Only one more stop before they could make this thing official.
Jace turned up the song on the radio.It was one of his favorites about two kids making life the best that they could despite the crappy circumstances they faced.He sang along, tapping the steering wheel to the beat.
Only two blocks later, he pulled into the parking lot of the grocer.Small-town life was growing on him again, especially considering the same errand would have taken him two hours in LA traffic.
Jace headed to the floral department first, where there didn’t seem to be any lilies.Yet, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a large cerulean pot of white, bowl-shaped flowers.They almost resembled the roses he was admiring, but they were fuller, softer.
“Excuse me, can you tell me what these are?”he asked a young woman behind the counter.“They’re incredible.”
“Gardenias,” she said.Just like Aurelie’s last name, almost.A smile wormed its way across his face.“It’s the end of their growing season, so this will probably be the last batch we get in, and they should stay inside for the winter.You’re lucky.Normally, we don’t get them past the middle of September.”She smiled warmly at him.
“Thanks.Any lilies?”he asked.She pulled some out of the back, but they were cut stems in a bouquet instead of live plants.Still, they were perfect.“I’d love these both,” he said.The woman went from registering surprise to recognition as she added baby’s breath and greenery to the bouquet for him.There was no question she knew who he was.
“You’re…” she started, then laughed when he nodded.“Wow.I was just telling my mom nothing exciting happens around here, and then you show up.What brings you to town?”
Jace thought about what he should say, hesitating at first.But he didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, so in the end, he opted for the truth.
“I’m actually coming home.I grew up here.”The clerk looked at him through wide eyes, her mouth slightly open in shock.
“Wow.You came fromhere?I mean, I know why you left.There’s nothing in this place.Why’d you come back?”Her nose scrunched up her eyes and cheeks as if she’d just inhaled something foul.
He’d probably be getting that a lot and didn’t fault people for questioning his motives.He had enough money to hire people, so he didn’t have to work the land under sheets of ice, didn’t have to repair fences when a wild animal got in, like his father had to do almost every spring.A twinge of guilt nagged at the periphery of his thoughts, especially when he considered what marrying Aurelie would mean.
She’d be subjected to the same scrutiny.
“It’s quiet, peaceful, and I’m actually rebranding my father’s ranch to see what I can make of it.”
“Did you bring a… Well, I saw that you were dating Harley Young.Is she here?”
Jace shook his head.Harley had wanted more than he could give, which is why they couldn’t have lasted.Aurelie’s general ambivalence to him would, strangely, make her the perfect wife.
“Nope.We broke up a few months ago.”The next words came out before he could stop them.“In fact, I’m on my way to marry a lovely half-local like myself.”
Saying the words out loud to a stranger made them all the more real, and his heart fluttered with anticipation.Whether or not this was the right move, he was committed now.
“What a lucky girl,” the young woman said.
“Nah, I’m the lucky one.”He meant it, too.Aurelie was a hell of a woman, beautiful and intelligent and funnier than anyone had a right to be.In another world, one where he wasn’t carrying thirty-some-odd years of baggage about marriage and family, he’d enjoy giving them an honest shot at this.“But, hey.While I’ve got you, how should we take care of these?”
She shook her head, joined him back in reality.“Um, well, they’re pretty simple, really.Finicky and particular, but simple.They need moisture and heat is all, and they’ll be ready to go in the spring.From what I hear, they’re worth the time and energy.”Jace thought again about how perfect a match these flowers were for Aurelie, even in their day-to-day care.He reckoned her friends would describe her needs in the same way.
Too bad some other man down the line would get to discover that about her.Jealousy cropped up on the other side of the wall he kept pesky emotions like that behind.
“Sounds great.Thanks for all your help.”
“It was nice to meet you,” she glanced at his credit card, “Mr.Michaels.”
Jace nodded and made his way to the less fun part of his shopping trip.Well, at least less fun for now.Hopefully, it’ll pay dividends to us both later, he thought as he grabbed the small box of condoms from the shelf.
At the checkout line, he avoided the stares and whispers, assuming they were more for who he was than what he was buying, though it did look like a sleazeball’s date night.Throw in a box of wine, and he’d be any one of the guys he’d known in high school.
He was halfway to the truck when he looked down at his left hand.Shit.He was missing an integral part of what he’d need to marry Aurelie, a fact made all the more embarrassing by the fact that he’d remembered condoms.
With Siri’s help, he found a jewelry store a block away.He had no clue what Aury’s tastes were when it came to anything, especially something as important as a ring they had to pretend was a lifetime commitment.
Worry he’d fuck this up dissolved as he walked up to the window and saw the one he wanted right away in the display.A circle-cut diamond sat in the middle of a halo of smaller, shimmering stones, a thin strap of white gold holding the whole miraculous thing together.It was Aurelie, plain and simple.Or rather, shiny and outspoken, just like her.
It was perfect.Enough to fool anyone.
