Series: Chicago Sin Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
I don’t like it. And it gets me thinking maybe I have more to worry about than I thought.
And now I’m getting fucking paranoid.
Like thinking I shouldn’t have ordered from Gio’s last night. People know me there. The owner would know my name. And I used a debit card, which means now they have me connected to Hannah’s address. So I might’ve ruined my plan of laying low at her place.
It’s the reason I took her van to a random mechanic this morning. I know mechanics. Guys who would give me a great deal on it or even do the work for free. But there is no way I’m gonna link Hannah and her business to my name. She’s already in this shit deep enough. If something happened to her because of me, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
I watch her at her workbench, putting together new arrangements. She’s talented. And in over her head.
I want to help her.
It’s the first thing I’ve been clear on—apart from wanting to fuck her—since I got out. First thing that’s generated even a spark of interest.
Too bad me getting involved with her business is the worst idea. If I really did care about her business, I’d stay way the hell away.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hannah
My stomach is in a knot up under my ribs. Or maybe that’s my diaphragm on lock-down. Must be because I can’t really breathe. My stress level shot to freak-out mode when Armando was asking me about the business.
Tears prick my eyes as I make up bouquets I don’t need. Working with the flowers is the only thing that makes me happy here, though. I mean, it makes me happy in general—that’s why I gave up my scholarship to nursing school—my mom’s plan for me—to buy the flower shop. Flowers make me happy. I like their colors, their delicate textures, their smells. I love that I get to work with such a beautiful medium and use my eye and creativity in the arrangements.
College didn’t suit me. I may have been a straight-A student, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed it. No, when Mary Alice approached me to take over, I wanted this more than anything in the world.
But now it seems like I made a huge mistake.
Armando walks in from the back door, and I frown at him. There’s a little bit of hate rattling around in me toward him right now.
I know it’s not his fault, but he told me the thing I’ve been hiding from myself for the last six months. I made a huge mistake buying Garden of Eden. I gave up my education and sure-thing career, and now I am going to lose everything.
“Hey.” He leans a hip against the bench and watches me. “I wasn’t trying to piss you off.”
“I’m not pissed,” I lie in a tight voice. What I really mean is I don’t want to be pissed because it isn’t his fault I’m drowning here.
“I wasn’t criticizing your decision or your business, Hannah.”
Sure as hell isn’t how it feels.
“Look at me.”
I ignore his command.
“Hannah.” He plays Mr. Forceful very well. I’ll bet he makes guys pee their pants when he wants to.
I turn to him with lips tight. Pressure bottlenecks in my throat, threatening to explode.
“You’re not totally fucked. And you didn’t fuck up, either.”
I blink at him. Interesting summary. Oddly, his words settle around me with a comforting sort of thud.
He cocks his head. “You wanna make this work, right?”
I open my mouth, taken aback by the redirect on my angst. It’s all still sitting there in my chest, but it stopped simmering. Stopped churning. “Yes,” I snap, even though he doesn’t deserve my anger.
“Hey.” He brings one hand to settle on my waist. It does jumpy things to my insides, especially considering how on edge I am. “You’re worried. I get it. But you have choices.”
I find myself drifting closer to him, like the strength in that rock-solid body or his cock-sure attitude will magically transmit to me. “What choices?”
He shrugs. “You can keep worrying and do the same thing you’ve been doing.”
I scowl, my lungs tightening again.
“Or you can start trying new things to grow your business. Because that’s what you want, right? To grow it?”
I nod. Yeah. That’s what I’d imagined when I decided to buy. I didn’t picture myself just maintaining things the way Mary Alice had done them for years, and I definitely didn’t think I’d have even less business than she had.
“I can’t grow it when I have no money to invest. I mean, I couldn’t even get the van fixed to keep deliveries going. That’s why I’ve just been stuck treading water since I bought it.”
“Then you figure something out.”
I blink up at him. “Seriously? That’s your advice?”
“Not every idea costs money. And money doesn’t only come from one source.”