Nodding, he looks around the store. “In the best way. Are you almost done here?”
“I’m never done here,” I joke. “I was about to lock the door and call it a day.”
“Have you had dinner yet?”
I blurt out the honest answer before I think it through “Not yet.”
“Me either.” He locks eyes with me. “Let me buy you dinner to repay you for making my mom happy.”
“You made her happy by ordering the flowers,” I point out. “I just arranged them in a bouquet. It’s the thought that counts and that came from you.”
“This wasn’t the first time I gave her flowers.” Stepping closer to me, he drops his tone. “She’s never cried before.”
I feel a twisted sense of pride in that. Not everyone has a visceral reaction to a bouquet, even if I hope they do. A lot ofpeople only see flowers as a bright spot on a lousy day or a reminder of a birthday or an anniversary.
“Never?” I question with a tilt of my head.
“Never,” he repeats. “So it stands to reason that I owe you. Dinner is on me if you’re up to it.”
I’m up to anything that keeps me this close to him for as long as possible.
He may have a broken heart beating inside that massively broad chest of his, but eating dinner with him can’t hurt.
It’s not a date. It’s athank-you-for-being-a-great-floristmeal.
“Sure,” I say simply. “I’ll finish up and we can head out.”
Ordering salad was a mistake.
My stomach is still rumbling and now I’m worried that I have a piece of spinach stuck in my teeth.
I skim my tongue over the front of my top teeth. I don’t feel anything, but a sip from the glass of water in front of me, along with a barely noticeable swish of it around my mouth, should dislodge anything green from between my perfectly straight teeth.
They are one of my best features.
I lucked out in the dental department. My mom’s third husband wanted his stepchildren to be perfect. He slapped braces on my teeth along with my two younger brothers.
It was a gift that has kept on giving.
Liam watches me intently as he downs another half glass of water.
This dinner has been rated PG all the way including the cheeseburger and fries Liam ordered and our non-alcoholic beverages.
His attention has been on his phone as much as it’s been on me. If this was a date, I might be offended, but he apologized every time it took his attention away.
I stole a glance at my phone once or twice too.
Seeing a steady stream of online orders coming in for tomorrow boosted my mood.
I’m going to head to the store an hour early in the morning. Sleep can wait when there are customers to keep happy.
“Are you a native New Yorker?”
This is a new direction for him. His first line of questioning while we waited for dinner was all about flowers. He politely asked how I know which blooms go with others.
I launched into a nervous speech about balance and beauty.
I’m sure I stopped making sense around the two-minute mark, but he just smiled and nodded.
