SOPHIE
Hey! One block away! See you soon!
Anne’s stomach dropped. “Oh my God.”
Freddie paused. “What?”
“It’s Sophie! I’m supposed to meet her right now!” Anne threw the blanket off and stumbled out of bed. “She’s going to be at the flower shop wondering where I am!”
She flew to her closet, barely looking at the jeans and sweater she tore from the shelves. She still had to review the spreadsheets and slides to make sure everything was correct before—
“Don’t worry,” Freddie said, moving to the edge of the bed to stand up. “My sister has never been on time for anything in her life.”
Anne scoffed. “That doesn’t mean I can be late. I’m never late. Being late is the worst! Especially since we have so much we need to go over. How will she be able to enjoy the launch party on Tuesday if she hasn’t had a chance to review all the budgets and expense tracking?”
He threw her a doubtful look. “Have you met my sister?”
Anne held her clothes in one hand and reached for the Eufloria folder with the other. “Well, I won’t be able to enjoy it. She trusted me to help her save her business and I take that really seriously. She’s been through so much this year—I can’t make her think that I don’t prioritize her and her business and…”
He stretched as he was listening. It caused his sweater to rise up, and she caught a glimpse of his stomach, the soft trail of hair—
She darted her eyes away. Unfortunately, they darted to her own reflection in the small mirror hanging by the door.
“Oh my God. I didn’t wash my face last night,” she said, her hands running along the black smudges under each eye. “Why didn’t you tell me to wash my face?”
He held his hands up in mock surrender. “You told me to stay until you fell asleep. I didn’t think that included skin care.”
How could so many things go wrong in just one morning?she thought as her gaze traveled to where her hair was knotted around her shoulders, the crease on her cheek from her pillow. There were too many things to be mortified by right now, too many details to remember and—
“Hey.”
Anne whipped her head around to find Freddie now standing just a few inches from her. There was a lopsided grin on his face as he reached up and brushed a tangle of knotted hair behind her ear.
“It’s going to be okay. Okay?”
His voice sent a familiar warmth around her body, loosening the tension and quieting her mind.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“You go get ready,” he said. “I’m going to head upstairs.”
“Oh.” She didn’t know why she was surprised. Of course he would go home. He didn’t live here. But that also meant that he’d be gone when she came back.
He watched her expression, then took a step toward her. “Come by when you’re done?”
Oh.Oh.
Her disappointment was suddenly replaced by a myriad of emotions that she didn’t know how to quantify. “Okay. I will.”
“Good.” He nodded toward the door. “Then you should probably hurry up. It’s not very professional to be late and—”
She rolled her eyes and pushed him away before he could finish, barely tamping her laughter as she rushed to the bathroom.
CHAPTER 20
Anne almost walked by the shop. She didn’t recognize it now that the parchment paper had been removed from the windows, which were now crowded with floor-to-ceiling flowers. The explosion of pinks and greens and blues, each petal overlapping the other, was so overwhelming that Anne almost missed the sign above the entrance. It looked to be one long piece of wood, polished to a high sheen, withEufloriawritten across it in bold, black print.
It took a moment for Anne’s brain to register it. Her gaze traced each letter, sure that she had misread them, that she was dreaming, or that there had been a mistake. But no, the name was there, so beautiful and perfect that Anne couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.
