"And did you?" I was surprised that Kari's voice was almost dreamy. The way girls are when they share a gesture with each other that makes them swoon.
I looked from the bouquet into her eyes and smiled, "Of course I did."
"What made you think of it? I thought Ty said these flowers were from Richard?"
I nodded, trying to not appear like I was a deer caught in headlights. "They are, but these are apology flowers and for some reason I just started to think of that apology."
Kari snorted, "Probably because being serenaded will always beat flowers."
I laughed, "Only if they know how to sing."
"So true. Did Stefan?"
"Did Stefan what?" It wasn't that I didn't understand the question, but it was hard for me to grasp the fact that for the first time in so many years, I was able to talk about Stefan openly. Not shielding that part of my life was definitely a change I was still getting used to.
"Know how to sing?"
"Oh yeah, he absolutely did. He was never determined to be a professional singer by any means, but his voice was just … magic."
"With a face and body like that, you begin to assume that all of him is magic." Kari gave me a wink as she left the room, and I was downright relieved that she didn't ask if the "rest" of him was. Although I knew the answer, I didn't exactly think me reminiscing about his other "magical talents" was the best thing to do right about now.
The day went by without any more excitement but I was left humming "I'll Be" all day and I found myself using any excuse to go to the break room to just steal a glance of the flowers. Every time I saw them they made me smile, and when I was stuck on the salon floor, I found myself reaching into my apron. My fingers searched around until I found the little card and I'd just hold it in my hand for a moment. It would seem silly to anyone else, but it was comforting to me and that was all that mattered.
At the end of my shift I checked my phone, felt my blood pressure rise as I saw not a single message from Richard, and then I drove home. My day had been wonderful but I was able to live in a little bubble of bliss thinking all was well with the apology. What I failed to grasp, until I was sitting in my car, was the apology that warmed my heart wasn't from the one I was going home to. Richard hadn't even sent a text to apologize and as much as I didn't want to compare the Richard and Stefan's approaches to apologizing-I couldn't help it.
The frustration I felt toward Richard had nothing to do with the money spent, or the fact that Stefan always tried to show his apologies in a big way. It was all because I found myself questioning Richard in general. Why couldn't he have taken the time out of his day off to send a message to simply apologize? Did he feel bad at all?
Richard had always been my rock. He was honest, direct and I never had to worry that something was going on behind my back. He was the solid constant I so desperately needed, but even something as small as not receiving a text made tiny cracks appear in that once strong rock. It may only be a sliver but it was a sliver that wasn't there before and little things like that had a tendency to do nothing but grow. Healing from my past with Stefan and Allie was hard enough, I really needed someone to rely on that I knew, without a single shred of doubt, would stand tall to keep me safe.
That one crack was enough to make me wonder if Richard could be that person I desired above all other things.
From the hallway I could smell Richard's delectable cooking skills and I felt my weary heart smile. Maybe I was just too hasty to jump to the conclusion that Richard may not be the man I thought him to be. Now that I rationally thought about my guy, I knew I was being crazy. Richard was always a face-to-face kind of guy. He probably prepared dinner, planned to apologize, and would spend the rest of the night making up for walking out on breakfast.
Suddenly I found my stomach growling and I didn't hesitate a second longer to start our night together. I just about broke down the door and let my nose guide me through the house. I stopped at the dining room table and felt my mood fall once again. The table wasn't set and I had a feeling it wasn't just because Richard hadn't gotten around to it yet.
"Richard?" I called out, wondering if maybe something had gone wrong. It didn't feel right that there was nothing special done for dinner.
"In here, darling." Richard responded from the kitchen.
Proceeding with caution I moved into the kitchen and stared at Richard's back as he washed dishes in the sink.