Bloom

I’m not an expert on what my brother did before he married his soul mate, but I could read between the lines.

He’d take off for a few hours at a time a couple of nights a week.

He was going to a hotel. I only know that because a key card fell out of the pocket of a pair of his jeans when I was doing the laundry.

I wanted to know why he needed a room at a hotel in Manhattan.

His stuttered explanation about visiting friends there was when the light bulb went on over my head.

Everything changed when he brought Linny home to meet us. I could tell he was in love the moment I saw the two of them together.

“All of Jeremy’s what?” Linny asks as she adjusts a rose in a bouquet that I’m working on.

I should change the subject. Linny is at Wild Lilac to talk about advertising with me. She owns a boutique agency called Lincoln Dawn Communications. Her business is booming, but she still does pro bono work for me. I’m lucky to have her and Jeremy in my corner.

I swerve around her question because I have asker’s remorse. “Do you think this bouquet has enough pink in it?”

It’s all shades of pink.

“Cassidy would love it.” A smile beams on her face when she mentions her little girl. She’s our resident pink expert.

I was hoping that Linny would bring my niece with her to the shop, but Jeremy loves his Saturday mornings with his daughter.

It’s sugar-coated cereal and cartoons for the two of them.

He only gives that up if his work takes him out of town.

“I’d say it’s done.” I pick up the vase with the roses and put it into the cooler.

“That Wild Lilac T-shirt is cute.” Linny dusts her fingertips over my shoulder. “Your idea?”

“Al’s,” I admit. “He designed them for Leanna and me.”

Settling onto a stool next to the table, Linny pushes her dark hair back from her forehead. “It’s time to ditch the small talk. I could tell something was wrong when I called you last night. Spit it out.”

Linny called me just as I was leaving Liam’s building. I was in a hurry and I know she could hear the nervous quake in my voice.

We talked about work and Cassidy and by the time I was at the subway stop, my heart had slowed to a normal pace.

I said goodbye after I asked her to meet me here this morning.

Just as I was stepping onto the train, Liam called, but I didn’t answer. He didn’t leave a voicemail or send any text messages after that, so I went to bed.

Smoothing my palms over the front of my jeans, I let out a breath. “I met someone.”

I’ve never uttered those words before. I’ve met plenty of men, but not one was worth talking about.

Linny’s green eyes widen. “Someone? A man?”

“Liam,” I offer his first name because I don’t want him just to be someone or that guy . He’s more than that to me already. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I need Linny to help me figure that out.

Smiling, she claps her hands together. “Athena. I’m so excited for you.”

I can tell she means it. Linny came into my life right when I needed her. I don’t have any close friends. It’s hard to form those bonds when you’re fighting against the stigma that comes from having a mom and stepfather who stole from Manhattan’s elite to line their own pockets.

“What’s he like?” She leans her forearms on the table.

Memories of last night push everything aside. I could describe him as gorgeous and kind. Or sexy and an incredible kisser, but I don’t. Instead, I trod down the petty route. “Popular.”