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were supposed to report on every man we've ever kissed. But I could make a list."

Emma laughed. "I bet you could. Laurel? Any Jack incidents to report?"

"I'm feeling very annoyed and deprived that I have none. Even imaginary. It seems like he could've hit on me at least once in all this time. The bastard. How about you, Mrs. G?"

"A very nice one under the mistletoe a few Christmases back. But being the love them and leave them type, I let him off easy so as not to break his heart."

"I'd say Em plans to take him down, and take him down hard." Mac arched her eyebrows. "And that he doesn't have a prayer against the awesome power of Emmaline."

"I don't know. I need to think. It's complicated. He's a friend. Our friend. And he's Del's best friend. Del's your brother," she said to Parker, "and the next thing to a brother to the rest of us. And we're all friends, and business partners. Del's our lawyer, and Jack helps out when we need him. Plus he's designing the remodeling. We have all these connections, and they're all tangled up."

"And nothing tangles up the tangles like sex," Mac put in.

"Exactly. What if we end up having this thing, then the thing goes south. Then we're awkward with each other, and that makes the rest of us awkward with the rest of us. We have a kind of balance, don't we?

Sex isn't worth upsetting the balance."

"You wouldn't be doing it right then," Mrs. Grady commented, and shook her head. "Youth thinks too damn much. I'm going to start the wash."

Emma sulked over her pancakes. "She thinks I'm being an idiot, but I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Then set the ground rules going in. What you each expect from each other, and how you'll handle any complications."

"What kind of ground rules?"

Parker shrugged. "That's for you to decide, Em."

CHAPTER SEVEN

AT HER WORKTABLE WITH A SOOTHING NEW AGE MIX IN THE background, Emma processed a delivery. For the midweek, off-site bridal shower, she'd opted for fun and female. The gerbera daisies were just the ticket.

Visualizing the finished arrangement, she cut the lower inch of the stems under water. Fresh and pretty, she thought as she transferred the daisies to her solution of water, flower food, and preservatives. She carried the first batch to the cooler for rehydrating. As she started on the next batch, she heard Parker call out to her.

"Back here!"

Parker came in, took a look at the flowers, foliage, buckets, tools. "McNickey bridal shower?"

"Yes. Just look at the color of these gerberas. From soft to vibrant. They're going to be perfect."

"What are you doing with them?"

"For the centerpiece, a trio of topiaries in pots I'm covering with lemon leaf. I'll work in some waxflower and acacia, add some sheer ribbon. The client wants a couple others, a more elaborate arrangement for her entry table, another with candles to put in her fireplace, and something delicate, fragrant, and pretty for the powder room. I need to get them all processed before my eleven o'clock consult. It's moving along."

"Festive and female." Parker scanned the work space. "I know you've got a pretty full slate. Can you squeeze another off-site event in?"

"When?"

"Next Thursday. I know," she said as Emma slid over a cool stare. "The potential client called the main number, and since I knew you were elbow deep in a delivery I didn't transfer it. She was at the Folk-Harrigan wedding. Tells me she just couldn't get over the flowers - which is another score for us over MBB."

"You're using that to seduce me."

"Yes, I am. She'd planned to just go buy some cut flowers and do some vases, but now that she's seen your work, she's obsessed. She can't get over how beautiful they were."

"Stop it."

"How gorgeous and creative and perfect."

"Damn you, Parker."

"She can't sleep or eat or function in any normal fashion now that she's seen what can be done with flowers."

"I hate you. What kind of event, and how much is she after?"

Parker's smile managed to be both smug and sympathetic. Emma considered it a major skill.

"A baby shower, and it sounds similar to what you're doing here. Except for the fireplace arrangement. Very girly - the baby's a girl - so she's looking for a lot of pink. But told me she'd trust your judgment."

"It's cutting it close. I have to see what my wholesaler can do. And I'd have to take a look at next week."

"I