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I’d never really realized how much I’d taken for granted that Henry would always be there—sharing wisdom, giving advice, and keeping my life feeling stable. Losing him had been a shock to everyone but also a reminder to me that nothing in life is certain.
And that nothing lasts forever.
Even with the best care and all the love I could give them, the beautiful flowers I surrounded myself with every day would eventually wilt before my eyes. It was the same with life, witheverything.
But rather than let myself get down about it, I was determined to make sure I took time to appreciate and enjoy the beauty, the complexity, and thelifethat bloomed around me while I still had the opportunity.
And at least—through showing up and working in the space I’d shared with Henry—I still felt a connection with the man whose life and death had taught me that.
Thatwas something I definitely wasn’t going to take for granted anymore.
I had barely had time to sit back down and start looking for the IT guy’s number when the bell above the front door jingled again.
For a moment, I wondered if Mr. Robbins had changed his mind about checking out the carnations. However, when I peeked back out of the office, it was obvious that the man walking through the door was definitely not Mr. Robbins.
Even with the morning sun in my eyes, I could tell this customer was much taller and more muscular than the wiry old man who’d been in earlier. In fact, the new customer’s silhouette didn’t match any of the mostly elderly clientele who frequented the flower shop.
Thosesilhouettes didn’t make me crane my neck to the point of nearly falling out of the desk chair. They didn’t make something quicken inside me that I hadn’t felt in God knows how long.
I squinted against the glare of the sun, my imagination already filling in the details that I still couldn’t quite see.
This guy was big. Andbuilt. And probably—almost certainly, based on the parts Icouldsee—the kind of guy that I always seemed to fall for.
Tall, dark, and handsome?
Yes, yes, and yes, please.
The man didn’t walk right up to the counter to place an order. Instead, he took a few moments to stand near the entrance and take it all in, as if he was inspecting the place from floor to ceiling.
Clearly, a first-time customer.
I hurriedly put away the mess of papers I’d strewn across Henry’s desk while looking for the phone number and walked out to greet the stranger. Not only did I want to make sure the new customer was taken care of, but—if I was being honest? —yeah, I wanted to get a better look at just how hot this mystery guy really was.
Of course, I would give the man the same level of service no matter what he happened to look like. From abusinessstandpoint, it didn’t matter at all. But from a still-a-virgin standpoint, from a maybe-probably-almost-definitely-gonna-use-his-face-for-inspiration-later standpoint?
It mattered.
It mattered a lot.
And the closer I got to the backlit shape of the new customer, the more my suspicions of hotness were confirmed.
The man was half-turned away from me, looking at an enormous arrangement of sunflowers I had made on a particularly chilly day the week before. It had made me think of summer when I’d put it together—still a few months away—and even I had to admit it was quite eye-catching.
“Don’t those sunflowers make you feel nice and warm?” I asked. I grinned as I came around the counter, trying and failing not to think of all the other ways I might make this particular customer feel nice. And warm. “Welcome to Patty’s Petals. I’m—”
Whatever I’d been about to say died in my throat as the man finally turned to face me. His intense brown eyes pinned me to the floor where I stood.
The stranger was drop-dead sexy—gorgeous, in a rough, rugged sort of way. Yet, the flicker of recognition between us made my throat close and sent off all kinds of alarm bells in my head.
“Thank you,” the man said, quirking an eyebrow but still not taking his eyes off mine. “You must be Joe.”
Oh, damn.
Damn, damn, damn.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I shut it again with an audible snap and nodded instead.
The man extended his hand, and I shook it, trying to remember to smile… even though it felt like I might throw up or pass out instead.
