9. Celina

NINE

CELINA

No matter what I did, I couldn't get the night before out of my head. Things had seemed to be going so well. In all my life, I'd never been on a date that had gone so smoothly. Everything was great…until it wasn't. Miles left so abruptly. He'd looked almost panicked, like he couldn't get out of my apartment fast enough. I'd replayed the entire conversation through my head a thousand times but couldn't click what could have offended him or caused him to panic.

The expression on his face when he left played through my mind. He'd seemed almost…afraid. That was ridiculous, of course. He was––for want of a better phrase––built like a brick shithouse. He could break every other guy I'd ever tried to date in half. Nothing about me was intimidating, and there certainly wasn't anything about me to make him afraid. The idea actually made me giggle.

By the time I was done getting ready for the day, I'd forced myself to brush it off. He'd been serious about a work thing. Maybe he'd forgotten to do something earlier in the day and freaked out when he remembered. Maybe he didn't want me to think he was a flake at work. Lots of people had an emotional connection to work. If they weren't good at their job, they felt like they weren't a good person. It could have been something like that. Either way, I'd trust that I'd see him again soon. It was one of the benefits of living ten feet away.

As I walked out of the bathroom, my phone rang. It took a second for the name to register in my mind. Felicity. The woman I'd met at the store. A smile spread across my face. She'd been fun and wanted to hang out. It would be really nice to talk to someone about the whole Miles situation. Who better than another woman? She'd probably dealt with these sorts of situations before—most people had more experience than I did. I answered, forcing myself not to sound too eager.

"Hey? Is this Felicity?" I asked.

"It is. How are you? I got up a while ago, and I'm starving. So, I thought to myself, why don't I see if Celina is free for breakfast. So? What do you think?"

"Oh wow. Um, I haven't eaten yet, so I'd be fine with that. Where do you want to go?"

We decided on a little mom-and-pop place downtown. A quick internet search told me they were famous for cinnamon rolls that were as big as your head. One of those and a side of bacon sounded like the exact thing I needed.

Twenty minutes later, I met Felicity outside in the parking lot. I immediately felt a little self-conscious. Felicity was dressed in the tightest jeans I'd ever seen and a sweater that hugged her body so well that it left little to the imagination. Me, on the other hand? I was wearing baggy sweatpants and a hoodie, along with my lazy-day sneakers. Had I realized she would look so good, I'd have tried a little better.

She jogged up to me and threw her arms around me in a hug. "My new friend! Yay. It's so nice to see you again. I hope you're hungry. The pictures of the food on their website have me starving."

"I'm pretty hungry," I agreed.

Felicity led the conversation as soon as we were inside. She was like a machine gun, firing words out left and right. It was impressive. For someone like me, who was reserved and quiet, it was awe-inspiring to be around someone who seemed to be able to talk nonstop. She must have realized how one-sided the conversation was because after the server brought our drinks, she winced.

"I can be a chatterbox. I'm sorry. It must be annoying."

"No, actually," I said, shrugging. "I'm quiet by nature, and it would be worse if we were both sitting in silence."

"Okay, well, let's start over. What brought you to Lilly Valley? We never talked about that the other day at the store."

"Writer's block. That's what I do. I mean, I write. I'm a writer. I decided to find a quiet place to clear my mind and get my head right. What about you?"

"Wait. You're a writer? What, like a journalist?"

I laughed. "Oh God, no. I…um…write books. Novels actually, I guess."

"That's crazy. I've never met someone who wrote books for a living. That must be fun."

"I've always liked it. It's nice to create another world and live in it for a few weeks while I write the book."

"So cool. Anyway, you were asking about me. I'm a dental hygienist. Haven't found any work yet. I only got to town a few months ago. So far, I'm living off savings until I find something. It'll probably be in one of the nearby cities or towns. I know it sounds shocking, but Lilly Valley doesn't have a surplus of dental offices. My boyfriend was the breadwinner, but he's gone now."

"You guys broke up?"

Celina waved a hand dismissively. "No. He passed away several weeks ago."

My eyes bugged out, and I put a hand to my mouth. "Oh my gosh. Felicity, I'm so sorry."

Felicity nodded and smiled sadly. "It was a shock. Though, even if he'd lived, I don't know if we'd have lasted. He'd been kind of obsessed with another woman in the weeks before he died."

The server brought our food, and the cinnamon roll really was the size of my head. We should have gotten one to share, but it was too late. Besides, it was delicious. We ate in silence for a few minutes before picking the conversation back up.

"What about you?" Felicity said. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Sighing, I put my fork down. "No. I don't really date."

Felicity raised an eyebrow. "Like ever?"

"Not really. I don't know if you've noticed, but…I'm a little awkward. Not many guys like that. I'm an introvert. I don't like to go out and party, and stuff like that. I'm your classic homebody."

Felicity shrugged. "Some guys probably like that. There's got to be a guy out there that can appreciate you. You shouldn't feel the need to change yourself."

It was nice to hear someone say that. I always beat myself up for how I am, so whenever someone tells me I am good enough, I always feel better. My thoughts drifted to Miles and the night before. Was he a guy who could appreciate me for who I am? Even the thought of that made my face go red.

"Uh oh. What are you thinking about? Or should I say, who are you thinking about?"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "Okay. I did meet a guy."

Felicity put her fork down and leaned across the table, a mischievous smile on her face. "Spill. Now."

I chuckled. "He's my neighbor, but he's out of my league. Well…I'm, like, ninety-nine percent sure he's out of my league anyway. I've never encountered a guy like him before." I sighed. "He's gorgeous, built like a Greek god, charming, and sexy—intimidating, but in a good way. I don't even know how to show interest, much less…you know."

Felicity cocked an eyebrow. "I know what?"

I widened my eyes in emphasis. "You know." I glanced around to make sure no one could hear us. "Like…seduce him?"

Felicity gasped, her smile growing wider. She leaned closer and pitched her voice lower. "You want to fuck his brains out, don't you?"

You could have lit a match on my face. I could actually feel my pulse through my skin. I was blushing hard. "No…I don't…I'm sure it would be nice, but I…ugh. Maybe?"

Felicity held her hands up. "Nope. Leave it to me. If you really are interested in this guy, I'm gonna help you. I know all the pointers. We'll have you riding that stallion in no time."

A mental image flashed through my mind of me and Miles. I chewed at my lip. My stomach fluttered, and warmth spread between my legs. After thinking about it for several seconds, I grinned shyly and nodded. "Okay. Yeah."

If you'd told me a month ago that I'd agree to have a woman I barely knew help me seduce my next door neighbor, I'd have called you crazy. The problem was, I really did want Miles. I couldn't bring myself to ignore the attraction, not when I'd never been drawn to a man like this before. It felt like I'd regret it forever if I didn't at least try. Plus, if I failed and had to deal with the mortifying embarrassment, it would be fine. I was leaving in less than two weeks.

Felicity clapped her hands and did a little dance on her chair. "Oh, this is gonna be so fun! I can't wait. Lessons on seduction. This guy won't know what hit him. Does tomorrow work?"

I nodded. "I don't have anything going on."

After breakfast, Felicity gave me a hug in the parking lot. "See you tomorrow. Get ready to get into that dude's pants."

I waved to her as she drove away. The weather had warmed up quite a bit while we were inside, and it was a beautiful day. Being cooped up in my apartment yet again didn't sound appealing. I'd been in town for over two weeks and had yet to explore. Mostly, I just went to the grocery store and back to my apartment. At this point, I knew one of the checkout ladies by name. I didn't talk to her, of course—that would be crazy. I shuddered at the thought of starting a conversation with a stranger in line at the register. There were people who did that, yes. They were crazy people. Felicity fell into that group, but I liked her at least.

Instead of going home, I started walking down the sidewalk. The town was quaint and charming in a storybook kind of way. Even the street names sounded like they belonged in a story: Harmony Way; Sunrise Circle; Rocky Mountain Avenue. I grinned like an idiot as I explored.

After ten minutes of walking, I came upon a park. It looked like a lot of people had decided to enjoy the warmer weather. There were several families with small children out playing. I didn't see any older kids. School must not have been out for Thanksgiving yet. As a writer, one of the things I enjoyed most was people watching. The park was perfect for that. I took a seat and sat to watch everyone.

After a while, my eyes fell on a gorgeous redheaded woman chasing a toddling child around. The baby looked almost too young to be walking, much less running, but he moved as fast as his little toddler legs could carry him. I smiled as I watched the woman try to catch the little guy. She turned and pushed her curly red hair out of her face, and a sense of recognition sparked inside me. I knew this woman from somewhere. I frowned, trying to comb through my memories. It was at the edges of my mind, but I couldn't get it. Maybe I'd seen her at the grocery store or something.

Another woman sat nearby, laughing at the redhead and the little boy. She was equally beautiful. My smile slipped a little. I wanted something like that. Friends. Family. A place to belong. My happy mood started to seep away. I usually didn't envy people. I had plenty of money, a safe place to live, and a fun job. But right then, I realized exactly how lonely I was.

The redhead straightened and glanced in my direction. She threw up a hand and waved. My eyes widened in confusion. Did I wave back? Was she really waving to me? Did I actually know her from somewhere and had forgotten? No way, not possible.

"Hey, Miles," the woman called.

As she called out the name, a shadow fell across my right side. I stiffened and slid my eyes to the side where I found Miles. He towered over me as he stared down into my face. The look in his eyes was intense, almost overwhelming. I couldn't get over how powerful of a force he was.

"Uh," I grunted.

"Hi."

"Hu…hi."

Miles grinned and moved around the bench to sit next to me. The warmth of his body seemed to wash over me. The mental image I'd had back in the restaurant flashed again, and I blushed. If blushing was a sport, I'd have won a gold medal for America a dozen times over.

Prying my eyes away from Miles, I looked back over at the two women and the child. The redhead smirked at Miles and went back to playing. Miles pointed at her. "That's April, she's Steff's wife. The other lady's name is Harley, she's married to Tate, and that's their little boy Tory. Steff and Tate are two of my best friends. I started the security firm with them and our other friend Blayne."

My melancholy increased. "I guess it's nice to have close friends like that."

Miles turned toward me, and I looked at him. The expression on his face was a combination of concern, confusion, and worry. "Don't…wait, hang on. Don't you have any friends?"

I shook my head and gave a one-shouldered shrug. "No. I'm weird. People don't stick around when someone's weird. It's the same with dating. Nobody wants to be around someone that odd."

Miles sighed, and I could have sworn he growled. A deep rumbly sound came from his chest. When I glanced at him, he looked super pissed. Had I said something wrong?

"You aren't odd, Celina." He looked me in the eye. "Sure, you're shy and a little awkward, but that doesn't make you weird or odd. You're perfect the way you are, and if people can't see that, then they don't deserve to be in your life."

My breath caught in my throat, and I had to blink rapidly to prevent myself from tearing up. I couldn't remember anyone in my entire life sticking up for me like he had. He'd said all the things I'd always wanted someone to tell me. It had been so long since anyone had said I was worthy of more than loneliness that it was hard to even understand or accept.

Miles shook his head. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with such shitty people. Maybe all you needed was to come to Lilly Valley. This place is kinda like a melting pot of odd. I know you said you were leaving soon, but I think you'd really be happy here."

All I could do was nod. I had to swallow hard to find my voice. "Thank you," I whispered.

He nodded toward the women again. "My friends are like my family. Their wives over there? Family. Their kids? Family. I had to leave home when I was younger. For a long time, I was lonely, too, but then I found my friends. They found their families, so by association, their families became mine. We're one big, odd mix now." He pierced me with that intense gaze again. "You could fit in here."

What did that mean? Before I could ask, Miles stood. "I need to get back to the office. I came out to get lunch when I saw you sitting over here and thought it would be nice to chat. I wanted to apologize for ditching you so abruptly last night. I had something…um…well, something really important I needed to do." He made a face and grinned awkwardly. "A couple of things, actually. So, to make up for that, would you like to come over to my place for dinner tonight?"

Surprise hit me like a hammer. Dinner? At his place? "I'd love to," I blurted, then had to fight to keep my hand from covering my mouth.

Miles smiled happily. "Awesome. Have a great rest of your day, Celina." He turned and waved to the two other women.

I looked over, then realized they'd been watching us the entire time.

They waved at me, and I held my hand up in a timid greeting. Grinning, they started to get ready to leave. I watched Miles walk away for several long seconds before letting my mind slip back to the words he'd said a few moments ago. Could I actually fit in here?