Page 14 of Indescribable

Me:If that changes, you call/text/send a carrier pigeon, got it?

Naomi:Yeah yeah yeah. I got it.

Me:Noticed there was a squeak in your door, if you need me to come help get it out, I’m wide open.

Naomi:OMG did you just throw a line from Chocolat at me?

Yes, yes I did. She used to make me watch it constantly in high school. I’m positive she has the entire movie memorized and I’m also positive that’s where her incredible chocolate addiction came from.

Me:Still one of your favorite movies, I assume?

Naomi:I can’t help it! It’s so dang good!

Her response makes me smile because some things never change.

“Here for your order, Brock?”

“Sure am. Corbin said you’d have a couple dozen ready for us?”

Once a week, we have a company meeting and we always bring doughnuts. If the meeting is going to go longer, we order in lunch for everyone, too. It’s amazing how much better a simple meeting goes when you butter up your employees with food.

Lola, the owner of the best bakery in town, and my ex-girlfriend, smiles with her reply, “Yup. Assortment of glazed, cinnamon twists, and jelly filled doughnuts. Was there anything else you needed?”

I give her my best puppy dog eyes. “Do you happen to have any of those sausage pastry things?”

“You know I do. When Corbin said you were the one picking up the doughnuts, I set a few aside.”

I smile in return. “Careful. You know a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” I tease.

It rolls right off her shoulder, though. With an exaggerated eye roll and a left hand that boasts her wedding ring, she places it on her very pregnant stomach. “Don’t waste those words on me, you flirt.”

I lift my hands in the air. “Hey, do I not speak truth, though?”

“You do.”

“Exactly. It’s how you nabbed your guy.”

That gets me a beam, rather than a smile. “Obviously. I had to get his attention somehow.”

Lola and I dated for about two and a half years. Longer than we should have. We parted on good terms, though. Excellent terms, actually. I attended her wedding to the guy she met after me, we hang out some on the weekends, even. He works for my stepdad, Stone Montgomery, building custom-made furniture. He’s perfect for her and she’s perfect for him. They’re happy and I’m happy for her. We weren’t right for each other.

It wasn’t a bad relationship, we just didn’t connect the way two people should if the relationship is going to last. When we finally realized it, our breakup was simple. No fighting or yelling. Just a hey, we tried. Which is why I can walk into her bakery and make jokes with her and why the next words out of her mouth come because she’s remained my friend.

“Heard through the small town grapevine that papers were signed,” she murmurs quietly.

“You heard correctly.”

“Go slowly, Brock. I know it’s going to kill you to do that, but she deserves this time and you don’t want to mess it up before it’s begun.”

“Was thinking that same thing last night,” I agree. Part of our breakup happened because she knew I’d never lose the feelings I have for Naomi. The other part was that she wasn’t the least bit hurt by that because she didn’t have “the butterflies” for me. Her words, not mine.

“She doing okay? I haven’t talked to her for about a week. I tried calling her last night but it went right to voice mail.”

I grin, remembering last night and all the images that are now permanently fixed in my brain. “Yeah. That’s a story I’ll let her tell but she’s doing really good. She wanted this, you know.”

“Definitely. I’m telling you now, I plan to be standing up in front of everyone on one of your sides when you finally say I do.”

That makes me chuckle even when the idea of Naomi and I saying “I do” to each other makes the pulse in my neck pound. “Planning on being a grooms-woman, huh?”

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