Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“For me?” She must be misremembering.
She laughs and leans forward, sweeping cut greenery off the counter and into the trash can by her hip. “God, I remember it clear as day. He wanted some flowers that would match your eyes. No easy feat, mind you. I suggested he keep it simple with red roses, but no. Sawyer wasn’t having it. He made me show him every single flower I had in the shop that day. In the end, he didn’t end up buying anything.”
“Why?”
She stands up tall again, waving her hand. “Oh, bad timing or bad luck, one of ’em. Some boy came in the same time he was here.” She scrunches her forehead, trying to draw his name out of thin air. “Cory maybe? Cory Keller, does that sound right?”
I nod, anticipating where she’s going with this.
“He happened to come in that day when Sawyer was here, wanted to buy you a corsage for the homecoming dance. Sawyer heard him talking about it and he left…and that’s the last I heard about it.” She shrugs and smiles. “Anyway, I remember feeling a little sorry for Sawyer. But, these things always sort themselves out. You two are together now, it just makes sense.”
I’m almost inclined to think she’s lying, but Cory Keller and I did go to homecoming together one year, and though I didn’t believe him at the time, Sawyer admitted he was interested in me back then.
Wild. High school me would have passed out if I’d known Sawyer Garnett had spent an afternoon trying to build me a bouquet at Cornelia’s.
I glance at the bucket of roses beside her. “You don’t happen to remember what flowers he was considering that day? Sawyer?”
She laughs. “Now you’re really stretching my memory. I don’t recall, but like I said, I was trying to convince him to go with the roses.”
I point to the bucket. “Well if those aren’t spoken for, would you mind wrapping up a dozen for me?”
“Sure thing, hun. And I’ll get you those arrangements you came in for. Kelly’s probably already grabbing them out of the cooler right now.”
Fifteen minutes later, I walk out with the centerpieces for the bridal shower and a dozen red roses wrapped in brown paper for Sawyer. I already have them in a vase sitting on the counter by the time he gets home from the vineyard that night. He walks in and toes off his work boots, sighing with relief. He’s headed toward me, on a mission, but the flowers stop him in his tracks.
His eyebrows shoot up with interest. “Someone buy you flowers?”
I laugh. He almost sounds jealous.
“No. No one bought me flowers.”
I smile deviously when he looks at me, trying to put two and two together.
“Those are for you. From me.”
He looks at them again, almost troubled by their existence. “Did I miss some kind of holiday? Anniversary? I swear I’m usually pretty good with that stuff, but there’s been so much going on lately…”
I wind around the kitchen island on my way toward him. “No holiday. No anniversary. Those are just-because flowers.”
His mouth curves in a timid smile. “No one’s ever bought me flowers before.”
I smile proudly, glad to be the first. “I got them at Cornelia’s today.”
As I reach him, he wraps his arms around my waist, tugging me close and bending so he can kiss the ticklish part of my neck. I squirm, but he likes it—it only brings us closer. “Oh yeah? Just ’cause you love me so much?”
I tip up onto my toes and lean in to kiss him. He wants more, but I pull away so I can answer his question. “Well yes, that, and because when I was there, she told me about the time you came into her shop back in high school…”
Realization dawns and his tan cheeks flood with pink. So it is true!
“I told you I liked you back then.”
“And I didn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe it.”
He takes one hand off me to rub the back of his neck shyly. “Yeah, well it was silly of me to go in there that day. I had no plan. What was I going to do, ask you to be my girlfriend?”
I smile and rise up to kiss his cheek. “You could have. I’d have said yes. Would have saved us a few years of trouble, don’t you think?”
His eyes are heated now as he imagines this. “God. What would I have done with you if I’d had you all these years?”
I lean into him and lower my voice. “I can think of a few things.”
And then I can’t help but tell him all my deliciously wicked ideas for what he could do with me in a whisper so that he forgets about the flowers and the fact that we’re meant to meet my family for dinner in thirty minutes. He props me on the counter and thanks me for those dozen red roses—twice.