Page 18 of Wallflower in Bloom

The luxurious piles of food punched Jack in the gut. “God, I love America.”

“She loves you too, hot stuff.” Margie winked as she swished away.

As they tucked into their plates, Jack wondered through mouthfuls of streaky bacon and scrambled eggs what might set his soul on fire and where he might be able to find it.

Gray had an appointment at his farm after breakfast, so Jack wandered around the picturesque town square in the humid morning.

He did his best to stay incognito with a ball cap and glasses on. He was a D-list celebrity but somewhat recognizable. He needed to stay under the radar for the time being until he could get himself sorted.

He wandered past an old-time hardware store, a cottage turned into a law office, and several gift shops full of knicks and knacks. He wandered around the perimeter of the square and finally stopped in front of a tall, turn-of-the-century building with a black exterior and ornate carving on the outside.

The display windows were full of gorgeous plants and flowers. Jack thought it was the prettiest window display he’d seen since his last trip to Paris. He walked into the storefront of Bloom, and the cool embrace of the air con wrapped around his skin in a welcome respite.

“Hi, be with you in a minute,” Violet called out, unseen to him.

“Take your time!” he called in a fake American accent for fun. He wandered through the store that looked like it belonged in Soho, not in a small town hours outside Pittsburgh, tucked into the middle of nowhere.

A vast wall of plants crawled up the high ceiling, and the store’s finishings looked fresh and new. Tables full of local soaps and lotions spread out in stacks. The store was chock-full of thick greenery, and houseplants were tucked this way and that. He saw Violet’s hand in the store at every turn.

A wall of coolers stuffed with flower arrangements caught his attention. They looked like they’d been plucked out of his dad’s English country garden, and he was immediately enchanted. He’d somehow fallen into the most colorful, magical jungle.

Violet swished around the corner. “Hi, can I—” She stopped suddenly, her eyes large. “Oh, hi.”

She had on a Bloom t-shirt tucked into a long flowing skirt that, while dreamy, looked about a size too large for her.

“Your store’s enchanting.” Any tension and discomfort between them had dissipated last night as they’d sat laughing at his behind-the-scenes trivia.

“Aw, thank you,” Violet said, brightening. “Are you looking for something?”

“I’m looking for you.”

She blinked slowly behind her glasses, her eyes widening.

“I mean—” He cleared his throat. “I realized I don’t have your phone number.”

“Ow, ow!” a spritely voice called from the loft above him. “He wants your digits, Vi.”

A pint-sized, spunky blonde with Violet’s face thundered down the tight spiral staircase. Jack had nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking he was about to have another paparazzi moment.

“Lily.” Violet rolled her eyes. “Meet my little sister.”

Jack extended a hand. “Hi, I’m—”

“Oh, I know who you are.” Lily smirked. She shook his hand firmly. “I was forced to watch your show’s Christmas special on repeat last year.”

“Lily!” Violet threw her head back in embarrassment.

“Now that Lord Muscle-ton is here, he can help with your errand.” Lily launched onto the counter, feet flopping as she scrolled her phone.

“You probably want to go do other things.” Violet shoved her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose with an apologetic look.

“I’d be happy to help the woman who so graciously agreed to house me. I’ve got an empty schedule this morning and don’t know the area.”

“See?” Lily waggled her eyebrows at her sister. “Plus, I need to get started on the Fourth of July arrangements we sold in May. Come back in an hour. My hot yoga class finally has a few students, and I need to take off to teach.”

Violet walked to the back and came out with an enormous pile of large Tupperware containers. They threatened to overtake her, and her eyes peeked out over the top of the pile.

“Whoa there.” He grabbed half the tubs and was shocked at their weight. “Where on earth did these come from?”

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