“I bet Lorene is smitten,” I say.
“Oh, she is. She kept patting his hand and telling him he was a good boy.” Claire laughs.
I cross the street in front of the church with the musket balls from the Civil War lodged in the steeple. Across the street sits the post office, and next to it, Buds and Branches. Baskets of wine-colored mums line the steps leading into the flower shop.
My stride falters as I realize I have walked right to the shop and didn’t even realize it.
“So what are you doing today, anyway?” Claire asks.
“Job hunting.”
“You sound way too happy to be job hunting.”
“Well, I guess I kind of am. Might be fun.”
“What kind of thing are you considering?” she asks.
I look at the beautiful window of Buds and Branches, but something swishes in my stomach. It’s as if I say it out loud, I’ll jinx myself. “I’m thinking about being a chef.”
“You can’t cook.”
I shrug. “Well, I’m not sure I’m actually qualified for anything at the moment, but I’ll figure it out. I’m creating my best life over here. A little support would go a long way.”
“I’m supportive,” she protests. “I just want to make sure your best life is well rounded. And realistic.” She pauses. “Nix the chef thing, Haley. Trust me on this.”
I step around a broken piece of sidewalk. “You are kind of mean, you know that?”
“It was kind of mean to almost kill me with food poisoning too.”
“There was a recall on spinach. That’s not my fault. Furthermore,” I say, “let’s take a moment to realize no one has died of food poisoning from candy.”
“Which is not food, which means you shouldn’t be a chef. Case closed.”
“Look,” I say. “I didn’t say I was sold on it. I said I’m looking at my options. Opening my mind to new possibilities.”
The line muffles before Claire comes back. “A couple just walked in. Are you almost here?”
“Yes,” I say, waving at my friend Jennifer, the owner of Buds and Branches, through the window. “But I’m going to say hi to Jennifer first, if that’s okay.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers, right?”
I grin. “Right. I’ll see you in a few. I need to drop off Trevor’s jacket, anyway.”
A not-so-subtle gasp shoots through the line. I imagine Claire’s eyes going wide, her jaw hanging open. It makes me chuckle.
“Whoa, hold up. Did you just say you have Trevor’s jacket?” she asks. “You have his clothes? Haley!”
“Relax.” I laugh. “I borrowed it last night. It’s fine.”
“You were with him last night? Forget about you firing me from being your friend. If you are holding out, we’re done here.” She gasps again, this time for effect. “Spill it. And do it quick because some of the customers are staring at me and it’s getting awkward.”
“Oh, my gosh, Claire. Go to work.”
“No. Not until you tell me what’s up.”
“I ran into him at Graber’s last night and we got to talking in the parking lot and he let me borrow his jacket. It’s no big deal.”
“That’s a huge deal. Huge.”
“It’s not. Really.” My stomach flutters as I snuggle into the fabric and let the feeling cuddle me. I wonder if he cuddles—no. “He was being nice. Besides, much to your dismay, it’s not like that between us.”
She snorts. “It’s not pheromone-fueled? Fun? Sweet? Fated?”
“Will you stop?” I laugh. “You sound ridiculous. Now will you just go wait on your customers before we’re both out of a job? You have tuition to pay for, may I remind you.”
A long, hefty sigh hits my ear. “Fine.”
“Fine. Talk to you soon.”
“Bye.”
Pressing open the door to Buds and Branches, I’m immediately hit with the scent of flowers. The light, romantic vibe of the building makes me smile. It reminds me of my mother.
My mom was such an optimist, always seeing the beauty and hope in things. She wore the prettiest floral perfume that smelled like roses still damp from the morning dew. She was the epitome of a lady and all that I hope to be someday.
Jennifer looks up from the desk. “Hey, you,” she says, grinning wide. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, not much,” I say, slipping off Trevor’s jacket. I think about hanging it on the hook by the door but don’t really want to let it go. So I toss it over my arm instead. “I just thought I’d come by and see what you are doing. The fall decor looks amazing, Jen.”
“Thanks.” She looks back at the start of an arrangement in front of her. “I’ve had a heck of a time getting it together since Dana quit.”
“She did? Why?”
She looks up from the bouquet she’s working on. “She ran off with some guy she met on a dating app. I told her to be careful.” She shakes her head. “Kids these days.”
“Hey, at least she found love somehow. I might use a dating app when I go back into the fray.”
“Don’t do that,” she says. “You don’t need an app to find a nice guy.”
“I need something,” I mutter. “Anyway, I don’t have time to worry about it right now. The library let me go yesterday, so all my attention is focused on that.”
She drops her hand. A pair of scissors clatters against the tabletop. “I heard they didn’t get the funding they were after.” She frowns. “I’m sorry, Haley.”
“Thanks. It sucks. But I slept in today, so silver linings, right?”
“I have to say, I’d love a couple of days off right now.” She goes back to work on the flowers. “Tom wants to take me to Hawaii for our anniversary, but I can’t leave this place. Especially not now with Dana gone. Besides,” she huffs, “I’m barely in the black the way it is. If the place in Rockery would get caught up with the modern age and actually appeal to the area, I’d be in the red. But I can’t close Buds and Branches, because I love it too much.”
“I love this place too,” I say.
“Hey,” Jennifer says, shaking a rose at me. “You know what—”
She’s cut off by a phone ringing in the back. She sighs, obviously annoyed.
“Would you mind watching the front for me for a second?” she asks. “That’s my cell and it’s probably Tom and he’s probably irritated I didn’t give him a straight answer on Hawaii last night. So this is going to take a second.”
“Go. I got this,” I say.
She disappears into the back.
I mosey around the store, stopping to smell the sweet roses and perfume-like gardenias. The blend of aromas is almost like a high. I could lose myself in the store for days, just like I could in a library.
Could I work here? Honestly? I look around the room and take in the beauty. I think I could. I think I could be happy here. But is it possible?
The arrangement Jen was working on sits on the desk. I venture over to it. It’s a blend of multicolored Peruvian lilies, some of my favorite flowers. I pick up a few orange ones and find spots to nest them. When I step back, something still looks missing.
My attention is caught by a few gorgeous red roses in the cooler. I snag a couple of them and place them carefully into the mix.
“That looks wonderful,” Jen says.
I look over my shoulder to see her leaning against the doorframe. “I hope you don’t mind. I . . .” I shrug like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “I added the lilies and then thought the roses would be pretty. I can totally take them out if you want.”
“Don’t you dare.” She comes up beside me and inspects it more closely. “It’s perfect.”
I clasp my hands together and smile. “I think so too.”
“This will make someone very happy. Maybe someone will come in today and snag this for their wife.”
“Do people still do that?” I ask. “I mean, I can’t think of actually getting flowers from a guy before. I’ve even had them tell me they we
re a waste of money because they die.” I pretend to cry. “No one remembers that flowers are a language of love.”
“The good ones remember.” She takes the vase and puts it in the front of the display cooler. “You know,” she says, “I can always tell a couple that’s going to make it just by watching them in here for a few minutes.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No. I’m not.”
“Then when I go back to dating, I’m bringing every guy in here for your take.”
She laughs. “Oh, Haley.”
“I mean it,” I insist. “I’m too old to mess around with guys who don’t want to bring me flowers.” I think about what I just said. “You know what? I think I’m turning into my mother.”
“I bet your mother was an amazing woman.”
“My mom was . . . Yes. She was amazing,” I say. “But let’s go back to this telltale love thing. I’m fascinated. How do you know?”
She brushes bits of flower petals from the desk. “Tom and I have been married for almost twenty years. We learned to communicate somewhere over the last couple of decades, and the one thing I’ve learned is this: you say and hear the most when there aren’t words exchanged.”
“That is so counterintuitive.”
“It is. But think about it.” She plucks a tulip out of a display and brings it to her nose. “I can tell when a couple comes in to do their wedding flowers if they’ll make it by how they act when no one is talking. Anyone can promise someone the world or pick a fight, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“Those things mean nothing. But when I go in the back to do a quick mock-up of an arrangement and peek around the corner and see a couple laughing or comforting each other with a simple look—those are the ones that make it. You almost have to take the ‘I love you’ out of it to know they are in love, if that makes sense.”
“Yeah. Kind of,” I say, trying to wrap my head around it. I don’t get too far when the door chimes behind me. I turn to see Gary Rambis walking in.
“Well, good morning, Haley,” he says. “What brings you here?”
“I was just walking to the Dogwood Café and thought I’d come in to see Jen and the fall flowers. What about you?”
“I thought I’d take Amanda some flowers at lunch. Neely said her mom likes daisies,” he says, jamming his hands in his pockets. “Today is our dating anniversary, and I thought I’d do a little something special for her.” His brow furrows. “That’s what you do, right? Or is that cheesy? I haven’t done this in so long.”
I giggle at how cute he is. “Flowers are never the wrong answer, Gary.”
He wipes an invisible line of sweat from his brow. “Whew. I was afraid the rules had changed since I’ve done this.”
“Nope. It was good seeing you,” I tell him.
Looking up at Jennifer, I slip on Trevor’s jacket again. My stomach starts to churn as I realize I haven’t asked about a job yet. Anxiety hits me full on with every worst-case scenario playing through my mind like wildfire.
Then as I start toward the door, a whiff of roses tickles my nose. I stop and turn around.
“Hey, Jennifer,” I say. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Are you looking for help?”
I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. Avoiding Gary’s gaze, I look at Jennifer as confidently as I can and pray this was a good decision.
She grins. “You know, I was going to bring that up to you earlier, and then Tom called. Are you interested?”
“Definitely. I mean, if you think I could do it.”
She stands straight, a smile painted on her face. “Of course you could do it. You’d be great at it. I just need to talk to Tom about a few things first.” She pauses and glances quickly at Gary. “I’ll call you in a couple of days if that works for you?”
“Absolutely. Thanks, Jennifer.” I give her a quick wave and step back outside.
The sun is a bit higher in the sky, my spirits right there with it. I almost skip down the road toward the Dogwood Café.
I glance down at Trevor’s jacket hanging to my knees and laugh.
CHAPTER NINE
TREVOR
I shut the truck door behind me. “This is the only place to get lunch, huh?”
Penn is leaning against the side of his pickup. “If you want food it is. If you want—”
“Act like you got some sense, will ya, Penn?” Dane comes around the corner of Penn’s truck, shaking his head. “Seriously.”
“How do you know Trev’s not looking for a piece of something other than pie?” Penn holds out his hands. “Just trying to give the guy options.”
Dane looks at me in a silent apology. All I can do is laugh.
Spending the morning with these two plus Dane’s brother, Matt, has been more than I expected. They’re some of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen, but somehow manage to do it with a spirit of fun you just don’t see when people are working for a living.
Penn claps me on the back. “Ignore Dane. Now that he’s holed up with Neely, he’s kind of boring. If you want to get to know the area intimately, let me know.” He looks at Dane. “There. Did you like that phrasing better?”
Dane walks by, ignoring Penn.
“I love how you’re all politically correct all of a sudden,” Penn calls after him. “You used to be so much fun.”
Dane flips him the bird, making us laugh.
Penn turns to me. “All joking aside, if you’ll be in town long and want to meet some people, I’m your guy. There’s a little get-together tonight at Brittney’s. She’s got a thing for me,” he says, a twinkle in his eye. “But there’ll be some others there.”
“Thanks, man. But I’m gonna have to pass tonight.”
Penn shrugs. “If you change your mind, you know how to find me.”
We step onto the concrete patio in front of the Dogwood Café. Penn switches topics and rattles on about the plumbing subcontractor at the jobsite. I follow along until I see Haley through the window.
She’s sitting at the bar, her back to us. Dane is standing next to her with his hand on the back of her chair. I watch as her shoulders rise and fall, a response to a question I can’t hear. I don’t realize I’m staring until Penn clears his throat.
“What was that?” I ask, pulling my gaze away from Haley.
Penn is watching me with an impish grin. “That one,” he says, nodding toward Haley, “is a handful.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He looks through the glass. “She’s not like most girls around here. I give her hell, but only because she gives it right back. I don’t know what I’d do if she actually gave me the time of day. Probably die with my cock in my hand.”
She throws her head back, laughing at Dane, the ends of her hair brushing against the curve of her hip. She’s even prettier when she’s not trying to one-up me. The thought makes me chuckle.
“She probably knows that and uses it against you,” I point out with a grin of my own.
Penn shrugs, like that explains everything there is to know about Haley. He slips his hands in his pockets as he watches her. “When Mia was born, Dane was all kinds of fucked up. He didn’t know a damn thing about raising a baby. Then Haley came to town and kind of saved him, in a way.”
“Dane seems to respect her,” I say.
“He does. I think we all do. She’s just too good of a girl.” Penn twists his lips. “Even me, with the asshole gene I carry, wouldn’t mess with her.”
I look at him. “You’re telling me that if she wanted to sleep with you, you’d turn her down?” I raise a brow. “You want me to believe that?”
“I don’t want you to believe anything. I’m just telling you how it is. She spits a good game, but it’s fake. On the other side of all that personality is a woman who’s not as mean as she pretends to be.” He runs a hand over his chin. “Damn it if she ain’t gorgeous, though.”
That she is. Sexy, too, even without tryi
ng.
He doesn’t wait for a response. He opens the door and holds it for me.
The scent of hamburgers fills the air as I step inside the little restaurant. It’s busier than yesterday, but still not packed by any means. Haley looks over her shoulder as Penn and I approach.
“I don’t think the world can handle the two of you together,” she says. She lets her sight linger on Penn for a long moment before flipping it to me. “Fancy running into you here.”
I take the seat beside her. “Nice jacket.”
“Some random guy let me wear it last night in a parking lot.”
“Some random guy, huh? You must like something about him if you’re wearing his clothes.”
She rests her chin on her hand. “He has a couple of things going for him.”
“I heard that. According to statistics, he’s in the top tier of looks, makes decent money, and has a killer personality.”
A snort rips through the air. “Is this Two Truths and a Lie?”
“No,” I say. “But I am curious which one you’d lie about and say isn’t true.”
She drops her hand and laughs. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“We’ve been at the site and thought we’d come down and grab some lunch.”
I look over my shoulder to see Penn taking a bag from Claire. She hands two bags to Dane before looking at me.
“We have their lunch ready, and Matt’s, because we know what they want and when they’ll be here,” Claire says to me. “If I’d have known you were coming in, I’d have had something ready for you too.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” I grab a menu from between the napkin holder and ketchup bottle. “Can I get a bacon cheeseburger, no tomato, and a drink to go?”
“Sure thing,” Claire says. She makes a point to glance at Haley, who makes a point not to look at her, before disappearing into the back. I wonder what that’s about, but before I get too deep, Dane’s hand clasps my shoulder.
“We’re gonna head back,” he says to me. “Matt should be back with the rest of the wood for the deck, so we’ll get going on that.”
“Sounds good. I’ll come up later and see what’s happening,” I say.
He bites his lip as he glances down at Haley. “What are you doing today, Hay?”
Tangle Page 7
