Page 5 of Desired Hearts (Bachelor Pact #2)

DELANEY

Finished counting the pills, I placed them in their container along with the label, checking the information three times.

It was monotonous work, and for the millionth time I wondered what had possessed me to become a pharmacist. Aside from an offhand comment from my college advisor, it had never been on my radar.

Medical school? Sure. A marine biologist?

For the longest time, that had been my dream.

And of course, an artist would have made total sense.

Instead here I was, back home, counting pills.

Stuck.

Reminding myself I was a glass-half-full, and not glass-half-empty, kind of girl, I shook off the self-pity.

I’d just decided last night to stop wallowing in the post-breakup blues and wasn’t going to start up with this train of thought.

I’d picked my career path and had been lucky enough to land this job in a town where my parents both still lived along with old friends, and new ones too.

Count your blessings, Delaney.

The bell startled me. It was a quiet late-January day with very little foot traffic. Not that Lakeside was a huge drug store and most people only came in for prescriptions, but we did have a few aisles of odds and ends and, in warmer months, had a steady stream of customers.

“Hey,” I said, walking to the counter to find Pia there. “What’s going on?”

“Surprise!” She held up a bag.

“That looks suspiciously like…” I leaned in closer. “No, you didn’t?”

“Yep, I did. Mason and I went for dinner and knew you were working late.” She handed me the bag. “There’s a fork in there too.”

“Stop,” I said, peeking inside. “What do I owe you?”

“Dinner. When’s your next night off?”

“Tomorrow, but?—”

“Done. Let’s go to The Grapevine. I’m dying for their stuffed pork chop.”

“Thank you,” I said, venturing a guess. “Jambalaya?”

“Obviously,” Pia teased. She knew the jambalaya from a local favorite New Orleans-themed restaurant, The Big Easy, was one of my favorites. “So what was your standby?”

“A banana and bag of Ruffles.”

Pia laughed. “Nice.”

For some reason, packing my lunch, or in tonight’s case dinner, was one of my least favorite chores. “In my defense, Becca called off. My original plan was to run out for something.”

“Uh huh.” Pia looked skeptical. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. That bracelet you made for me, the one with the turquoise stones?”

“Yeah?” I opened the bag. With no customers, there was no time like the present to dig in. If someone came in, I’d bring my food to the back.

“A couple checked in yesterday and she asked where I got it from. When I told her a friend made it, she asked if you could make her one. She said, and I quote, ‘whatever the cost.’”

Pia knew I only designed jewelry for friends. The idea of starting it as a business, plus long hours at the pharmacy, wasn’t in my immediate plans. A girl could dream though…

“Whatever the cost, huh?” I asked, intrigued. Taking a bite of jambalaya, I groaned at how good it was. Which made me immediately think of… him. “Oh my God,” I said between bites. “How about this one? The hottest guy ever came in this morning.”

“Ooooh, I like it. You weren’t kidding when you said you were ready to move on.”

I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, I’m not going there. But you have to hear this. He was mega hot. Outdoorsy type, brown hair, very well built… even beneath a jacket I could tell.”

“Sounds to me like you’re going there,” Pia hedged.

“I’m not, trust me. The thing is…” I took another bite, unable to help it. I was starving. Finished chewing, I said, “He was probably around thirtyish, and I’m telling you, a ten out of ten.”

“Obviously there’s a ‘but’ in there somewhere.”

“A big one. He was picking up… VitalFlow.”

Pia’s jaw dropped. “Get out?”

“Seriously.”

“Wow. That’s nuts. I didn’t know men could have that problem so young.”

“It’s much more common as men get older, but there are some things that can cause it in younger guys.”

“Such as?”

“Psychological factors, medications, other health conditions. It was just… surprising.”

“I bet. Tourist?”

“I assume. I’ve never seen him before.”

“You’ve been MIA since coming back.”

“True,” I admitted. “But he definitely isn’t from here. That’s not a face you forget. Plus he’s about our age, so I’d know him for sure.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“A little.” I thought back to our brief conversation. Aside from his good looks, and really affable smile, he also had one of the deepest voices of any man I’d ever met. Extremely sexy. “Poor guy.”

“Seriously. That has to make it hard to date.”

“Maybe he’s married?”

“Was there a ring?”

“No.”

Pia laughed. “So you noticed?”

“Perhaps,” I admitted with another bite. “But like I said, problem or no problem, I’m not interested.”

“In a relationship. But maybe a little tourist-action is just what you need to get back on the saddle.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

“So the bracelet?” Pia circled back around.

I did really enjoy making jewelry. And painting.

And even pottery. My mother had been shocked I went the science route in college.

She’d been convinced I would do something with art, but I had enough starving artist friends to know how viable that was as a career.

When I did decide on becoming a pharmacist, both of my parents were overjoyed.

“Fine,” I said. “Get her number.”

“Awesome. She’ll be thrilled. I also think it’ll be good for you.”

I knew exactly what Pia meant. Since the breakup, I hadn’t picked up a paintbrush, or even entertained going into my craft studio which had been converted from the second bedroom in my house.

“Maybe,” I said noncommittally. “I’m sure hanging out in a pharmacy isn’t on your Saturday night to-do list. What’s next?”

“I’m meeting Mason at O’Malley’s. You should come. Are you done at nine?”

“Yeah. Although I don’t understand why we stay open so late this time of the year. Before you, I think the last customer came in an hour and a half ago.”

“Because the owner is a dipshit.”

“True.”

“Come on,” she urged. “When was the last time you went out?”

“I go out plenty,” I argued.

“Not to dinner. I mean, out out?”

“It’s been a while,” I admitted. “But I’m not dressed and?—”

“Delaney.” Pia’s tone scared me.

“We’ll see,” I said, not willing to commit. I’d held up pretty well all day, but pretending I was okay, and totally ready to move on from Makis, had taken its toll. I also kinda wanted to go home, take a tub and then crawl into bed.

“Mmm hmm.” Pia gave me the stink eye, knowing me too well. “I’m not letting you off the hook. It’s time to rejoin the world of the living.”

The pharmacy door opened. “Thanks for dinner,” I said, moving my jambalaya to the back room. “I’ll text you.”

“You better,” Pia warned, waving. “Talk to you later.”

“Thanks again,” I called, shoving dinner to the side and heading back to the counter.

“Can I help you?” I asked the stranger.