Dear Ethan: A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 17: Encounter

*Jodie*

Oh my fucking god.

My heart was pounding like crazy.

He was the last person I expected to see today. I looked at my reflection in my pocket mirror before groaning. 

I looked like I had been run over by a pack of wild animals. Which wasn't a stretch considering the stampede this morning.

Grown women were practically fighting each other over our new cupcake flavors. I was pretty sure I had frosting all over my clothes from all the pushing and shoving.

I quickly pulled my hair back up into a ponytail. Someone had accidentally yanked my scrunchie out of my hair during the brawl this morning. I blew on a stray strand of hair as I tried to make my hair look normal.

Breathe. It's just Ethan standing out there. Maybe he doesn't even recognize you. 

Just ring up the order and give him the receipt. I closed my eyes shut.

Except it wasn't just Ethan anymore.

The Ethan I knew in high school was no longer just some boy I had a crush on. Ethan was on the cover of magazines now. He was famous. Nicknamed the NFL's Golden Boy.

How was this even possible? We hadn't seen each other in almost ten years.

And...my pulse raced as I bit my lip. He looked really good. 

He looked cute during high school but he had filled out once he turned pro. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Ethan was here. In my bakery. With his insanely broad shoulders and strong jawline.

Those mesmerizing green eyes that made his rabid female fanbase swoon.

After college I went on a few dates but nothing stuck. And once the bakery business picked up there was no time for dating or much of a social life. We were a two women business at the time and worked all night to fulfill orders. Sam and I promised each other no distractions.

But once I saw Ethan a loud alarm bell went off my head. 

That familiar pull I felt for him never went away. In fact it felt even stronger now as if I was sliding into his center of gravity. This was a big distraction.

Sam came up to me looking concerned. By the look on her face, she recognized him too.

And how could you not when he was one of the most famous football players in the country?

"Do you want me to ring him up?" She said, brushing her hand over my shoulder. I shook my head. I was a big girl and I could do it myself. And it wasn't like he recognized me. I was just some girl he knew back in high school. It must feel like a million years ago for him. And that was fine with me.

"I can go, Jodie," Andie said, looking up from piping frosting onto a cake with a dreamy expression on her face. Andie was usually a little shy when it came to speaking to customers but she looked more than happy to ring Ethan up. I groaned. 

Today of all the days.

Sam smiled kindly at Andie. "It's okay, Jodie will go."

"Okay, " said Andie, looking a bit disappointed before she went back to frosting a carrot cupcake.

Come on. Get it together. Treat him like a customer. I clenched my core and put on a smile before pushing through the door. Ethan was standing there looking around at the wall with all the framed vintage signs before his eyes drifted over to me. Keep the interaction short.

"Sorry, I had to take care of something back there," I mumbled, not meeting his eyes as I rang him up.

"Hey, no worries," he said, his voice was a smooth low baritone that made my skin tingle. His hands pulled out his wallet. "I have cash, by the way, I saw the sign outside."

"Great," I muttered, taking the bills from his hand carefully and opening the register. 

Give the man his change and his receipt. Wish him a good day. And then you will never have to experience this awkward encounter again.

"Do you normally sell out quickly? He said, his low voice breaking into my thoughts. I grunted in response.

 Okay, that was rude. I had to say more than that.

"We usually sell out before 11 am but we released a few new limited edition flavors today so we had a lot of regulars show up early." I said briskly, counting out his change.

"That's too bad, I was hoping to try some." He said wistfully. "Any chance you'll have more later?"

Lie. Just lie. Tell him it's all out indefinitely. Forever. There's a worldwide butter shortage. We would be closing immediately. I will just file for bankruptcy and never show my face again.

"We usually restock after 1 pm. But I can't make any guarantees. The lunch hour crowd is just as crazy."

He nodded as I passed back his change, our fingers grazing briefly before I pulled back my hand, trying to ignore the spark that passed through my fingertips.

"I'll have to stop by again later then." He said, smiling down at me. Those green eyes were lethal. It was impossible not to melt and turn into a puddle when he looked at me like that.

He still tugged at my heartstrings. This was bad.

Wait. What did he just say?

I froze. He was coming back here again? Today? What was going on?

Mercury had to be in retrograde or something.

"You can try," I managed to get out trying to stay cool. "I can't make any promises though. Red Velvet Delight is a crowd pleaser."

He nodded like he was mulling something over before taking the large white rectangular box into his hands.

"I love red velvet. I'll definitely need to visit again then." He gave me another heart-stopping smile, his turquoise eyes crinkling upwards. My mouth opened but no words came out.

The door chimed when he left. I let out a loud exhale while Sam poked her head through the gap in the backdoor to check in. I gave her the OK sign and she turned around. I looked up at the ceiling, before collapsing onto the register, massaging away the ache in my neck. My ears were still buzzing.

But I couldn't help myself. It was like I no longer had control of my own eyeballs. They wandered over to the window and watched as Ethan carefully placed the box in the back seat of his black SUV before getting in the front and shutting the door.

Yes, drive off and never come back. Leave this place.

But then my eyes widened. 

Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

Instead of backing out of the parking spot, he was getting out of the car again and heading straight for the front door.

Was it too late to flip the sign over? Could I still make a run for it? I made a move for the back door. I am a fucking coward but who cares. But before I could get to it, the bell chimed again.

I froze, turning around as he came up to me, smiling.

"Actually I have one more question for you."

"Yes?" I squeaked out. 

My voice was suddenly made of helium like I was a cartoon mouse. Can the floor just open up and take me now?

"When do you get off work?" I felt my face flush.

"The store closes at 6 pm. Why?"

He smiled warmly at me, looking at me with an earnest expression that made my insides want to explode. 

And then he said the words I waited to hear for the past ten years.

"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight." 

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Screaming internally! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far :) Make sure to vote if you want to see what happens next...