Page 46 of Wallflower in Bloom

“Thanks. You do look nice, by the way. I wasn’t saying that for them,” she whispered back.

“You don’t strike me as the insincere type.” His hand caught her chin. “I figured you were being honest.” His thumb stroked her skin, and she looked everywhere but his face. Being this close to him was overwhelming.

“Let’s go over to these hydrangeas since they’re flowering,” Gray interrupted, kicking them out of their bubble. He snapped more photos of Violet enjoying the fruits of her labors.

As Jack stood behind her, she leaned over to look at the hydrangea plants. Maybe I should up their slow-release fertilizer. The blooms are looking peaky.

Jack leaned to whisper in her ear, interrupting her thoughts. “This pose has me thinking indecent thoughts.”

Violet’s eyes widened as Gray snapped a photo, and Jack’s wicked smile caused a throb to start somewhere deep in her core.

“Too much?” he asked, leaning back and looking at her. His arm circled her waist and pulled her close to him.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head slowly. She’d thought of nothing else since he’d been in her kitchen, whispering wicked things into her ear.

After another twenty minutes of photos and Violet nearly begging, Shay relented and released them from the photo shoot. Lily and Gray headed back to Bloom, and Shay was only too eager to run out of town and back to Los Angeles.

As Shay’s car pulled away, Violet could finally breathe. “Do you think she bought it?”

“With Shay, you never have to guess. If she didn’t buy it, I’d already have five new Wayridge-approved fake girlfriends to date.”

Interesting. He did this often, then.

She had to remind herself. It was all an act.

A tinge of shame flitted through her head. Maybe the other night was a misunderstanding on her part?

“Ready for dinner?”

“Are you sure we can’t play hooky?” She hoped they’d be done for the day.

“Come on. It’s just eating food near nosy humans with cell phones. Have to be spotted by a few people, at least.”

“Should I change?” Violet looked down at herself. She was too fancy for Fairwick Falls standards.

“Don’t you dare.” His eyes roamed up and down her curves.

“But what if I freak out when everyone stares?” Violet tucked hair behind her ear, nervous about what someone might say.

He chucked her chin with his hand. “Okay, first lesson in being the center of attention. You, my dear lady, need an alter ego. I pretend I’m Mr. Darcy when I’m Lord Eagleton, so I don’t feel so nervous being the star of the show. All those people depend on me, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone. Darcy’s stern countenance and noble actions mean women simper at his feet.”

They started back to the cottage to grab their things.

“My alter ego. Hmmm.”

We need every inch. Violet stood taller.

She wracked her brain for inspiration. She needed something bold, hard to ignore, and sexy. “Monstera Albo Variegata,” she said with pride. “It’s trendy, powerful, and so sexy.”

His eyes danced with delight. “I can promise you whatever plant it is, it doesn’t look half as good as you do right now.”

He was such a flirt; he couldn’t mean half the things he said. “Oh, they are so sexy. You know those plants that are so popular right now with the big leaves covered in white streaks? They’re big and bold.”

Jack nodded his head, impressed. “Sounds very sexy.” He offered his arm as they started to walk across the cobblestones back into the cottage.

“Oh, I’m good,” Violet said, laughing nervously. “Since no one’s here, we don’t have to pretend, right?”

She didn’t want to be too much, have him think she was too into their fake relationship.

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