"Oh, I talked to Alex this morning—Coach Montgomery’s fiancée." I shift back to an upright position. "I was worried that maybe he wouldn’t bring me back after all this… but it sounds like my job is secure." Picking at the strings on the hem of my shorts, I avoid his eyes.
"Of course he is. He’d be crazy not to." Max tips my chin up with his index finger. "You’re amazing at what you do. You’ll be helping those kids again and burying yourself in work before you know it."
And the bubble I built around us this morning bursts.
Max is right. The clock is winding down, and I still have so much to figure out. I don’t have time to fantasize about what this could be between us, not with puzzles to solve and riddles to unwind.
twenty-four
Max
Shadow Daddy
"Alright, everyone. Welcome to Zarichny’s Zinnia’s. We are thrilled to have you all with us this morning." Zuri captures the attention of the room, taking her seat on a stool at the front table while Bridget slides onto the seat next to me. "I’m going to start by explaining the fresh flowers we have and how to build a perfect bouquet for any occasion, then we’ll do a tour."
The room erupts with applause, particularly from what looks to be a bachelorette party up front that may have overindulged on mimosas this morning. This isn’t really my scene, but they seem enthused.
"We should have ridden on their party bus to get here," Bridget whispers, making Sadie giggle.
Zuri holds up a green flower with a long stem and bunches of leaves hanging off it. "This is a Queen Lime. It’s the only varietyof Zinnia that comes in this shade, and it’s perfect for filling in your bouquets as it creates depth amongst the brighter colored Benary’s Giants." Zuri waves her arm toward the buckets filled with purple, pink, crimson, and yellow flowers.
She continues telling the group about how the stems are grown, proper harvest techniques, and what a balanced arrangement looks like. I’m sure it’s valuable information to have. Heck, I’d consider giving the whole gardening thing a whirl if I planned to stay here. But right now, the only thing on my mind is the woman seated next to me.
Sadie said she was worried they wouldn’t allow her to come back, and that gives me pause. We’ve talked about this work thing before, about what happened. But today feels different, like she finally fully admitted that she was actually scared. Why would she assume anyone would consider losing her? I’ve never seen her in action at work, but I know without a doubt she’s brilliant at what she does. Sadie remembered wipes to clean off my dog for God’s sake—she’s three steps ahead at all times, which would be valuable to any boss.
People shuffle around the tables, making a neat line toward the front to grab flowers. Sadie and Bridget move to stand.
"I’ll just wait here." I nod toward a sleeping Benny, cozy in my arms. "Just grab me some of the pink ones."
Sadie smirks but nods in acknowledgment before leaving me at the table alone. Watching her walk to the front with my sister feels right. This is where I'm supposed to be, not chasing a fragment of my old dream. But there’s the rub. My life recently has amounted to nothing more than glorified settling. I wanted to play in the NHL and worked for it since I could barely tie my shoes. Now, I’ll be sharpening skates and handing sticks to the players that actually get to. I’ve spent most of my life looking at the love my parents shared, aspiring to find it. And now I’m witha woman who checks all the boxes, but the timing is wrong. It feels unfair, but… what in life isn’t?
My role here isn’t to fall for the girl—I know I don’t get her in the end. But reminding my heart not to latch onto all the little things that make her so uniquely magnificent is a tall order. Especially when the whole guise of this arrangement is to have fun. It’s like being on one of those dating shows where everything seems perfect because real life doesn’t exist in our little summer bubble—I just need to remember that.
"I grabbed you a bunch of pink, but I threw a few green ones in there in case you wanted to create depth." Sadie sets what looks to be fifty flowers on the table in front of me. "It was a fight with the ladies up there, but when they saw you sitting with Benny they caved."
"I don’t think it was the dog that did it, as much as I hate admitting that," my sister chimes in, already arranging a bouquet next to me.
Sadie huffs, makes eye contact with a tall blonde staring in our direction, then plants one on me. Her lips are commanding, like she’s asserting her ownership, and I can’t help but sink into it. The fact that she so openly displays affection, that she stakes her claim, is beyond attractive. Sadie wraps her hands in my hair, stroking her thumb along my cheek. We break apart only when Bridget coughs dramatically.
"Seriously? Get a room, would ya?"
A laugh bubbles in my chest. "Sorry, Bridg. I can’t help it that the ladies love me."
That earns me a hit to the shoulder from the only woman in the room for whom I hope that’s true. But I wink at her, and she slips into the chair beside me, wrapping her arm around mine to pet Benny.
After some time has passed, the bouquets are finished, and the room is cleaned up, Zuri leads the group of us outside for thetour. Because of the muddy terrain, most of the guests duck out early—including the bachelorette party who announce their next stop, Union Tavern—which allows for Zuri to pass off the tour to one of her sisters and for us to get a private experience on the way to our picnic.
Sliding onto the back of a teal-painted golf cart, Sadie, Benny, and I settle in while Bridget and Zuri sit up front.
"How long have you owned this place?" I ask Zuri.
"I’m fourth generation. There wasn’t much of a choice growing up, we were raised to be flower farmers." My sister glances at me from the front, a look that tells me I shouldn’t announce how bad Bridget is at keeping plants alive. "I love it. Getting to be in nature, seeing the literal fruits of your labor. I wouldn’t want to do anything else."
Sadie pinches my thigh, and I yelp in response.
"What was that for?"
"Fix your face," she whispers.
