Ben wasn’t sure if Stacy would even still remember him when he knocked on her front door. She was always so popular and he was, well, not. It was his last delivery of the day and the coffee he had at lunch had long since worn off. The name on the box surprised him, she was always so beautiful in high school that he assumed she’d be married, it’d been ten years after all.
When the door opened he stood in awe. It was as if she hadn’t aged a day. He thought of what he must’ve looked like, twenty pounds heavier and a bald spot on the back of his head.
“Ben?” He saw her lips move and announce his name without being able to hear her through the glass door. When she opened she repeated herself. “Ben, don’t tell me, Howard?”
“That’s right,” he replied, handing her the box. “I uh,” he fumbled the order of events to follow in his head, eventually grabbing the tablet he had in a large pocket on his left pant leg and handing it over to her as well.
She held the package in one hand for a moment and the tablet in the other until Ben took the package back.
“If it’s over a certain amount we need a signature,” he said. He wondered how much he was blushing. “How’s life been treating you?” The question lingered in his head for a moment afterward, it wasn’t a ‘smooth’ question in the least.
“Well enough,” she replied. “I’ve been working the desk at my father’s plumbing business since after high school. He keeps saying that it’ll be all mine someday, but to be honest with you I have my sights set elsewhere.”
“Oh yeah? Where’s that?”
“Out of this town. I’d like to find roots in the big city.” She finished writing her name and traded the tablet for the box. “I’m just not sure how to go about planting the seed. I’ve been putting it off for so long I’m beginning to doubt it’ll ever happen.”
He fidgeted with the tablet, using it to keep looking busy so he wouldn’t have to walk away so soon. “You’ll know when the time is right,” he finally said. “I left here after high school and look what happened.” He laughed. “I came back like a boomerang.”
“Let me know if you need another toss,” she replied. She tucked her brown hair behind her ear. “It was nice seeing you, Ben.”
“You too.” He turned around and started walking towards his truck, but spun on his heel and walked back towards the door before she had a chance to close it. “Would you like to catch up sometime? Maybe over drinks?”
“I’d like that,” she replied. “Give me your phone and I’ll punch my number in.”
Thank you for reading this week’s entry of Friday Romance. I hope you enjoyed! Please share with friends and family if you wish, this helps my newsletter grow and reach more readers.
If you’re looking for more reading options, I have a book available on Kindle as well as various serials on Kindle Vella.
The Centennial Courtship on Kindle. Please leave a review on Amazon if you’ve read it. You can either write a review or just rate it out of 5 stars.
Abigail Bloom's life is thrown into a sweeping romance when a new deputy rolls into the small town of Brooks Landing, but when her ex-husband enters back into her life, she's unsure if she can hold onto her new chance at true love. A break-in in the small town causes Abigail's ex to suspect the new deputy - Can she trust her new love interest or is he using her as an alibi?
How about some serial fiction? “One Town Over” on Kindle Vella offers up another small town romance, this time set in Peek Creak (which may sound familiar if you’ve read “The Centennial Courtship”). Follow along as a new romance blooms! You can read on your phone/tablet/computer. (contemporary romance, office romance, romantic comedy)
(First 3 episodes FREE) John Prince's life in Peak Creek seems perfect. He's been seeing Cassandra Queen for six months and hopes to move in together. However, Cassandra resists the change, putting John's romantic future into question. When an opportunity to advance at work opens up, John feels his luck turning around. Katie Young, a recent transfer at the firm, has other plans. Their rivalry collides when they have to co-present during a company retreat.
Story collection serials:
The Fantasy of Love: A Romance Story Collection
The Mystery of Love: A Romance Story Collection
The Science of Love: A Romance Story Collection
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