Page 35 of Wallflower in Bloom

“Do you see my glasses?” She crouched to see if she could feel them on the ground.

“I don’t see them anywhere along the bank. I am sorry, Violet. Can we look in the morning? I don’t think we’ll have much luck tonight.”

She’d be nearly blind walking back through her gopher-hole-laden yard. “Uh, sure.”

She took a few steps toward her house, and he grabbed her shoulders.

“Wrong way, darling.”

A shiver at that simple pet name sent chills down her spine. How could she handle fake dating him?

“I’m blind as a bat without my glasses. Would you—” Oh my god. So embarrassing. “Uh, mind walking me back?”

“T’would be my pleasure to escort the lady.” He put on his posh Lord Eagleton voice. His blurry smile looked down at her as he extended his hand.

A thrill shot through Violet’s spine. Her body hummed with his accented voice that had her nipples standing erect. Awful timing, given she was currently in a see-through outfit.

He couldn’t know how much she liked him.

Like, really liked him.

He’d never want a frumpy girl from the middle of Pennsylvania.

Time to get a move on, Violet. “Ready to lead me back?” She smiled apologetically.

“Preferably at a distance of five feet. That pond smell is a bit dodgy.” He squeezed her hand with a laugh.

“If I weren’t positive I’d walk into a tree or fall into a gopher hole, I’d follow behind you.”

He interlaced his fingers through hers and led her back toward the house. “I think you’ve suffered enough humiliation this evening, Violet.”

She loved the way he said her name. Always her full name, always three syllables. Vi-oh-lette. Like sweet, thick syrup he took his time to enjoy. She wanted to tuck it away in her heart forever when Jack Grant thought about her—little old Violet Parker.

They walked toward the house through the moonlit orchard. If the putrid smell of pond water weren’t following her, it would have been the most romantic moment in Violet’s life.

And just her luck: she looked utterly ridiculous.

The cozy lights of her house drew near, and Jack helped her up the back stairs. As he opened the back door and led her in, his hand dropped from hers. Her hand flexed, already missing it.

“You got it from here?” He asked as he crossed to the fridge.

She turned to smile at him. “You worry too m—ow!” She rammed her forehead into the edge of a cabinet.

“Bloody hell, are you okay?” His hand was on her head in an instant. A thumb rubbed over the spot that hit the cabinet edge.

“You’d think I could manage my own house. My depth perception gets all wonky.” The feeling of his thumb soothing her forehead was quite nice, though.

She’d have to switch to her arch-nemesis: contacts. The tricky little bastards.

She much preferred hiding behind large glasses. Her face looked too naked, too plain, too round, too much of everything when she didn’t have them to hide behind. At least Jack had seen her at her worst already, so seeing her without glasses couldn’t hurt.

She gulped, realizing she’d need to ask another embarrassing favor. It had been months since she’d last used her contacts, and it would be like finding a needle in a blurry, white haystack.

“Would you mind helping me find my contacts? They’re somewhere in my room, and it’ll take me hours to find them myself.”

He grabbed her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers again. Heat rose on her face. Holding his hand shouldn’t thrill her as much as it did.

She’d kissed him earlier today, for goodness’ sake.

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