Chapter thirteen

Poppy

I arrived at Karma twenty minutes before my date with Aries. He’d texted not long after I left Marked to ask if I wanted to meet up. I didn’t hesitate. If I was the kind of person who kept track of New Year’s resolutions, I’d be kicking ass in all but one: Stop lusting after Theo Makris. Aries looked like every guy I’d ever dated, so I figured why not?

Lauren was wrong. I couldn’t accept that Theo and I would never be more than friends, but I also couldn’t cut him from my life, no matter how much it hurt. For one thing, Peace Falls was the size of a postage stamp. And if Theo was part of Rowan’s life, he’d be part of mine unless I limited my time with my sister and every other human I actually liked.

Which was why I stole Rowan’s baklava while she was in the shower and strutted my ass into Marked this morning. Theo didn’t want more. Fine. No sense letting my hurt fester until I saw him in class. I ripped the Band-Aid off my heart and got a date at the same time.

“She’s here,”

Cammie shouted when I stepped inside.

Lauren burst through the stockroom door with a huge smile on her face. “Did you show her?”

“She hasn’t even shut the door yet,”

Cammie said.

I pulled the door closed behind me and walked to the coffee bar. “What’s going on?” I asked.

Cammie and Lauren pointed up at the menu board along the back wall, which now advertised a lavender-vanilla macchiato called The Poppy. I put my hands over my face and burst into tears. The next thing I knew, Cammie and Lauren had dragged me into Lauren’s tiny office and plopped me in the desk chair.

“Here,”

Lauren said, handing me a tissue. “Your eyeliner is running.”

“I hate you both,”

I said, sniffling into the tissue. “I’m going on my first date in over a year, and you had to show me that. What did you think would happen?”

“Um, not this,”

Cammie said, rubbing my back.

Lauren shrugged. “I figured it was 50/50 she’d cry.”

Cammie’s mouth fell open.

“Congratulations on tricking everyone into thinking you’re nice,”

I said to Lauren.

Lauren smiled. “I am nice. I figured you still had some emotions to let out.”

“Maybe,”

I sniffed. “But this isn’t the best time.”

“Oh, I think it is,”

Lauren said. “Bet you’re not nervous about your date now.”

“I was never nervous about my date.”

Cammie nodded. “Which means you don’t really like him.”

“I don’t know if I like him or not. Isn’t that the point of a date?”

“Yeah, about that,”

Cammie said hopping onto Lauren’s desk. She grabbed my hands, snotty tissue and all. “I did a little digging into Aries, and there are some things in his record you should know about.”

This time Lauren’s mouth fell open. “Cam, that’s—”

“Smart,”

Cammie said, her kind blue eyes hardening. “I know you’re all about second chances, Lauren, and that’s great, but a woman should be aware of who she’s dealing with.”

“How did you even know I was going on a date with him?” I asked.

“I didn’t, but thanks for confirming. When he came in earlier, he said he was new in town, so I figured I needed to know about him. You can never be too careful. Plus, the name Aries sounded totally fake. It took a while, but I finally teased his full name out of him. Aaron Piro, by the way. Then I did a little research.”

“Spill it, bitch,”

I said. “It took me ten minutes to do this eyeliner. No telling how long it will take to fix it.”

“Did you know he was just released from prison?”

Cammie asked.

“I kind of figured since Theo said Max wanted the apartment to help someone, and that’s how Theo ended up there.”

Cammie nodded. “Aries is not like Theo. Let’s just put that on the table now.”

“Kind of the point, Cam,”

I snapped.

“Fair,”

she said, squeezing my hands. “From what I’ve read, Theo went to prison for an accident.”

“Wait. If you researched Theo, you should have known he was a felon that night at Church.”

Cammie shook her head. “I looked up his story after. I don’t research everyone when I meet them. Cal trusts Theo, and I trust Cal.”

She blushed slightly. “After I did a background check on him.”

“Wow, you really have trust issues, don’t you?” I said.

“Obviously,”

she said, giving my hands another squeeze. “Anyway, Aries has a long record. He’s got charges for dealing oxy going back to his late teens, probably further but his juvie record was sealed. Then there’s petty theft and a handful of other misdemeanors, most having to do with using. But the thing that worries me is an assault and battery conviction.”

“Oh,”

I said. Lauren bustled over with another tissue and wiped at my face, which was no doubt covered in black streaks.

“It was a bar fight, not domestic,”

Cammie continued. “But in my experience, that kind of violence can follow a man.”

“Your experience?”

I asked. All I knew of Cammie’s life before Peace Falls was something happened that made her afraid of most men, and her dad was serving a life sentence somewhere.

Cammie cleared her throat. “Just be a little guarded. If for no other reason, he’s been inside a few years. He probably wants to sleep with you as fast as humanly possible and will say anything to make that happen.”

“What if all I want is hot sex with someone who has enough pent-up frustration to go all night?”

Lauren laughed.

“I mean, if that’s what you want,”

Cammie said. “No judgment here. I just wanted you to be informed.”

“Oh shit,”

Lauren said, getting herself under control. “You’re serious?”

I shrugged.

“Don’t,”

Lauren said with a steel-edge to her voice I’d only ever heard her use with Aiden.

Cammie gave Lauren a puzzled look. “Not to get too personal, Lauren, but are you really one to judge her?”

“I’m not the one saving my virginity for someone I love,”

Lauren said.

Cammie’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

“Thanks, Lauren,”

I said. Not even my sister knew that little nugget. Leave it to “let’s take a few shots”

Lauren to pry the info out of me after my last boyfriend ditched me for not putting out.

“You’re almost twenty-four,”

Cammie said.

“I’m aware,”

I said. “It’s not that weird. Rowan was twenty-two her first time, and she ended up marrying the dick.”

“Yes, but you’re you,”

Cammie said, as though that made any sense.

“What the hell does that mean?”

I snapped.

“It’s just you don’t seem like the type who’d be timid about sex,”

she said, blushing.

“I’m not. I’ve done plenty of things with plenty of guys. I’m just saving the p in the v part for someone worth the pain of breaking my hymen.”

“You know, that’s just something they tell girls in health class to make them afraid of sex. It doesn’t always hurt the first time. Many women break their hymen with tampons,”

Lauren said, a slow smile on her face. “Or falling on a fence post while cow tipping.”

“Bite me, Lauren. We don’t speak of that night.”

But yeah, it was totally possible I didn’t have a hymen left.

“Oh, my goodness,”

Cammie said softly, putting a hand over her heart. “Poppy Stevens, you’re a romantic.”

I stood up. “I need to fix my war paint. Thanks for the heads up, Cammie. Lauren, you’re top of my shit list until further notice.”

“You’re welcome by the way,”

Lauren called after me as I stormed toward the bathroom in the café. “I’ll have two Poppies ready when your date gets here. Let’s see how he likes it.”

She did, in fact, have two steaming mugs on the table moments after Aries arrived.

“What’s this?”

he asked, draping his leather jacket on the back of a chair.

“The drink we named after Poppy,”

Lauren said with her best customer-service smile. “Enjoy. I’ll grab you a couple cookies to go with it.”

He pulled out the chair and sat down, spreading out his arms and legs to take up as much space as possible in the crowded cafe. I wasn’t sure if I admired him for it, or if it made him look obnoxious. Theo had several inches on Aries, but I’d seen the way he softened his voice and stooped his shoulders whenever small children seemed afraid of him. He never gave a shit what the adults thought, which I appreciated, but he also didn’t claim as much space as he could.

“Pretty cool you have a drink named after you,”

Aries said. When he lifted the mug to his face, he crinkled his nose.

“Smells like air freshener,” I said.

“Glad you said it.”

He winked at me, and my stomach gave a promising wiggle. He took a sip and nodded. “Not bad. I’m not used to fancy drinks like this, but it’s nice.”

Lauren set down a plate of snowflake cookies. No doubt in my mind she’d waited to approach the table until she could hear his reaction to the drink. “Poppy decorated these herself,” she said.

I shot her a look to get lost, but she just smiled at me like a psycho.

“How’d you make them so detailed?”

he asked, holding one closer to his face.

“A lot of patience and time,” I said.

“Lauren,”

Cammie shouted, “the espresso machine is acting up.”

I was starting to like the perky blonde more and more.

“They taste as good as they look,”

Aries said around a mouth full of cookie as Lauren headed for the counter.

“My sister, Rowan, is the baker. I do all the decorating. Most of my work is custom cakes.”

“You’re talented.”

My face warmed at the compliment. Aries scooted his chair closer, but kept his knees spread, so his leg brushed mine.

“So, you want to become a tattoo artist?”

I asked, trying to decide if I liked his leg touching mine or just tolerated it.

He nodded. “I’ve done a few on my own already, but Max is helping me work toward a license.”

“That’s great,”

I said. “Do you paint or sketch?”

“A little,”

Aries said, his eyes downcast. “I’m not an artist or anything. Not like Max or Theo. Definitely not like Theo. That guy has sick skills.”

“I bet you’re more talented than you think,”

I said, smiling at him despite the ache in my chest. “You should join Theo’s class at the community center. We meet every Thursday.”

Aries shook his head. “Nah, that’s his thing. He sees enough of me as it is.”

Something about the way he said it, like being around him was a burden, made me link my fingers with his. “Trust me, most of the class are grumpy retirees. You’d be a welcomed addition.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,”

he said, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand. We talked for a while about Peace Falls, his new job, my sculpting, holding hands the entire time. He never mentioned his past, and I didn’t ask any questions I knew would lead there. After we finished our coffee, which was delicious despite smelling like my favorite fabric softener, he leaned toward me.

“This place closes soon,”

he said. “But I don’t want our night to end. How’d you like to walk down to Church for a drink?”

“You drink?” I asked.

“You don’t?”

“I do. I just figured—”

I didn’t know how to finish that sentence without revealing I knew he was an addict and newly released felon. Do drug addicts drink? Was alcohol a gateway drug or was that pot? I wished I’d paid more attention to those D.A.R.E lessons in middle school.

Aries dropped my hand. “It’s cool. This was just a coffee date, right?”

“Yes,”

I said, relieved he’d come up with a better excuse than I could. “But I had a really great time.”

The tension melted from his forehead, and he smiled. “Yeah, me too. We could grab dinner next week. Things are a little tight for me right now, but I’d like to take you out after I get my first paycheck.”

“Sounds great,” I said.

We pushed away from the table, Lauren and Cammie watching our every move.

“I’ll walk you to your car,”

Aries said, pulling on his jacket while I shuffled into mine. “I mean hearse. Awesome ride by the way.”

“Tallulah’s the best.”

“I like that,”

he said softly as he held the door open for me. “Did you name her after Tallulah Bankhead?”

“Um, yeah, but no one has ever made that connection.”

“I’m a huge Hitchcock fan,”

he said, grabbing my hand again when we stepped onto the sidewalk. “It’s a new thing. I’ve, um, watched all of his films a few times. Lifeboat is one of my favorites.”

“Mine is Psycho unless I’m in the mood for a laugh, then it’sThe Birds.”

“You can see the damn strings,”

he said, a huge smile breaking across his face, making him look younger, closer to my age than Theo’s. “That settles it. You, me, dinner, andThe Birds next week.”

“Sounds great,”

I said, smiling back at him. Because it did sound great. But honestly, I’d have jumped at the opportunity to watch the movie if Aiden had asked me, and for an obnoxiously attractive man, I had zero interest in him.

Aries cleared his throat and started to lean forward just as Lauren ran out from Karma.

“Don’t forget you’re giving me a ride to your house,”

she said. “I’m helping Rowan narrow down ideas for the centerpieces.”

I tilted my head at her. She hadn’t asked me for a ride anywhere. I gave it less than a twenty-five percent chance my sister was even home and not at Cal’s, but I knew Lauren. She had her reasons, and I trusted her enough to go with it.

“Well, come on then,” I said.

Aries let out a breath and dropped my hand. “I’ll text you later, Poppy.”

“Sounds good.”

I waved and he started down the sidewalk in the direction of Marked.

“Well?”

I asked Lauren.

“Get in the hearse,”

she said, flinging open my passenger door. The inside light came on, illuminating the art supplies we’d salvaged from the shed. There wasn’t much, but it was more than we had room for in the house. Thankfully most of my chisels weren’t damaged, but nearly all my paints and sketch pads were wrecked. The damn ball of clay survived as expected, as well as quite a few brushes.

“I didn’t know you were coming over,”

I said, throwing Tallulah into drive.

“I hadn’t planned on it, but I didn’t think you were ready to kiss him,”

she said, pulling out her phone and texting furiously.

“Kiss who?”

“Aries, you idiot. What do you think happens when a guy walks you to your car?”

“Um, you say good night and leave?”

Lauren shoved her phone in her apron pocket, but the streetlamps gave me just enough light to see her pinch the bridge of her nose. “What kind of Neanderthals have you dated?”

“The kind who don’t walk me to my car, apparently.”

“Half my hookups get started when the guy walks me to my car. That’s when he makes his move, and I either tell him to get lost or get naked.”

“I think Aries got the hint I didn’t want to get naked tonight when I didn’t go to Church with him for a drink. But more to the point, why would you lip block me? Maybe I wanted him to kiss me goodnight.”

Lauren shook her head. “You don’t.”

I didn’t, but I hated when Lauren read my emotions as if I walked around with little flashcards on my forehead: Angry, happy, PMSing, horny. Not that she’d ever called me out on that last one, but I’m sure she’d seen it.

“Face it, Poppy. He’s a good-looking guy, and you had some things in common, but the chemistry is tepid at best.”

“How do I know that unless I kiss him?”

“Please. The sparks between you and Theo could burn down Peace Falls.”

“Doubtful,”

I said, pulling into my driveway and throwing the hearse into park.

“Yes,”

she said simply. “Look, I just didn’t want you rushing into something with Aries to try to get over Theo. I know I’m being overprotective, but I don’t want you hurting any more than you already are.”

Cammie’s car pulled to a stop in front of my house. “What’s Cam doing here?” I asked.

“Giving me a ride back to Karma,”

Lauren said, climbing out of the hearse.

“You’re a pain in my ass, Lauren Arnaud. I’m bringing Aiden to the café tomorrow, and we’re sitting right by the counter for at least an hour.”

“That’s cold,”

Cammie shouted from her rolled-down window. “Come on Lauren, before someone realizes there’s no one working.”

“Love you, Poppy,”

Lauren shouted as she ran to the car.

I rolled down my window and flipped them off after Cammie did a three-point turn and headed back to Main.

“What a nightmare,”

I said resting my head on the steering wheel. My phone vibrated in my purse. Lauren had probably sent Rowan a play-by-play of my date all evening. I grabbed my phone, expecting a text from my sister. Instead, it was a picture of the studio at Theo’s house, which now had a couple free-standing lights, an impressive table, and a rotating modeling stand on wheels. My phone buzzed again with a text from him.

Ready whenever you are

Time for another round of exposure therapy. As I reversed out of the driveway, I told the butterflies in my stomach to simmer. I’d prove to everyone, myself included, that I wasn’t hung up on Theo. Not one bit.