Page 38 of Accidentally in Bloom

Gray stewed at the towering, simmering perfection in front of him and thought about the words he was about to utter. He could lie, but that wasn’t who he was.

Anymore.

Gray chewed his cheek, debating how to say it. If Rose went ape shit when he told her about his past, he was trapped in this fucking cooler with her.

“I haven’t dated because I didn’t want to jump into a relationship.” Better just be blunt. “While I was newly sober.”

He leveled a gaze at her, and her mouth gaped open.

Beat after beat after beat of silence hung between them. Her face shifted to the one Gray was so familiar with: wariness. He hated this shit. Hated thinking about his past and how differently they saw him now.

A familiar dull ache started in his stomach; the ball of emptiness that weighed on him was back. Made him feel like a piece of shit.

“But you knew,” Rose said. “You knew about my past, about my mom. And you didn’t say anything.” Her anger rose with every word.

A 5x4 cooler was a bad choice for this conversation.

“I’m not your mom, Rose. I’ve been happily sober for four years.”

“But I’d never—”

“Never what? Trust an addict?” he interrupted. “I’ve successfully built my business from nothing since then. I didn’t owe you an explanation when I signed that contract.”

She stewed at him. “I haven’t had luck trusting addicts. They always let you down.”

“Have I missed anything yet?” he railed back at her. “I’m keeping my business and yours on track.”

“What are you keeping it on track with? Your little tool belt?” She shoved the tool belt on the shelf he’d just installed, causing it to tumble back down.

“Ha,” she laughed. “See?”

“So, you think because one screw is stripped, in a shelf that I wasn’t done installing, by the way, that I’m going to start using again? You’re accusing me of being anything less than perfectly trustworthy?” Anger seethed through him, and blew hot breaths against his neck. “You have no reason to think I’d fuck this up for you, or your sisters, or for Frank.”

“My father is dead,” Rose spat at him with venom.

“I know! Why don’t you give more of a shit that he’s not here?” he yelled back.

“Why don’t you keep your nose out of my fucking business?” she seethed at him.

His nose was a millimeter from hers, and he was so mad he couldn’t see straight. He wanted to take her mouth and punish it with his. He wanted to throw them both against that wall and forget everything they were saying about one another, all the hateful comments.

Gray’s mouth ran before his brain could stop it. His voice was low, and his hand cupped her chin. “Listen, princess,” his whispers landed on her lips only a breath away from him. “We are done. My five percent has been paid for with my blood and sweat. You will not see me again. You get no help from me ever again. Do you hear that? I’m done.”

He saw the fire spit back in her eyes, but she stood still. He felt the brush of her breasts heaving up and down against him.

He pressed closer to her, angling to her ear. “Even in the middle of the night, when you picture me making your eyes roll in the back of your head as you rock against me in your dreams, you won’t get a single thing.”

The door yanked open beside them.

“Gray, there’s… Oh!” Violet’s owlish eyes went wide behind her round glasses. Their heads whipped to the door, and Rose shoved Gray a foot away.

Violet cocked her head at them in confusion. “I told you the door locks. You should be more careful.” She grabbed the door stop and propped it back open.

“My ‘little tool belt,’” Gray grabbed his tools, “and I are getting the hell out of here. Violet, good luck. Your sister is a hellcat.”

Gray thundered out of the back door of Bloom, hoping he’d never have to see Rose Parker again.

An hour later, the scent of newly turned earth ran like cool water over Gray, calming him. He felt his frustration and anger melt away from his fight with Rose as he worked in the soft dirt. His shovel seamlessly slid into the soft pile again and again. He’d then chuck the dirt over to the plastic planters he’d take to the Longhorn Nursery.

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