“How can I help?” I asked Charlie and Abby as everyone filed out. Everyone cleaned up their dishes, but I knew it wasn’t that easy. Since I really didn’t want to go home yet, I figured I could stick around and help them clean up.
“We’re good,” Charlie said automatically, but Abby said, “Wash dishes,” at the same time.
I stashed my Prada bag on a clean section of counter and rolled up my sleeves.
“You don’t have to help,” Charlie argued.
“She offered,” Abby argued right back. “Plus, the others left and you guys will be up early.”
Charlie grumbled but moved to the side to let me get at the sink. “You know I feel bad making you guys wash up. It’s my bakery. You shouldn’t have to come here to work.”
“And you shut down every Tuesday so we can all be here and have fun. On top of you not letting us pay, you’re losing money every Tuesday. The least I can do is help you with the dishes.”
“Thanks, Tara. I appreciate it.”
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Abby teased.
Charlie threw a dish towel at her. Abby caught it and used it to dry the plate she had in her hand. Abby glanced at the door leading from the kitchen out into the storefront of the bakery then nibbled her lip.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Graham asked me to move in with him.”
“Shit. Sorry. I was just bringing back the rest of the plates. I didn’t mean to intrude,” Olivia said, halfway through the door.
Abby shook her head. “You’re fine. I don’t mind if you’re here for this. The only reason I didn’t bring it up earlier was because I didn’t want Graham to overhear us talking.”
“You love him, right?” Charlie asked.
Abby nodded. “I do. Very much.”
“Then why wouldn’t you move in with him?”
Abby shrugged. “I feel like we’re moving too fast. We’ve only been dating seven months. I was with Brett two years before we got married and you all know how that turned out.”
“Yeah, but Brett was as useless as tastebuds on a butthole. He never treated you well.”
Charlie stopped and turned to me. “Did you just say ‘as useless as tastebuds on a butthole?’”
I nodded cautiously.
She started laughing, slowly at first, then harder until she couldn’t stand without leaning on the side of the counter. Olivia and Abby laughed with her, making me chuckle at the crazy fools they were.
When they all finally calmed down enough to speak, Charlie said, “That was hilarious. Good visual. Phew. I like that. Anyway, I think what you were trying to say is that Brett and Graham are very different men. Why would you even compare them?”
Abby shrugged. “Brett was basically my only relationship before Graham. Everything is so different, but I was completely snowed by Brett before. How can I trust myself with Graham? And if I move in with him, what does that mean? We both said we aren’t ready for marriage, but we haven’t talked about it in a while. Is he going to propose next? Or want kids? Or start cheating on me if living together isn’t what he hoped it would be?”
“Slow down,” Charlie said. “Take a breath. You don’t need to get this upset. Graham is a good guy. We all think so. If he’s really deceiving you, he’s good at it because we all like him.”
“Some guys are that good though. I think if you’re this upset you should really think about it,” I told her. I hated to sound like I didn’t want them to be happy, but relationships had never done either Abby or I any favors. It was hard to sit back and watch my friend make a mistake with another guy, even if I actually did like this one.
“You don’t like him?” Abby asked, his voice rising.
I shook my head. “That’s not what I said. I like Graham. A lot. I think he’s great for you and I’m thrilled to see you happy. But you shouldn’t rush into a decision like this. You’re already there most nights, but actually moving in and turning in your keys to the apartment is a big step. Everyone here, all our other friends who are in relationships, were married in less time than you and Graham have been together. I know they’re all going to say move in. Take the chance. It’ll be great. I feel like I owe it to you to be the other side of the argument. If you’re getting this upset, maybe you aren’t ready.”
“But I really do love him,” Abby argued.
“I don’t think Tara is questioning that,” Olivia interjected. “I think what Tara’s saying is that moving in together should feel like a good thing. I understand you’re comparing him to Brett and that things weren’t good between you two, but you need to make the choice for the right reasons. Why does Graham want you to move in?”
“Because I’m there all the time anyway.”
“Why else? Because he wants to spend more time with you? Or he wants you guys to save money? Or he’s getting closer to ready for marriage and wants this as a trial run? I think you need to find out more about what he’s thinking. Plus, you need to decide why you’re considering it.”
“How do you know I’m considering it?” Abby asked.
Olivia smiled. That kind, welcoming smile that always made me feel better when I complained about a boy I liked who liked someone skinnier, prettier, or smarter.
“You wouldn’t be asking your friends if you weren’t torn about what to do. I’d talk to Graham about it and see why he wanted you to move in. Find out where things are going with the two of you. Then you can make a better decision about what’s right.”
I hated to admit Olivia’s answer was perfect, but dammit it was. She was always so rational. Rarely did she get emotional or let her feelings rule her. It was one of the reasons we’d been so close growing up. She kept my emotional, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants side in check and I countered her a-place-for-everything side. We were the classic opposites who attracted and became a great team.
For a while.
Before anyone could say anything else about Abby and Graham moving in together, Graham, Max, and Olivia’s kids burst into the kitchen. Becca came running to me and Kevin went to his mom. I hugged Becca, but my eyes were on Graham and Abby. He only had eyes for her as he stepped across the kitchen to her side. She tipped her head back to look at him. His hands came up and cupped her jaw. He kissed her on the nose then lightly on the lips. He whispered something against her lips that I couldn’t hear, but it made her smile. She nodded and he claimed her mouth in a deeper kiss, one I felt awkward watching.
I turned my focus to Becca, but my mind was still on Abby and Graham. She was happy. He made her happy. I hated that she was hesitant to move in with him, but it was the right thing. Graham wouldn’t disappoint her the way Brett did. Graham was the real deal. Abby was a lucky woman.
The next morning I went into Daisies with my mom. She said if things went well for a few days, she’d let me work on my own again, but she felt better knowing I wasn’t there alone if someone showed up.
My mom watched too many movies.
But I loved her for caring. I’d missed both my parents when I was in California. I’d only gotten back to visit a few times a year. Spending the last eight months living with them was not what I had in mind for my life, but it was nice to connect with them again. I was even starting to consider staying in Winterville. The town had grown on me as an adult. I liked knowing I had family and friends I could count on. No one cared what size I was. And no one judged me.
I just had to figure out what I was going to do. If I could figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I could really decide if Winterville was the right place for me. Buffalo was close enough that I could still be involved in acting, but it would be theater. I could teach at one of the local colleges, but again, I didn’t know if that was what I wanted to do.
Moving to Winterville had been a means to an end. My acting career didn’t feel like it was going anywhere, so it was an easy choice to move back when Mom needed help. She didn’t need it anymore, and I was starting to feel like I was in the way. I needed to be useful. To feel like I was contributing. Not just to my parents, but in general. I just didn’t know what that meant.
I didn’t have long to think about it once the doors opened that morning. We had a steady stream of customers mixed with phone calls from out-of-town florists needing us to do deliveries for them. I cut my hands on stems, stabbed myself with the shears, and got a flower tangled in my hair.
It was a great morning.
At lunch time, Mom took her break first. I was sitting at the counter weaving a ribbon around a bouquet a man was picking up on his way home from work that afternoon when the bell above the door jingled.
“Welcome to Coming Up Daisies! I’ll be right with you,” I called out, wanting to finish the last bit of weaving before I set it down. I knew I’d never remember where I was and end up having to start from scratch if I put it aside.
“Okay,” the voice called back. “I’ll just look around.”
“Thanks!”
I wrapped the rest of the ribbon around the bouquet and finished the weave with a trail of ribbons on the bottom. I cut all the lengths so they were the same and not overly long then set the bouquet in the cooler for the customer and went in search of the man exploring.
He was looking at something on his phone when I found him. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it looked like a picture of a woman. Shit. Another reporter had come to talk to me. Just fucking great.
”Can I help you?” I asked, biting back the sarcasm. He turned and my breath stopped. No. Way. Noah. The chemo nurse. The liar more like.
“Yeah. Oh, hey,” he said with a mega-watt grin. His bottom teeth were slightly crooked and the top ones had a small gap, but his smile was perfect. It lit up his green eyes and made him even hotter.
Damn, I hated being nasty to the hot ones. Especially when I’d already slept with him and had no idea why he was there except to make my life a living hell.
“I need to send some flowers to my mom. I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Really?” I asked with more than a hint of disbelief.
He must have heard it in my tone, not that I tried to hide it, because he looked at me quickly and took half a step back.
“Uh, yeah, really. Is that going to be a problem? It said online you guys did those ship anywhere order things. My mom lives in Florida.”
I nodded, going along with the lie. It had nothing to do with the way his light brown hair curled around his ears or the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. It definitely had nothing to do with the way my girlie parts sighed when he spoke. Nope. Not even a little.
“What are you looking to send her?”
Noah looked around like he was actually serious about choosing something for his mom. I followed him, pointing out options and waiting for him to start with the probing questions.
“It’s her birthday,” Noah said instead. “She loves those flowers that look like stars.”
Was he fucking serious? How many flowers looked like stars?
“Okay, well, let’s look at a few and maybe you’ll be able to narrow it down a little.”
He nodded and gave me another blinding grin. Dammit. I could not let his hotness get past my walls. He was not going to get some exclusive story out of me. He’d already gotten enough of an exclusive when I spent the night in his bed.
We wandered through the flowers and I pointed out star gazer lilies, hibiscus, confederate jasmine, and pentas. He shook his head at all of them, further confirming he was angling for a scoop instead of an order.
“Look, if you’re not here to actually buy flowers then you can get the hell out,” I said, annoyed that I was still dealing with him.
“I’m sorry. I have no idea what they’re called. They’re white with yellow in the middle. I think she said they come in pink too, but there’s yellow in the middle. Maybe they’re tropical? She and my dad got married in Hawaii. Could they be from there?”
Shit. “Are you talking about plumeria?”
He shrugged. “I’m fairly certain I don’t know a thing. I’d recognize a picture if you have one.”
I sighed and pulled out my phone. The first page that loaded was the article about my nude pictures. I quickly opened a new one as Noah moved to look over my shoulder.
Shit, was he tall. I’d forgotten that.
And holy Jesus did he smell good. I’d blocked that, too.
That exclusive interview was getting more and more likely.
Dammit.
He brushed the hair off my neck and kissed the spot where my shoulder turned up to my neck. “Why are you acting like you’re unhappy I’m here?”
“How did you find me?” I blurted, stepping away from him and his tantalizing lips.
He chuckled. “Kismet, Tara. I honestly had no idea you worked here. I really am sending flowers to my mom. Her birthday is Monday. I always send her something. They moved to Florida a few years ago and my dad said she misses having a garden. He wanted her to have flowers. He’s getting her roses but said she liked these star things. Plumeria? Is that what you called them?”
I finally pulled up a picture and held the phone up for him to see. “That’s plumeria. Is that it?”
He grinned. Damn, he needed to stop that. “That’s it. Can we do something with those?”
I nodded. “Sure. Of course. Let’s go to the desk and we can figure it out.”
I turned to walk away but Noah grabbed my hand. “I’ve been thinking about you ever since you left my bed the other morning. Is there any chance I can take you out?”
I shook my head. “I told you I don’t do relationships.”
He shrugged and pulled me flush against his body. “Then how about we just have lots of sex. Every chance we can.”
I laughed, finally remembering why I’d liked him in the first place. I was still suspicious of him, but it was like I told Abby with Graham, I couldn’t compare him to every other man I’d known.
“Are you really a pediatric oncology nurse?”
Confused by the question, Noah took a step back. “Yeah. Why?”
I shrugged. “It’s just strange that we’ve run into each other so much lately when I haven’t ever met you before.”
“Well, I don’t buy a lot of flowers so the last time I was in here was a year ago. I don’t have a very good memory, but I don’t think you were here then. And Malley’s is a place I only go to once in a while. My brother, the photographer, he likes to go there. I guess I go when it’s been a while since he’s been home. He travels for work but lives with me when he’s in town. He hasn’t been back in a while. We talked Friday afternoon and I was thinking about him when I went out. I just ended up at Malley’s.”
I felt properly ashamed. In my mind I was accusing him of being a devious, lying reporter. He was as far from that as possible. And I kind of felt like shit for not trusting him.
“Sorry. I’m just a little overly cautious.”
Noah shook his head. “No, you should be. A beautiful woman like you should be careful when it comes to strange men. I guess I figured since I know what you feel like,” he paused and pulled me back into his arms, “and taste like,” he licked the column of my throat, “and sound like when you come, that maybe you could trust me a little. I guess I need to work on that some more.”
I laughed. “And how do you propose that will happen?”
“Propose? Well, not yet. You’re not into relationships so marriage might be a little presumptuous. I’m thinking a date. One date. If you don’t want a second one, I’ll never see you again. If you do, well, we already know we’re good together.”
He kissed my neck, his tongue brushing over the racing pulse in my neck. I held on to him and enjoyed the sensations. “Hey Noah?”
“Yeah?” he whispered against my skin.
“One date.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me. “You’ll be begging me for a second one. Saturday night.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Let’s order your mom some flowers, loverboy.”
“Hey. That’s lover-man to you.”
I laughed and shook my head. He was definitely all man.