I glanced up at him. “Did you?”
“Yes.”
That answer surprised me. Not because it was cocky, but because it was simple. It was nice to know that he had that much faith in me. I nodded once. “Okay. I’ll adjust.”
He stayed while I worked, leaning against the counter like he wasn’t in a hurry. Not hovering. Just… present.
I kept telling myself the kiss hadn’t changed anything.
Except it had.
Not in the obvious ways. Not in the heat or the flirting or the charged looks. It had changed the way the air felt when he was nearby. He wasn’t a stranger anymore. He wasn’t just a client.
He was a man I’d kissed.
And somehow, that made everything quieter and louder at the same time.
Jackie and Jenna had taken over the front counter, and we moved to the prep table in the back. The large order for the ride arrived, and it was time for me to get to work.
We talked while I worked. Not about anything deep at first. Logistics. Weather forecasts. Traffic patterns. He told me which intersections tended to clog and which stretches of road stayed smooth during rides.
Eventually, the conversation drifted.
“Why flowers?” I asked, fingers busy tying a leather strap.
He considered the question longer than I expected. “Because people expect noise. And engines. And leather.”
“And flowers disrupt that,” I finished.
“Yes.”
I smiled despite myself. “My mom would’ve loved that.”
He looked at me then. Really looked. “Tell me about her.”
I hesitated. Then, “She started this place with one cooler and a borrowed van. Said flowers made people slow down long enough to feel something.”
“That tracks.”
I laughed softly. “She’d like you.”
He snorted. “Doubtful.”
“No,” I said. “She respected men who showed up.”
That quieted him.
The afternoon light shifted across the shop as I worked, the hum of the cooler a steady backdrop. At some point, I realized I wasn’t tense anymore. I wasn’t bracing for him to overstep or push.
Six o’clock came, and Jackie and Jenna closed up the shop. They both gave me knowing glances as they hurried out the door and locked it behind them.
I was reaching up to grab a bundle of ribbon from the shelf when I felt him behind me. Close, not touching, but close enough that I could feel the heat of him through my shirt.
“Careful,” he murmured.
I turned too quickly, surprised that he was so close, and my elbow crashed into his chest. His hands came up automatically, and his palms grabbed my waist.
We froze.
