“Like I said last night; I’ve met him before,” Harper confided.
“When?” Caitlyn asked in confusion.
“Last summer. It was like six months ago, and I was delivering cupcakes to a bridal shower.”
“Aren’t those usually for women? What was Logan doing there?”
“Picking up his date, apparently. But not before he flirted like crazy with me. He was cute, and I thought he was one of the bride’s relatives. They all showed up afterwards to help bring home the gifts. They’d rented some display pieces from me, so I’d come back as well to pick everything up. He helped me load my car, and we sort of made out in the parking lot. I was about to give Logan my number when his girlfriend came outside! I just about died.”
“Yikes. And you’re sure it was his girlfriend?”
“His date at any rate. She kissed him hello, so it definitely wasn’t a relative. And we’d literally just been standing there kissing. He’s a pig.”
“Damn. I’m sorry about trying to introduce you then. Troy said he was a decent guy, so we thought you’d hit it off. I never really spent time with him before. If I’d known he was a total asshole, I would never have tried to introduce you two.”
“No worries. I gave him a piece of my mind last summer and then told him off again last night. Frankly, I’m not surprised you didn’t notice the daggers I was shooting at him when they first walked up. You and Troy only have googly eyes for each other. Not that I’m complaining, girl. He seems smitten with you.”
“He spent the night again last night but had to leave early for training. He told me that ahead of time, and it’s always amazing when we’re together. I’m just worried I’ll somehow get burned.”
“Why? Is he acting weird or something?”
“No, not at all. Just my bad luck in the past with men I guess. Troy’s been nothing but sweet and attentive around me.”
Her phone buzzed just then with a text, and she pulled it away from her ear, glancing down at the screen.
Miss you already, Butterfly.
Busy day at work. I’ll call you tonight.
“Are you still there?” Harper asked.
“Yep. Troy just texted to say he missed me.”
“And he just spent the night?” Harper asked with a chuckle. “Marry the man, hun. If he just got lucky and already misses you, that’s a damn good sign.”
Caitlyn giggled. “Well, it’s only the second time he’s stayed over. What if it’s just the ‘newness’ of the relationship? Six months from now, it won’t be exactly the same.”
“It won’t—it’ll be better. Yeah, it’s fun at first to fall hard for someone—the butterflies in your stomach and all that. But afterwards? When you know you can count on him and still can’t wait to jump his bones every night? That’s the dream, girlfriend.”
“Geez,” Caitlyn teased. “I thought you were the one more into playing the field. You sound like you’re ready to settle down with the next guy you meet.”
“What can I say? It must be all those wedding cakes I’m baking lately. I’m around lovey-dovey couples nonstop. Not that I’d settle just to get married. No chance in hell. But if I met the right man, that’s a different story. Your guy literally swooped in and saved your life.”
“Yeah, that was scary and amazing all at once. It’s part of my problem, I guess. I hope I’m not just caught up in that aspect of it, you know? The rush of new love. The adrenaline rush from Troy literally sweeping me off my feet.”
“So…what? You want to date other people?”
“No!”
“And do you want him to see other women?”
“God, no. That would destroy me. We’ve already agreed that we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, as cliché as that sounds. Neither of us are interested in dating anyone else.”
“You’ve fallen for him,” Harper said dryly. “Maybe you didn’t plan on it, but don’t miss out on a good thing just because you’re scared. Or because you basically met in some crazy, Hollywood type manner. Oh, I gotta go. I’ve got a meeting with a client in a few minutes. Let’s talk more later, okay? And text the man back. I can tell he’s one of the good ones.”
The women said their goodbyes, and Caitlyn quickly texted Troy. She didn’t hear from him again, but she knew he was busy with training. Plus, after the new threats to the admiral, he’d been somewhat tense last night. Until he’d taken her to bed at least.
She’d talk to him tonight. She knew he had a lot on his mind in addition to his regular work. Until then, she had more than enough things in her own office to keep her busy.
***
Caitlyn said goodbye to her last client at four that afternoon, making sure to lock her front door before going back to her desk. Oddly enough, she hadn’t gotten more of the phone calls that had come every thirty minutes. At the moment, she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. It would’ve been annoying to have her office phone ringing every half an hour, but she couldn’t help shake the feeling something was wrong.
She’d spoken to a woman earlier who was planning her daughter’s graduation party for later that spring and to another woman who wanted to have a big retirement dinner for her husband. Neither seemed remotely suspicious. She had her scheduled events to tend to as well, and her work calendar was filling up. After speaking with vendors and clients throughout the day, nothing else strange had happened.
A couple of years ago, it had been tough landing enough clients to justify renting an office space. Now, she’d possibly need to find something bigger if she wanted to expand and hire an assistant. Maybe she should look into a virtual
