Page 66 of Amor Prohibido

“Love you too, Jaq.”

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Monday rolled around all too quickly, and this one was the stereotypical crappy start to a long week. I slept through my alarm and was jolted awake by a sex God who smelt way too delicious for that time of the morning (side note: that was theonlygood part of the morning). I spilled my breakfast and had to find a whole new outfit—only to find my favourite pair of skinny jeans no longer fit. Rushed my makeup and smeared mascara onto my upper lid. The car park was unusually full, so I had to park on an upper level, and now my morning hot chocolate sat completely cold under my work reception desk. We currently had a tonne of flowers needing urgent attention, plus the doorbell just chimed, announcing the arrival of a customer who only compounded my scattered mood.

“Good morning. May I help you?” I asked over an array of pink chrysanthemums.

“Just looking,” she murmured, darting glances in my direction out of the corner of her eye.

I studied her and her odd behaviour through a narrowed gaze. She wore a large woollen hat pulled low on her brows. Her piercing blue eyes sliced into me each time she looked my way. The pink gloss on her lips matched the cold induced tint on the tip of her nose and her large pregnant belly peeked out from under her thick winter coat.

“Do you have anything black?” she finally asked after walking slowly around the shop.

She looked me over, assessing me as much as I assessed her, while I replied, “No, not in stock. We can order in specially, though, on roses or lilies. They’ll be overnight couriered if you’re interested.”

“Mm-yeah, no thanks. That doesn’t suit me at all.” Her icy tone matched the sudden disdain in her eyes. The contemptuous curl of her lip was nothing but vile and I couldn’t help but feel she knew who I was. I, however, had no idea whoshewas. And I didn’t like it one bit.

My tone hardened to match hers. “Is there anything else here that takes your interest?”

She gave me a scathing once-over. “Nothing at all.” Turning on her heel, she left as abruptly as she arrived.

Alice emerged from the cool room engulfed in a huge flowery plume. “Who was that?”

“I have no idea. She was weird though; like, stalker weird.”

She set the bucketed flowers down on a low table and shook her head. “Blame it on the full moon. That shit makes people bat-shit crazy.”

“Seems that way. Oh, I’ll get it,” I announced when the phone started ringing.

Today was shaping up to be busy.

“Welcome toFlower Boutique,Jax speaking.”

“Hey, sweetheart, how’s your morning going after the rough start?”

My heart skipped a beat upon hearing Jace’s voice, and I smiled to myself. “It’s better now.”

“I’m glad.”

“How’s yours?”

He hummed. “Busy as fuck. I just wanted to check up on you; make sure you’re doin’ okay.”

My smile widened. “Thank you. I am.”

“Okay, sweetheart, I’ve gotta shoot, but I’ll see you tonight. I love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.”

After finishing the brief yet cute call, the smitten smile stayed on my face while I got started with the window display. My thoughts returned to the random woman who’d long since left the shop. Twenty minutes into a sassy, internalised—and entirely fictionalised—argument with her, the doorbell chimed and jolted my frayed nerves.

“Hey, sexy mumma. Thought you’d need this after this morning.”

I turned to her voice, smiling again before I even clapped eyes on Lozza. Her toothy grin pulled wide as she held a hot drink in my direction.

“You’re a freaking saviour. This morning has been borderline Hell.” Hot chocolate washed down my throat and I welcomed the blissful warmth filing my stomach. “Shit that’s good. Thank you, Loz.”

She waved me off. “Absolutely no worries. Jace rang; he’s flat out at work so asked if I had time to bring you a drink. Classes don’t start until after lunch and I was already in the area doing a little shopping.”

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