Page 3 of Undone, Love Times Three

“I own a florist, am a florist,” I say nervously. My armpits are really going to town now.

“You own the shop? That’s amazing. Is it somewhere I might know?”

“Maybe,” I lift my mug. We live in a smallish city. There are three other florists. I’ve done my homework. And we have a better Google rating. “Love in Bloom.”

“Oh yeah, over on fifteenth, I know it. I might have even been in there a time or two. Don’t remember seeing you, though.”

“I work in the back a lot,” I shrug. “Making the bouquets, taking orders. I have a couple of staff who work in the shop itself.”

“That will be why, then. What made you get into… floristry? Is that a word?” he laughs.

Hells bells. If I was standing, my knees would go weak, and I’d be a puddle. “It is. It’s the descriptor for the type of industry. My job title is florist.”

“Do you study for that?”

“Yes, I did a couple of years in community college learning horticulture, but flowers have always been my passion. It’s something I got from my grandma. She owned a florist of her own a few years ago, but when she retired, she sold that one.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Not really. She’s been happier than I’ve seen in years now that she’s no longer working. And it allowed her to invest in my store.” I pause. Why am I telling him something so personal? I’m so at ease with him. That’s why. “It’s smaller premises. People get a lot of flowers online.”

“That’s true of a most things these days.”

“We still do good business,” I smile.

“It’s a business that will never go out of style.”

“Like firefighting?”

“Like that, yeah. You can’t get that online,” he huffs with a laugh.

I take a sip of the drink once I get through all the cream.

Ryan laughs as I lower the mug. He looks at my mouth.

“It’s all over my face, isn’t it?” I duck my head.

He grins and reaches over with a napkin. Disappointment floods me when he doesn’t wipe it away himself. And suck it off his finger. My blood pressure spikes and my cheeks heat.

Wow, I should not be having these thoughts about someone else’s date. What the hell is wrong with me?

I have to tell him the truth.

Two

Ryan

The blush that rises on her cheeks is cute. Not gonna lie, I thought about wiping that cream off the corner of her lips with a finger, but we’ve only just met and although you see that shit in the movies, in real life, it is crossing a boundary we’re not ready for.

Being late to this date pissed me off. I’m never late for anything. It was just typical there was a traffic build up and then the barrier for the parking garage wasn’t working.

I should have parked on the street but could have been driving around a while looking for a space. Thinking the parking garage would be quicker was a mistake.

Luckily, Alison doesn’t seem to mind me being late. Jason, my buddy at the station, didn’t do her justice. The guys all know dating apps don’t work for me. I’m uncomfortable with that whole thing. It’s like a cattle market and people are never honest.

When he said he was gonna set me up with someone his wife knew, he’d said she was cute. This woman is more than cute. She’s gorgeous, a little shy, which is understandable.

I’m an outgoing guy. I’ll talk to anyone. I deal with the public a lot in my job. The Chief always puts me in front of the reporters if we ever need to talk to them.

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