the place, she makes Espresso Cupcakes,” Jared explained.

“What are you doing?” Stef hissed, glaring at me. “He’s one of the reasons she got yelled at.”

“I thought it was one of the other guys in the picture with her?” Jared asked, confused.

“It was, but he’s sniffing around her too. And let me tell you something,” she growled, stabbing her finger toward me. “If you are playing games with her, I will make sure you pay! She is not a fucking cow!”

“Who the fuck said she was?” I asked, my anger rising.

“Her scumbag ex did after he saw the picture of her and Lincoln on your website. He came here accusing her of trying to ruin his career and told her that Lincoln wouldn’t date a cow like her!”

I tried to reel in my anger so that I didn’t take it out on Stef, even though she was taking hers out on me. She may be in high school, but I appreciated that she had Nova’s back regardless. “So he is a Triple Tech employee? What’s his name, and where is Nova?” I would find out everything there was to know about this cocksucker. If he thought his career was in jeopardy before, it certainly was now.

“His name is Paul Altman, and she isn’t here. I assume she went home,” Stef replied. I turn to leave without another word. I needed to find Nova and repair the damage this asswipe did.

“If she isn’t home, check the park bridge,” Jared called after me. “She likes to go there to think.” I heard a smack. “Ouch! What the fuck was that for, Stef?”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to be found. Did you ever think of that?” Stef replied with a huff.

As angry as I was, I couldn’t help but smile at her steadfast loyalty to our girl. I liked that kid. I jumped in my car and headed to Nova’s to first check for her. On the way, I called Joel to pull Paul’s employee file. Nova’s car wasn’t in her driveway, so I went to the park next. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her car in the lot. I parked and hurried to the bridge. I slowed my approach once I saw her leaning on the railing, watching the creek babble with a to-go cup of coffee in her hand. I pause to watch her, stunned once again by her beauty. She looked like someone kicked her puppy.

She turned to look at me as my feet hit the wooden boards of the bridge. “What are you doing here?”

“I stopped by your shop, and your employees told me where to find you. They also told me about the espresso cupcakes and your ex stopping by for a visit,” I replied as I leaned against the railing facing her.

“My employees need to learn to keep their traps shut,” she huffed.

“They care about you and were worried. Believe me, Stef gave me an ass chewing.”

That made Nova smile a little. “Still. They need to learn to mind their businesses instead of mine.”

An awkward silence fell between us until I finally said the only thing going through my mind on the way here. “You’re not a cow!” I blurted. Her eyes widened, and she looked taken aback by my bluntness. Distrust and confusion swirled within her baby blues. “Fuck, Doll. The four of us are the only ones whose opinions matter in this relationship. And of the four of us, you’re the only one who has a problem with your weight. If you’re unhappy about how you look, I am more than willing to exercise with you, but only if it’s something you want to do to feel better about yourself. Don’t do it for anyone but you because we like you just the way you are, and fuck what that asshole has to say about it.”

Doubt still lingered in her eyes, and I was at a loss of how else to convince her that we meant what we said and weren’t fucking with her. All we could do was show her repeatedly that we desired her. I just hoped she would still let us.