Page 53 of Love in Bloom

“He’s not married or separated, and a relationship with him won’t go anywhere. Does that sound familiar?” London had paid attention.

“Gee, thanks,” Wren said through a tight smile and helped herself to the carafe of coffee the wise server had left them.

“If it won’t go anywhere, why are you wasting your time on him?” Rica asked. Wren spun the compass on her ring as she pulled her thoughts together. She didn’t have a good defense. If she was in Rica’s shoes, she’d have the same question.

“Because at the time it seemed like a good idea.”

“And now?” Emily asked.

“In hindsight, not the smartest.” Wren sighed.

“So dump him. Move on,” London suggested.

“I wish I could.” Wren sighed.

Krista studied her and leaned forward before asking, “You really like this guy, don’t you?”

“I really do. Too much, I’m afraid,” Wren confessed.

“Do you love him?” Rica asked.

“Maybe.” Wren shrugged. “I don’t know. Loving him would be foolish, you know? We agreed to a short-term relationship so there’s a built-in expiration date on this. I handed my heart over once before and it was handed back to me smashed in a million pieces. Why would I willingly do that again?”

“Because the heart has a mind of its own,” Emily said. “If it were me, I’d enjoy this mystery man for all he’s worth and ignore the deadline. Maybe it won’t come.”

“It will come. Trust me.” Wren didn’t like the pitying looks from her friends. “Really, guys, it’s OK and I’m OK with it,” she tried to reassure them.

“Well,” Krista said, “for what it’s worth, remember we’re here for you when it ends.”

“It’s worth a lot. More than you’ll ever know.” Wren gave Krista and everyone else a watery smile. The time would come, and when it did, she’d soldier on as she always had when life handed her a bushel of lemons. But this time she’d take Krista up on her offer and she’d use her friends help to make lemonade out of the situation.

June

Millerwantednothingmorethan to spend all day in his studio. Wren had finished painting and glazing two large serving bowls, two smaller bowls, and a platter mid-week. After several previous disappointing rounds and discussions with his color mixer, they were sure they had the glaze formula correct this time. Miller was eager to run the fast glaze to see if they were right, but he wouldn’t do it unless he could be home for the twelve-hour cycle. He was superstitious about firing the kiln up to 2200 degrees. An irrational fear, but one he couldn’t fight.

The warm June day would have been the perfect day for it. His studio was on the lowest level of his house, and he could have opened the garage door that served as part of the wall of this space. The room also had a spot dredged for a boat and a dock that led out to the Poplar River. When the garage door was open, he could enjoy the sights on the river while he worked. Other than working with Wren, it was his favorite way to work.

But not today. Oh, no. Today, he had to spend the afternoon at the AAS picnic. The Andersons and Swansons were nice people, but he’d had his fill.

First there’d been Memorial Day weekend at their cabin. The founding partners, brothers Harvey and William Anderson, had bribed Miller with a weekend of fishing. Instead, it had turned out to be one afternoon without even a nibble. They’d spent most of their time doing chores around the cabin, and Diane had paired him with Michelle for every task. No one in the family had complained. When Diane said jump, they asked how high. The only exception was Harvey, Diane’s uncle. He’d muttered under his breath and then wandered off to do his own thing. Miller had envied him.

And let’s not forget he worked with them all day, five days a week. He was desperate for a break from them, especially since William Anderson was hounding him again about his “excessive” suggestions for pro bono cases. When Miller had brought up the need to upgrade some of their office equipment, William had the gall to tell him they’d be able to modernize if Miller wouldn’t spend so much of their money on free work. Miller knew for a fact that his additional billable hours would more than cover the cost of a new copier and computer. And thanks to William’s case shuffling, almost all of Miller’s current work load was divorce cases or nasty inheritance fights.

And now, on a glorious Sunday afternoon, he had to spend more time with them, his other colleagues, and a few of their biggest clients. To make matters worse, he was going into the lion’s den alone. Wren was in Indiana visiting her parents.

Miller was the last to arrive for lunch. Michelle greeted him at the door and took his arm. “I’m so glad you’re finally here,” she said, blinding him with her smile and overpowering him with her too-sweet perfume. “Mother has a few things she’d like you to help me with.”

“I’m sure she does,” Miller said with a tight smile.

Michelle grabbed his hand and tugged him along for what proved to be single-person tasks. Michelle didn’t need his help. He was stuck rolling silverware into cloth napkins instead of mingling with the guests and talking with his co-workers. Sue had just gotten back from a canoe trip to the BWCA and John had spent a week volunteering in Haiti. Miller wanted to hear about their adventures without William Anderson looking at the clock like he did at the office. The entire afternoon was becoming an even bigger waste of time than Miller had feared. And whenever he left Michelle’s side, Diane contrived to bring them back together.

Wren had warned him that Diane was trying to match him up with Michelle, but he’d blown off her concerns and told her she was imagining things. She’d reminded him, again, that it might not be such a bad idea. She’d argued that dating Michelle would increase his odds of partnership. AAS prided themselves on being a family firm. Every partner was a true family member. This created a huge barrier to entry. The easiest way in was becoming one of them.

Miller didn’t like the argument. He didn’t like that who he dated would have more of an impact on partnership than his skills and abilities as a lawyer. He’d been an asset to AAS these six years and he’d more than earned partnership.

To humor Wren, he’d tried to picture a life with Michelle. He couldn’t. Every time he looked into the future, Wren was all he saw. Somewhere along the way, this short-term relationship had turned into a long-term goal for him. He was crazy about her. He didn’t know when she’d snuck into his heart, but he knew she wouldn’t want to hear it. If he let his true feelings slip, it would drive her away.

Wren was with him for the short term only. She’d made it very clear she wouldn’t be the wife of a law partner again, even though Miller suspected she was equally crazy about him. His world would be so much easier if he could fall in love with the curvaceous and sweet blond at his side instead of the willowy, prickly, challenging redhead in Indiana.

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