He Loves Me Not (Bunch-A-Blooms 1)

“You sure about that? ’Cause the two of you have been circling one another since we first struck up that deal to sell his pieces.”

“He’s married to his work,” she muttered glumly.

“But you wish he wasn’t?” Petunia asked.

Willow shrugged. “I wouldn’t be upset about it. Ross is sexy, established, intelligent, and funny as hell. He’s got an ex-wife, but no active baggage, and a twenty-one-year-old daughter who’s just graduated college and checks in often enough for me to know he’s a decent dad.”

“How much time did you say you’ve been spending with him?” Petunia asked.

“I’m observant, and we’ve always talked.”

“I know. Which is why I’m shocked you haven’t made a move. You’re not a wallflower kind of girl.”

“It’s different with Ross. I wouldn’t risk what we have on a shot that he might return my affections. It would crush me and make things awkward as hell.” She sighed. “I keep hoping I’ll meet someone, but online dating is getting people killed, and most of my friends are already paired off and settled down. The older you get, the harder it is to even make new friends. Forget dating.”

Petunia nodded her head. She’d experienced the same dry spells. Here in the Midwest, they were almost considered old maids. People married and raised families young.

“We’ll go out soon. I’ll be your wing woman.”

“Listen to you, taken and still trying to help your single friend out.”

“Hey, it’s not like I’m married.”

“Yet. I doubt it’ll take the two of you long to get down the aisle. I got a feeling.”

You’ve no idea, my friend.

“How was Thanksgiving with both families?”

“Overwhelming. You’d think we’d announced an engagement the way they carried on.” Petunia shook her head. “I did love the look on my grandparents’ faces when they found out. We took them plates to the Nursing home and broke the news. “Gran said she always had a feeling, and Grandpa chuckled. Called it birthday magic at work.”

“It’s adorable really. Born a day apart in the same hospital to parents who met in Lamaze class now together.”

“Oh, God. Not you, too.”

Willow laughed. “Ain’t it the American dream?”

“I don’t know. It’s just us. He’s always been there. I think that’s why we never dated before now.”

“Or he was sowing his wild oats because he knew you weren’t having any of that mess. So he stayed away until he grew up. He’s changed a lot over the past five years. It’s like looking at a different person.”

“That’s a good thing. He had an existential crisis and came out on the other side a far superior version of himself.”

“What was the catalyst?” Willow asked.

“College graduation I think. Facing the real world.” Petunia shrugged. As the baby of a rather wealthy family, he’d been spoiled and coddled. It had gone to his head and distorted his world view for a while. Shaking her head to clear it, Petunia took a sip of her coffee and polished off her glazed donut.

“Okay, we seriously need to get started on this wedding order.”

“Let’s get everything pulled, and I’ll start spraying things blue. When you get married, promise me you won’t take your theme literally and make us dye our fingers some unnatural shade from all the spraying of innocent white flowers,” Willow said dryly.

“You’ll think it’s crazy, but I’ve never put too much thought into what my wedding will look like. It always seemed impossible to know what I wanted without my groom. What if we’re a quirky couple who wants a superhero wedding or something?”

“Oh my God. That would be amazing,” Willow exclaimed as they tossed their trash and headed to the back room where the extra flowers they’d ordered for the wedding had been refrigerated.

“I’m too much of an old-fashioned gal for that. I want small, quaint, warm, and personal. So I wouldn’t work you to the bone period.” Blood rushed to her head. Soon she would be planning her wedding. These things were relevant. A sharp pang of jealousy struck her breastplate as she thought of the Smiths, whom the order was for. The bride and groom were high school sweethearts marrying right out of college and so sweet it made her teeth ache. That’s how two people getting married should act. She’d been faking it with pasted on smiles and lies. The fridge sputtered, and she held her breath as it rattled, battling to live. It clunked its way back to normal. We need this. Short of selling the house, Bunch-A-Blooms can’t keep going like this much longer.

“That was a close call,” Willow said.