Page 32 of Love in Bloom

“Um, yeah, you, too, but remember, I’m just the delivery guy.” Miller fled the house.

“Sure you are,” Michelle teased from the front porch. “And be careful out there,” she warned as Miller dove into his SUV.

That was beyond weird, Miller thought to himself as he backed down the driveway, following his original tire tracks. He’d been to the Swanson home a few times, and if he remembered correctly, there was a sharp drop-off on both sides of the driveway. The last thing he needed today would be to get stuck here. One, the Swanson women were acting weirder than usual, and two, he didn’t want to let Wren down.

He knew Wren could have handled the deliveries without him—she’d had her Valentine’s Day plan of attack already mapped out—but he wanted to help, to make her day a little easier. He didn’t know what it was about Wren Busch that made him want to feed her, take care of her, and make her life better. But whatever it was, he liked it, and the sooner she got used to it the better.

Wrencheckedtheclock,again.He should have been back by now, she thought. Wren told herself she wasn’t worried. Miller grew up in Haven. He knew the streets. His macho SUV could probably tunnel through the toughest Rocky Mountain passes in mid-winter.He’s fine, she reassured herself. And if anything happened to him while he was helping her, why, that was his problem, too. She hadn’t asked for his help. He’d forced himself on her. He was sneaky, that one. Always finding ways around her defenses, like feeding her and listening to her.

As though she’d conjured him up, the back door slammed.Trouble’s back, she thought, feeling her shoulders relax.

“Dale has your next run boxed and ready to go,” Wren said, not looking up from the corsage she was constructing. Her fingers ached. She had a few choice words she’d like to say to whoever at the high school thought it would be a good idea to have the winter formal the same day as Valentine’s Day. Double the work. Not to mention that corsages and boutonnieres were time-consuming and not as profitable as bouquets. Plus, indecisive teenagers. Wren focused on bed. That’s what would get her through the day.

“I’m good. Thanks for asking,” he quipped. “Roads are a bit slick, but the plows are out now, so that will help. Everything got delivered.” Wren looked up as Miller finished his monologue. She stared at the red lipstick mark on his cheek.So, that’s what took him so long.She set her knife down, plucked the chewed pencil out of her ponytail, and slashed the work order to show it was done. She thrust it on to the spindle with the other completed orders.

“Tough morning?” Miller asked.

“Looks like you got a tip. You might want to rub that off your face before you leave again.” Wren tapped his face near the mark with her pencil and walked toward the cooler. She stepped inside it and took her time searching for the roses and miniature carnations she needed for the next order. When she’d cooled down enough to trust herself around Miller, she stepped back into the shop. She saw him scrubbing his face in the mirror above the sink. Their eyes met and Wren looked away.

She busied herself with the corsage. She did not have time for Miller and all his shenanigans today. Wren dug through her corsage supplies and watched Miller approach out of the corner of her eye. She continued to dig as he watched her, even though she’d already found the rhinestone spray she wanted.

“That was from Michelle. She liked the flowers.” Wren shoved the wire too hard through the rose base and pricked her finger. It would be safer to work if Miller stopped watching her and left on his next delivery run.

“I’m glad she liked them,” Wren said as she set the flower down and put pressure on her finger to stop the bleeding.

“Really? You seem mad.” Miller leaned against the counter.

“I’m not mad.” Wren shook her hand and resumed working.

“Jealous?”

“Hardly,” Wren scoffed. It sounded false even to her own ears. “Really, I’m glad she liked the flowers, because if she’s happy, then Diane’s happy.”

“Why do you care if Diane’s happy?”

“Because she’s a good customer, and I want my customers to be happy,” Wren lied. The real reason was she didn’t want to get into any more trouble with Diane. That lady was a thorn in Wren’s side, and it had only gotten worse since the auction. Even though Mrs. Hart had been the front man in their rescue operation, Wren was fairly sure Diane knew she’d been involved. Wren looked at the clock and at the orders yet to be done. “You’d better get going,” she reminded him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and then gave her a cocky salute as he sauntered off.

Jealous? Was she? Maybe, but it didn’t matter. Michelle was everything a law partner would want as a spouse. Miller was smart to choose her.Or had he?an annoying voice in her head asked, because Wren didn’t know who had ordered the flowers.

She’d seen the order for Michelle’s dozen red roses when she’d given it to Cindy to arrange yesterday. The card was signed “Cupid.” When Cindy took the walk-in order, she hadn’t taken the sender’s name or phone number, and they had paid for it in cash.Typical Cindy, Wren thought, but she knew she couldn’t ask her for details. That would look suspicious.

If Miller had sent the flowers to Michelle, wouldn’t he want her to know they were from him? Maybe he was shy? Wren laughed out loud at that. Miller Lynch was not shy. If he wanted something or someone, he went after it. No, if Miller had sent the flowers, his name would have been on the card.

Though maybe he wasn’t sure how Michelle felt. Maybe he had to be secretive until he was sure of her, and that’s why he’d signed the card “Cupid” and made the delivery. He’d gauge her reaction and then act accordingly. That would be the smart plan, and Miller was a smart man. The more Wren thought about it, the surer she was. Miller had sent the flowers anonymously and had arranged it so he would be the one delivering them. After all, he’d made the morning delivery routes. Of course, he couldn’t have known Wren would allow him to help deliver.This is ridiculous, she thought.Why am I wasting all this time thinking about it?

“Is Miller back, yet?” Dale asked, interrupting her doom and gloom. She assured him he’d been back and had already left for his second run. “Oh, good. I’d moved the Swanson order from my list to his. I didn’t think the van would make it up their driveway, but I thought his SUV would. Glad to hear he made it.”

Wren smiled. Occasionally, she liked it when she was wrong.

By early afternoon, the number of new phone orders had decreased, but the walk-in traffic had increased. Husbands and boyfriends wanted to get a little something for tonight, and the high school students picked up their dance flowers. Two dads got balloons for their kids, which Wren thought was cute. More than one customer complained about the holiday price increase, but once Wren explained that her costs had more than doubled, they cooled down. A few of the smarter ones even said they should probably surprise their sweetie with flowers on a less obvious day. Wren agreed with them.

Miller returned mid-afternoon and walked into the sales area as Wren was helping a befuddled young man with a last-minute corsage order. “Do you know what color her dress is or the style?” Wren asked, forcing herself to be patient.

“She borrowed the dress from a friend. I think she said it was blue-ish.” He grinned. “Hey, Coach.”

“Hi, Jack. How’s high school treating you?” Miller asked as they fist-bumped each other.

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