“He has something for you. Don’t you, Lewis?”
He looked at me, as if not sure what to do.
I nodded to the flowers he carried.
“Oh, yes,” he said. He stepped forward, holding them out for Marianne to take.
“For me?” she asked, surprised.
Lewis nodded and his cheeks reddened.
“Really?” Accepting them, Marianne’s face broke into a smile.
Her shocked yet appreciative expression seemed to give Lewis’s confidence the boost it needed. “They’re gerbera daisies,” he said. “I thought they were pretty, just like you.”
Marianne appeared bashful. “Thank you,” she said. “No one’s ever bought me flowers before.”
Feeling quite pleased with myself, I placed the shopkeeper’s book down on the counter. “Merry Christmas,” I said, as I stepped towards the door.
Too busy focusing on each other, neither seemed to hear me, but that didn’t matter. Happy to leave them to it, I made my exit.
