Sighing, I did as I was told, locking the door behind him, then unlocking it when he knocked ten seconds later.
Except it wasn’t him on my doorstep.
It was Luke.
I blinked, inexplicably blindsided. “What are you doing here?”
He leaned on the door frame, expression, as ever, unreadable. “Gus called me. I came to help.”
“With what?”
“Whatever you need, Mia.”
There were so many things I needed from him right now, but the words to voice them wouldn’t come.
Lacking any better ideas, I stepped aside and waved him in, ignoring the internal flinch when he hesitated, despitehimbeing the one onmydoorstep.
I drifted back to my work, assuming Luke would seek Gus out, but he followed me and peered over my shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“Remaking the bouquets that were wrecked.”
“The ones in the van?”
“Yes. Gus told me not to touch anything, so I don’t know if anything is salvageable.”
“Are you okay?”
“Really? We’re doing this again?”
“Doing what?”
I slammed my handdown on the counter. “You know what! This ridiculous game that carries us round in circles every time one of us has a fucking crisis. We’re either in each other’s lives, or we’re not. I can’t handle this constant back and forth.”
Silence. For a protracted moment, I feared he’d sigh and walk away like he always did.
Then he closed his hand around my shoulder. “Mia, I’m here. And after thisis sorted, I want to talk...for real this time.”
What did that even mean? My stress-addled mind had no idea until I recalled the words I’d screamed at him the last time I’d seen him. When I’d told him his heartrending letter would never be good enough. “I don’t know when this will be sorted.”
“I’ll wait.”
Gus burst into the shop. “I told you to lock—” He stopped when he saw Luke. Hiseyes darted to Luke’s hand on my shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. Did you get your tyres changed?”
“Not yet.” Luke reclaimed his hand. “The bloke can’t come out till Monday morning, so you can have a half day if you want. I’ll pay you.”
Gus slugged Luke’s arm, then beckoned him forward. “Come outside. See if the way Mia’s van’s been done is the same as yours.”
I didn’t want him that faraway from me. My brother would’ve died for me, but Luke... God, I felt safe with him close.
Biting my lip, I turned back to my work as they went outside. My fingers fumbled with ribbon and glue, but somehow I managed to form the basis of a workable bouquet. It wouldn’t be what I’d planned, or close to what the bride had asked for, but I was hoping my early morning phone call would get lostin Big Day excitement. Become an anecdote for the speeches. Lord knew I wasn’t in the mood for a bridezilla showdown right now.
I pulled my remaining roses together and padded them out with calla lilies and some petunias I’d been saving for my market day window display. The result was beautiful, perhaps better than the original, but I felt nothing as I stared at it, and the disassociationshould’ve frightened me.
But somehow it didn’t.
I set the bouquet aside and reached for the daisies I just about had enough of to create more flower girl crowns. I’d run out of wire, though. A quick dash to the back room took longer than I thought. When I got back, the knocking at the front door was loud enough to let me know whoever it was had been waiting.
