balloons and a couple of flowers. Nothing fancy, just something a twelve-year-old would like.”
“How’s that age?” I ask. “Mia will be there soon, and every day I feel like she’s growing up on us. Wanting to be with her friends and not hanging out at home with her ex-nanny. Pushing her daddy’s buttons. Seeing how far she can push Neely.”
“Twelve isn’t bad. I remember with my girls that fifteen was a doozy. You have a few years yet.”
“Thank God.” I venture over to the cooler. “So I love lilies, but they’re pretty fragrant. That might not be good if she’s having her tonsils out. Your throat is hooked to your nose.” I make a face. “What about sunflowers? The yellow is cheery, and they don’t really smell like anything.”
Aerial grins. “Sounds great.”
“We have a cute unicorn vase in the back. Want to use something like that or just a clear one?”
“Unicorn. Definitely.”
“Just a sec.”
I head to the back and grab the unicorn vase and arrange the sunflowers until they’re a burst of pure happiness. I’m just placing the last flower when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out.
Trevor: Good morning, Ohio. Thinking about you this morning. A lot. And last weekend. Even more.
Me: Good morning, Thief. Thinking about last weekend. A lot. And what tonight could bring. Even more.
Trevor: I like the way you think.
Me: Ha.
Trevor: I’m in town. If you aren’t busy, I’ll stop by? I can even buy a flower if I need to.
Me: I’d love to know which you’d pick.
Trevor: Since it’s your first day at work, I’d pick bamboo for good luck.
Me: Well played.
Trevor: See you soon, pretty girl.
I do a little dance before grabbing a couple of balloon options and heading back to the front.
“Haley, that’s so cute,” Aerial gushes. She holds the vase up in the air. “Is that a penny in there?”
“Yes. The copper is an acidifier, so bacteria and gross stuff won’t grow as easily.”
“I didn’t know that.”
My stomach flutters. “I learned it at a flower show this weekend.”
“Fun.” She selects the balloon she wants, and I ring her up. Once she’s paid, she heads out the door. But before she gets out, someone else walks in.
“Penn Etling, what are you doing in here?” I laugh. “I didn’t know you knew this place existed.”
“I need some help and I figured you were the girl to ask.”
“If this has anything to do with something dirty . . . ,” I warn.
He grins. “I have another project for Meredith, and I need to plant . . .”
“What?”
“I don’t know what to plant. She didn’t include specifics and Dane said to plant bulbs that will come back every year, only I didn’t know plants even did that and I’m not telling him that.” He leans on the bar. “What do you suggest?”
“Definitely tulips,” I tell him. “Tulips might be my favorite flower of all. We don’t sell the bulbs here, but they probably do at the hardware store.”
“Okay. What else?”
“Crocuses are nice. You could do daffodils, but they’re kind of boring, if you ask me.”
He stares at me. “Could you text me this? Because I’m going to forget.”
“Then why didn’t you text me to start with?”
He winks. “Because I never, ever miss a chance to see your face.”
“Oh, boy,” I say with a sigh. “You are a handful.”
“I’m about three handfuls, if we’re measuring that way. Or seven inches—”
“Can you not?” I say, smacking his hand. “I’m at work, Penn.”
He rolls his eyes. “Fine. But you will text me this, right? Like now. I need to go get the stuff right now.”
Something prickles at the back of my mind as I watch him. There’s something off, something not quite right, and I don’t know what it is.
“How’s the house coming?” I ask. I know the answer. Most of it, anyway. I just can’t keep myself from asking and trying to prepare for the inevitable.
I need to talk this out with Trevor. I need to see if anything has changed after our night in Nashville, but I’m scared to ask. I’m terrified to come across as pushy. No matter what else I do, I refuse to be viewed as clingy.
“We’re done.” He shrugs. “The house is what we call substantially complete. That means our work is done, but there might be little things here or there that need to be hashed out. But we won’t know that until Branson comes and tells us what he wants.”