Rose Gardner's Florist (The Providence Street Shops #2) - Bonnie Dee Page 0,1

all day and Dale had a family to look after. Meanwhile, Guy had been here almost every day, painting, building and performing other tasks she could not afford to hire out. Part of his reason for dedicating so much labor had been to distract himself from his heartache over losing Hattie. Still, Rose had still appreciated the help.

Guy patted her head then drew his hand away as if burned. “Maybe Fire Top would be better. It is so very red.”

Rose clicked her tongue in feigned annoyance. Her gaze turned to the tall stranger, clearly a friend of Guy’s.

Guy clapped him on the back, driving him a step closer to Rose. “Miss Rose Gardener, may I introduce you to my friend, Mr. William Carmody, whom you may have heard me mention before.”

Rose nodded. “My chum Will” had featured in a number of Guy’s stories. They partnered in tennis, fencing and other club activities reserved for rich men. But this fellow was not the man Rose had pictured. For an athlete, Mr. Carmody seemed incredibly awkward. His broad shoulders hunched—a tall man’s attempt to appear shorter—and he did not quite meet her gaze as they were introduced.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Gardener.” Carmody pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger.

Rose smiled at him. “Thank you for trying to help me.”

“‘Trying’ being the operative word,” Guy joked.

“I’m sorry I nearly dropped your flowers. Clumsy of me.” The man’s low-pitched voice seemed cool somehow, like a smooth stream flowing by without a ripple. Rose wanted to dip her hand in the water and ruffle its surface.

“How do you do, Mr. Carmody. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” She used careful diction as she held out her hand.

He stared at it for a moment as if deciding whether to shake hands with a mere shop girl. Had she made a social error? Rose’s smile evaporated, but before she could withdraw, his large hand engulfed hers in a single pump before letting go.

“Your store is very nice. I admire your, um”—he gestured toward the buckets— “flowers.”

“Thank you,” she replied. Mr. Carmody’s stiff manner put her off, even if he had tried to help her carry the urn. Guy’s friend or no, it seemed Carmody was snobbish and superior with his formality and refusal to look at her.

Rose turned her attention to Guy. “Will you be stopping by the millinery next, or have you already been?”

Since Guy and Hattie’s happy reunion several months ago, they rarely spent a day apart. He was always either coming or going from the milliner’s shop.

“I thought I’d bring my fiancée a bouquet to brighten her day, before Carmody and I engage in a fencing match. Peonies, please. Such a delightful scent.”

“They are not in season. But she should like these pink roses.”

Rose went to select the blooms for her friend’s bouquet. As she passed Mr. Carmody, he moved out of her way, bumping his elbow into a metal stand holding cards for funeral wreaths: At rest with Our Savior, Long Loved—Too Soon Lost, and so on. He caught the display before it could topple and steadied it.

“Sorry. I’m so sorry.” He knelt to gather the heartfelt pronouncements from the floor and place them back into the rack.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Carmody. I will take care of those later.” Rose would have liked to suggest he leave the shop before he created a more serious disaster, but this was Guy’s dearest friend, so she remained polite.

“Listen, Red…” Guy ignored Carmody as if he were used to his friend’s clumsiness. “Can you make a bouquet that proclaims Please set a date? It has been some time since I presented Hattie with a ring. I’m ready for newly-wed bliss, but my dearest is ever cautious, as you well know.”

“That’s a lot to ask of a bouquet. I would not apply too much pressure. When Hattie has considered the matter from every angle she will be ready. Wasn’t I right when I told you to wait for her forgiveness?”

“Yes, my wise counselor, you did.”

“Then don’t rush her about this once-in-a-lifetime decision.” Rose said, as she wrapped the plump pink roses in paper and handed the bouquet to Guy.

He sighed dramatically. “I will rein in my impatience and hold my tongue. I just needed you to tell me so.”

Rose glanced at the giant who had withdrawn to a corner, one hand crossed over the other in front of him as if to keep them from flailing about. Guy was apparently not shy about expressing his