“Condolences, unfortunately. A ninety-year-old man who goes to church with us passed away last week. The funeral home would like all of their condolence flowers this afternoon prior to the viewing if possible. I’m closing the store for an hour so I can deliver them all.”
He looked out the window at the busy downtown area.
“Is that wise? Don’t you worry about losing business if you close now?”
“Sure I do. That’s always a worry but even more of a concern this time of year, when we see a large percentage of our walk-in sales.”
“It seems more busy than usual out there,” Ryan said, gesturing out the front window. “Is something going on in town?”
“It’s our annual Christmas market. It’s become a huge deal in town, bringing visitors from across the area. Lucky for us downtown merchants, they don’t limit their shopping to the market.”
“That’s right. Audrey was telling me about the market the other day. She said it’s a big deal, with a fundraising component as well.”
“That’s right. Each year the market committee chooses a different organization to help. This year it’s the library. In years past, we’ve helped Meals on Wheels, the local food bank and the women’s shelter, to name a few recipients. Because the regular Shelter Springs businesses also benefit from the increase in traffic, those of us in the downtown Chamber of Commerce also donate a portion of our sales.”
“Seems like a nice thing to do.”
Why was he here at her store in the middle of the day? For the life of her, she couldn’t think of a reason for his presence and he didn’t seem in any hurry to tell her.
The door opened before she could ask. Two older women Holly didn’t know wandered in, talking and laughing together. They greeted her cordially and she didn’t miss the brief looks of appreciation they gave Ryan before they started looking at her display of flower-centered crafts.
Apparently she wouldn’t be closing for a while, at least not until the women finished shopping.
Ryan must have seen some of her frustration in her gaze. “How can you close down in the middle of the day?”
“I would prefer to stay open, but in this case it’s unavoidable. I have to deliver the condolence bouquet before the viewing. And since I’m already out, I should probably take care of the other deliveries. The prospect of new sales from foot traffic is always enticing, but not at the expense of people who have already paid for flowers and expect them to be delivered in a timely manner.”
Ryan glanced at the women who were filling shopping baskets with some of the dried flower sachets Holly created during the summer.
A look of indecision crossed his features before he turned back to her. “Why don’t I make your deliveries for you? That way, you can stay here and hold down the fort and won’t miss any sales.”
She stared, wholly taken off guard by his suggestion. “You?”
He shrugged. “Why not? To be honest, I’m sort of at loose ends while Audrey is in school.”
“Is that why you’re here? Because you were bored?”
“In a way, I guess. I was in the neighborhood, actually, shopping at the bookstore down the street. I grabbed a couple of gifts for Audrey and a new mystery by an author I enjoy.Since I was close by, I thought I would see if I could pick you up a sandwich or something for lunch.”
His unexpected thoughtfulness sent warmth seeping through her. How lovely to have someone spontaneously think of doing something nice for her.
“That is very kind of you.”
He shrugged again. “It was only an idea. I’m not used to having so much free time, if you want the truth. I’ve already repaired everything I can find that needed it at Kim’s place and have even tried out a few new recipes, with mixed success.”
Oh, he was a hard man to resist.
“Even with the hour I spend every day on the treadmill trying to rehab my knee,” he went on, “that still leaves me with five or six hours to fill, especially since Audrey comes here after school to help you with Lydia.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. She loves hanging out with Lydia and is thrilled at how much you’re paying her. But the bottom line is that she’s pretty self-sufficient, which leaves me with huge chunks of time to fill. I can’t read my book all day so why don’t I make your deliveries for you?”
She couldn’t deny his offer was tempting. It would be lovely to tick one more thing off her list with his help.
“You don’t know your way around town, though.”
“I have several navigation apps on my phone that can help. I find I’m pretty good at finding my way, which comes in quite handy when you’re trying to locate your landing spot on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean.”
