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Then I packed up the mess I’d made of Bear’s yard, cleaned the rooms I’d used in prep and his shed and headed back to work. By the time Bear’s house was a speck in my rearview mirror, my head was back in my investigation, my stolen hours with Floss a memory packed tightly away and locked with care.
***
“You looked after that girl you’re towing about yet?” Jake groused as I passed his coffee across his desk.
For a too-long minute I considered throwing the cup at him, but the flash in his eyes warned me on more than one front.
I nodded jerkily. “I’m sorting it.”
“You’d better.” The man who’d apparently decided to play big brother to Floss leaned back in his leather seat and crossed his ankles on his wooden desk.
It took everything in me not to scoff at him. Instead, I kept my face a mask and delivered coffees around the room, then headed to Andy’s desk. “Anything new?”
“Other than us not figuring this thing out? Not a chance.” He shook his head and drained half his coffee in one gulp.
“How long have you been here?”
Andy peered at me. “As in here, here? Is this a trick question?”
I took in his rumpled shirt and shitty shaving job. “You didn’t get home last night.”
“Is that optional?”
“Sleep usually isn’t considered a choice.” Guilt swamped me. “I’m sorry I've left you alone on this.”
Andy waved a hand my way. “I’m sure I’ll call in my fair share of favors when the baby is born.”
“How's Ella doing?”
“Round, cute as all fuck, and hungry. I’ve never seen her eat so many spring rolls in my life.”
I laughed. “Sounds like she’s doing fine then.”
“I’ll take that.” Andy eyed me. “How’s Floss?”
“Best fucking night of my life.” I spoke to his desk.
“But?”
“It can’t work. I need to be here and I’m....single-minded.”
“Aren’t we all, brother? You’ll get by. Work it through.” He shoved a file under my nose and a map that no longer resembled Austin for all the lines drawn across it. “Ready to work?”
I threw off my melancholy, determined to crack the solution I swore was right in front of my face. “Always.”
Andy nodded his approval, and for a while we stopped speaking.
***
I didn’t make it to the florist shop for another few days, snowed with work. Floss sent a few text messages, and I replied as best I could, but a wariness entered my tone and I couldn’t help thinking that she knew what I was going to do. I pushed open the door, greeting Dolly, who sat on a freshly painted ledge in the morning sunshine.
“I’m in the back!” Floss called from the rear of the shop.
I let the door close behind me and pushed my way through the undergrowth. “There’s more potted plants, and the bows are gone,” I noted as I made my way to the desk. Several boxes were piled on top and I peered around them. “Do you want to carry these deliveries somewhere?”
“They’re not mine.” Floss appeared from behind orchid studded strands that separated the back office from the front shop area. “The driver is having a hard time working out where things go. She was fairly snarky this morning. Looks like someone might be playing a practical joke on her.” She slipped out from behind the desk to wrap her arms around my waist, her head tipped back, parted lips inviting a kiss I desperately wanted to give her.
Blood rushed south, leaving the ground wobbling beneath my feet. “Ah. Floss. I was going to ask—”
