Page 33 of Mass Sins

“Wow…” I was speechless. “How did you…”

He handed me the bouquet with a gentle smile on his lips. “Do you like them?”

“Ilovethem! They’re beautiful. Thank you, Joska.” I turned to the side so I could wrap one arm around his back and hug him while keeping my other arm around the flowers.

He kissed the top of my head, squeezing me to his side. “You’re very welcome, sweetheart. Let’s put them back in water.”

While he went to grab the vase, I headed over to the kitchen to look at everything he had prepared for us. He hadinsisted that I wouldn’t buy anything for tonight, and he went out to grab everything we needed to cook a nice dinner.

We had agreed on making steak and veggies, and for dessert, a nice dark chocolate mousse. I was excited, mostly because we would get to know each other in a different light.

***

“You’re a better cook than me. The steak was amazing, and so were the honey-glazed vegetables.”

I smiled at Joska as he complimented my cooking skills. “I have to be good at something, right?” I said with a teasing undertone.

“Pretty sure you’re already good at many things, darling.” He reached over to grab another dish to rinse, and after we were done, we both dried our hands and grabbed our glasses and the champagne to go sit on the couch.

All night, I had been extremely comfortable, and Joska kept making me laugh with his funny stories from his past. None of those stories included the church or women, but he talked about his family life, and about all the friends he made and eventually lost due to moving around a lot.

But he wasn’t sad about that. He was home here in Boulder, and with Tabor around, and his parents calling every now and then, he needed nothing more.

I pulled my legs under me to curl up on the couch, and without asking for it, he placed a light blanket over my legs to keep them warm. There were many instances where he did the smallest things which made my heart race uncontrollably, and I wished I didn’t react the way I did so early on in whatever we were building.

We had to take things slow because I didn’t want to ruin this.

I smiled at him as our conversation slowly faded, but the silence wasn’t awkward. It gave me the time to take in the moment we were in, and to appreciate his company.

“How did you know Peonies were my favorite flowers?” I asked, my voice gentle.

He looked down at his glass of champagne before taking a sip and setting it down on the coffee table. When his eyes met mime again, his expression told me that I wasn’t ready for the truth. “Do you really want to know?”

I pursed my lips. “Yes.”

He took a deep breath before saying, “Before I tell you, I want you to know that I was going to get you flowers either way. But…your father came by the church yesterday morning.”

What?

My jaw dropped. I wasn’t sure how to react.

Oh, God…

“I’m so sorry!”

He chuckled and placed his hand on my knee. “Don’t be. It’s fine. I thought it was sweet of him to look out for you like that. He’s a good man. He was the one telling me what your favorite flowers are, and I’m glad he told me.”

I studied him closely. “Did he try to scare you?”

“Oh, definitely, but I was charming and he quickly eased up on me,” he said with a wink. “No but, really. He was nice. Your father’s a good man, and I’m glad you have someone in your life that looks out for you like he does.”

I was still unsure how to feel about Dad visiting Joska at church, but in a way, I was glad he did. It meant that he was okay with Joska since he didn’t stop this date from happening. Dad was giving Joska a chance.

My smile was tight, and I placed my hand on his, gently squeezing his fingers. “Well, I love the flowers, and I will tell Dadtomorrow that he won’t have to come and warn you ever again because I had the best time tonight with you.”

Joska’s smile widened at my words, and the warmth in his eyes made something flutter deep inside me. He leaned back into the couch, with his other arm resting casually behind me. “I’m glad you had a good time. I was worried you might find my stories boring.”

I shook my head quickly. “Not at all. I could listen to you talk all night,” I admitted.

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