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She frowned slightly. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t answer the question,” she said.
“Iris married the love of her life, her one true and forever love. Even if I did still carry a torch for her, I’d never admit it. Especially to you. But I don’t. She’s moved on and so have I. Do you believe me?”
She smiled a little bit. Her expression said she didn’t believe him at all, but how could she argue without calling him a liar. “Okay, I believe you,” she said. “But there are also things about me... I want you to get to know me a little better.”
“I’m ready whenever you are. But so far, you’re the mystery. You have some pretty vague answers to questions about your life, your family, your friends...”
“I know, Troy. Since I was raised an only child, isolated in some ways, I tend to be on the private side. If you’re just patient...”
He leaned toward her. He kissed her again and she melted into him.
“How do you like me so far?” he asked against her lips.
She smiled without breaking her hold on him. “You’re growing on me.”
“You can trust me. When you’re ready to tell me more, you can trust me. And you can ask me anything.”
“Okay. One important question before we go any further. Are you sure I’m not just a booty call?”
Four (#ulink_632340cd-1067-5fd8-b109-16f4ed07c8e6)
On January second, Grace did an inventory of her stock, updated her calendar, cleaned out the flower bin and made herself a to-do list. She had two couples coming in at the end of the month to get estimates for spring weddings. Valentine’s Day would be her next major event and she wanted to begin decorating the shop right away. Soon it would be spring, when her stock would be more beautiful and plentiful than ever. The most important thing on her list was to find help for the shop! She really wanted to spend more time with the fun coach.
Being with Troy was intoxicating. They made out like teenagers, but she knew she was going to have to get ready for the next stage. Oh, so inviting! She was amazed he agreed not to rush her.
She heard the bell on the shop door tinkle and looked out of her workroom to see a familiar face as Al Michel stepped into the shop. He had the most handsome smile, a man who seemed perpetually happy. He was a big man, in his fifties with a powerful physique, who looked impervious to aging. He wore his blue work shirt, his name embroidered above the pocket.
“Hey there,” she said, coming into the shop. “How was Christmas?”
“Excellent,” he said.
“And what made it so special?” she asked.
“Well, my lady, for one thing, Ray Anne really went overboard to make sure it was nice for the boys. We had Christmas Eve at her house and she cooked most of the food, but I helped a little. She decorated and wrapped presents for everyone. Christmas Day was at our house, but she took care of most of the food. We brought the boys’ mom from the nursing home for a few hours and it was great. Her MS is under control for the moment, and I could tell the boys were proud to have her home, if only for a little while. I think it was the nicest holiday any of us has had in years, especially the boys.”
Grace leaned on her counter and tilted her head. “I don’t have any idea how you got hooked up with those boys,” she said.
“Simple,” he said. “Justin, the oldest, worked with me at the service station. He’s nineteen and real private. I found out he was taking care of his mother and two younger brothers, killing himself to hold it all together while his mom was just getting more and more infirm. So we teamed up—me and the boys. I’m their foster father. Their mom needed the nursing home and it made sense for me to move into their house. The two younger boys are in school. They’re good kids, but they still need supervision. Not constant, but regular. Know what I mean? But just to be sure things couldn’t be simple or real easy, I found my lady, Ray Anne, right about the same time I found my family of boys.”
He shook his head and chuckled. “Now, Ray Anne is a good woman and I think she loves those boys like they’re her own, but she’s...” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know if Ray Anne even knows how old she is, but she’s not as young as she looks. She’s probably too set in her ways to live with a man like me and three teenage boys. She’s particular and fussy. The way we got it worked out is good. I live with the boys, she lives in her own house. She visits, invites us over sometimes, and then there’s the times those boys grant me leave and I visit my lady without them chaperoning. It verges on a perfect life.”
“Wow. All that happened at once?”
“Pretty much,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d ever be this settled.”
“In two houses,” Grace said with a laugh.
“Aw, it won’t be two houses forever. Justin passed his GED and we’re looking into college courses. Scares him to death but the boy is smarter than he thinks. Danny’s in high school, Kevin’s almost done with middle school. Before I know it, I won’t be that necessary to them.”
“Oh, I bet you’ll be the dad for a long time to come. Maybe even a grandpa.”
“Hush now,” he said, grinning. “We’re in the grandparent prevention program at my house. Those boys don’t need any more complications. Now, Grace, I should take my lady some pretty flowers. She worked so hard over Christmas to make sure me and the crew had a great holiday. That woman is a dream come true. What’ve you got that’s perfect for her?”
“I just cleaned out the bin,” she said. “Would you like a bouquet or an arrangement?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “What’s the difference?”
“The last flowers I sold you in the square vase—that was a bouquet. A table arrangement is like a centerpiece for her table or bedroom dresser. I have some lavender and white roses, hydrangea, lilies—the pretty green and white ones. Next week I’ll have a new crop of calla lilies.”
He contemplated for a second and she was thinking what a good catch he must be—a man with tender feelings, strong enough to take on a brood of teenage boys and sensitive enough to think of his lady with flowers. “Just make something pretty, Grace. Fifty bucks or so?”
“Wow, you do love that lady.”
“Every time I think of her I want to fill her house with flowers. Ray likes pretty things. I waited a long time to find someone like her.”
“What’s it like, asking three teenage boys if you can go out on a date?”
He laughed. “A lot of monkey business, kissing noises, that kind of thing. Especially the younger two—I can’t wait till they have girlfriends. I’m planning to be relentless and obnoxious, they’ve earned it. So, how much time do you need on the flowers?”
“Thirty minutes, tops. Want to wait?”
“I think I’ll go get lunch at the diner while you work, then come back. Can I bring you anything?”
“That’s so sweet,” she said, shaking her head. A couple of weeks ago she might’ve said, Yeah, your younger brother! But now there was Troy. “I’m good. I’ll get right on this. And don’t forget to put in your order for Valentine’s Day roses early!”
Twenty minutes later the bouquet was finished—white, lavender, dark green and a little blue delphinium. She might’ve put extra love in the bouquet just thinking about Al and Ray Anne, finding each other a bit later in life. Here she’d been thinking that at twenty-eight she was long overdue.
When Al picked up the flowers they had a brief discussion about her need for help in the shop and he said Justin might be able to run some deliveries for her if he didn’t have to pay for gas. Al promised to ask him.
When she was alone, her personal cell rang and she answered.
“Hey there, flower girl. What are you doing?” Troy asked.
“Ah, you do know how to use a phone. I’m doing flowers. Beautiful flowers. How about you? Wanna go see the waves?”
“You’re adorable, you know that? I’m going to work for Cooper today and tomorrow, but Sunday is my day. And I go back to school on Monday. The flower shop is closed on Sundays. So—what should we do?”
“This implies you want to have an adventure? Is that it?”
“Let’s take 101 south, check out the redwoods, drive into the Humboldt County mountains and maybe break bread with some illegal pot growers. We can have a picnic in the redwoods. We might have to have it in the car—it’s going to be kind of cold but sunny. Except back in the trees, it’s dark and cold.”
“How do you know it’s going to be chilly and sunny?”
“My phone says it’s going to be sunny with a high of forty-five degrees.”
“What did we do before smartphones?”
“Listened to the farm report. So, what do you say, flower girl? Date?”
In all the places she’d been, from China to Charlotte, North Carolina, she’d never been to the redwoods. “I think that could be fun. We should pack extra clothes this time in case you have to show off again.”
“Yeah, I’ll take that under advisement. So, that’s Sunday. I’ll be at Cooper’s tonight. It’s Friday night. A clear and cold Friday night so there will be people. There might be teenagers on the beach with their fires and shenanigans. If you’re not tied up with the knight or the vampire or some loser Navy SEAL you could always come out.”
“I could, but I should think about it. Ever since I’ve had a fun coach some of my boyfriends have felt neglected.”
“I’ll be here till nine or ten, depending on people. I’ll follow you home to make sure you get in safely. Because I’m such a gentleman.”
“I’m sure you would. Let me see what I have to do.”
“You do that, Gracie.”
No one had ever called her Gracie or flower girl. She loved it.
She went to Cooper’s at almost eight, climbed up on a stool, her cheeks rosy and her fingers like icicles. It was a perfect night on the beach and there were three different fires surrounded by people, mostly young people.
“Hi,” Troy said, smiling. He grabbed her hand. “Whew. Cold.”
“I walked over,” she said. “I might need a ride home.”
He smiled wider. “Gotcha covered,” he said, a twinkle in his eye.
* * *
Troy found lots of things he could do with Grace. She had never dated like this before. They drove down the coast to the redwoods, another day they went up the coast to Ecola Beach. They drove over to Eugene, and they drove up into the snowy Oregon mountains on a clear day. They went out to dinner twice and saw two movies. She went with him to a couple of high school basketball games and she closed the shop early one Saturday so they could drive to the university for a Ducks hockey game and they watched the Super Bowl together—just the two of them. They always ended the dates with more of that wonderful kissing. And with Troy always dangling the suggestion of an overnight. Grace kept pushing that idea back for now. But they made out every night. Every. Night. She really couldn’t get enough.
She found herself watching one of her favorite comfort chick flicks a lot—The Holiday. It was sweet, warm and fuzzy and she thought Troy looked very like Jude Law, except for the dimple. Grace was falling in love.
Because Grace and Troy had been seen around with Iris so often, not much was made of the fact that Iris was now missing—she was a newlywed, after all. In fact, Troy and Grace ran into Iris and Seth at a high school basketball game and they seemed completely unsurprised to see Troy and Grace together.
Then Iris popped into the shop one day after school. She’d been doing that quite regularly since Grace bought the shop. Iris liked to make her own flower arrangements and Grace gave them to her cheap. But, since she’d been married, the visits had become rare. Grace already had the workroom cleaned up. “I haven’t seen you in a while,” Iris said. “Are you anxious to close?”
“I’m in no great hurry, but no one will be by now. People who want flowers after five call ahead—they know I’ll stay open for them to pick up if I can. This married business—I don’t see that much of you anymore!”
“Because now I go home and cook! If I don’t, Seth’s mom will try to feed us every night and we can’t have that. And I run errands and do laundry and get caught up on my homework before Seth comes home.”
“You cook? Oh, God, has he filed for an annulment yet?”
“Very funny. I’m getting better, but sometimes he cooks. Have any flowers you can spare? I could use something cheery in the house—this weather can be a downer.”
“Oh, I know exactly how to perk you up,” she said, going into the cooler. She brought out a bottle of nice sauvignon blanc and two icy glasses she kept in there for just such an occasion. “Ta-da! You can pick your flowers while I get the corkscrew out of my desk.”
“You are a good person, Grace,” Iris said, approving of the wine and going into the cooler. Grace had the wine poured by the time Iris returned with a selection of flowers. Iris knew exactly where to get clippers, tape and a vase. She chose a very attractive oval vase to hold the bouquet. “I’ll return it, of course,” Iris said.
Grace passed her a glass of wine and lifted her own. “To your new status, Mrs. Sileski.”
“Thank you, Grace,” she said. “And should we toast a new relationship for you? You seem to be spending a lot of time with Troy.”
“You left him lonely,” Grace said with laughter in her voice.
“Oh, please don’t tell me he’s complaining that I’m off the market! I thought we had that all taken care of!”
“He’s not complaining, Iris,” Grace said, taking a sip of her wine. “But we’re just friends.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Oh, yes. I asked, as a matter of fact. He said he needs someone to play with. And so do I, since you decided to get married!”
“There’s no question about it—Troy is fun.”
“The fun coach,” Grace said with a laugh, then she told Iris about the giant wave until both of them were laughing hysterically. Grace told Iris about some of their fun dates, but she didn’t mention the more personal things, like all that wonderful kissing.
After a glass of wine and a very beautiful bouquet were both done, Iris said it was time to get home.
“I bet Troy’s not just looking for fun,” Iris said.
“Oh, I bet he is,” Grace replied. “But so am I.”
Grace locked the front door behind Iris, lost in thought. Why can’t I let myself lean on Iris, give her the whole story? She might know how I should guard my heart because I’m starting to fall in love and Troy isn’t looking for love. Especially from me.
She went back to the workroom, put the cork in the bottle and heard a light tapping at the back door. She looked up and smiled.
“Ah, I see you’ve been working hard,” Troy said, pointing to the wine bottle.
“I was about to put this back in the cooler. Iris came by to make herself a bouquet,” she said. “You just missed her,” she added, watching his expression.
“I saw her earlier,” he said, picking up the glasses. “I’ll carry these up for you.”
“You saw Iris?” she asked.
“I see her at school every day, Grace. Want to go out for Chinese?”
“I need a shower,” she said.
He reached for her. With the wineglasses in one hand he lifted her chin with the other and put a sweet kiss on her lips. “Want to have a shower and I’ll go get takeout? Or, if you need help with that shower...”
“I’ll manage,” she said. “So, you’re hungry for Chinese?”
“I am. And I want to ask you something. Want takeout or should I wait for you to have a shower?”
“What do you want to ask me?”
“Hold on. I’m going to soften you up first. Is there a beer upstairs?”
“There are two,” she said. “You go get dinner while I wash off the flowers. How long will it take you?”
“Forty minutes, tops,” he said. “You okay to lock up?”
“I do it every day, Troy. Just get going.”
