Even as she hung the basket, he was lifting another, and by merely raising his arm, set it in place. "Showoff. "
"Shorty. "
Hayley came through the doorway, turned briskly on her heel and headed out.
"Hayley. "
"Forgot something," she called out and kept going.
Stella blew out a breath and would've asked for another basket, but he'd already picked one up, hung it. "You've been busy," she said.
"Cool, dry weather the last week. "
"If you're here to pick up the shrubs for the Pitt job, I can get the paperwork. "
"My crew's out loading them. I want to see you again. "
"Well. You are. "
He kept his eyes on hers. "You're not dim. "
"No, I'm not. I'm not sure - "
"Neither am I," he interrupted. "Doesn't seem to stop me from wanting to see you again. It's irritating, thinking about you. "
"Thanks. That really makes me want to sigh and fall into your arms. "
"I don't want you to fall into them. If I did, I'd just kick your feet out from under you. "
She laid a hand on her heart, fluttered her lashes, and did her best woman of the south accent.
"My goodness, all this soppy romance is too much for me. "
Now he grinned. "I like you, Red. Some of the time. I'll pick you up at seven. "
"What? Tonight?" Reluctant amusement turned to outright panic in a fmgersnap. "I can't possibly just go out, spur of the moment. I have two kids. "
"And three adults in the house. Any reason you can think of why any or all of them can't handle your boys for a few hours tonight?"
"No. But I haven't asked, a concept you appear to be unfamiliar with. And - " She shoved irritably at her hair. "I might have plans. "
"Do you?"
She angled her head, looked down her nose. "I always have plans. "
"I bet. So flex them. You take the boys for ribs yet?"
"Yes, last week after - "
"Good. "
"Do you know how often you interrupt me in the middle of a sentence?"
"No, but I'll start counting. Hey, Roz. "
"Logan. Stella, these look great. " She stopped in the center of the aisle, scanning, nodding as she absently slapped her dirty gloves against her already dirt-smeared jeans. "I wasn't sure displaying so many would work, but it does. Something about the abundance of bloom. "
She took off her ball cap, stuffed it in the back pocket of her work pants, stuffed the gloves in the other. "Am I interrupting?"