I exited the shop and hopped into my truck. I was actually glad to help Maverick with this little snafu. It was a good distraction from my inner spiraling.
He already had the door propped open when I got around back. I pulled forward, then angled the truck so the bed would be close to the door for loading. Then I hopped out and lowered the tailgate.
I found Maverick inside, wrapping damp paper towels over the tops of floral arrangements packed into boxes. He pointed to some rubber mats piled beside him.
“Put those down so the boxes don’t slide around the truck bed.”
“Okay.”
I picked up the mats and laid them out, then took the first box Maverick brought out, arranging them close to the cab. Maverick handed off more boxes. “Don’t put them too close together. We don’t want to crush any petals.”
“Be careful with the precious cargo,” I said. “Got it.”
“But work fast,” Maverick added between handing off boxes. “The less time in this heat, the better. Crap, this is so not the way to do this.”
“Breathe, Mav. The hotel is two minutes away. These beauties are going to be okay.”
He handed me another box. “They wilt faster than you’d think, and this isn’t just any birthday party. Edna is turning ninety-five.Ninety-five.Can you imagine?!”
“I really cannot. But speaking of parties…”
Maverick picked up two more boxes, puffing with exertion. “What?”
Now was not the time to bring up my parents’ anniversary party. “Nothing. Let’s hurry and get these belles to the ball.”
Maverick flashed me a distracted smile as we finished securing the boxes so they wouldn’t slide around, which involved towels, ratchet straps, and a newfound respect for Maverick’s business.
“Thank you, Damon. Seriously.”
“No problem.” I hopped down from the truck bed, then turned and took his hand, helping him jump to the ground. “What did happen with that delivery van, anyway?”
“Transmission went out. They said repairs would be done by today. Guess not.”
It was strangely difficult to drop his hand as his eyes met mine. I froze up, staring into his eyes, wondering how I’d never noticed all the different shades of blue before.
Maverick pulled away. “We better get going.”
“Right.” I turned and slammed the tailgate, then hopped into the driver’s seat. Maverick got in beside me, and I started the engine.
“Drive carefully,” he said. “No quick corners or sudden stops.”
“I’ll drive like a granny,” I promised.
“But not too slow. It’s hot out there.”
I laughed as I started down the alley. “Fucking hell, Mav.You baby these flowers anymore, and they’re going to have daddy issues.”
“Shut up,” he said with a laugh. “This is important.”
“I know, darlin’. I’m driving like my life depends on it.”
“Okay,darlin’,”he teased. “Thank you.”
Shit. That had flown right out of my mouth without my permission—and for once, it hadn’t sounded the slightest bit sarcastic. Well, there was no time to worry about it now. I was going to be taking the guy on a date soon, so calling himdarlin’was the least of my problems. What happened at the end of that date, that was what was keeping me up at night.
Would Maverick want me to kiss him? Would heexpecta kiss—or even more?
I shut down the messy thoughts that had been circling my brain ever since I gatecrashed Maverick’s date and insisted I could do better. Instead, I concentrated on making the drive down Main Street to Sixth, then cutting over toward the hotel. I white-knuckled the wheel, taking each turn cautiously, easing into each stop. By the time we pulled into the loading zone at the hotel, I was sweating despite the A/C.
