“That was divine intervention.” John grabbed a handful of peanuts. “Unfortunately, no one’s listening tonight.”
As the banter continued around him, Richard’s mind wandered over what was happening next week. In between making sure the construction crew had everything they needed for the second cottage on Anchor Lane, he had to finish two furniture orders and go to the opening of Paris’ store.
He just hoped she was ready for the wedding she was decorating and the customers who’d be lining up to work with her.
“Earth to Richard. Where are you?”
He looked at his friend, Ben. He was the owner of the only Christmas tree farm in Sapphire Bay. “Sorry. I was thinking about something else. What did you say?”
“I asked about Paris. Is she happy with how her new store has turned out?”
Ethan groaned. “It’s bad luck to mention anything about work on poker night.”
John shuffled the cards. “It depends on whether Richard wants to talk about the cottages or Paris.”
Wyatt frowned. “Why would he talk about…” He saw the blush heating Richard’s face and frowned. “Am I missing something?”
“No.”
John’s eyebrows rose. “That’s not what Jack said.”
That didn’t surprise Richard. Jack hadn’t stopped talking about Paris, especially after they’d helped make the frames for next weekend’s wedding. “What did he say?”
“He asked if Paris is your girlfriend.”
Richard almost dropped his drink. “Why would he ask that?”
“You’ve hardly spoken to any single females in the last four years,” John said with a grin.
“And you never take anyone to your workshop,” Ethan added.
“It’s not like I took her there on a date,” Richard muttered. “We made frames for a wedding she’s decorating.” He didn’t like the gleam in Ethan and John’s eyes.
Wyatt looked as though he was catching up with everyone else’s conspiracy theories. “But you did invite her to your new house.”
“How did you—?”
“Penny told me. Paris said it’s amazing.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling settled in Richard’s chest. He really needed to get a grip. One woman’s opinion of his new home shouldn’t make him grin like an idiot. But it wasn’t one woman’s. It was Paris’. And that mattered more than most.
John dealt the cards. “Is anyone helping Paris when she opens The Flower Cottage?”
“Two of the students she tutored at The Welcome Center will be there.”
Ben glanced at his cards. “Kylie and Jackie are helping with the wedding she’s decorating, too. They’re taking the flowers to the barn and making sure everything’s perfect. After The Flower Cottage closes, Paris will double-check the wedding venue and stay there until the bride and groom leave the reception.” Ben looked at his friends’ surprised faces. “What?”
Ethan looked at his cards and placed three chips in front of him. “I’ll raise the bid to three bucks. How come you know so much about Paris’ business?”
“Kylie hasn’t talked about anything else for the last couple of weeks. She’s as excited as Paris about the new store.” With a heartfelt sigh, Ben dropped his cards into the center of the table. “I’m out.”
Richard checked his cards. At least they were better than the last round. “I’ll call.”
Wyatt grinned. “I’m in. It looks as though we have a good round ahead of us.”
“If that’s code for more money coming your way, you might want to think again.” Ben reached for another drink. “I have a feeling Richard’s about to break your winning streak.”
Richard frowned. “What gave you that idea?”
