This Time Around

by Denise Hunter

  She couldn’t argue with that. In fact, she knew only two—Landon Ferry, who didn’t even live in Maple Falls anymore, but had moved to Malvern several years ago. For the past two weeks he had stopped by the shop three times, buying a bouquet each time. He was just as handsome as he’d been in high school, and although he was twice divorced, she knew through the grapevine—which consisted mainly of her friend April—that he was available. He was also in a profession her mother would get giddy over—a lawyer with his own practice.

  The other single guy was Joe Johnson. The two men couldn’t be more different, in both looks and occupation. Landon was tall, fit, an impeccable dresser, and he had the thickest black hair she’d ever seen. He always looked as if he’d walked right out of a high-end barber shop. Joe, in contrast, was on the short side, barrel chested, never without a worn-out baseball cap, and probably had no idea where to buy a suit, much less owned one. He was a high school history teacher and football coach, and excellent at both. None of those qualities were strikes against him. She had never been one to get hung up on looks or professions. She’d known Joe since kindergarten, and not a single time had she ever thought of him in a romantic way. Then again, she’d forgotten what it was like to think about romance at all.

  “Sophie? Are you still there?”

  “Yes, I am,” she said quickly, going back to work on the bouquet she was making for an online order. She added the carnation, then picked up a few stems of baby’s breath.

  “Well, I was just saying that you should try online dating. Lis said it’s all the rage now.”

  “How would she know?”

  “Her friends tell her. I’m sure she can give you some helpful advice about dating.”

  No thanks. “That’s okay, Mom. I’m sure she’s busy with the kids and everything. How are they doing?”

  Mom launched into a detailed explanation of everything Sophie’s niece, Addison, who was in preschool, and her nephew, Sebastian, who was a toddler, had done for the last two days. Sophie interjected a “hmm” and “you don’t say” at all the right moments as she finished the bouquet. She already knew everything the two kids had done since Lis never failed to post a social media update every day about her perfect family. Unlike other families, Lis’s truly was perfect, and Sophie was glad she and her husband and kids were happy. She just wished her mother hadn’t always held up her younger sister as the ideal Sophie consistently failed to meet.

  “I think I should come for a visit,” Mom said.

  Panic shot through Sophie. “That’s not necessary, Mom.”

  “I can give you support. Advice. Encouragement.”

  Interference. She never should have told her mother she was thinking about dating. She should have waited until she was engaged. Or had already eloped.

  “I appreciate it, but Addy and Bash need you.” Her niece and nephew hadn’t been called by their full names since they were born.

  “True. And Lis and Dan are leaving for their cruise in two weeks, so I need to prepare to keep the punkins.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But you’ll keep me posted, right?” A note of desperation filled her tone.

  “Of course.” Her heart softened again. Mom meant well, and Sophie needed to remember that. “I have to go give Hayley this order so she can deliver it, and we’re busy up front. Tell Dad I said hello.”

  “I will. Oh, I’m so happy for you, Sophie! You’ve worked so hard to make your store a success. Your dad and I are very proud of you. I’m glad you’re taking some time for yourself.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. Knowing her parents realized how hard she worked and what she had accomplished meant the world to her. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

  “Love you too. Oh, and dear?”

  “Yes?”

  “I realize that you’re an independent woman, and I know that’s important to you. But just remember that it’s okay to want companionship.”

  “I have friends, Mom.”

  “I’m talking about male companionship.” Before Sophie could protest, her mother said, “Talk to you soon!” Then she hung up the phone.

  Sophie swiped her phone screen, then took out her earbuds and put them in her pocket, followed by her phone. She stared at the clear glass vase in front of her. Of course independence was important to her. But that wasn’t what had kept her from dating. Up until this point her job had been all consuming. She’d made the choice not to date, and now she was choosing to date. She just hoped it wasn’t too late.

  Shaking off the depressing thought, she tied an emerald green ribbon around the vase, then picked it up to take out front to Hayley. She was determined to focus on work for the rest of the day. It wasn’t like she’d be able to do something about her dating life immediately. Now that she’d told her mother, she would have to follow through with diving into the dating pool. Maybe that was the reason she called Mom in the first place—because more than once, she’d thought about chickening out, and she knew Mom would never let that happen.

  She walked into the front of the shop, which was full of flowers, gifts, and, fortunately, customers. She smiled at Jasper Mathis, an older man who stopped by at least once a week, mostly to look at the flowers and shoot the breeze with the customers. Every once in a while, he bought a single rose, though Sophie had no idea whom he gave it to. Not that it was any of her business.

  What would it feel like to get flowers? And not just from friends who don’t want me to be left out on Valentine’s Day. She couldn’t count how many flower bouquets, sprays, garlands, and gifts she had made over the years for all the Valentine’s Days, weddings, and anniversaries. She’d even made a few for husbands who were trying to get out of the doghouse. How would it feel to be surprised with a vase filled with her favorite flower, simple pink roses, from a man she loved?

  Maybe one day she would find out.

  * * *

  “Well, it’s about time.”

  “Shh.” Joe held his hand up and glanced around the Sunshine Diner. Even though it was late afternoon and the lunch rush had passed, a few people were still in the diner. More importantly, two of them were his students, although they were in the back of the restaurant washing dishes, probably since the moment school let out over an hour and a half ago. “If I wanted the whole town to know I would have told Gina.”

  His best friend and coworker, Travis, scoffed as he dug into a thick piece of cherry pie. “Your sister doesn’t even live here anymore.”

  “She has connections,” Joe said somberly. “Lots of them are people she talks to on the regular. Gina pounces on gossip. Remember the time she told everyone you were afraid of the dark?”

  “We were in fourth grade.”

  “She hasn’t changed, trust me.” Joe loved his sister, but he’d been thrilled when she announced she was moving from Maple Falls to Boise, Idaho, after meeting a potato farmer online. From all accounts she was happy, but she still had strong connections to Maple Falls, just like Joe did when he lived in Little Rock for ten years, teaching at Central High School and working as an assistant JV football coach. When the opening at his alma mater—tiny Maple Falls High School—appeared eight years ago, he jumped on it and never looked back.

  “All right.” Travis leaned forward. “But, hey, congrats on finally joining the living.”

  Joe frowned and used a white paper napkin to wipe the condensation off the glass of his double-thick banana shake. “I’m just going on a date, not coming back from the dead.”

  “Same thing, in your case.”

  As Travis scarfed down the rest of his pie, Joe pondered his friend’s statement. He’d been plenty satisfied with his teaching and coaching, plus working with youth camps in the summer. Being able to positively affect young lives was gratifying and rewarding. But lately something had been missing in his life. Companionship. He wasn’t sure why he’d changed his mind about staying single, but he had. Now he wished he’d kept that decision to himself.

  “So, who’s the lucky
girl?” Travis pointed his fork at Joe. “And I mean that. You’ve been Maple Falls’ most eligible bachelor for too long.”

  “When did you suddenly turn into a girl?”

  Travis smirked. “Being concerned about you isn’t girly. Look, I’ve known you all my life. You’ve always been a family man. I’m just sayin’, it’s time for you to have your own.”

  “My last attempt didn’t turn out so well.”

  “Because you married the wrong woman at the wrong time.”

  Joe nodded. He and his ex, Jenna, had married right out of high school, ignoring everyone’s warnings, including Travis’s. The marriage lasted six months before Jenna asked for a divorce and moved to Florida. They hadn’t kept in touch, and that was seventeen years ago. But the failure had been long lasting.

  “Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on her,” Travis said.

  Joe shook his head. “Of course not.”

  “Good. She was all wrong for you.”

  “I know.” Joe slurped his shake. “And she’s in the past.”

  “Right. So, I’ll ask you again, who’s the lucky woman?”

  Joe took another sip of his shake, stalling as he thought about the woman he had finally decided to ask out—he glanced at the clock on the wall—in about half an hour. He figured she wouldn’t be too busy at work, but he didn’t want to ask her in private, because if she turned him down, she would have to be polite about it if they were in a public place.

  Chicken. His hands were starting to get damp just thinking about saying the words, “Would you like to have coffee sometime?” Yeah, he was definitely lily-livered when it came to this dating thing.

  He chalked up his nerves to being out of practice with women and anything that had to do with romance. Which was why he had chosen this particular woman for his return to the dating scene. He wouldn’t be too bent out of shape if she turned him down. If she didn’t, he figured that going out for coffee would be their first and last date. But at least he would have had a date.

  “Fine. I see you want to keep it to yourself.” Travis grabbed the bill off the table. “I’ve got to run and get Layla from ball practice. Plus, there’s a stack of English essays waiting to be graded.” He let out a long-suffering sigh as he got up from the table. “Hopefully this time at least half of my students remembered to write a topic sentence.”

  “You’re not fooling me. You love your job. Even the grading essays part.”

  Travis grinned, his white teeth contrasting with his mahogany skin. “I definitely do. Catch you tomorrow.”

  As Travis left, Joe polished off his milkshake, now more milk than shake, and glanced at the clock again. He had about twenty minutes to kill, and when he spied one of his former students and her mother walking into the diner, he decided to visit with them a little bit. By four o’clock, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. His nerves wouldn’t allow him to.

  He put a tip on the table, then walked out of the diner . . . and headed for Petals and Posies.

  Chapter 2

  At 4:00 p.m., Sophie told Hayley and MacKenzie they could clock out. Normally the two women would stay until closing, five or five thirty depending on how busy the store was. They weren’t busy now, and Sophie knew the college students had finals at the end of the spring semester, which was next week. She wanted them to do well, and when she said they could leave, neither protested.

  After the girls left, Sophie straightened up the store, then started sweeping the stray leaves, broken stems, and ribbon threads on the floor into a small pile behind the counter. When the front door chime sounded, she looked up, then forced herself not to stare as Landon strolled through the door, looking surprisingly casual in a light blue short-sleeved polo, khaki pants, and tan leather slip-on shoes. He also looked unsurprisingly handsome.

  Not staring at Landon was an impossibility, especially when he flashed his charming grin at her. She leaned the broom against the wall but missed, and it clattered to the floor. She kicked it to the side and walked to the counter, hoping her smile matched his. She also hoped she didn’t look like an idiot.

  “Hi,” she said, her voice catching. She cleared her throat. “Uh, what can I help you with today?”

  Landon slipped his hands into his pockets and looked around the store. “I think this is the first time I’ve been in your shop when it’s been empty.” He turned to her and smiled again.

  “It happens.” Oh, that smile. It could melt a glacier. She found herself leaning forward, her waist pressed against the glass counter.

  He stepped toward her until they were as close as they could be, considering the counter between them. “I’m not complaining.”

  A ripple ran down her spine. Had he lowered his voice? Made it husky on purpose? Or was she imagining—more like wishing—he had? Or hoping that the way his piercing gray eyes held hers meant something?

  More likely, her thoughts about the possibility of romance in her future had made her lose her mind, because a man like Landon would never be interested in a woman like her. He seemed the type to want a trophy girlfriend or wife. One who looked as impeccably perfect as he did. I’m not even in the ballpark. She didn’t think she was unattractive, but she wasn’t high fashion either. More like serviceable. Ugh. That didn’t sound appealing at all.

  “Er, we have our spring bouquets on sale,” she said, focusing on her job instead of her inane thoughts. “Do you like daffodils?”

  He put his palms on the counter, leaning even closer. “I’m not here to talk about daffodils.”

  Sophie gulped. “Oh.”

  Landon reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You look pretty today.”

  She didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t look any different today than she did any other workday. She was wearing her pale blue denim work shirt over a red T-shirt, navy blue shorts, and comfortable shoes any granny would be proud to sport. That was her typical uniform. The only thing different was that she had a pink scrunchy holding back her long, curly hair instead of a blue one. Maybe she’d been mistaken about his preferences.

  “Ah, thanks?” Why couldn’t she stop sounding like an idiot?

  “Then again, you look pretty every day.”

  Now she really didn’t know what to say. When was the last time anyone had said she was pretty? Probably April, and probably on Easter when she splurged and bought a new dress for church. Flattered and unnerved, she started straightening her business cards, which were already neatly displayed in a clear acrylic holder.

  “I wondered if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight?”

  The cards flipped out of her hands just as the chime sounded over the door. Joe Johnson walked inside, then paused as Landon turned around.

  “Hey, Soph.” Joe waved as he strolled to the counter.

  Sophie grimaced and grabbed at the cards littering the counter. No one called her Soph anymore, not even April. She wasn’t sure why some of the kids in high school had started calling her that in the first place, including Joe. Of course, he wouldn’t call her anything else, since they had rarely spoken to each other in the last fifteen years. “Joe.”

  Landon frowned as Joe walked up next to him. “We’re kind of busy here.”

  “Oh.” He took two steps to the side. “I’ll wait, then.”

  Landon gave him a pointed look, then turned to Sophie. “Are we on for dinner tonight?”

  For some reason, she was a bit embarrassed about being asked out in front of Joe. Which didn’t make sense. Why should she care what he thought? But she couldn’t help glancing at him and was surprised when she saw his easygoing expression turn dark.

  “Sophie?”

  She turned to Landon, then inexplicably to Joe again, struck by the contrast between them, and wondering why Joe was here. And why was he so upset?

  “She can’t go out with you tonight,” Joe said.

  “What?” both Sophie and Landon exclaimed.

  “And why not?” Landon added.

/>   “Because . . . she’s going out with me.”

  * * *

  To say his foray back into the dating world was going badly would be the world’s biggest understatement. Joe couldn’t believe the words that had flown out of his mouth. But he couldn’t help it. When he heard Landon asking Sophie out, he lost all sense. Not because he’d missed his chance to ask her himself, but because of all the men in Maple Falls—or the greater central Arkansas area, for that matter—Landon Ferry was the last one she should ever consider dating. Or talking to. In fact, she’d be better off ignoring him altogether.

  Now that Joe was starting to corral his brain cells and think clearly, he realized he had stepped into a pile of . . . Oh boy. Sophie did not look happy.

  “Well, I guess I missed my chance tonight.” Landon’s fake smile remained plastered in place, but Joe could see the annoyance in his eyes as he shifted his gaze to Sophie’s. “Another time, then.” Giving her a wink, he turned on his heel and quickly headed to the door.

  Sophie lifted her hand, still full of business cards. “Wait—”

  But Landon was already gone.

  “Good riddance,” Joe mumbled.

  Sophie tossed the cards on the counter. “Why did you do that?”

  Joe turned to her, steeling himself against her anger, and she sure had a right to be angry. When he looked into her deep blue eyes, he was stunned by how furious she was. Her cheeks had always seemed to be rosy in high school and every time he’d seen her after that, but now they were the color of the Maple Falls Volunteer Fire Department’s only fire truck. She seemed to be shooting flames at him with her eyes too. He involuntarily took a step back.

  “I know you’re mad—”

  “Mad doesn’t begin to cover it. How dare you come in here and sabotage my date with Landon?”

  “Because you shouldn’t be going out with him.”

  Sophie huffed and crossed her arms. “You have no right to say that.”

  He had every right and reason to say exactly that, but he wasn’t going to get into it with her. He also couldn’t let her think it was okay to go anywhere near Landon Ferry. “I’m trying to stop you from making a terrible mistake.”