A shiver danced down my spine. I kept my smile in place, refusing to let him see the effect those words had on me.
"I'll keep that in mind," I told him.
“Please do,” he whispered.
Lord, help me.
His gaze lingered on me for another few seconds before he took a step back. Only then was I truly able to breathe.
"Actually, I was hoping you could help me again."
"Of course," I said, thankful my voice didn’t tremble. “What can I help you with?”
"I'm thinking about adding some flowers to my beach house."
"That sounds nice." I folded my hands together on top of the counter. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"
He shook his head. "No. I wanted to look around first."
Of course you do.Holding in a sigh, I widened my smile.
"Feel free to peruse the store."
"Thanks, Blossom."
You don’t have to keep saying my name like that, Rome.
My nerves were on edge, and my smile was starting to falter.
Please, look away.
Finally, he wandered away from the register, moving slowly through the shop as though he was really considering every arrangement he passed. Once he was no longer looking at me, I exhaled in a rush, trying to compose myself so I could put my professional mask back on.
I watched him for a moment, observing his behavior. He wasn't looking at the flowers. Not really. He was looking for reasons to remain here. Reasons to talk to me. Reasons to keep coming back to the shop.
Reasons to keep watching me, trying to decide if I was really Juliet or not. The flowers were just an excuse for him to be here with me. I would not give him a reason to tie me to his hacker. If I had to endure his presence for a few more visits, I would.
I could survive being in the same room as Rome Cattaneo without doing or saying something that would give myself away. I could fake a smile for as long as I needed to while answering his questions.
Eventually, he'd stop suspecting I was Juliet and start searching for her elsewhere. He’d never find her. But at least he’d stop coming here. I just had to wait him out. He leaned forward to smell a flower.
I held in my smile. He looked so adorable doing that. Damn, I couldn’t believe I was standing alone in my flower shop with the man I loved.
"So," he drawled while staring at a display of lilies. "What's your favorite flower, Blossom?"
I could do this. I could have a normal conversation with this normal customer of mine. I leaned against the counter, trying to act relaxed.
"I don't think I could choose just one," I told him.
His gaze lifted to mine. "No?"
I shook my head. "I love them all. They each have something different to offer. Even the ones most people dislike. Picking a favorite would be like asking a parent to choose their favorite child."
A smile spread across his face. And fuck me, I wanted to kiss those lips.
"That makes sense," he said, watching me.
Silence settled between us again. Not as awkward this time. Just... quiet. Like, no words were needed. Rome resumed looking around the shop. Every few seconds, I caught him looking my way.
