Page 6 of Be Mine

“You clearly have a secret admirer.” She waggles her eyebrows at me while walking to the cooler to retrieve some baby’s breath and ivy.

“You think it’s maybe Luke, from dairy? He was all over you at the Christmas party.” She kicks the cooler closed with her foot, laying out the greenery to be cut to size with her shears.

I shrug. I mean, it could be. Luke was persistent at the party, but I made myself clear I wasn’t interested. Besides, he doesn’t seem like the anonymous type. He loves the attention.

“Nah, I don’t think so. Luke wouldn’t miss an opportunity to get kudos. He’s like a dog who needs constant praise, maybe a scratch behind the ear, too.”

La and I both look at each other and burst into a fit of giggles.

“Too true,” she agrees, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. ‘Cause it is. The guy is a narcissistic prick who constantly needs his ego stroked.

“Shit, speaking of…” La’s eyes shift past me, in the direction of the dairy coolers across from the floral department. I sneak a peek over my shoulder, and like the man had been summoned, there he is, hauling a pallet of milk crates behind him.

“Fuck, does he have some kind of weird sixth sense?”

“Add that to the list of charming qualities.” La laughs.

“Funny,” I stick my tongue out at her, “I’m gonna try to sneak past him. I need to get back before Cynthia notices I’m gone, anyway.”

I veer left towards the chip aisle. I think I’m in the clear until I hear my name called.

Spinning around, I try to paint on my best, fake smile. “Luke, hey, how’s it going?”

Luke is a good-looking guy. The problem is he knows it, and that just rubs me the wrong way. Newer employees fall for the charm. For the dazzling smile. The fit physique. The contrast of his olive skin tone and turquoise eyes to the chocolate strands of his hair that are always tousled just right. But anyone who has been here for a while knows, he’s a fuck boy.

He leans casually against the cooler, folding his arms across his chest, lips curling up, making the dimple in his right cheek pop. Yeah, Mr. Hot Stuff even comes with an adorable dimple to compliment that perfect smile. “How you been?” he asks.

Oh, Luke, you do not have enough time for me to unload all of that.

“I’m good, you?”

“Can’t complain. What have you been up to lately? It’s been a while.” He is naturally charismatic, his voice low and soothing, like he was designed to draw women in.

“Yeah, you know, just working.” I shrug.

“Same. Any plans for tonight?” His eyes flash brighter. His lips tilt, just a fraction more. Like the charm has been dialed up.

“Yeah, I have a date with my couch, a box of chocolates, and my TV remote.” More like a date with a shitty ass motel and some Door Dash, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Aww, that’s boring. Come out with me. We can grab some dinner. Maybe some drinks after.”

“Uh, Luke I don’t think—"

A customer pushes their way behind him, opening the refrigerator door and reaching in for a carton of creamer. Luke shifts forward to give them some space and that brings us closer together. Close enough I can smell the spice of his cologne. Closeenough I can make out the threads of lighter green around his pupils.

I try to take a step back, to put some distance between us, slamming into the lady’s cart parked behind me. “Shit,” I whisper under my breath, losing my balance, the back of my shoe getting caught on the bottom of the cart.

Luke instantly reaches out, his hands bracing my shoulders to stop me from falling, pulling me into him, so our bodies are aligned. “Hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m ok.”

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” the woman apologizes, pushing her cart out of the way.

“It’s, fine, no worries, I should watch where I’m going.” I laugh it off. Honestly, I’m more bothered by the way Luke is still embracing me. His front molded to mine in a way two coworkers should not be standing together, especially out on the floor in front of a bunch of customers.

Shrugging his hands off, I pull away. “I should get back to work.”

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he calls out.Unlikely, Luke.

---