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Pulling perpendicular to the sidewalk, I head towards the very shop in which I purchased flowers for my office manager yesterday. The morning sun is shining and the birds are singing as I inhale some of that crisp Virginia air that I’ve become accustomed to since moving here, a gentle wind blowing across the Bay. Crossing my fingers that she’s working today, I pull open the glass door and step inside.
The familiar bell announces my arrival. Like a magnet, I’m instantly pulled towards her. Jaime’s standing at the counter beside her sister and an older woman, each of them wearing matching smiles. When she looks up, the smile on her face falters a little. A bit of shyness and maybe a little embarrassment mix with her warm smile.
“Good morning,” Payton says, standing up tall next to the register.
“Hey, Payton. How are you? How’s business?” I approach the counter next to the older lady, directly across from the star of last night’s dreams.
“Everything’s going well. Business is good,” she says. I can hear the smile in her voice, but I don’t see it because I’m completely transfixed on a pair of light green eyes the color of morning grass after a rain.
A throat clears beside me. “You keep staring at my granddaughter like that and we’re going to have to change the rating of this shop to X.”
Jaime’s eyes widen in shock as she chastises the woman beside me. “Grandma!”
Payton snorts and tries to cover up her laughter with a cough, earning herself a glare from her sister.
“Don’t you encourage her,” Jaime scolds as she continues to glower at Payton.
“What? It’s a good thing when a single man mentally strips a single woman, Jaime. It means he’s interested in the horizontal mambo,” the woman says casually. Payton can barely stand up straight she’s laughing so hard, and Jaime? Her face is darker than the red roses I purchased the day before.
Before either of them can respond, the woman turns to me. “You are single, right? You’re not one of those weirdos just trying to get his jollies off with my sweet girl here, are you?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m very much single. And I am not a weirdo nor am I here to get my jollies off.” Liar. I’d love to get my jollies off right now.
Again, a very unladylike snort reverbs through the room as Payton doubles over in laughter. I’m too enthralled with the tiny woman to check for Jaime’s reaction to her grandmother’s inquisition. But if I know anything about her at all, I can guarantee her face is still beet red and she’s doing everything she can to hide behind her long brown hair.
“Huh, that’s too bad,” the woman grumbles.
“Grandma, this is Ryan Elson. He owns a construction business here in town. We met once several months back,” Payton says. I offer my hand to the spitfire old woman, but she only uses it to pull me forward and wrap her arms around me in a hug.
“Please, call me Emma.”
The hug lasts a few seconds too long, and I glance over at Jaime and Payton for assistance.
“Grandma, you can stop hugging him now,” Jaime says, a hint of a smile drawing on the corner of her lush lips.
Emma finally starts to pull away, but not before grabbing a handful of my ass. I’m startled by her boldness and reflexively jerk forward. Unfortunately, the only thing that does is cement my denim-clad manhood against the older woman’s midsection. Thank God I’m not sporting wood right now.
Now who’s three shades of pink?
Before Emma returns her attention to her granddaughters, she throws me a sassy wink and a devious little smirk. Something tells me this Grandma is quite the handful.
“Is there something we can help you with today, Ryan? Or did you just come by to get sexually assaulted by a seventy-year-old woman?” Payton asks.
“I’m here for some flowers, ladies.” I keep my eyes trained on Jaime as I watch her reaction.
“Well, you definitely came to the right place. Jaime, can you assist Ryan with his order?” Payton asks, her voice dropping with sweetness towards her sister, again earning her a hard scowl.
“That’d be perfect. Jaime, do you mind?” I ask, turning my full attention towards the object of my desire.
“Of course she doesn’t mind. Jaime’s all about assisting young, gorgeous, robust young men such as yourself,” Emma coos with a smile.
“Grandma, stop flirting with him,” Jaime mumbles as she follows me towards the cooler.
For the third time this week, I find myself standing beside this gorgeous woman in front of a dozen floral arrangements.
“So, what can I help you with today? Perhaps a bridal bouquet? Engagement flowers?”
“Uh, I’m not quite there yet. I’m thinking something a little more timeless. Something classic and stunning and full of intoxicating fragrance.” I lean towards Jaime just a smidge and inhale. She smells like flowers and vanilla and fucking heaven.
