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Cute.

No. Not cute. Don’t think that way. I’ve never had a real relationship and I want to keep it that way. Cole’s right. I just need to get laid.

And surely a twenty-one-year-old girl won’t make me fall in love.

I’m not sure I know what it means to fall in love, anyway.

Not sure I ever will.

She looks up, her brown eyes nearly amber in the daylight. She smiles at me and I stop in my tracks as my heart skips a beat.

“You must be Marcus.”

“That’s me.” I stick out my hand.

She takes it, and her palm is warm against mine, her grip firm.

My fingers want to linger so I put my hands in my pockets.

Jesus, she’s pretty up close. I count the faint line of freckles across her nose.

“These are the sunflowers.”

I smile. It’s a genuine one, not my customer service smile.

“I figured.”

She gives me a smile in return, showing even teeth.

“I don’t know what to do with them,” she admits, shoulders slumping.

I chuckle and move a few pots into place to show her what I have in mind, framing the walkway and starting a line along the building.

“I’d recommend you get a few more. Fill out the space.”

She steps back from the building to look, her eyes widening.

“That’s perfect. Marcus, you’re a genius!”

She places a hand on my arm and my skin burns through the fabric.

“So…what would this cost me?”

“I’ll email you a quote,” I say, knowing I’m going to do it for a bargain basement price.

I bring out my phone and she rattles off her email address.

I input her information, asking her questions here and there. She answers, and I email her the quote.

She hears the ding on her phone and pulls it out of a cross-body bag.

Margo looks at the email. Bites her lip.

I want to thumb it out of her mouth.

She looks up at me.

“This isn’t enough.”