Page 33 of A Journey For Jasmine

“Chris is out there,” Violet said. Chris kept to herself. She would find out details when she wanted but didn’t seem to get as excited as everyone else.

“Okay,” Jasmine said. “We met at the River Park, as you all know. He brought sandwiches. It was sweet. He knew I had chicken on my nachos the other night and he got a grilled chicken sub and a turkey one and let me pick, saying he didn’t know about other meats but guessed there. Oh, and since I had the same veggies on my nachos he put them on the subs.”

“That is sweet,” Poppy said. “And considerate.”

“I thought so too.”

“Practical,” Rose said.

“Get to the good stuff,” Violet said. “He was married. You said he had a mark where his ring was. So where is his wife and what happened there? Any worries about his ex coming to start trouble or wanting to win him back?”

She sighed. “His wife died two years ago in a fire at her job. I won’t go into details. It doesn’t matter. A few people died and his mother led the lawsuit that won against the company. Once it was finished, as it dragged on for a couple of years, they picked up their lives and moved here. He took his ring off when he moved. That’s why the marks are still there.”

“Oh,” Lily said, her hand coming out to rub on Jasmine’s. “That’s so sad.”

Lily’s first husband, Carl—who owned the flower shop originally—had passed before Jasmine was hired. That was why she was hired. To replace Carl. Though she knew Lily was sad, she didn’t seem as heartbroken as what Jasmine saw from Wesley.

Which wasn’t a fair assessment to make, but the pain was almost radiating off of Wesley when he talked and there were moments she wondered if this was a good idea.

No, there was no ex to come into the picture, but fighting a ghost wasn’t going to be all that much fun either and she was positive Wesley was still deeply in love with his wife.

“It is. He’s ready to start over. Or start new. Maybe just live life. He wanted to be honest with me. He’s gone on a few dates over the years but in a group. This was really his first solo one. He said it’s up to me if I want to continue.”

“Why would he say that?” Violet asked.

“Because not every woman might want to get involved with someone that lost a spouse. Especially being the first person after,” Rose said.

“What did you say?” Poppy asked.

“We are going on another date on Friday,” she said. “I can’t profess to know what he is feeling, but I know the fear and the nerves of starting things different from everything you knew before.”

“So do we,” Lily said.

“You get it. You all know about my childhood. When I came to live in America I was like a fish out of water wanting a sip of something and didn’t know who to ask or trust or where to get what I needed. I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of people because I wasn’t up on trends or fads or the lingo or slang. I hadn’t eaten a lot of American food and there were times people laughed at me when I asked what something was or didn’t know.”

“We are sorry you went through that,” Poppy said.

“I hope you put them all in their place,” Violet said firmly.

“I kept to myself more. My point is—I get it. The nerves and the fear of taking that step. I told him that. And besides, it’s not like I’ve seen a naked man in almost the same amount of time he’s been with someone. I told him we are on pretty much even ground.”

She remembered his face when she blurted that out. He’d blushed and then laughed. He didn’t volunteer if he’d slept with anyone in that time, but he didn’t seem the type to sleep with someone at random either.

“That’s something I would have said,” Rose said.

“Did he laugh?” Lily asked.

“He did. Then I asked him if he had plans on Friday and he said only with me if I was willing.”

“Ahhh,” Poppy said. “I like him already. I guess it’s too much to hope you got a kiss from him.”

“Actually,” she said, “I did. But at our cars. Not the grab you and want to throw you over their shoulder type but the soft gentle kind. Like he was careful not to push either of us. Probably more him than me. I almost told him it was like riding a bike but decided it wasn’t appropriate at that time.”

“This is going to be a slow sweet burn,” Violet said. “I can see it now. I’ve never had one of them. It will be interesting to watch. More so since I’m in about the same dry spell as Jasmine has been in.”

“You haven’t had anything in almost a year?” Poppy said.

Violet sighed. “Sad but true. I’ve had to be jealous of you three girls and now Jasmine. My guy will show up one day and I’ll get to be the center of attention.”

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