by Tara Randel
She gulped. “I should probably go.”
“You just got here.”
“Only to deliver the flowers.”
He tilted his head, his strange-colored eyes regarding her with unwavering scrutiny. “You’re the most fascinating person at this party.”
Fascinating? That was new. Why not throw sublime into that description, she thought, and hid a laugh. Still, she’d take it. Compliments had been few and far between lately.
“Um, thanks. I think.”
“The way you saved those flowers? Classic football move. You got my attention right away.”
He grinned, his serious expression lifting. Her breath caught at the transformation. When somber, he was handsome. Grinning, he was downright gorgeous. Okay, who was she kidding? She was way out of her element right now.
Before she could remind him she’d saved the flowers thanks to him, he was speaking again.
“I was debating a cheesy line about how your beauty struck me from across the room. Guess you’re a bit too savvy than to fall for that.”
“Yeah. Every woman hates to be called beautiful.”
He chuckled. “In that case, it’s true. I did notice you as soon as you came through the door.”
“It was either that or the commotion from the kids.”
“Nah. I really did notice you.”
What should she say now? She felt her face flush and hoped beyond measure her cheeks didn’t light up like a neon sign flashing her guilty pleasure. How often did a good-looking guy notice her from across the room? Ah...never?
“Despite your line, I am glad you were here when I tripped.”
“I live to serve.”
She half expected a formal bow, like the staid British lords she read about in Regency novels. “So... I need to get going.”
“You can’t stay a few more minutes?”
She wanted to. More than anything. “I’m busy. Besides, this looks like a family reunion as well as a reception. I don’t want to overstep.”
“To be honest, that’s kind of why I’d like you to stay. My cousin is the bride, so yeah, this is a reunion. I haven’t seen most of my relatives for a few years and I’m all talked out. If my grandmother asks me one more time when I’m getting married, then points me to one of my cousin’s single friends, I may lose it.”
“Gee, that’s tough. Dealing with people who love you.”
He had the grace to smile disparagingly. “I’m a rotten grandson.”
They both chuckled. Despite his complaining, she heard the affection in his tone for his grandmother. “So why haven’t you seen your family in a while, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“My job, mostly.”
A waiter passed by, carrying a tray of sparkling champagne in crystal flutes. When he stopped, Dylan removed two, handing one to Kady.
“Oh, no. I shouldn’t. I’m working.”
“How about a quick toast. To new friends.” He clinked his glass to hers.
“To new friends,” she agreed.
She took a sip, noticing Dylan did the same. She was glad to see he didn’t knock it back like some of the party animals she’d run across at other receptions.
They stood in awkward silence. Finally, Kady placed her glass on the table beside her. “So, it was nice meeting you.”
“Maybe we’ll run into each other?”
“Are you staying in Cypress Pointe long?”
“Depends on the coin toss.”
“Excuse me?”
His mouth curved at the corners. “Inside family joke. Sorry.”
She opened her mouth to ask him to elaborate, when an older gentleman approached Dylan and started a conversation. Boxed into the corner, she couldn’t leave until one of the men moved. After a few long minutes of trying not to eavesdrop, she cleared her throat. Dylan glanced her way.
“Uncle Frank, give me a few?”
Uncle Frank looked at Kady, then back to Dylan, and winked. “Sure, son.”
Dylan slanted her an amused glance. “See.”
“I get it now. Is your entire family comprised of matchmakers?”
“Yep. And I have three brothers who are also single. We try to stay low-key during family events. Keeps the meddlers from focusing on us.”
“So you’re saying I actually rescued you?”
His stunning eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, I’d say you had.”
“Rescuer and floral designer.” She pantomimed a motion of wiping her hands. “My work is done here.”
Dylan laughed, his eyes filled with...admiration?
“Sure I can’t convince you to stick around?”
“Sorry. I have a meeting I can’t miss.”
“Too bad. With you, this reception might have been fun.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
At his wink, her heart thumped.
“Anytime.”
* * *
DYLAN MATTHEWS WATCHED Kady as she weaved through the crowd, stopped to hug the bride and then exited through the same doors she’d first walked through. He wasn’t kidding when he dropped the line about noticing her from across the room. She’d caught his eye at first glance and he was immediately fascinated.
Was it because the light draped her just the right way when she’d entered the room? What else explained how his gaze lit on her pretty face? He rubbed a hand over his cleanly shaven jaw. He’d been cooped up far too long. That would explain the unusually poetic notions rummaging around in his head.
As she’d drawn closer, he noticed she was tall, not as tall as his six feet, but it wouldn’t take much effort for their eyes to meet. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, with little fly-away strands framing her face. She’d smiled, her cheeks flushed as she went about her business.
When he’d braced her arms with his hands to keep her from falling, he’d caught a whiff of something fruity as he pulled her close. Raspberry? Her expression, when she turned, was shaken but grateful. Then he got up close to her honey-brown eyes. A jolt seared his gut and he hesitated letting go of the connection.
When was the last time he’d recognized such a buzz of attraction? A long time, if he was honest. And he always tried to be honest with himself—good, bad or otherwise.
Best of all, she traded quips like a pro. Didn’t miss a beat. Had to be the best quality about her. After talking with her, he realized he’d enjoyed every minute.
Something he hadn’t experienced in quite a while.
With a sigh, he set down his glass beside Kady’s. Too bad she took off. He would have liked to get to know her better. Her good humor had lifted some of the darkness that hung over him.
Before he had a chance to dwell on the past, his older brother, Derrick, joined him.
“Mom’s worried about you.”
“When is she not worried?” Dylan countered.
“When we’re all at home under her roof where she can keep an eye on us.”
“She does realize we’re grown men, right?”
“She’s a mother. According to her, we’ll always be her babies.”
Dylan shuddered. “Heaven save us.”
“I saw you talking to a woman. Did Gram send her over?”
“No.”
“You scare her off with your brooding Heathcliff imitation?”
“No, she had to work. She’s the florist who supplied the flowers for the wedding.”
“Huh. Nice job.”
“Since when do you notice flowers?”
“Since I’m trying to be evolved.” Derrick looked to the closest table where Kady had left an arrangement. “Hey, these are pretty.”
Dylan laughed. “Evolved, hmm?”
“Complaints from the last two women I dat
ed.”
“And you’re listening to their suggestions? After they dumped you? I’m impressed.”
Derrick shrugged his shoulders as if brushing off Dylan’s jab. “So how are you doing? Leg okay?”
At the mention of his injury, Dylan reached down and rubbed the back of his thigh where the exit wound still seemed raw. The gunshot damage had taken longer to heal than he’d hoped. On the bullet’s journey through his thigh, it nicked the femur and splintered the bone. Multiple surgeries removed the fragments. Repairing structural damage had laid him up. Not that he was complaining. If the bullet had hit his femoral artery, it would have been lights out. Physical therapy had finished two weeks ago, but the ache still haunted him.
Besides the physical pain, there was the emotional as well. A constant reminder of whom he’d lost. A partner and a good friend. The grim reality Kady had eclipsed a few minutes ago returned with a vengeance. The constant enemy who never left his soul.
“I’m fine.”
“Not true. I saw you favoring your leg when we walked into the hotel. Too much activity today?”
“Since when is sitting at the beach and walking into a building too much activity?”
“When you’re recovering from a gunshot wound.”
“I’m fine,” he repeated through clenched teeth.
Derrick held his hand up in defense. “Hey, man. If you say so.”
He wasn’t fine. Not by a long shot. But he wouldn’t burden Derrick, or his other brothers, and especially not his mother, with his problems. The burden and the guilt were his and his alone to carry.
When Dylan started as a special agent for the DEA ten years ago, he’d gotten into a few tight spots. Some moments had even been dangerous, since he went after guys who would rather shoot first and run later. He was relentless when pursuing dealers who put drugs on the streets. His good fortune finally came to an end when he ticked off the wrong guy.
He and his partner, Eddie, had spent many months in Miami planning to cut off the pipeline of a major dealer who didn’t appreciate them gumming up his operation. Esposa was an especially tenacious criminal, moving operations whenever he and Eddie got a lead on his location. They’d played cat and mouse for so long, Dylan wasn’t sure if he’d ever arrest this guy. He made headway by securing an informant within Esposa’s organization. Every time the creep turned around, Dylan was right on him. But with that success, Dylan had made an enemy—an enemy who wanted him out of the picture permanently. Here Dylan was still breathing, while Eddie’s wife and son grieved the man they’d loved.
Six months. Six long, hard months recovering from the wound. He had survived. Eddie had taken a fatal bullet. The shot meant for Dylan. Nothing could make him forget that fact. And nothing would stop him until the shooter paid.
Except that he was on desk duty at the division office for the foreseeable future. He was only thirty-five. Was his career over?
His jaw tensed as he thought about his fate, when his brother interrupted.
“Heads up, bro. I overheard Mom talking to Aunt Betty.”
Derrick stared at Dylan, waiting. His brother loved to draw out a moment.
“And?”
“The florist convention is next week.”
Dread immediately gripped Dylan. “How did we not know this?”
“Because Mom lulled us into a false sense of complacency. Since she hasn’t mentioned it, our guards were down,” Derrick replied. “She’s sneaky like that.”
Jasmine Matthews loved her boys. Enough to guilt or con them into doing her bidding and not feeling the least bit of remorse.
“To make matters worse, the convention is at this very hotel. I’m sure her evil plan is to get one of us to agree to stay since we already have rooms here.”
For a man who didn’t panic over much, Dylan’s fight-or-flight response kicked in. “We gotta get out of this.”
Every year since their father died, their mother guilted her sons into attending the convention with her. Since she usually won some award, she claimed she needed a date to the banquet. Dylan had lucked out of this duty for five years now, but he was on borrowed time.
Belatedly he understood why his mother hadn’t made a fuss about not supplying the flowers for his cousin’s wedding. For the most part, she created arrangements for all the family affairs. He assumed she hadn’t done so this time because of the distance, since she lived in Cocoa Beach, on the other side of the state from Cypress Pointe. Although a very capable woman, she would have had to work with a local florist due to the logistics of the ceremony and reception. Now he realized she had a much greater goal in mind.
Derrick shook his head. “Too late. Mom wants all of us to stop by her room after the reception.”
Dylan closed his eyes. His thigh began to burn.
“Flip you for it?” Derrick said.
His eyes flew open. “No way. You cheat.”
Derrick’s fake offense was funny. “Hey.”
“I saw the double-sided coin last time.”
His brother sent him a sheepish smile. “You can’t blame me.”
“Deke does. He got stuck going with Mom.”
“Guess that explains why he punches me in the arm every time he sees me.”
“You deserve it.” He leveled his brother with his meanest special-agent glare. “We’ll check the coin before we toss it.”
“Spoilsport,” Derrick grumbled. “I don’t want to lose.”
“None of us do, bro.”
CHAPTER TWO
KADY PARKED THE van in the alley behind the shop and hurried inside. A smile still remained on her lips. Meeting Dylan had been a pleasant surprise. His cologne lingered in her memory. And those eyes? Unforgettable. Her mind shifted to the image of his face... Stop. She had to focus on the business. Whenever her parents called a meeting it was important and she expected this time to be no different. She needed to be on her toes, not crushing over a handsome guy she’d just met.
Her smile faded as she entered the workroom. Booming from the speakers, Elvis sang about a hound dog. Ugh. She admired the singer, but wasn’t a fan of fifties music. Her parents loved those songs, despite Kady’s suggestion they play a variety of music to appeal to their customers. In Kady’s vision of an elegant floral shop where brides-to-be came to discuss their arrangements, they’d be better served with soft jazz or classical music in the background. Not folks going on about rockin’ around the clock or waking up Susie.
“Hi, guys,” she called out over the music, heading straight to the radio to lower the volume.
“How did the delivery go?” her mother asked as she added hypericum berries to the arrangement she was assembling.
“Everything went smoothly.” Kady leaned against the table. “That’s beautiful, Mom.”
Her mother stepped back to scrutinize her creation. “Mr. Andrews will be in soon to pick this up. Would you mind placing it in the cooler while I clean up?”
“Sure.”
Mr. Andrews came by every Saturday at noon to purchase his preordered arrangement. His wife had recently moved into an assisted-living facility and the sweet man brought her flowers every week.
Moving to the front of the shop, Kady placed the order in the cooler. Another cooler in the workroom held spare arrangements for sale to walk-ins. Kady had been in The Lavish Lily earlier, before the wedding, to put together some of the simple arrangements. She was glad to see three of them were gone.
“Were we busy this morning?” she asked her dad. He was hovering by the cash register and glanced up but didn’t look directly at her. Pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose, he stared down again. Kady got the distinct impression he’d intentionally avoided looking at her. “Where’s Will?”
At her brother’s name, her dad’s head came up. “Ran down the stre
et to buy lunch. Once Mr. Andrews collects his order, we’re closing down for the day.”
“What? But it’s beautiful out and people are sure to stop in. We’ll lose business.”
“We have things to discuss.”
“Things more important than waiting on customers?”
Her father frowned. “Depending on how this meeting goes, we may reopen later this afternoon.”
“But—”
“Not now, Kady.”
Reprimanded, she returned to the workroom. Her mother hadn’t yet tidied up the table, so Kady did, returning the tools to their correct places. When Kady started here full-time, she’d organized the cluttered space. Her mother’s tendency to leave tools around drove Kady crazy, so she’d purchased medium-sized storage bins. With a labeler, she’d marked each bin—one for tape, another for glue sticks, wires, foam and the list went on.
Her parents hadn’t been thrilled by the extra expense, since they ran the shop on a shoestring budget. Mark and Ruthie Lawrence operated a tight ship, financially speaking. The Lavish Lily had been in the Lawrence family for three decades. Lately, when Kady suggested ideas to spruce up the shop, her folks hesitated, like when she requested the storage bins. She’d finally broken down and bought the items herself.
“Mom, what’s up with this meeting?”
Her mother wiped her hands with a paper towel and tossed it in the garbage can in the corner. “You’ll find out when Will gets back.”
“Is it about hiring storefront help? We could really use someone to take orders.”
“I’m sure the topic will come up.”
It did quite frequently. Her parents were notorious for not being able to keep good employees, but with Kady courting the wedding market, they needed a reliable assistant.
“So what’s the big secret I don’t know about?”
When her mother wouldn’t meet her eyes, Kady realized there was something huge going on. Something the three of them must have already discussed without her. Her stomach sank. She knew she was always the odd man out, but not being included in whatever the family had decided hurt more than she expected.