He lied about who he was.”
“That sucks, and I can see why it would sour you on people. And poor, innocent frogs.” He sat down on the edge of the fountain.
“Not only did he break my heart, but he also trifled with my money. That’s really what’s unforgivable.” She made a moue with her lips and was a little upset all over again. She would get past the heartbreak, but Zuri didn’t know if she’d let go of the fact he’d played fast and loose with her livelihood.
Phillip grinned. “Oh? How did he do that? Leave you a bad review?”
“He was the groom in a wedding I was planning. No one wants their wedding planned by a groom-stealing hussy. I’m really surprised that Fairy Godmothers, Inc., hired me.”
“Ouch. Although, since they did hire you, I imagine it was much more complicated than it sounds. Petty, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet fix things. They know what they’re doing.” He looked around and gave her a conspiratorial wink. “Mostly.”
“You think I need fixing?” Her sister kept telling her she wasn’t broken, but she had her doubts.
“Not you, but your situation. That’s kind of what they do.”
“Believe me, I know that they’re capable of things. You can’t walk around with a nickname like Petty and not be a force to be reckoned with.”
He nodded. “That is most definitely correct. Having been on the wrong side of that woman, it’s not something I’d recommend to anyone.”
“You? What did you do, cut her off in the checkout line in Snow’s Market?”
She was actually dying to know what he’d done to make the adorable old dear angry. It was either something incredibly banal or something awful. There wouldn’t be any kind of in-between.
He appraised her for a long moment. “I’ll tell you, but not until after you’ve been here a while.”
“Wow, that sounds ominous.” Okay, good to know that her instincts were still determined to lead her astray. It had to be something awful, and here she was, getting all soft in the head over him.
“It’s just . . . you won’t believe me.”
“Try me.” She’d rather find out now so she had a solid excuse with which to remind herself to keep her distance.
“I will,” he promised. “But later.”
Zuri decided that sounded like bullshit, but she didn’t want to be pressured about her situation, so she wasn’t going to pressure him. It wasn’t like the answer mattered. Zuri wasn’t looking to get to know anyone intimately.
Liar, liar pants on fire, a voice in the back of her head screeched at her. She definitely wanted to get to know Phillip Charming in the most intimate of ways.
Her heart said no, but her body said all the yes.
Her brain, well, it tried to mediate and focus on breathing and heartbeat, and things that didn’t involve all the dirty scenarios her imagination was happy to conjure.
Logically, she could pursue a physical relationship with Phillip Charming. Wouldn’t that just be the big, fat flower in her Easter hat? When she was younger, many of her friends had advised the best way to get over a person was to get underneath another one.
She coughed and shook her head, trying to clear out those thoughts and get herself right.
“Later, huh?” Zuri couldn’t keep the skepticism out of her voice.
“You’ll understand. I promise.”
“Makes no difference to me.” She shrugged. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“If we’re going to be friends, you should be able to trust me. I should be able to trust you.”
“Who said anything about being friends?” She felt like she was once again back in comfortable meaningless-banter territory. “Maybe we’re not going to be friends.”
“That would be a shame, because only my friends get hot cocoa by the fire.”
“If you throw in as many marshmallows as I can fit in my mug, then I’ll accept your offer of friendship.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Zuri.”
Her name on his tongue was better than cake.
His mention of something hard caused her gaze to travel down the length of his body, unwittingly.
Nope, she wasn’t going to look at . . .
Oh dear God. She coughed and looked away. “Do I? I suppose I should mention I need a lot of snacks, too. You can’t plan weddings without a lot of sugar.”
“Oh, love. You’ve come to exactly the right place. The Blossom sisters are famous for their ice cream sodas. My kitchen isn’t too shabby, either. I have a chef on duty at all hours.”
“Must be nice.”
“It is. So, have you decided if you’re going to walk