Page 2 of Planning on Happily Ever After

Mrs. Taylor inspected her with narrowed eyes that made her already gaunt face look even more severe. “Are you sure your standards aren’t too high?” She looked deep into Holly’s eyes and it felt like the woman was trying to peer into her soul. Or curse her. Either way, it was making Holly uncomfortable and she shuffled back a step. “You know what they say, if you don’t think there is a problem, maybe youarethe problem.”

Ouch. What was probably meant as friendly advice hit Holly square in the chest. “Thanks for your guidance,” she said through a pained smile. What she had hoped would be an exchange of information to bolster her dating prospects only served to remind her how dire her situation was. “I need to go deliver some muffins. Have a nice day, ladies.”

Holly hightailed it out of the bakery and steered herself toward Treat Yo’ Shelf, shaking her head at what Mrs. Taylor had suggested. Her standards weren’t too high. She just wanted to meet someone who had the same cheery outlook on life she did and that she felt an inexplicable pull toward, someone she wouldn’t want to live without. That wasn’t too much to ask. At least, that’s what Holly kept telling herself the entire trip to the bookstore.

Twenty minutes later, after having successfully delivered the muffins and inhaled as much sweet baby smell as she could, Holly munched on her brownies while giving herself a mental pep talk. Knowing exactly what she wanted was a good thing, and if someone didn’t meet those requirements, it was better not to waste either of their time by pretending otherwise. Relationships shouldn’t be forced, and she shouldn’t have to settle.

Of course, Holly wouldn’t know much about relationships since she never got past date two with anyone, so maybe she did need to revisit her requirements a little. She exhaled slowly to expel all the negative thoughts. It was too nice a day to get caught up in what was lacking in her life, so Holly took in the view around her as she strolled along the sidewalk.

The day was surprisingly clear and temperate for this first day in February, and Holly took the unprecedented warmth as a sign that good things were coming her way. Hopefully, one of them would be love. She spotted a few good-looking men across the street and smiled at them, wiggling her fingers in hello. Maybe her future husband was out there and she would bump into him at any moment.

Holly sighed dreamily at the thought and took another bite of her brownie, enjoying the rich, dark chocolate flavor that burst on her tongue as she chewed. She was so enraptured with the idea of meeting the man of her dreams and the soft, gooey texture of the brownie that she didn’t see the person barreling toward her until she ran smack into him.

“Oof,” she grunted before stumbling backward.

Holly swayed on her feet but didn’t fall. Two strong hands gripped her arms tightly, steadying her. Her eyes slowly focused on the hands that held her, the veins and tendons popping up from underneath the skin somehow adding to the protected feeling that was currently washing over her. The hands felt powerful, yet she got the distinct impression they could be gentle as well. As Holly reveled in the feel of someone holding her like she was something precious, she moved her gaze up and along the line of the arms the magnificent hands were connected to. Her eyes passed over biceps that strained the fabric of the coat they were trapped in and athletic looking shoulders that had clearly seen a bench press a time or twelve. Finally, her eyes settled on what had to be the most handsome face Holly had ever seen.

Holly’s attacker turned savior boasted a square jaw that was lined with maybe a days’ worth of stubble, her skin itching to feel it scrape against her cheek. A straight nose that pointed down to a pair of full lips, and short, light brown hair that was perfectly styled completed the attractive stranger. There was so much beauty for her to gaze upon, but it was his eyes that had Holly mesmerized. Gray as the sky during a thunderstorm with tiny flecks of silver like mini bolts of lightning sprinkled throughout. There was so much turmoil in those eyes, but Holly felt nothing but safety and comfort. If his eyes were the storm, his body was the port, strong and steady, though the longer she stared into the torrid gray depths, the more her own internal emotions started to churn.

Holly wasn’t really aware of how much time was passing, just that she could stay and look into those eyes forever, not thinking, justfeeling. It was as though all thoughts unrelated to this man and her body’s visceral reaction to him somehow fled her mind. Maybe this was the man she was hoping would find her. They literally ran into one another and that had to be some kind of sign.Right?Holly didn’t put much stock into fate or destiny, but it was hard not to become a believer when she had just been thinking about love and a gorgeous man that had made her feel so much without saying a word ran right into her.

Holly was still staring at him, most likely with a dopey grin on her face when she noticed his brows were furrowed, the two lines carved between his eyes deepening with each passing second. The sudden urge to reach her thumb up to his forehead and smooth them out was strong, but she refrained, not wanting to break the wonderful tableau she had found herself trapped in. Clearly disagreeing with her own thoughts on the matter, the man dropped his hands from her arms and stepped back, taking his warmth and the spicy scent of his cologne right along with him. Holly missed both immediately and wondered how she could convince him to hold her for a little longer if only so she could take another hit of his intoxicating scent.

The stranger cleared his throat, lines bracketing the mouth that had pulled into a frown. “You should really watch where you’re going,” he growled at her, his voice rough and deep.

Holly didn’t register what he said immediately, too focused on the tingles his gravelly voice sent up and down her spine. Addled, she nodded along in agreement with his statement, ready to go along with anything he said like a lamb following a wolf, eager to be devoured.

Once she finally did catch up on their conversation, she shook her head at both him and her own ludicrous behavior. “Wait, what? I’m sorry if I wasn’t paying as much attention to what I was doing, but you were also walking crazy fast, so I would say the fault is mutual. But hey, no worries.” She reached into the bag of brownies she’d managed to cling to. Of course, Holly would almost fall to the ground during a simple stroll, but god forbid she lose her baked goods in the process. After rummaging through her dwindled stock, she nabbed a brownie and presented the peace offering to the stranger in front of her, a wide smile pulling across her face. “Brownie?”

The man’s brows furrowed deeper than Holly thought humanly possible, the lines now twin canyons between his eyes as a full-on scowl spread across his face. “I don’t do sweets,” he grumbled at her.

Holly had a hard time believing that and called upon her powers of persuasion. “Really? That’s a shame because these are the best brownies ever. My sister makes them and they are just the right amount of fudgy.” Holly took a bite of the brownie and licked her lips, not wanting to waste a single crumb. The man continued to stare, inspecting her as she chewed and swallowed, like she was an alien from another planet. His obvious displeasure rankled her, especially after she’d had such a strong reaction, or thought she had at least, but Holly shook it off as she did everything else that didn’t serve her sunny disposition. “Are you sure you don’t want one? They might help with the whole grumpy thing you’ve got going on right now.”

“I’m not grumpy,” he barked at her. The man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Holly wondered if his own unpleasant personality was giving him a migraine. “Look, just watch where you’re going, okay?” Brushing past her without so much as a goodbye, he stalked off to get to wherever he was going to before they had a moment.

Well, it could have been a moment.Holly started walking back toward the bakery, reflecting on what could have been the most adorable meet-cute if he hadn’t been such a sourpuss. She could never be with someone so cantankerous anyway, especially one that didn’t eat sweets. Sharing desserts was her family’s love language and her father would disown her if she was with someone who wouldn’t eat anything from their bakeshop. She wondered if Mr. Grouchy-Man would eat a zucchini muffin. It has a vegetable in it, so it’s practically a health food and he definitely had the build of someone who would be into that sort of thing.

Holly chuckled to herself, but shook her head to try and dispel any thoughts of the strange man. Why was she still thinking about him anyway? He clearly didn’t feel the same spark of attraction she had, which was too bad because he really was incredibly good looking and the air had seemed filled with the potential for something great.Oh well.It was probably the lingering effect of cuddling with Sara’s baby and thinking about love that had put her in that mindset, but her time was better spent focusing on the possibilities in front of her, not the grump that was now firmly in her rearview. Determined as she was to move past it, Holly found herself taking a quick look back over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of him, still pondering what might have been.

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