Page 9 of Wallflower in Bloom

“Stay as long as you need.” Violet bit her lip as her eyes darted around the kitchen, looking everywhere but at him. She looked like a deer, cornered and about to bolt.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” He put his hand on the back of the old wooden chair facing her.

“It’s…I…we’ve got to talk about this. I’m so sorry. I’m a huge fan.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “I’m so sorry.”

“You’re sorry for being a fan?”

“So sorry.” Her expression was horror-stricken as her eyes met his.

His smile grew at how earnest she was. He adored honest people. “You should stop saying that word.”

“Sorry. Sorry, I said sorry.” She slammed her mouth shut. He smirked at her response. “Sorry,” she blurted out one more time, unable to help herself.

They both burst out laughing.

God, she’s cute. “I think I broke you, though your laugh is lovely enough to tempt me further.” Easy now, tiger. Keep the flirt game down.

She giggled behind her hand, and he willed his eyes away from her breasts, which bounced with each laugh. He’d tell jokes all day long if he got to see her laugh again.

Was he a horndog? Guilty as charged.

“Please don’t look at the DVR.” She wrung her hands and bit her soft bottom lip.

Maybe he should get her to talk, making everything less awkward. “Got all of them saved, have you? Tell me, why do you love the show? God, that sounded egotistical.” He waved his hands as if to clear his words away. “I mean, I love the show, too. What do you connect with in the show?”

She let out a dreamy sigh, mentally transported. Her hands grasped the back of the chair across from him as she let herself get swept away. “Everything. I love the ‘will they, won’t they’ of the romance. I love the setting. The gorgeous costumes.”

“Ah, those costumes. The damned breeches of my costume are like a second skin. They’ll be the end of me. I felt half-starved and thought immediately of these biscuits, which are usually strictly off limits due to my costume requirements.”

“Please, please. I made them myself.” She scooted the covered glass dish toward him.

He lifted the lid and nabbed an oversized, delicious-looking chocolate chip and oat biscuit.

“And there are no pecans in them,” she muttered off-handedly as she turned to the cabinet.

He paused. “You know I’m allergic to pecans?”

“Crap.” She muttered, her head falling. “Okay, so when I said I’m a fan, I’m not like a creepy fan, but I read all the posts about the network stars.”

His eyebrows leapt up. His mother rarely remembered his allergy, let alone a complete stranger. “And you remembered I’m allergic to pecans?”

“And your favorite movie in high school was She’s All That.”

So she was obsessive but probably harmless.

“You know all sorts of things about me. It’s time I learn a few things about you, Violet…” He paused, trying to remember Rose’s last name. “Pullman? Park?”

“Parker.”

“That’s right. Violet Parker of Fairwick Falls, sister to Rose, who is dating Gray. What do you think’s going on there? I’ve never seen Gray date anyone seriously.”

“They are in love with a capital ‘L.’ It was both fun and completely annoying watching them fall for each other despite them fighting every inch of the way.” She smiled at him and lifted the kettle. “Tea?”

Good. Gossiping about her sister loosened her up. “Please.”

“English breakfast?”

An obsessive woman after his own heart. “Mmm, bit late. Decaf?”

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