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“Do you?”
“Yes! Uhm— oh!” Recognition flashed in her eyes. “We met at the Gala.” Her nose scrunched slightly.
Adorable.
“Danny, right?”
“Oh yes!” I feigned my own recognition and laughed. “Scarlett, how could I forget? You looked absolutely radiant that night.”
“Oh, well.” Scarlett ducked her head as crimson dusted her cheeks like the light kiss of a cloud. “I’m glad that’s what you remember.”
“What else is there?” I asked with a teasing smile.
Scarlett gently rolled her eyes and adjusted the plant in her arms. “Exactly.”
“Sorry for nearly sending you, I was miles away.” In just a few seconds, Scarlett’s soft smile and gentle nature had me hooked in a way I didn’t fully understand. There was something so warm about her presence that I found myself leaning into it.
“It’s all good,” she chuckled. “The florist asked me if I wanted this delivered, and I was so confident when I said no.”
“I admire a woman who takes her own path,” I grinned. “Although a potted plant in New York? People will faint at the sight of nature.”
“Imagine!” Scarlett laughed, a tinkling sound that gave me a burst of warm tingles down my spine. “Well, I better?—.”
“Let me buy you coffee.” The words escaped me before I could give them much thought, born of my original task of speaking to her and another, more selfish desire to talk to her just for a little longer.
“Oh, I mean…” Uncertain, Scarlett bit her lower lip.
“Please,” I insisted. “As an apology for nearly sending you onto the sidewalk – as long as your fiancé won’t get jealous?” he
“My fiancé?” Scarlett’s brow shot up and she laughed, stepping closer to avoid a passing group. “If we keep it a secret, I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Sure. Although full clarity, I’m not actually engaged to Lucas; that was just an agreement.”
“Oh, I know.”
Twenty minutes later, we were seated in a rooftop cafe with the city sprawled at our feet. Electric heaters kept the January cold at bay and two large cups of coffee warmed our hands as we drank and admired the view. The waiter was even kind enough to bring a small glass of water for Scarlett’s plant.
“Who is the plant for?” I asked after a few minutes of silence. I was almost loathed to break it as the wonder in Scarlett’s eyes as she admired the city was so genuine I wanted to watch her forever.
“My best friend. She owns a florist back home and I thought plants here might be different. I saw this thing—.” She pointed to the plant’s long, poker-straight leaves and the single white flower in the center. “—and I’ve never seen it in her shop, so I thought it would make a cute gift.”
“That’s sweet.”
Scarlett waved one hand and scoffed. “Hardly. It’s almost like buying a librarian a book.”
I chuckled and drank deeply. “Did I overhear correctly, at the Gala, that you mentioned to someone that you were interested in nursing?”
Scarlett’s brow lifted slightly. “What are you, some kind of stalker?”
I choked slightly on my next sip. “Does that scare you?”
“No,” she replied with a smile. “Honesty is a good start. But you heard correctly, I always dreamed about being a nurse from a young age.”
“But you didn’t follow through?” I asked.
Scarlett’s gaze dropped to her coffee and a flash of apprehension darted across her beautiful face. Perhaps I had pressed too much already?
