Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,85
break under the weight, Judy,” she teased the florist.
“I have liniment,” Judy chuckled.
“They’re so beautiful,” Bernie said, caressing a petal on one of the roses, most of which were in bloom.
“I guess he thinks you are, too, sweetheart, because let me tell you, I could almost retire on what this arrangement cost,” Judy laughed.
Bernie struggled to her feet and hugged the florist. “You always do the most beautiful arrangements, but this one is extraordinary.”
“Thanks.” Judy hugged her back.
Mr. Kemp came out of his office, stopped dead, and gaped at the arrangement that took up most of Bernie’s desk. “Did somebody die?” he asked.
They all burst out laughing. Kemp grinned.
“Mikey, huh?” he asked Bernie, who flushed. “I figured he’d work it out sooner or later. Okay, people, back to work.”
“Yes, sir,” they chorused.
Bernie and Judy moved her beautiful floral arrangement to a side table so that the desk was clear, but all day Bernie’s eyes went to it, and she felt as if she could walk on clouds.
* * *
Paul and Sari Fiore drove her home so that Paul could carry the arrangement inside for her. It was very heavy.
“Right there, if you don’t mind,” Bernie said, indicating the cleared-off part of her chest of drawers. “It’s so beautiful!”
“Good thing that Judy makes arrangements that don’t have a loud scent,” Sari teased, “or you’d smother in here from the fumes.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t even mind.” Bernie sighed. “Nobody ever sent me flowers in my whole life,” she added softly.
Paul and Sari exchanged glances. It was obvious that Mikey’s peace offering had struck pay dirt.
* * *
He phoned Paul that night.
“Well?” he asked. “Did she donate them to the hospital or her church?” he prompted, and sounded worried.
“No. She cried,” Paul said. “Then Sari and I brought her home so I could carry them inside for her. God, Mikey, did you buy out a florist? I never knew there were that many yellow roses in the whole damned state,” he added, chuckling.
“I wanted to make an impression,” Mikey replied. There was a smile in his voice. “So she liked them, huh?”
“She loved them.”
There was a sigh. “In that case, Santi and I might come down for a visit in a week or so. Just to get the lay of the land.”
“I think that would be a very good idea,” Paul replied.
* * *
Bernie was walking home late in the afternoon, wrapped in a coat against the chill, using her cane because it was rainy and her footing wasn’t good.
A big, black limousine pulled up beside her and the window rolled down while her heart almost beat her to death.
“Now, don’t fall under the wheels this time, okay?” said a man with a New Jersey accent.
Bernie laughed. “Hi,” she said softly.
The door opened. Mikey got out, leaving Santi behind the wheel. He stuck his hands in his pockets and moved close to Bernie. His dark eyes searched her wan face in the late-afternoon dimness. They were intent, as if he was looking at something almost out of a fantasy.
“You look good,” he said. “A little worn. You’ve lost weight, I think.”
“Just a little,” she confessed. Her eyes went over his lean face. “You look worn, too.”
“I never slept with Jessie,” he blurted out. “I like to stick to my own species.”
She laughed in spite of herself.
“I did a dumb thing,” he muttered. “I should have known that you wouldn’t pour your heart out to somebody in a public place.”
She grimaced. “I should have known the same thing about you.”
He drew in a breath and smiled. “So. Suppose we start over? Hi. My name’s Mikey. I sometimes break the law, but I’ll try to restrict myself to jaywalking for the rest of my life if you’ll take a chance on me.”
Her heart leaped. “Hi. My name’s Bernadette, but everybody calls me Bernie. I never break the law, but I’d take a chance on you no matter what you did for a living.”
His lips parted on a husky breath. “Oh, baby,” he said in a rough whisper. “God, I’ve missed you...!”
She would have told him the same thing, but he had her up in his arms and was kissing her as if there was no tomorrow. Her arms were around his neck, her cane was on the sidewalk somewhere getting wet. She was kissing him back.
Long minutes went by. The rain was coming down in buckets and they were both soaked. Finally Santi got out of the car and stopped beside them, coughing loudly.