Page 1 of Approved (The Dapper Duck #1)

Chapter one

WEST

Leaving for work at noon is an affront to whatever higher power was in charge of this place.

Even though my managers would have the bar under control, I knew they would appreciate me there just in case.

It was Valentine's Day, and I thought it was a stupid holiday, but it was great for business. The Dapper Duck would be packed tonight with couples celebrating or singles sulking; I would happily serve either one of them. My bar was my baby, and we had become one of the best bars in Denver—social media said we were probably one of the top five in the country.

I backed out of my garage and slammed on my brakes since a delivery van blocked my driveway. “Are you kidding me?” I waited. I assumed they would move in a few minutes. Through my review mirror, I could see the side of the truck was emblazoned with the words Flower Power, which I thought was a cute name. Being a florist on Valentine's Day must be exhausting.

After I waited about five minutes, I tooted my horn and hoped the driver would realize he had me blocked.

After five more minutes, it was already 12:20 p.

m.

, a few hours before we opened.

I usually didn’t even get there until 2:00 p.

m.

The truck stayed where it was, so I got out and headed toward where the driver pointed at the windshield.

“Earl, so help me if your lips touch those flowers. I am going to make you eat only vegetables for a month.”

The van’s hood was up, but I saw nobody inside the cab.

I was unsure who he was talking to, but I decided to point out the situation he had put me in.

“Hey, can you move up a little so I can pull out?”

“No.”

The fuck did this guy mean by that?

He had blocked my driveway.

“Look, I can see you are having some sort of problem here, but you are keeping me from my job.”

“We all have jobs. You think I do this shit for free. Stupid fucking holiday…” He looked inside the engine compartment.

“But great for business,” We said together.

He looked up at me.

Our eyes caught for a minute, something sparked, and I smiled since we shared the same sentiment.

Damn, he was hot and looked frazzled, but under all that, there was confidence about the way he held himself.

He wore a polo with the company logo stitched into it, khakis, and a pair of well-worn Chucks.

He was tall and lean, built like a swimmer, with a mop of blond hair flopped over his forehead.

Yeah, he was fucking cute.

“I don’t know what is wrong with this thing, but it won’t start, and I am stuck in front of your driveway. So sorry, buddy, but I think we are both screwed.” He lifted his shoulder in a shrug and pulled out his phone.

“What about the other guy you were talking to in the cab?”

He narrowed his eyes at me, then smiled.

“Earl? No, he won’t be able to help.”

I knew I should be annoyed at this guy, but something about him was like I knew him, but I couldn’t figure out where.

“Oh.” That confused me since I knew three of us could maybe push it a few feet, but it would be too much for him and me.

“Well, that sucks.” I didn’t have much more I could offer.

“Indeed, it does. Do you want to take a look?”

“Sure.” I went over and looked into the engine compartment.

It made no sense to me, but I figured I should at least give him some support since he asked.

“It looks like an engine.”

He looked at me.

“Aren’t you going to poke around to see what’s wrong?” I smiled when he narrowed his eyes at me again.

It was cute that he thought I would be able to do something.

“I can make twenty different flavors of martinis, but this,” I pointed to the engine.

“I know nothing about.”

He nearly threw himself down on the curb and put his head in his hands.

“I could use one of those martinis now. This is my shop’s first Valentine’s Day, and it’s ruined.”

What I should do was call an Uber and leave this guy to figure out his shit, but he was cute, and as the owner of the bar, I didn’t have to be there.

Usually, I walked around the bar greeting customers, handled issues when they came up, and helped my staff with whatever they needed.

They could cover that.

My problem was that I hated that this guy was distressed.

“Tell you what. You can come to my bar and have all the martinis you want on me. First, let's do something about our immediate situation.”

“Our? I am already behind on all my deliveries, and I have no hope of getting them done without the van. God damn it.” I felt bad for him, the situation had to suck. I knew enough about the holiday that people would want their tokens of love delivered promptly. He looked up at me. “I’m sorry. None of this is your fault. Let me call a tow truck, and I guess I will start notifying customers that they won’t get their flowers or will be very late. I won’t be able to overcome this, and I will have to close my shop.”

Oh shit, when he said that I felt even worse for him. Without asking, I opened the back door of his van and found that the inside was packed with flowers. Nobody else was in the truck, which made me wonder who he had talked to earlier. The adorable florist was on the phone, probably calling that tow truck. Taking a minute, an idea formed. Closing the van back up, I sat next to him on the curb and waited for him to finish.

He looked over to me, even more frazzled than before. “The tow truck will be here in a few hours. Let me pay for an Uber so you can continue your day.” That was nice of him, but I was invested now.

“Nah. I think I have a plan. I’m West Parker.” I held out my hand.

“Tyler Brooks.” He shook my hand without any enthusiasm. That just wouldn’t do.

I took a good look at him, and he had gorgeous amber eyes that looked tired. Then, trying not to be obvious, I took a good look at his forearms and shoulders. I should be embarrassed by my ogling. “I can’t help but notice you have a lot of flowers to deliver, and you seem a bit agitated. I’d like to help.” He narrowed his eyes at me. When he gave me that look the first time, I was a little annoyed, but now it was his habit, and I found it sexy. Okay, libido, calm down.

“Why?”

That made me smile for some reason, and I wasn’t even sure how to answer his question. The honest answer was that I was drawn to him, and my parents raised me to be a good guy, so why not? But I didn’t think he would appreciate the first part, so I threw something vague out. “I’m not sure. I feel like you could use the help, I guess.” That seemed pretty middle of the road, and didn’t betray my desire to rub up against his firm body.

“I’ve managed all this time by myself, I can manage it now. It’s a stupid fucking holiday for people trying to prove that they love each other. Why do they need a holiday? If the shop didn’t make so much money, I would close on Valentine’s Day and refuse orders.”

I nodded. “We will be packed tonight, all these couples cuddling and kissing in the corner, or the miserable people that drink way too much because they don’t have someone sucking up to them.” He was probably the first person I had ever met who felt like I did about beloved Valentine’s Day. It was refreshing. “Now let me help you get your flowers delivered, and you won’t have to close your shop because mistresses didn’t get their tokens of 'love'.” I gave him a conspiratorial grin and hoped he would like the joke.

“I don’t need the help, and I was being dramatic. I won’t lose my business. I have it under control, you can go now.”

He was feisty, and I liked it. I ignored him and quickly called my friend, who had a refrigerated van for his catering business. He was out of town this weekend with his husband, so his vehicle would be available. We made arrangements, and long before the tow truck arrived, my buddy's son pulled up in the truck with someone following him. “Sup, Uncle West.

”

I had the pleasure of knowing this young man for the last few years and appreciated that he drove over, or at least his parents made him drive over.

He was a good kid at eighteen, but I was sure this was a hassle for him.

He hugged me and handed me the keys.

“Thanks. Stay out of trouble while your Dads are out of town.” He smirked at me.

“I’ve got a girl waiting for me.” He waggled his eyebrows and got in the car that followed him.

Shaking my head, I gave him a wave and then turned to Tyler.

“Alright, let’s load it up and make some deliveries. I am guessing you are probably a few hours behind.” Tyler looked at me, eyes wide.

“That’s a refrigerated truck?”

“Yes, it is. Should I just start without you?” I jumped up.

“I can’t believe you did this. Thank you. Wait a minute, let me make sure Earl won’t get out.” He opened the driver’s side, and he started to talk.

“Look, I don’t like this situation any more than you do, but for now, you have to get in the bag.”

I tried to see what he was doing and who he was talking to without being creepy.

“You’ll approve, though. He seems nice and handsome and owns a bar. I’ll let you have a virgin daiquiri if you behave.” I smiled.

“Yes, with whipped cream.”

He pulled a backpack out with some paperwork and moved it to the front of the catering truck.

“Okay, Mr. Parker, we can move the bouquets to the other truck.”

“Please call me West.” My curiosity about whom he kept talking to ate away at me, but I got busy moving his orders.

Each arrangement was gorgeous, and I could see the appeal of having someone give you flowers, but why would you have to wait for a specific day?

If you care about someone, you should tell them and show them all the time.

About twenty minutes later, I closed the doors with a satisfied thump.

We got in the truck cab, and Tyler called the tow company, explained where the van was, and left the key under the mat so they could take it to the garage.

I took a look at the super cute passenger and knew that spending some time with him would not be a hardship.

The backpack on his lap shifted.

“Your bag is moving.”

He unzipped the pack and looked in.

I tried to see inside, but I couldn’t see anything.

“Earl, I am going to let you hang out up here with us, but will you behave. No distracting our new friend, and no eating the flowers because you are nervous in a new vehicle.”

I watched as a silver head popped up and a dragon about the size of a cat climbed out.

I looked at him in awe.

“You have a dragon?!”

“Yeah. This is Earl.”

“Can I touch him?”

He smiled at me.

“Of course. Cup your hand like this.” He grabbed my hand and shaped it like I would sip water.

I moved toward the silver head, and he pushed toward my hand.

“Oh shit.”

The dragon climbed out of the bag and stretched out his wings.

I watched while he chuffed around and looked at the truck’s interior.

He shook his head and then jumped up on the dash.

I had never seen a dragon up close.

People had them as pets, or the small animals worked with a companion in various capacities, but I had never seen one up close.

He was amazing.

The scales on his back were iridescent silver, whereas the ones on his belly were white.

“Fuck Tyler, he is cool.”

“He can be a pain in the ass, but I love him. I am lucky that my family can have them because of our lineage.

I held my hand out, and Earl pushed against my palm. I rubbed his head and down his neck. “Really neat.

Okay, where are we going?

”

He looked at his phone.

“First delivery is a house about four blocks from here.”

Parking in front of the address, Tyler found the order and went to the door; when the woman answered, she squealed.

He laughed, handed off the flowers, then jogged down their sidewalk and jumped back in.

He had a smile that reached his eyes, which made him even more attractive.

“It’s always nice to give someone a surprise like that. Flowers make people happy nearly all the time,” he said as he looked up the next location.

There were three in one office building, so I entered the GPS information and headed that direction.

We delivered orders for the next several hours.

When Tyler would go to deliver something, Earl would get on my lap and watch.

It was like he got nervous when Tyler wasn’t around.

He asked if I wanted to go to the door on the last delivery.

“It’s fun to see people smile.”

“Okay. Do I do anything special?” I had wondered what it would be like to light up someone’s day, at least with something other than alcohol.

“Confirm their name, have them sign that they received the bouquet, and smile.” It sounded like something I could handle.

I took the flowers to the front door and knocked.

A guy about as tall as me but much broader answered the door.

He looked at me, and I gave him my best smile.

“I have a delivery here for Angela.” I handed the clipboard to him so he could sign for the delivery.

As soon as I got the paperwork back, he smashed the vase against the stucco wall.

“Angela! Who is sending you flowers?”

I backed away, unsure what to think, when Angela appeared at the door.

“What are you talking about?” She plucked the card from the ground where the glass had shattered.

“These are from my son, you idiot.” I laughed to myself, thinking the whole time, stupid holiday.

I got back in the truck.

We had been at it for nearly four hours, and I was long overdue for work, but I had enjoyed my time with Tyler and Earl.

While we made the deliveries, we had discussed our dislike for the holiday, but agreed it was nice to see how happy some of the recipients were.

Even the last customer would make a good story.

“We did it. Everyone got their flowers. Some of them were late, but nobody seemed mad about it. I appreciate your help.” I hated the idea of him leaving.

We had fun, and his company was top-notch.

“Yeah. We got them all delivered. I hope you won’t have to close your shop now.” I looked at him, knowing he would comment on my teasing.

“I guess not. It’s a shame, too, because I was going to become a stripper.”

“I’d pay to see that.” He looked at me with his eyes wide.

It was a little bold, but why not?

He was a hot guy, and I bet he looked amazing naked.

“Oh.” He continued to look at me, a little surprised.

“Thank you?”

“What? You’d kill it.” This time, he blushed and smiled.

Before the guy combusted, I decided to bail him out with a topic change.

“How about I make you an amazing martini while I stop and check on my bar?”

“You know what? I think that is a great idea. You gave up your day for me, the least I can do is let you give me booze.” I liked his sense of humor, and was glad I’d get more time with him.

“Yeah. It’s the least you can do.” I was excited to show him my business after spending the day learning about his.

I had a new respect for florists because they had to hustle on big holidays like this.

As we headed to The Dapper Duck, I decided I’d like to take him out on a proper date.

What I knew about him so far, I liked, and getting to know him more appealed to me.

Still there was familiar feeling that was nagging me.