Page 23 of Love in Bloom

“The magic will pile up into snow, and I’ll have to shovel it bright and early in the morning. It’s hard to love something that will cause me more work.” After the heavy dinner discussion, Miller was enjoying this odd philosophical discussion, and Wren’s mood had lightened considerably. She was playful. Miller couldn’t decide if he liked prickly Wren better than playful Wren.Stupid debate since I’d spend time with either one.

“I can see your point, but why don’t we enjoy it now and let tomorrow take care of itself?”

“My grandma used to scold me not to borrow trouble. You sound like her.”

“Did you just compare me to an old woman?” Miller teased and tried to sound wounded.

“I compared you to my grandma. It’s a compliment, Counselor.”

“I’m honored.” He made a dramatic bow, but it pulled Wren off-balance and she slipped. Miller grabbed her with his free arm and pulled her up against him. Her face tilted up and her eyes focused on his lips. Miller cupped her jaw and leaned down to kiss her, but Wren broke the magical moment.

“Your mockery almost landed me on my derrière, mister,” she accused, thumping him in the chest with her bare hand. “More walk, less talk.” She moved out of his embrace, but she didn’t drop his hand. “However, in your case, it should just be walk. You obviously can’t do both. Heaven help us if you had to chew gum, too.” Wren chuckled and pulled him along.

“Ha-ha.” His deadpan delivery and obvious discomfort brought on a full case of the giggles for Wren for the rest of the block.

They kicked through the fluffy snow toward the back of Wallflowers and Wren’s apartment. It looked like they’d gotten about three inches of snow. If it kept falling like this, there would be a few more by the time the plowmen got to work in the predawn hours.

“Well, here we are,” Wren chirped as she stepped on her bottom stair. This brought them almost eye to eye. “Thank you for walking me home.” She turned too quickly and lost her balance. Miller caught her. He wasn’t sure if it was the champagne or the snow affecting her, but he didn’t care. Holding Wren again felt right. Very right.

“I’ve seen you this far. I’ll see you in,” he said and urged her up the stairs.

Wren fumbled with her keys and the alarm, but eventually, they were inside.

“Oh, that’s bright.” Wren cringed when Miller switched on the overhead light. He moved into the kitchen and poured a glass of water.

“Aspirin?”

“Second cupboard over,” she said and walked over to the closet to hang up her coat and tug off her boots. “Headache?” she asked.

“No,” Miller said, handing her the glass and tablets. “But this might keep you from getting one.” She started to speak, but Miller put his finger over her lips. “Don’t argue with me, please.”

Miller wandered around the apartment while she finished the water. “Are these originals?” He pointed to the canvases on the wall.

“Yes.”

Miller looked closer. “All the same artist?”

“Yes.” Wren shifted from side to side and out of the corner of his eye, Miller saw her playing with her ring. He leaned closer to the colorful floral landscape, searching for the signature.

“WN. Is the W for Wren?”

“Yes. Nash was my married name.”

“Tell me about this one.”

“Not much to tell. What you see is what you get.” Wren covered her yawn.

“Well, that’s the problem. I have a color deficiency, so I’m having a hard time making things out. I can see the shapes, but not the colors.” Wren came over to stand next to him.

“You’re color-blind? How bad?”

“Not too bad, but reds and greens can be tricky.” He shrugged. Wren stood next to him and described the features of the painting—the different greens in the foliage, the myriad reds and pinks in the azaleas, and the yellows in the daffodils. “I can see the variations in the daffodils and the changing blues in the sky, but the rest of it isn’t very vivid to me,” he admitted. “You’re very talented.”

“So says the color-blind man,” she muttered.

“I think you meant to say thank you,” he teased. She seemed to ignore his praise.

“So, if red and green are your kryptonite, you didn’t know I was a redhead, did you?”

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