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“What are you doing?” she asked.
He held the rose out to her. “For you.”
She stared at the rose, hesitating. “Why?”
“It’s an apology rose. I’m sorry for giving you a hard time, and I’ll try to be better from this point forward.”
She still seemed unsure, but she took the long stem with a small smile. “Thank you.”
His hands flexed as she brought the bud to her nose and inhaled softly, closing her eyes. He watched at the petals brushed her lips and he found himself envying a stupid flower.
“You like it?” he murmured.
She opened her eyes, the chocolate depths warm and happy. “Lavender roses are my favorite, but they are so expensive, so I never buy them.”
“It’s not up to you to buy your own flowers.”
“Well, it is now,” she said, lightly. “Asher always gave me assorted bouquets when he…after we’d fight. I don’t know if I ever told him I love these. Probably.” The shy, sweet smile she sent him was like arms wrapped around his chest. “I appreciate the gesture. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Dustin opened her door for her, and as she stepped inside, he jogged around the back. He didn’t know if it was her reaction to his rose or the fact that he’d guessed her favorite flower, one that Asher had never known about, but he was suddenly in a very, very good mood.
He climbed in and then buckled up. “Where to now?”
“I think we should go to the bridal shop and see if we can find any alternatives to the dress she chose. From the measurements of these bridesmaids, I think they’d also appreciate something a little more flattering.”
“Should we call Tonya?”
She shook her head. “I want visuals for her to fall in love with before we contact her.”
“Works for me.”
Chapter 12
Dustin wasn’t big into women’s fashion, so he’d fully planned to head down the street to grab them some lunch while Rylie handled this.
But just as he was ready to head out the door, Rylie had insisted he stay.
“I need you to take pictures of the dresses and e-mail them to me.”
Before he could protest, Rylie disappeared into the racks of bright colored silks, satins, and taffeta and one of the saleswomen was ushering him toward the viewing area. He gazed over his shoulder at the front door as it got smaller and smaller.
Now, he found himself sprawled in one of the overstuffed chairs, playing some puzzle game on his phone while he waited for her to come out of the dressing room.
“Okay, this is option number one,” Rylie said.
He looked up to find her stepping onto a raised podium. The dress she was wearing was a deep wine color in a flowy fabric that came up over one shoulder. The color made her skin look creamier and brought out the golden highlights in her hair.
Rylie waved her hands up and down like she was a game show model. “So, this is an empire waist dress in a chiffon, and they have several different styles for the top… Why aren’t you typing?”
He blinked at her. “What?”
“I thought you’d take the picture, and then e-mail the picture and description to me.”
He set his phone aside and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You do realize that I am a guy, right?”
Jasmine, one of the sales girls, giggled as Rylie blushed. “Yes, of course I am aware.”
