The woman smiled sadly. “I wish I could, but I can’t have any gluten. Those arrangements are gorgeous though.”
Mia moved past Edward, their shoulders brushing and sending a zing of awareness down his body. “Well, I’m proud to say these are gluten free. I want all my customers to be able to enjoy them.” She grinned. “I wipe down the entire kitchen and make sure to not cross contaminate. My mom has Celiac’s, and…” Mia’s eyes widened with horror as she shook her head. “No gluten bombs here. But if you don’t want to risk it, I understand.”
The woman bit her lip as she debated the situation. “You’re sure you didn’t use the same spatula for non-gluten as you did for other things?”
Mia reached out and wrapped her fingers around the woman’s wrist. “I keep them in separate, labeled drawers and handwash them to avoid the possibility of something weird happening in the dishwasher.”
Edward stared at Mia in surprise. She had gone above and beyond with her care. He himself would not have the slightest clue of what to do. Good thing he did not cook for others.
He wandered the store as the two women spoke a little more about the cookies. The customer promised to return with her daughter who was getting married in a year. He noted some of Mia’s changes were things he had suggested, but a few were ones she had come up with on her own from things he’d said.
While Mia finished with the woman, a man entered. His gaze darted around the store as he searched for something.
“What are you looking for?” Edward asked, sidling up to him.
He sighed. “I forgot my anniversary.”
Edward nodded in understanding. His magic sparked along his skin. Moving to the cooler, he waved the man over. “One of these bouquets should do the trick. If she likes coffee, there’s a café down the street, and you can also bring her a surprise breakfast. They make delicious sandwiches. This way, it’s not that you forgot. You just ran out to surprise her.”
The man slapped him on the back. “You’re brilliant. My mind went blank as soon as I came in, and I know the café you’re talking about because it’s her favorite.”
Edward grinned. “See, there you go!”
He stood back, and the man grabbed the largest bouquet from the cooler and hurried to pay as the other woman let herself out. The man’s eyes were no longer wild with worry when he stepped out.
Before Edward could pull Mia back into a conversation, about anything at all, the door swung open once again. He grinned at her before making himself scarce. This customer made two more than his last visit, and he was pleased as punch over it.
A small square vase grabbed his attention as Mia spoke with her latest customer. In it were some river rocks, a sunflower, and a couple of greenery pieces he couldn’t identify. It was simple and classy. More importantly, they gave him an idea.
He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and tapped out a text to Brandy.
Edward: How many tables do we have at the café?
He peered around the other flowers, wondering how it could work on a seasonal level, when his phone vibrated in his hand.
Brandy: Eleven plus the bar. Why?
Edward: Thanks, Bran!
He did not have to run anything by her, but he usually did, as he had given her the reins. Edward knew if he mentioned anything about flowers to Brandy, she would figure out where he was. He did not want or need the line of questioning that was sure to follow. As it was, Edward was not even sure what the hell he was doing.
Being around Mia soothed something within him, something he did not want to examine. How could he talk about something he did not understand? His family had not met a woman in his life since he was in high school, and he liked it that way.
Edward didn’t do relationships. He saw firsthand how losing the person you loved could turn you into a hollowed version of your former self. His father had loved them with all his heart, but his mother’s death had carved out a large portion of the organ.
“You’re still here?” Mia asked sometime later.
He had lost all sense of time, standing in front of the small little vase before him. His mind wandered as if it could give him any insight into what he was doing in that moment.
Edward cleared his throat, pushing down his memories and ignoring the calm her presence washed over him. “Not for long. I’d like for you to deliver twelve of these with a summer theme to the café.”
As if she noticed the change in his mood, her hand came to his forearm, but he pulled it back. He wasn’t ready to feel her touch, not when he felt too raw after recalling the past.
“Okay, let’s get you rung up,” she said after drawing herself to her full stature. “Do you know what sort of flowers you’d like?”
Without his permission, his gaze followed the slope of her neck. The soft-looking skin set him on fire with desire for the beautiful woman. “No. Florist’s choice.”
She paused at his words before ringing him up. “I’ll have them over in two days, if that’s all right with you?”
