Page 38 of Bloom and Burn
“Easy there, dear brother, or your nose will hit the ground,” Emily says as she brings over the pots and seeds we’ll need for the workshop.
Jack gives them a puzzled look. “What are these? I thought we were going to be learning about flowers? Also, are you jealous, Em? Need me to find you a hot stud?”
“Eww, no. Please don’t.”
“We will be learning about flowers, yes, but we’ll also be planting some stuff. I’ll take you through what you need to know about soil and its types, watering. Then you’ll put into practice what you’ve learned, and in a few weeks, we’ll find out if I am a good instructor or not.”
Jack claps, grinning from ear to ear. “That sounds fun! Is there a prize for the best student?”
I place my hands on my hips. “I’ll think about it. Now, let’s get started.”
We have a ton of fun. Much to their mutual disappointment, their competition ends in a draw, since both of them are spectacular students.
“We can’t have that, though. I suggest that the winner is decided when we harvest our tomatoes. Whoever’splant yields more gets the bragging rights,” Emily suggests.
Jack quickly agrees. We then decide to do a workshop every other week so they can learn more and I can practice my presentation skills. Besides, having a curriculum prepared in advance will mean less stress when I launch my workshop series to the public. I’m excited.
“When are you heading over to the festival?” Jack asks, putting away the bags of soil we used.
I stack the pots we just planted on the table by the window. “In the afternoon. The morning will be crazy crowded because of the kids’ activities.”
“Let’s meet up at the deli, grab lunch and go after?” Emily puts forth.
I give her the thumbs up as I walk around the backroom, making sure everything is put away, then the three of us check the front of the shop. “Alright. We’re good to close up.” And because I don’t feel like going home yet, I add, “You guys up for—”
“Ah!” Emily gasps dramatically. “I forgot I am meeting someone. You two go without me.”
She doesn’t give us the chance to follow up as she leaves the shop and heads for her car. Jack and I look at each other, then start laughing.
“She’s full of shit, but she means well,” he muses, tilting my chin up with one finger.
“Very generous of her. Your sis is the best,” I agree and melt into the kiss that follows.
14
Jack
Eventhoughweskipthe morning bit of the festival, the town hall and the surrounding park are crowded when Emily, Ryan and I arrive. A lineup of local bands plays live music on a wooden stage to the side of the building as we stroll around the food and crafts stalls. The urge to be close to Ryan has me reaching for his hand with a little flutter of nerves in my stomach, but the moment he feels my fingers, he squeezes firmly and shoots me a wolfish grin.
“Took you long enough,” he comments, pleased and amused. “I love holding hands.”
My stomach does a somersault, satisfied with both his words and the rightness of having his hand in mine.
“Aww, you two are so adorable!” Emily chirps, making kissy noises and duck lips.
“Just confess—you are jealous that I snatched the best guy in town,” I counter as we pause by a stand selling old books.
After we flip through a few and I buy a leather-bound tome with a creature on the front cover, we continue looking around. We buy little trinkets, try various foods. The mood as we stroll is light and fun, making me hopeful that the three of us can do anything, including convincing Ryan’s parents to sell the Orchid’s stake in the old brick building.
We stop by the town hall too, where Ryan’s flower arrangements grace every available surface. They are pretty, though I bet they’d be even prettier if he had done his own take on them instead of following his mom’s requirements. I tell him as much. He hugs me tightly in response, nuzzling his nose against my chest, which makes it flutter and feel bubbly.
Somehow, we manage not to run into his parents as we continue our tour of the festival. Considering their opinion of me, it’s probably for the best, at least until I figure out a way to wow them so they stop pegging me for the bad guy. Part of that is the feedback we’ve collected from the two bakeries, which Emily and a team at JE Pharma are turning into pretty graphs and diagrams for easy digestion.
That evening, we go out for a meal, then watch a movie together. I drive Ryan to his house. Luckily, his folks aren’t in, so after a steamy make-out session in my car, we bid good night to each other.
The next day of the festival is more of the same. I have an early evening since I need to go to Portland in the morning, so after we’ve enjoyed Emily’s casserole, I see Ryan off and go to bed. Work drags all morning, and I have to attend a couple extra meetings in the afternoon, so I don’t get to return to Estacada until the evening, when Emily, Ryan and I go out for dinner.
“Sounds good,” Ryan says when I finish going through my presentation and speaking points. I plan to ambush his dad tomorrow and I wanted to do a test run. “Mom is actually somewhat speaking to me again, but I didn’t dare bring up the move…” He stabs a slice of lettuce in his Caesar salad. “I think it would be best if I had as little todo with this as possible and you did all the legwork for both of us.”
