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Olivia wags her finger at us. “If you two kill each other in my studio, I am not washing the blood stains out, do you understand?”
“If we’re both dead, how can we clean up the blood stains?” I ask.
“And not all deaths cause blood spatter.” Miller stares down at me. “Choking for instance.”
My body warms as I imagine Miller’s hand around my neck as he slides into me. Not choking me. Choking goes too far. But feeling his big, strong hand on my neck? Oh yeah. His eyes flare. Is he imagining the same thing as me?
The bell above the door chimes and breaks the spell as Olivia exits.
I clear my throat. “Anyway. I’ve got us set up in the office.”
“Set up?” He scratches his neck. “Don’t tell me you have another PowerPoint presentation.”
“What’s wrong with PowerPoint? Do you have a problem with comprehending them? I promise to speak slow and allow you to ask questions.”
He growls. “I’m not stupid.”
My cheeks burn. I can’t believe I implied he’s stupid. He’s not stupid. And even if he were, I’m a bitch for implying he needs help. This is not how people in Winter Falls act. But whenever I’m in Miller’s vicinity, I forget all about decorum.
“Sorry.” I motion toward the office. “Will you please accompany me to the office where I will use a presentation to demonstrate the reasons why the expansion ofNaked Falls Brewingwould have a negative impact onEden’s Garden?”
“Why the nameEden’s Garden?” Miller asks as he settles in an office chair while I fiddle with the beamer.
“I didn’t come up with the name. My mom did. Her name was Eden, too.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
I nearly tumble to the floor at his words. Miller remembers my mom died last year? And he’s acting like a normal human person with emotions? He has emotions? An emotion besides anger, I mean. Because he has no problem showing me his anger.
“Thank you. I’m sorry you lost your dad.”
He grunts. Ah, this is the Miller I’m used to. Sir Grunts A Lot. And here I thought we were actually sharing a moment the way normal humans do. Silly me.
He clears his throat. “Thank you,” he grumbles.
“Do you miss him?”
He glances away.
“I miss my mom,” the words are out before I realize I’m going to speak. “She loved the store. It was always her dream to have a plant shop. She worked unbelievably hard to make it a reality.”
“What about your dad?”
“He was never in the picture.”
“You never met him?”
I shrug. A shrug isn’t a lie, is it? But I’m not about to reveal to him – a man who hates me – how I searched for my father and what happened when I found him. The things he said. The lies he told. I wish I never found him.
“I get it. My dad was an asshole, too.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I never said my dad was an asshole.”
“You didn’t have to, flower girl. It’s written all over your face.”
“Whatever.”
I’m not telling him the secrets about my dad. Secrets no one in Winter Falls knows. Believe it or not, you can keep a secret in this town. The trick is to never tell a single person in town.
