Page 9 of Her Obsessed Lumberjack

“Hello again.” There’s a sparkle in Freya’s gaze. She beams up at me, and her smile gives me the courage I need.

“I want to take you out somewhere,” I say. “Anywhere. Don’t care where, as long as it’s with you.”

Hell, I’ve never done this before. Maybe I should be trying to play it cool, but my feelings are too strong for that. My heart feels like it might burst out of my chest from how hard it’s beating asI wait for Freya to speak. She’ll say no. Of course she will. But dammit, at least I can say I gave it a shot.

“Oh!” she says eventually, her cheeks blushing adorably. “I…I’d love to go somewhere with you.”

I blink at her, sure I must have misheard. “You would?”

She nods, grinning at me with so much excitement that I feel my stomach do a backflip. “We could go to the pumpkin patch outside town? Maybe pick a pumpkin for Halloween?”

“Wherever you want,” I say, resisting the urge to reach over the counter and pull her into my arms. “The pumpkin patch sounds great.”

I’d go anywhere with her. If she asked me to walk to the center of the earth by her side, I’d do it.

“Great!” Freya says. “I can’t wait. Should I meet you there? How about tomorrow?” Her words come out in a rush, and she seems self-conscious for a moment, like she’s embarrassed to show her eagerness. But I love it. I love her enthusiasm—it makes me want her even more.

“I’ll pick you up. Tomorrow at eleven, how does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect.” She reels off her address, and I memorize it easily.

“Well…I’ll see you tomorrow, Freya,” I say, reluctant to leave her for the second time today, but so fucking relieved that I get to see her again soon, just me and her. Finally, I can find out all about the girl who has been driving me crazy.

“See you tomorrow.” She looks so damn pretty. I could stare at her all day long, but I force myself to step away from the counter and leave the coffee shop. When I look through the window for a final glance at Freya, I see her jump up excitedly, grinning to herself so widely that it makes my heart ache.

I think this girl might be the death of me.

6

FREYA

“Hold on,”Margot says, cocking her head, “you’re saying he left the coffee shop then came back?”

“Yes!”

My best friend and I are holed up in the living room of our shared apartment, sipping cocoa and talking animatedly about what happened today. Ever since Margot came home, I’ve been babbling to her about Roman. She’s a good enough friend to keep listening, even if I must have repeated myself a hundred times by now.

“He brought me my necklace,” I tell her. “Then he left, and about thirty minutes later he walked straight back in with so much…purpose, you know? Like he was really determined to do something. You should have heard my heartbeat, Margot! God, I thought I was going to faint like an old Victorian lady.”

She laughs, her eyes flickering between me and the TV where Hocus Pocus is playing on low volume. It’s one of my favorite Halloween movies, but I’m too distracted to watch anything. My whole body has been thrumming with restless energy ever since Roman left Mountain Brew, and all I seem capable of doing is smiling like an idiot and talking about him over and over again.

“And I’ll never forget what happened next. He looked at me…he has these really intense eyes and they were fixed on me, and he said ‘I want to take you out somewhere. Anywhere. I don’t care where, as long as it’s with you.’ It was so romantic I thought I was going to die!”

Margot smiles at me, but there’s something strained in her eyes. “I’m happy for you. I hope you have a great time tomorrow.”

I bite my lip, my happiness wavering for a moment as I ask, “What’s wrong? Something’s bothering you. I can tell.”

She sighs. “I’m just a little worried, that’s all. I love seeing you so excited, Freya. Really, I do. But I don’t want you to get hurt. You don’t know this guy very well, and I just hope he’s as open and genuine as you are.”

I take her hand and give it a squeeze. Margot is always looking out for me. She protects her heart fiercely, and it makes her nervous that I wear mine on my sleeve so openly. I understand her fears, but there’s something about Roman that I trust. We only just met, yet somehow it’s like I’ve always known him.

“Don’t worry,” I say, smiling warmly at my best friend. “I’ll take care of myself. Promise.”

“You better. Because if this guy hurts you, he’ll have me to answer to.”

She raises her fists dramatically, speaking with so much fierceness that I have to bite back a laugh. Margot is all of five feet tall, and Roman is at least six and a half. But that sure as heck wouldn’t stop her from fighting him if it came to it.

“Thanks, Margot.” I lean over and give her a one-armed hug, stealing one of her chips with my free hand. “And I promise I’ll be just as protective of you if you meet somebody.”

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