“I said yes because this isn’t a real date.Remember?”
“What’s not real to you may be real to someone else; it’s like the difference in the way people say tomato.” I shouldn’t be surprised at what comes out of this man’s mouth at this point, but as always, I’m left without a wittyresponse.
“Fake is fake,Dax.”
“And a tomato is a tomato, so I don’t get your point?” He walks over to me and snatches the empty box off the counter and folds up it up under his arm. “So, I need your address, and your phone number would be helpful too.” With patience in his eyes, he looks at me and waits. “You just need to get a piece of paper and grab one of those pens over there in that rose-colored glass, then write it alldown.”
Since I don’t make an effort to lunge for a piece of paper or a pen, Dax does it for me. He places a piece of receipt paper down on the counter in front of me and hands me a pen he retrieves from his pocket. With reluctance, I place the flowers down and reach across the counter for a business card. “Here’s my number andaddress.”
“This isn’t your real address or phone number. It’s your place ofbusiness.”
“And our date isn’t a real date, so it seems appropriate.” He takes the card from my hand and drops it into his back pocket. “Why would anyone want to make an ex jealous on their wedding day?” Not sure why the thought didn’t cross my mind originally, but now I’m kind of curious about what I’m getting myselfinto.
“Well, if the love of your life cheated on you and left you for your brother, you’d want to come fully armed to his wedding too.” Ouch. Now I guess I know something abouthim. “Oh, this happened onourwedding day. I figured I should add that inthere.”
“Well, I’ll dress the part then. For the sake of revenge, I think I can put some effortin.”
“Guess I should have just started with my sob story,” he says. He leans over and wraps an arm around my neck, pulling me in against him.Don’t do that. You smell too good.“I’ll pick you up at six tomorrow night. Here, at your fake place ofresidence.”
“I’ll be here with my fake dresson.”
“Does thatmean—?”
“Go!” Ilaugh.
Dax makes his grand exit, slapping the exit sign with the palm of his hand on the way out.What did I just agreeto?
“Sorry I’m late, Ari!” Piper flies in through the front doors, tossing her purse onto the side counter. “I know we have three weddings tomorrow. I’ll get it all done. Iswear.”
“Were you just at the hair salon?” Her dark hair is loosely hung in barrel curls and her face is made up as if she were heading out for the night, rather than a full eight-hour dayhere.
“Yes, I told my hairdresser I had to be here at nine, but...yeah. I’m having dinner with André tonight,” she grins, biting down on her bottomlip.
“André, as in the man you are fleeing to France with next week?” I groan and slap herarm.
“Well, he’s leaving tomorrow and then I’m meeting him in Bordeaux next week Wednesday. I’m going to miss him something fierce,” shecroons.
As ridiculous as her relationship with André has been, and as short as it’s gone on, I’m still happy for her. Four weeks ago, who would have thought the man of Piper’s dreams would end up here in our flower shop to buy flowers for the date he was going on that night, only to end up falling in love with Piper and asking her to move to France with him two weeks later? It’s insane and wild, and something I could only dream ofdoing.
Changing the subject before I try to talk her out of moving again, I bring out the list of to-dos. “The bouquets for the Kyle wedding are first. The bride is coming to pick them up at three today.” I grab the heavy box Dax left on the back counter and bring them up to the front so we can unpack it. “Then there’s this assortment for the Laurie retirement partytonight.”
“Dax was already here?” sheasks.
“Yeah, uh, he came by early today. He wanted to ask me something.” Again, the smile I can’t seem to hide threatens to unfurl over mylips.
Piper drops the ribbon she had been unraveling and grabs me by the arms. “Tell me you said yes this time. Ari, you can’t remain a hermitforever.”
“Forever isn’t as long as it is for you,” I say, holding my hand over my chest, “This loaner is only going to last another ten years, at best, and I don’t want to put it through any unnecessary aches or pains while playing relationship musical chairs. There is no future worth planning, and it’s like planting a seed, knowing you’ll never get to see it fully bloom. What’s thepurpose?”
She grumbles with an exhausted sigh. “Yeah, I’ve heard the same lines over and over from you, and as always, you’re still wrong. No one said you were dying in ten years. No one! So why do you feel the need to live like you’re freaking dying, Ari? Cut the shit.” Her hand squeezes around my arm a little tighter. “I don’t want to hear this anymore. Do youunderstand?”
“I told him I’d go to a stupid wedding with him, okay?” I expelquietly.
Her arms loop around my neck as she squeezes me tightly. “Really?” she whispers into my ear. “You’re going to take a night off from writing to Hunter to leave your house and act like a normal humanbeing?”
Am I that transparent? “Yes, I’m going.” I’m doing exactly what I’ve refused to do for so long. Live as if this heart is actually pumping blood through my veins and allowing me to inhale oxygen while also existing as a person I’m pretty sure I was never meant tobe.
