Page 55 of Honeyed
Warren smiles, flashing me a look from behind his aviators. “You don’t know how much I love hearing that after years of trying to suss out whether or not you thought I was attractive.”
I lace my fingers in his. “Oh, baby, I always thought you were the sexiest thing in town. Just had to keep it to myself.”
“Well, I’m glad we both don’t have to anymore.” He moves our conjoined hands to the apex of my thighs, and I want to brush against our fingers for some friction.
Except all too soon, we’re driving down Newton Street, and Warren parks in front of Lily.
“Oh my God!” I clap my hands, completely distracted from any other thought than the store I’m looking at. “They got the signage up!”
Warren smirks like he knows something I don’t.
“Did you know they were installing?”
He unbuckles and opens the car door. “Might have had a call with Liam while we were away about progress on the store.”
Liam agreed to look after our little passion project while we were on our honeymoon, but I hadn’t realized my brother had been giving my husband updates, much less been in touch at all.
“I wanted to surprise you, plus I didn’t want you worrying about this stuff while we were supposed to be on vacation.” He joins me at the hood of the car, wraps an arm around my shoulder, and directs our gazes up to the custom lettering at the bottom of the roof.
Above the door hangs a sign with the same brand logo, a simple script with a lily flower replacing the i. The letters have a shadowing effect on them, almost making them look 3D, and are outlined in a pretty violet color. The script on the front window is in white and violet, reading “quality goods from local creators.” The entire branding makes the store look so beautiful and legitimate that I can’t help but tear up.
“Thank you,” I choke out, leaning into his shoulder.
“Hey, you picked out all the font colors and design. I just made sure Liam made sure they were installed properly.”
“I know, but I just mean, thank you for trusting my decisions and my desire to open this store. I haven’t … not everyone has supported this dream. This need to branch out on my own. You did, do, unwaveringly. You’ve always been my person, Warren. But this really proves it more.”
Every single word is from the heart, no matter how sappy.
“I …” He cuts himself off, and I swear he was about to say it. My breath clings to my throat, unable to exhale, and I stare at him.
“Let’s go in and see the rest of the progress.” He shakes his head imperceptibly.
Disappointment soaks my gut, even if I haven’t said them either. Part of me needs Warren to go first, but I put those thoughts on the back burner as we walk inside Lily.
“Wow,” I breathe, trying to inhale the magic I know will happen inside this space.
The floors and the built-ins for the checkout counter and displays around the shop are finished. The white paint on them looks fresh and elegant, while the white granite on the counters is perfect. Mismatched antique end tables, dining tables, and a few refurbished chairs sit around the room, waiting to be staged to display the goods we’ll sell.
“The bathroom looks great. Toilet and countertop plus sink are in, just needs one more coat of paint,” Warren relays as he walks back up front from the small single-person room in the back of the shop.
“We have to order the racks for the storeroom this week,” I say idly, walking around.
Everything seems to be on track, looking beautiful, and I’m optimistic. That is, until I go to turn on the lights.
“Why aren’t the lights working?” I flick the switch again, doing it twice more, as if the lights will magically come on.
“You’re kidding.” Warren walks over, flips the switch a couple more times for good measure, then curses under his breath. “Liam didn’t say anything about this, so someone must have nicked a line in the days since he last checked in.”
“Fucking great.” I rub my forehead like a headache might be coming on. “How much time and how much money is this going to cost us?”
We wanted to open relatively soon to capture some of that summer crowd magic, and electrical issues are no joke.
“Let’s just try to stay relaxed about this, it could be something little. Something easily fixable.” Except Warren is chewing on his lip as if he’s just as worried as I am.
Worst-case scenarios fly through my head, and for the first time since he leased the space for us, doubt creeps in. I’m usually detrimentally driven and positive, to the point that I won’t let one of my ideas fail. But this is a huge leap, and a problem like this could set us back financially and time-wise.
“It’ll be okay.” My husband pulls me in, rubbing my back as I breathe in the last scents of the island that cling to his clothing.
