Page 27 of Finding Her Strength

“Yeah, sorry. Thinking about something.”

“Do you need help working it out?”

“Actually... I met someone.” I tell them all about meeting Hope and how much I’ve come to like her. I don’t want to share too much of what happened the other day, but I think having someone else’s perspective could be helpful. Over the past week, I’ve done my best to establish myself in her life. I’ve brought her lunch from the café, coffee in the mornings before work, anything I can think of to see her.

I’m ready to push us to the next level, but I’m worried Hope isn’t. If I move too fast, I’ll be guaranteeing my future as a sad, lonely schlub, reliving my glory days in a bathrobe that covers nothing.

“It sounds like she’s feeling things for you, too. What would you normally do in this situation?” Lucy asks.

“I’d ask her out. I wouldn’t leave it up to chance or give her time to decide she doesn’t like me anymore.”

“Then, there’s your answer. You need to be able to beyourself, Levi. If she can’t handle it, then maybe she’s not ready to be with you yet.”

I nod my head in response as my brain speeds twenty steps ahead, trying to figure out the best way to move forward. I’ve done all I can to show her how much I want her. It’s time to see if she wants me in return.

I hope I don’t screw things up too badly. Being in a relationship isn’t something I’m used to, but I can’t risk losing out on the potential of finding the person I am meant to be with. After spending a little bit of time with Hope, there’s no doubt in my mind she’s special.

There’s always going to be the chance of getting hurt. That’s life. Sitting on the sidelines and watching it pass me by seems monumentally stupid. Letting Hope go because I’m too scared to jump in would be even worse.

I’ve never been one to shy away from something out of fear. Usually, I do itbecauseI’m afraid, and there’s never been one time I’ve regretted my decision. This feels like something I would regret not doing.

Now, I just have to plan the best way to ask her out and hope like hell she doesn’t say no.

16

HOPE

“Can you grab me the rest of the peonies from the back?” I ask Claire as I place some more greenery into the centerpiece I’m making. I’ve got about ten more to go for the city council banquet tomorrow afternoon.

Smaller events are much easier to handle than weddings. They are a lot less stressful for a multitude of reasons, the main one being I don’t have to worry about a bride freaking out because the flowers she wanted didn’t come in on time. It hasn’t happened to me since I opened my shop, but it happened at the store I worked at in high school. I was so glad it wasn’t my job to deal with the bridezillas.

Claire comes back, placing the bucket of peonies next to me on the counter. “Thank you. You can head home if you want. I can handle any last-minute walk-ins.” The store is only open for another hour, and we’re usually slow at the end of the day.

“Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow.” Claire beams at me. Her infectious joy has made my day even better. Without her around, I would’ve wallowed in the embarrassment of my behavior in front of Levi. It’s been four days, and I still haven’t been able to get over it.

The way he held me, comforting me after my panic attack, was a totally new experience. I thought he’d want to talk about what happened, but instead, he hugged me. He hasn’t brought it up during any of the times he’s come to see me since, which I’m glad about. I’m not sure how to describe what was going through my head or why I reacted the way I did. I don’t fully understand it myself.

All I know is one minute, we were teasing each other, then the next, my brain went into survival mode after I hit him. I would have never gotten away with something like that in my old life, and my body reacted before I could rationalize what I was doing. He was sweet about it, though, which made my feelings for him grow exponentially.

Since then, each coffee or food delivery has been met with both nerves and excitement. I’ve loved every minute he comes to see me, even though my brain keeps screaming, "Danger, Will Robinson." But for once, it’s not my body I’m worried about. It’s my heart.

I don’t know what to do with all the feelings he’s stirred up inside of me. They’re all foreign, making it very difficult to dissect each one over the past few days. The surprising thing is how safe I feel every time he’s around. It’s as if something deep inside me is calling out to him, telling him exactly what I need at any given moment. I’ve never had an experience quite like it before.

The door chimes, and I look up to find Levi striding into my store, a goofy grin on his face I can’t help but return. He’s still in his work clothes, his shirt splattered with paint.

“Hi.” A blush creeps into my cheeks as he steps closer to the counter.

“Hi. I have a question for you.”

My brows furrow and worry flits through me, hoping he doesn’t want to talk aboutthe incidentas I’ve come to think of it. “Okaaaay.”

“What kind of flowers would you suggest for asking someone out?”

Disappointment flows through me swiftly and furiously. I do everything I can to keep it from showing on my face. “Um… roses would probably be good.”

“Sure, that makes sense. What would be your favorite flower to receive?”

“Myfavorite?” I ask, not quite sure I understand what he’s asking.

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