Page 43 of He Loves Me Lots


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She’s a strong, independent woman—her own boss. I feel prouder of her than ever once we pull up in front of her little store.

Iris’ husband, Phil, is waving to us from the coffee shop, but Jasmine’s attention is on her store. The store already has a couple of early bird customers, and someone else is serving them from behind her counter.

“What the-?” she says hotly but snaps her eyes to mine and watches me smile and then shrug. I can only give her a “see, told ya…” expression.

She looks back into the store and, squinting her eyes, she makes out who’s serving.

“I heard through the grapevine that somebody who bought flowers yesterday was a little less than polite,” I explain in a low tone.

Jasmine peers again at who’s serving in her store before I watch her expression shift into a satisfied smile. “Well, well… but how did you…?” she asks, turning back to face me.

“I have my sources,” I explain cryptically. “Janitors hear everything, and good ones report everything back to their boss when asked,” I add.

“But when? How?” Jasmine asks, still wanting all the details, but I only shrug, urging her with my chin. “We should go see how Phil’s doing. Your store’s in capable hands,” I assure her.

Laura might be a passive-aggressive bitch, but she’s a fine attorney and one with a secret passion for floristry it seems. I thought sending her to work for Jasmine might teach her a lesson in manners, but it looks like it’s done more than that. I might’ve just lost one of the best attorneys we have. But, ah, well… plenty more where she came from, I’m sure.

Perhaps if Laura does well, Jasmine could interview her as a prospective employee to help out so she can spend less time standing in her store and more time enjoying herself in other ways.

Jasmine gasps suddenly, as if she’s just remembered something critically important. “Iris! Oh, my God, I totally forgot. I was supposed to go see her this morning,” she groans, closing her eyes tight, beating herself up again.

“Hey,” I croon, taking her hand. “We’re going to go visit Iris once we’ve had some breakfast, okay?”

“It’s still early. We’ve got all morning to go to the hospital. Let’s ask Phil how she’s doing, huh?” I suggest.

Glad when she smiles and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, I see again how much Iris and Phil mean to her.

“Iris is doing fine,” Phil tells us, ushering us in and surprising me, but not Jasmine so much, when he slides two full plates of bacon, eggs, and toast with roasted tomatoes between us with a pot of fresh coffee nearby which he uses to fill two giant mugs.

“I was going to head down after breakfast,” he adds, and I give Jasmine a knowing look.

“Mind if we join you?” I ask.

“I think Iris would like that,” Phil says, smiling as he looks from Jasmine to me.

I guess we don’t need a sign or T-shirts made up. Anyone with eyesight can see that Jasmine’s mine now, and that I’m hers.

A couple… and all in one day. Most people only dream about this kind of romance, but it does happen.

Phil leaves us to have our breakfast, letting Jasmine know her store’s in great hands as he takes a mug of coffee next door for Laura.

Jasmine absently plucks the petals of a wilting bunch of flowers on the table, most likely out of habit than anything else.

“This is you being a pain in the ass, right?” Jasmine interrogates me once we’re alone.

I think for a moment, hamming it up before smiling a bigyes.

“Get used to it,” I remind her. “Because whenever you need something, and every time you don’t, I’m going to be there… spoiling you, helping you,” I continue.

Jasmine suddenly looks shy. Embarrassed. She glances down at her lap as a knowing smile plays on her lips. Her fingers pluck gently at the flowers now.

“What are you thinking?” I ask her after watching her for a while, eating like a starved man as I sit across from her.

Knowing I’ll never be full when it comes to my flower.

My Jasmine.

“He loves me… He loves me not…,” she hums in a low whisper, plucking petals and giving me a dreamy-eyed look.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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