Page 9 of Be-Leaf in Love

The second I sit down at my desk I slam the cup of coffee that’s waiting for me, then dive into the usual mountain of emails. But I’m on autopilot. My life has always felt like the brightness and contrast are turned down. Everything’s gray. Blurry.

Violet has brought my world into vivid focus, and I want to see her again right away. She left her email and phone number on her price quote. Is that her personal number, or the shop’s?

How can I let this incredible girl know that I’m thinking about her? I can’t send her flowers. I’d rather send her diamonds and a key to my house. Or tickets for a luxury trip around the world for the two of us to visit exotic gardens. Or maybe…

Looking down, I notice my hands are clenched around the edge of my desk. I’ve never ached for a woman before like this. My head is spinning. I’m going to have to do something else for the first time.

Ask a woman for advice.

By eleven in the morning, most of the office is buckled in at work, so I can sneak out to reception unseen. Melati spins her chair to greet me. “How may I help you, Mr. English?”

I walk behind the desk to get closer and lower my voice, as she stares at me curiously. “I need to send someone a gift today.”

She grabs her notepad and a pen. “Flower arrangement? Fruit basket?”

Dammit, this is awkward. “It’s for Violet, so I can’t send flowers. But women like chocolates, don’t they?”

I was half-expecting Melati to snicker or roll her eyes. Instead, she beams a million-watt smile. “Oh! I just saw something on Web News Kingsville. There’s a new specialty chocolate shop in town that hand-makes gourmet bonbons. Some of them have flowers iced onto them. How about a box of those?”

“Perfect. Thank you. Just send it to her at the plant shop.”

“Of course.” Her eyes sparkle. “And if you need restaurant recommendations where you could take her out for dinner, I keep an extensive list for all the executives.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

I return to my office, dropping into my desk chair so heavily it rolls back a few inches. Violet’s printouts are still on the edge of my desk. Where can I take her for dinner that would be something truly unique? Something worthy of my magical pixie girl?

Note to self: Make Violet understand this isn’t the stereotypical older man falling for a sweet young lady.

Every time I look into her eyes, I feel electrified. I want to know every thought, every feeling she’s ever had. Every desire and dream, so that I can do my utter best to make them come true.

My fingers drum loudly on the desk, as I stare at her mockups. Wow, she is obsessed with plants.

Plants. Dinner.Oh!

I’m already grabbing my phone, scrolling through my contacts. It’s short notice, but it’s perfect for my sweet Violet.

7

VIOLET

Thank goodness Jack’s project involves so much busy work on my end. It helps me focus.

If I were allowed to be alone with my thoughts for more than a second or two, I might start thinking about him again. The way he held me. The way he didn’t care if everyone in the city saw us together.

There’s no doubt in my mind that he wants a real relationship with me. The only question iswhy? A man like him could easily find himself a supermodel. Or at least a woman who can speak to a group of people without freaking out.

I keep myself occupied all morning sourcing the plants and materials for the wall and start putting together proper sketches for the five greenery nooks that will be dotted around the office.

After a few hours at the computer I stand up and stretch, staring across my section of the back room. The shop is divided into the customer space out front, and our work area in the back. The door between the two is always open so we can hear the bell.

We each have a corner with a desk and our own shelves around us. There are more gigantic shelves in the center, filledwith enough pots and plants that we feel separate enough to have some privacy.

I take a moment to check out the website for English Investments. They’re mainly focused on new and innovative tech companies, and other little-known investment opportunities. It seems like they make sense of investing for people who have money, but not a lot of understanding of how these things work.

I have neither money nor understanding.

Then I run a search on Jack himself. He comes up on several sites. The general consensus seems to be that he is both brilliant and well-respected. Yet every bio that wasn’t written by his own PR team also mentions his father.

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