“Right, and who are you again?” Magnolia asks Claire.
Claire’s brow rises, but she doesn’t bother waiting for me to introduce her. “Claire Bergeron, Daisy’s work friend,” she replies confidently.
“And an acquaintance of Rowan’s,” Daisy adds, lifting her chin and daring me to correct her.
My heart races as I struggle to form a response. “Yes. We have been … acquainted before,” I fumble awkwardly, and Claire huffs.
“You weren’t at the bridal shower,” Maggie says, a hint of accusation in her tone.
“I missed it. Something … came up,” Claire says, her eyes flashing to Daisy’s, and I surmise thatsomethingwas our acquaintanceship.
“Interesting tattoos,” Iris remarks, eyeing her.
“Yes, very lovely.” Rose leans forward to inspect Claire’s arm while Claire simultaneously studies Rosemary’s nun’s habit, and I frown at the urge to protect them both from one another’s scrutiny. But they both seem more curious than anything.
“And you know what? I think we’re all here. I spy a marigold and a magnolia, an iris, a violet … a daisy, a few roses … oh, and a couple of camellias,” Rose explains, pointing out each of the vibrant flowers in Claire’s mural.
“Hmm, how ‘bout that,” I accidentally say aloud, and everyone turns to glare at me. But the only eyes I see are Claire’s.
“There are others,” Claire maintains. “Tulips, lilies, a sunflower.”
“Orchids,” I add, swallowing hard. Because even though I hadn’t thought about exactly whichfleursgrace Claire’s arm, I could probably map out every inch of her tattoos with my eyes closed.
Claire shrugs and turns back to my sisters. “What can I say? I like pretty things.”
I’m afraid I do, too.
“Assuming you meant to prioritize visual appeal over anatomical accuracy, it’s actually quite nice, as far as tattoos go,” Violet concurs, and I clamp my jaw shut before I blurt out something about Claire’s agricultural background.
“It’s beautiful,” Marigold tells her with a warm smile. “As is the canvas.”
“I agree, she is gorgeous,” my mom says, moving in to wrap an arm around Claire’s waist without warning. “And I’ll be expecting you the next time Dr. and Mrs. Reed grace us with their presence at the homestead, Claire Bergeron.”
Daisy grins, obviously pleased by their seal of approval, and Claire’s expression softens as she relaxes into my mother’s side. AndI’d be lying if I said it didn’t cause my chest to tighten and a lump to form in my throat.
“Okay, now, time to get moving, people! I have a toast to deliver!” Loren calls out, clapping her hands as she joins us.
Landry’s head lolls back, and he groans. “Do we have to?”
Loren scoffs and grabs me by the elbow. “Damn right, we do. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?”
Daisy whimpers. “Have mercy, at least for my sake?” she begs Loren, who barely manages to stifle a smile.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Loren muses, casting a telling smirk in Claire’s direction before she tugs me forward. “Come on, Dr. Athanasius. Baby sis is ready to cut into that cake, from what I hear.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
rowan
I squintup at the street signs, but they’re unreadable after having been peppered to death with a BB gun. Between the emotional rollercoaster of seeing Claire again and the cleanup efforts after the conclusion of Daisy and Landry’s wedding reception, I’m utterly exhausted. And while rubbing my eyelids usually helps refresh my dry contact lenses, all it does is cloud my vision and make it even harder to see this time.
My right lens wrinkles, so I shift my truck into park and flip down the visor to get it straight. Blinding blue lights flash in the mirror, making me wince and scrape my eyeball. Then I flinch twice as hard a second later when an unexpected knock scares the heck out of me, and I accidentally dislodge the contact lens altogether.
“ ‘Scuse me, sir. I’m gonna need you to get down from ya truck, please,” says a muffled voice with a strong accent.
“One second, I have to find my contact before it dries up!” I call out and lean down to search the floorboards, but I get an even more emphatic warning as the cop pounds against the driver’s side door.
“I’m sorry,” I say with my eyes closed, immediately raising my hands. “I just … I got lost, and I can’t see.”
