“And she’s never let him live it down.”
Funny enough when my mother delivered her monthly Hume updates, she never mentioned Edison. And I didn’t have the balls to inquire. But now, standing just feet apart, I had so many questions.
I gently ran my fingers over the sunflowers. “This place has changed.”
“Hopefully for the better.” He tugged off his gloves with his teeth.
“You work here?”
“Yep, run the day-to-day with Dial.”
“You always did love your plants. Sometimes I thought you preferred this vegetation to actual people.”
“Plants don’t talk back and their needs are simple. Just water, space, and air.” He walked toward me, causing my pits to sweat. Edison always had an intense stare but now his obsidian eyes seemed to be red hot and all consuming. His hand stretchedin my direction, and I flinched. “Sorry, you have tinsel in your hair.”
Shaking my hair, I attempted to loosen it.
“Let me guess, you went to Paper Petals.”
“Yep, I think it’s gotten more cluttered than the last time I visited.” I continued to shake.
“I keep saying that place is a fire hazard just waiting to happen. And the tinsel hanging from the rafters gets on damn near everything.”
“Did I get it?” I looked up at him.
“Nope. Let me.” This time I stood pencil straight as he removed several pieces of silver and gold tinsel from my curls, handing them to me. Now that he was closer, the scent of clean overtook my nostrils. His scent was fresh and organic. No overpowering fragrance, just good old-fashioned bar soap and water. “I think I got it all.”
“Thank you. Truthfully, the tinsel was probably an improvement.”
“I like your hair like this. It’s like the just rolled out of bed head. But in the best possible way.”
My mother’s booming voice broke our gaze. “You ready to head home?” She walked up on us with a big smile. “Edison, you see my baby girl is back in town.”
“Yes ma’am, I did peep that. I’m sure it’s difficult to contain your excitement.”
“We missed you at the ranch yesterday.”
“If I’d known it was a homecoming I’d have cleared my calendar.”
“It’s not so much of a homecoming as it is a pit stop,” I corrected him.
“Well, whatever it is. It’s nice to have you back in town. Even if it’s for a short while.”
I knew my mother well enough to know when she was plotting as her eyes darted from me to him and back again. “You two should make time to catch up.”
Edison offered my mother what looked like an appreciative smile. “I’d like that. Don’t leave Hume without making a little time for me.”
My cheeks flushed. Was this man flirting with me? I’d grown numb to people being nice to me because of what they thought I could offer them. But Edison’s words seemed genuine and I’d never known him to be a user. So many people had taken advantage of me I’d lost count, but in all the years I’d known Edison he’d always been a straight shooter.
At the car, Edison loaded the items my mother purchased into her trunk. “Drive safe. It was good seeing you again, Fancy.” Edison tossed up a wave.
“Uh-huh,” I chirped, climbing into the driver’s seat.
After my mother fastened her seat belt, she mimicked me, “Uh-huh.”
“Shut up old lady,” I said, playfully swatting her arm.
WasFrancesca Palmer the one that got away? No. Because I never had her. Don’t get me wrong, I tried. But I was a foot shorter and scrawnier back then and she seemed to go for the cowboys. Guys who could rope a steer or ride a bull. I could do neither, so her pretty brown eyes never settled on me.
