“Really?” Luna grinned. “Shall I put on the kettle?”
“I was thinking something a little more . . . momentous.” He tried again to catch her gaze and managed to hold it for a fewseconds together this time. “Miss Talbot, what would you say to the two of us having that luncheon at Milo and Son’s after all? In honor of our first rave review?”
Luna’s heart performed a staccatoratta-tat-tatagainst her breastbone. She should say no. Shemustsay no. Because there was absolutely no way that she could say yes. Not with Wednesday drawing so near, not with sorcerers out in the streets trying to mark her with strange spells. Not with the way her gaze kept fastening on her employer’s lovely, lovely mouth.
But somehow, she seemed to hear her own voice answering quite beyond her control: “How about you go freshen up, Mr. Grimm? I’ll close the shop down and put the sign in the window.”
His eyes flashed to catch hers again, his expression difficult to read. He looked both thrilled and terrified at the same time. Did he not actually expect her to accept his invitation? Was he regretting making it now? But his mouth twitched in a little smile, and he said in a gulping sort of voice, “I’ll be just five minutes.”
Luna took the newspaper from him. “Go on then,” she urged.
Fishing the key to Garden out of his trouser pocket, he pressed it into her hands, then turned and darted for the stairway up to his apartment. Luna watched him go, before turning to find all the flowers eyeing her, their petaled faces grinning after a floral fashion. “What?” she demanded.
“Never mind!”intoned Debbie and ruffled her wings.
“It’s a perfectly professional luncheon. That’s all.” Luna folded the paper crisply, pressing the edges with her fingertips. “One must celebrate these little wins as they come, mustn’t one?”
She set the paper behind the counter, trying very hard not to notice how her hands were shaking. Then she got to work with the shop-closing business. While she didn’t expect that she andMr. Grimm would be out late, she wanted to be certain all the flowers had fresh water, and chose to give the double-delight a little spritz of Mama Morgana’s spray, just to make certain she was settled. These tasks accomplished, she hastened down the passage to lock up Garden.
She was just returning the key to the polka-dot pot in the storage room, when she heard the front bells tinkling. Drat—she should have locked up and turned the sign to CLOSED first thing! Now she’d have to deal with whoever it was before she and Mr. Grimm could be on their way. Hopefully this customer wouldn’t want tea and a reading. A few quick posies or another order for the Governor’s Ball would be fine.
Plastering a professional smile in place, Luna returned to the shop floor. But there was no one there. The shop appeared empty. She frowned. Something felt off, somehow. The flowers looked a little less cheerful than they had moments before, and the double-delight was bristling, downright irritated.
“What’s wrong, sweeties?” Luna murmured, stepping into the room. “Is something troubling—”
A hand latched hold of her elbow. Luna had just time enough to utter a desperate yelp before she was spun around and a big, manly mouth pressed hard against hers in a soppy, wet, and altogethertoo muchof a kiss. She was so stunned, she couldn’t do anything at first but stand there and take it. Then she brought her hands up, pressed them against a massive, muscular chest, and pushed herself back, staggering a few paces. Mouth open, lips feeling rather bruised, she stared up into a face of blinding dimples and irrepressible handsomeness.
“Ward!” she gasped.
“Hullo there, Luna Talbot.” He gazed down at her, dimples deepening. “Did you miss me?”
Nigel raced up the steps to his apartment, euphoria buoying his heart to the topmost waves of his storm-tossed soul. He could not have imagined, when he awaked this morning and remembered with stomach-crunching horror his ill-fated attempt to kiss his employee—whileon the job,of all things!—that only a few short hours later, he would be fairly floating.
It should not have gone like this. She had made her feelings about that near-kiss very clear. When she’d refused to get into the van with him again, he’d known then that he’d messed up. Big time. Part of him wanted to think she’d not noticed what it was he was trying to do, but . . . Luna wasn’t stupid. She knew. And she’d firmly reestablished boundaries between them, boundaries he’d been determined to respect. Why else had he fled to Garden before she even arrived at the shop this morning? He’d been of half a mind not to return for the entire day. To give her space. To prove to her that he wasn’t the sort of man to place his employee in an impossibly uncomfortable position.
But then . . . when he’d heard her voice on the other side of the door, calling for him . . .
That impulsive move to scoop her up and twirl her in his arms easily could have meant disaster. By rights, she should be deeply offended that he’d taken such a liberty. But she wasn’t. She was so far from offended that she’d taken him up on that equally impulsive luncheon invitation with . . . dared he thinkenthusiasm?Did she actuallywantto spend time with him? Even after that near-miss under the banquet table?
“You haven’t blown it,” he whispered to himself as he stripped off his sweaty garments and turned on the shower taps. “You haven’t ruined everything.”
And now he had a chance to prove to her all over again just how respectful he could be. What a good and trustworthy friend.
It was going to be all right.Theywere going to be all right. And soon he would be enjoying the great pleasure of sitting across from her through lunch. Of getting to pay for her meal and watch her enjoy it and listen to her conversation and glory in the mere presence of her being. By the end of the day, he would have reestablished their friendship the way she wanted it to be, with himself in that damnable Elder Brother role. Which, sure, made his heart knot up just to think about. But if that’s the only way Luna Talbot wanted him, so be it! Just so long as they didn’t have to keep going on like they’d been these last four weeks.
Because if yesterday had proven anything, it was how desperately he missed her. Missed her laugh, missed her frown. Missed her perspective on the customers and her opinions on his floral arranging skills. Missed the way her carefully-curled hair slowly lost its bounce throughout the day until it hung limp against her shoulders by closing time. Missed the way her lips rounded in that delightful little moue as she blew away the hot steam just before taking a sip of her tea. Missedher.
Nigel rinsed off swiftly in the shower then sped through a toilette routine, applying cologne and pomade with not quite his usual care. His fingers trembled as he did up the buttons offirst his shirt, then his waistcoat, and fought three times with his tie before he managed to get a passable knot. This feat accomplished at last, he shrugged into his jacket and paused a moment to meet his own gaze in the mirror.
“Right,” he spoke sternly to his reflection. “Be the friend she needs. You’ve got this.”
Stuffing a fresh handkerchief into his trouser pocket, he turned and exited the apartment. He descended the stairwell two steps at a time, his heart thudding in his throat, leapt the last three steps, stepped out into the shop—
And came face-to-face with the sight of Wardsman John Ward. His arms wrapped around Luna. Kissing her face off.
Nigel choked.
Staggering back into the stairwell, his heels hit the bottom tread, and he sat down heavily. His heart seemed to have stopped completely, a solid weight plunged straight to his stomach. He sat there for what felt like a short eternity, listening to nothing but the sound of his pulse thudding dully in his ears.
