Nothing about her matched the woman I'd built up in my head. Juliet With Curves was someone who’d hacked me for months. She was the woman who slipped through firewalls. The woman who challenged me.
The woman who somehow made me look forward to being hacked. I expected her to have more of an edge to her. A hint of danger. While Blossom looked warm, soft, and fragile. She fit the image of a florist.
She looked at home among flowers and wedding arrangements. But Juliet would be someone who preferred a dark, quiet setting, a space where she could hack in peace and without being caught.
The two women couldn’t be more different. I shook my head. Maybe I was losing my damn mind. Maybe I wanted to find Juliet so badly that I was seeing connections where none existed. Seeing coincidences for more than what they were.
Of course, Blossom was busy. It was wedding season. She dealt with brides all the time, so of course, she’d say something cliché like, ‘Love has a funny way of sneaking up on you.’ Sure, Blossom was a beautiful woman.
But she wasn’t Juliet. And Juliet was the only woman for me. Therefore, I tore my gaze away from the florist. Monique continued asking questions while Blossom answered them. Eventually, Monique narrowed down her choices.
“I think these are my favorites,” Monique said.
Blossom smiled and picked up two of the boutonnières.
“I'll let you take these samples with you to show to your fiancé. And this will give you a chance to see which one fits the attire better.”
“Oh, that's perfect,” Monique said.
The two women spent a few more minutes discussing dates for the next sessions. They already had a date for the bridesmaids to come view the flowers with her. But Monique wanted another session so they could go over everything one more time and make sure it was really what she wanted.
Monique told the florist when she'd be available. Blossom showed her a few openings on her schedule. Eventually, they settled on a day for Monique to return with photographs of both wedding venues. Once everything was finalized, Blossom walked us toward the front of the shop.
“Thank you again,” Monique said as we reached the door. “And thank you for being patient with me and allowing me to have multiple sessions.”
“Of course,” Blossom replied. “As I said, this is your big day. We’ll be right here with you and help you bring your dream to life. And if you have any questions, just give us a call. If I’m not here, one of the other florists can help you. But if you want me personally, just leave a message, and I’ll return the call.”
When we reached the shop’s door, I held it open for Monique.
“See you later, Blossom,” Monique said as she stepped outside.
Once she was through the doorway, I glanced back.Damn, Blossom had already taken a few steps away from the door in the span of two seconds. Forcing a smile, she nodded at me. That nervous expression had returned to her face.
“Thank you for all your help,” I told her.
Her fake smile widened briefly. And that was it. No kind words like she’d given Monique. What had I done to make this woman dislike me? Before I could think too much about that, a voice shouted from behind the register.
“Close the door! You're letting bugs in.”
My jaw tightened as I glared toward the cashier. The woman glared right back, meeting my gaze directly. She’d glared at me the moment I’d first entered the shop. What was up with these florists?
What the hell had I done to piss them off? Resisting the urge to ask, I left the shop, pulling the door shut behind me, and headed toward the car. I’d known coming to a florist and staring at flowers for an hour would ruin my day.
Monique was already waiting beside the passenger door for me. Shoving my dark thoughts aside, I forced a smile for her. I unlocked the door and opened it for her. As she climbed inside, a grin spread across her face.
“I saw the way you were staring at the florist,” she said.
Of course, she had.
“People in love see romance everywhere they look,” I told her. “I was just making sure she didn't do anything to harm the don's woman.”
Monique laughed. “What could a florist do to hurt anyone?”
She’d hurt my pride somehow. Keeping that to myself, I shut her door, then walked around the front of the car. My gaze drifted back toward the floral shop. I stopped. Blossom and the cashier were standing on the other side of the glass door, watching me.
The moment they realized I'd caught them looking, both women immediately looked away. My frown deepened.Interesting. I climbed into the driver's seat.
“Strange,” I muttered.
