Page 54 of Accidentally in Bloom

Rose shoved Lily, changing the subject before she expired from a frustrated sex drive. “Go away. We have to record a podcast so people will think I know things.” Lily wandered to the back.

Gray strolled over to the chairs and leaned on one. An awkward silence landed between them, and Rose busied her hands by clearing items off the table for more space.

“How was your visit?” Rose tried to keep the hurt out of her voice that he’d never mentioned he had a whole other life she knew nothing about. Don’t be weird.

Gray moved items off the table to help. “Short, unfortunately. They’re already on their way to Hershey.” His voice had turned melancholy, and the light left his eyes.

They stacked boxes in silence for a minute, and Rose could feel the tension between them rise. She had to say something. Who sprung all that information on a person in one day? “I didn’t know you had a kid.” There was a flinty edge to her tone that she hated.

He straightened and bit his lower lip, considering her. His eyes were full of sadness that she didn’t understand. “We’re just business partners, right? Did you need it for the contract?”

A knife twisting in Rose’s stomach would have felt more pleasant. Her face fell and she reached for that shield she’d forgotten about for a while. Of course, she was just a partner. How many times did she remind him of that? He didn’t owe her anything.

But it still fucking hurt.

“No. I just…” A reminder went off on Rose’s phone, and she squared her shoulders, back to business. Where she belonged.

“Almost time.” She gestured for him to sit in front of her laptop. “Our part of the podcast will just be us chatting. It should feel conversational and easy. Just us shooting the shit.”

“I have never, and will never, see Rose Parker shoot the shit. I will see her walk through a meticulously curated list of strategic talking points.” He snarled at his least favorite word.

“Well then, get ready to be surprised.” She opened her recording software. “Hey, Angela.”

“So this is the hot farmer you talked about,” Angela sent Gray a wave from the video screen.

“I did not call him hot.”

Gray snorted with laughter, and Rose clenched her teeth together. Thanks, Ang, for the worst timing ever.

“Mmm…” Angela waved her head back and forth in thought. “You definitely used the word mouth-watering.”

“You’ve told her about me?” Gray sent Rose a smile that went straight to her gut.

“Ready when you are.” Angela hit the record button.

It was almost time, and several listeners were in the waiting room. “Showtime.” Rose scooted her laptop camera so she was centered below the Bloom sign to kick off the podcast.

GRAY

Gray zoned out as Rose and her co-host opened the podcast. He kept replaying the picture of Alex’s little hand waving up at him from his car seat in the back window as they drove away that morning.

Emotion clutched at Gray’s throat. It never got easier to say goodbye to Alex when he left with his mom. Gray knew they were so lucky in their happy family dynamic, but he wished he could see them more. He’d driven to Bloom right afterward, eager to take his mind off missing Alex and, hell, Giselle and Andi too. Gray smiled over the memory of last night’s vicious game of Chutes and Ladders. They made one heck of a modern family unit.

He fucking hated the feeling of having all that love ripped from him. His gaze drifted to Rose as he thought about how perfect she had looked standing in the sunset in his kitchen. In his life.

But she was going to leave too. He didn’t know if he could take having that ripped away if he let himself get too close. She’d drawn a clear line between them when he went to the barn with Alex. She didn’t want to involve herself in his complicated life. Just business partners.

She was talking animatedly at the screen, fielding responses from the hundreds of listeners and brainstorming on the fly with her co-host. She was fucking magnificent, quick, and kind to her listeners. He loved that she was ambitious and went for what she wanted.

Rose glanced over her shoulder as his part was nearing, and he sent her a sad smile, reminding himself he would lose her soon.

“I’m so happy to introduce my business partner: local entrepreneur and flower farmer Gray Roberts.” Rose moved her laptop camera so that they were both framed in front of the Bloom backdrop.

Gray sent the camera a wave. He’d never been comfortable in front of one, and there was no way he could keep up with Rose in her element.

Rose smiled at him. “This is a podcast, Gray. You have to talk.”

“Hi, everyone.” His cheeks flushed, a little embarrassed with himself. Text boxes popped up on screen from listeners.

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