Page 57 of Accidentally in Bloom

She hurried to the back room and grabbed a broom as the door jingled with their first customer.

Gray walked in wearing a slate gray shirt, dark tie, and dress pants. “Hey, partners,” he said quietly. His eyes locked with hers. “This looks breathtaking.”

God, it felt so awkward. His words had run through her mind at least once an hour since she saw him two days ago. I wish you preferred it with me. What did that even mean? He teased her non-stop about how bossy she was, but her hand itched from where he’d interlaced his fingers with hers.

“Hey, Gray. Are you hanging out with us this morning?” Lily said brightly.

Gray snapped out of his trance and glanced at Lily. “Nope, sorry. I have a few appointments today, but I wanted to be the first customer. I need to buy some flowers.”

“Ooh!” Lily smiled with a sparkle. “Is it for me? You know how I love roses.”

Gray laughed. “Noted, but no.” He walked over to the coolers and surveyed them. “Wow, Lily, these are amazing. How could I choose?”

Violet grabbed the broom from Rose’s hand and walked past Gray. “Our resident taste expert is the oldest sister.” Lily put on music that hummed out of the store’s speakers and went back to work on the next arrangement.

Gray stared expectantly at Rose, and she finally walked to him. “Depends on what the occasion is.”

“Which is your favorite?” He peered down at her. His aftershave gave Rose goosebumps again, but she tried to put it out of her mind. She couldn’t get more tangled up than she already was, living in the murky middle between let’s make out when my defenses are down and business partner I want to strangle sometimes.

“I love this one.” She pointed to a sculptural arrangement featuring bright white tulips, likely his, accented with soft yellow flowers and spunky pieces of grass intertwined.

Gray’s eyes flitted across her face, briefly staring at her mouth, and then opened the cooler and took the arrangement out. He walked to the counter.

“You can’t pay for that,” Lily scoffed. “Take the first one on the house. I mean, those are your flowers.”

Gray smiled. “Let me be your first customer. For Frank.”

He still paid tribute to the man who stood by him when no one else would. Rose felt a clutch in her throat and blinked rapidly to get rid of a mist that caught her by surprise. God, was the whole day going to be like this? She wasn’t used to all these feelings.

“Do you have any arrangement cards?” Gray asked.

Lily handed him a small notecard. “I gave you the friends, family, and owner discount.”

He put the card in a small envelope and put it in the arrangement. “Thanks. The place does look seriously amazing.”

Lily’s wide grin sparkled at him as she walked around the counter. “We couldn’t have done it without our free labor. You made all this happen.” She threw her arms around him for a quick hug.

Gray grabbed the flowers from her and stopped in front of Rose. “Rose, I’m sorry for screwing up your thing.” He handed the flowers to her. “Happy opening day.” His hand came up to her arm as he placed a gentle, slow kiss on her cheek. His stubble grazed her cheek, and she felt him linger before stepping back.

She pulled toward him with wanting, and goose bumps ran down her arms. She tried to regain her footing. “You don’t have to—”

“I wanted to,” he said quietly with a shy grin and eyes that searched hers for a moment. His hand fell from her arm. “I need to get going. Have a good first day, partners. Text me if you need anything.”

Violet gazed out the window to the street. “Hopefully, you won’t be our only customer.”

Gray walked toward the front door, a bounce in his step. “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be the case.” He turned around with a cheerful look. “I bet you’ll be surprised how many people need flowers today.” He sent Rose a wink and walked out into the fresh April morning.

Violet and Lily watched Gray walk out the door and spun to look at Rose as the door clicked shut.

Lily’s mouth gaped. “Shut. Up! Holy shit, that was so sexy. He bought you flowers from your store and then stood there all sexy with his little tie.”

Rose set the flowers on the register and stashed the card in her pocket. “Don’t be silly; he was just apologizing,” Rose shook her head and willed the stupid grin off her face.

The doorbell jingled, and two customers walked in.

“Welcome.” Lily walked over to greet them.

A thrill ran through Rose. She allowed herself to hope for a good day of business. No sooner had the two women walked in than a few more came in behind them. That kicked off a busy morning of helping customers, putting in orders for events, funerals, and even Mother’s Day arrangements.

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