Devil in Texas (Rugged and Risque 1)

Liza’s heart plummeted. “You do still want me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Oh!” she said, the excitement coming back full force. “Then tell me what to do!”

Jess really did look relieved. “I asked George after we left the saloon if I’d somehow inadvertently pushed you into agreeing to help me.”

“Not at all.”

“Good. Because I really would love to work with you. I bet you’ll have some incredibly creative ideas for the shop.”

“Well,” Liza said, suddenly a little overwhelmed by her new employer’s great expectations. “I don’t have any floral experience, remember?”

“Yes, but I imagine you can think on a grander scale than me. I inherited this place several years ago and, I’m sure Jack told you, it was in the hole.”

She crossed the display area, where she had floor plants and coolers full of elaborate arrangements available for immediate purchase, and moved past the service desk and computer on the left to the work area on the right.

An enormous workbench surrounded by tools of the trade awaited them as Jess came to a halt by the table.

“Luckily,” she said, “I’m the only florist in town.”

Liza’s stomach sank. That likely meant Lydia was the only hairstylist in town.

“So I’ve got the monopoly on business in the area,” Jess continued. “But I only get so many orders from the townsfolk, as you can imagine. I mean, I do get a lot of special requests,” she was quick to add. “Like the Junior League’s monthly luncheon and several of the other meetings our town organizations hold. Funerals, of course. Birthdays, baby and bridal showers and the like. But everyday orders?” She shook her head.

“Not a lot of romance in Wilder?”

“Not so much,” she said on a sigh.

“We’ll have to do something about that.”

She smiled, then pointed to a pallet that housed a dozen or so potted plants with flowers Liza couldn’t even begin to identify.

“Orchids,” Jess said, as though reading the confused look on her face. “A favorite of the Junior League. What I do is wrap the pots in this colored foil and tie a satin bow around them.” She demonstrated and it didn’t look too difficult. “Also, there are centerpieces in the cooler that go on the table at the Elks Lodge. I have the white linen tablecloths and napkins all packed up. You can take the van out back in the alley.” She handed over a set of keys. “George had these made this morning. They go to the front and back doors and to the vehicle.”

She was just handing them over like that? This would never happen in New York.

“Um, okay. What else do you need?”

“Are you kidding?” Jess laughed. “This is such a huge help. Really!” She spared a glance at the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to run so I’m not late for the pre-service greeting. You can have everything to the Elks Lodge by ten, set up and be ready for the ladies to arrive at noon, right?”

“I think I can manage.” How many dinner parties had she thrown for doctors and their wives, after all?

“Great! I’ll meet you at the Lodge as soon as I’m done at church.” She positively glowed, as though having this big chore off her chest so she could enjoy Sunday service was a huge deal. Liza considered it her contribution to those who worshipped.

“Go,” she said. “I can handle this.”

Jess rushed out the front door and Liza eyed the work station before her.

Hmm.

There were four large rolls of colored foil wrapping mounted in the middle of the table, which split the space in half, length-wise, so that two people could design arrangements on either side of each other. She eyed the dozen-plus potted orchids, all in assorted varieties, and then debated how she was going to match the four foiled colors to the different orchid colors, so that she didn’t make anything clash.

This coming from a woman with copper-colored streaks in her hair.

Frowning, she lifted a pot and set it on the worktable. It was white—she decided to start easy. She pulled the shimmery purple foil from its roll, not exactly sure how much she needed, and ripped it off along the serrated edge above the roll. Laying it flat on the table, foil-side down, she set the pot in the center and immediately deduced she’d hacked off way too much material.

Crap.