Say You Do

by Weston Parker

  Giving myself a mental shake because it didn’t fucking matter anyway, I snapped back to reality just as she opened her mouth. “I do own the Watering Can, yes. Thank you for your help, but it really wasn’t necessary.”

  “It wasn’t?” I very nearly started laughing. The only reason why I didn’t was that I could respect that she wanted to take care of business herself. “Look, there are a lot of bad businesses out there that will take advantage of you. That guy caved in less than three minutes and now you’ll have your delivery tomorrow instead of next week. Surely, that’s worth accepting just a little bit of help.”

  She blew out a heavy breath, searching my eyes for something she must have found because she nodded after a few seconds. “I guess so. Anyway, assuming you’re not just some businessman on the prowl for spontaneous threats and negotiations, how can I help you?”

  Her witty comeback surprised me and I chuckled as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “The shop was locked and I need your help with a wedding.”

  “Now that, I can do,” she said, dipping her head in the direction of the building. “Come in through the back with me. You’ll have to excuse the mess there, but making you walk all the way around to the front door seems unnecessary since you just helped me.”

  “It was no big deal.” I fell into step beside her and watched her unlock the door with an ancient-looking brass key. “I deal with people like that all the time. You’d be surprised what people would do if you threaten to take your business away from them.”

  “You also threatened to ‘make a few calls.’” She put air quotes around the last part of the sentence and rolled her eyes, but a smile played at the edges of her mouth. “I can’t do that. The only calls I’d be able to make would have been to complain to customer service, if they even have that, which I doubt. It wouldn’t have done them any real damage.”

  “But he didn’t know that,” I pointed out as the door swung open and she led the way inside.

  Black plastic buckets in a variety of sizes littered the floor of the back room, along with random leaves and stems lying around a table I assumed she used for making arrangements.

  The walls were lined with rickety wooden shelving holding different-shaped vases, green sponges, and a whole host of other things. It smelled vaguely musty beneath the sweet floral scent drifting in from the main area, like it had been damp for years and nothing could clear the smell out completely.

  It wasn’t altogether unpleasant. It was earthy and familiar, just not something I’d caught a whiff of in a long-ass time.

  “So,” she said as we made our way into the shop. “What kind of help do you need for this wedding?”

  I lifted my phone and tapped my passcode into it, drawing up the pictures Jenny had sent as I joined the woman at her counter. She set down the purse that had been slung over her shoulder beneath it and then leaned over to peer at my screen.

  Her nose wrinkled. “Darn. I don’t have any of that in stock right now. I’ve ordered it, but it was part of the shipment that wasn’t delivered today. Speaking of which, I’d better go grab the plants that were delivered. Give me a minute.”

  She dashed away before I could offer to help, but I figured she’d turn me down anyway. The last thing I needed was to piss off the florist Jenny and Peter wanted to use and I was ninety percent certain that if I interfered with her business again today, that was exactly what would happen.

  Besides, I’d seen carts back there. With the small amount of plants that had been delivered, it would take her two trips with one of those at most to get everything into the shop.

  Deciding to use the time to get caught up on some business of my own, I scrolled through my emails and had only replied to three when she came back inside. Her cheeks were slightly rosier, but she hadn’t so much as broken a sweat.

  Clearly, she really hadn’t needed my help. I put my phone down on her counter and leaned my hip against it. “I’m Cyrus, by the way.”

  She smiled and it transformed her entire face, animating her and softening her in a way that made me wish I had offered to help her again, even if it would have meant risking her wrath. It had to have been some previously dormant protective instinct that made the caveman within me want to roar as I rolled boulders out of her way.

  “Luna,” she said. “Luna Willet.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Luna Willet.” I gave her a smile of my own as I ignored my suddenly fucked-up instincts, watching as she looked down at my phone with interest instead. “So, do you think you’re going to be able to help me out?”

  “Of course. Everything we need for mock-up arrangements will be in the delivery tomorrow.” She frowned. “I hope it will be anyway.”

  Fuck. I’d really hoped to get this done today, but it wasn’t her fault she didn’t have what I needed. “Okay, I’ll just have to come back tomorrow then.”

  Curiosity darkened her eyes as she lifted them to mine. “Sure, but it’s usually the bride I deal with when it comes to weddings. Will you be bringing your future wife with you tomorrow so we can iron everything out and finalize your order while you’re here?”

  My brows shot up even as laughter burst out of me. I waved a hand at her. “No. Absolutely not. It’s not my wedding.”

  “Um, okay.” She cocked her head. “Why are you laughing like that?”

  “Because it’s fucking hilarious that you thought I was here for my own wedding.” I shook my head and offered her a smirk. “I think weddings are bullshit, and if I ever come in here wanting flowers for my own wedding, I hope you’ll slap me and remind me that it’s the worst possible idea a person can ever have.”

  An eyebrow arched, she sighed, and something flashed in her eyes as she shook her head. “I knew you weren’t the type, but just so you know, it’s not always the worst idea a person can have. Some people really do it for the right reasons.”

  I laughed again, letting my head fall back while I waited for it to subside. “I don’t think so because there are no right reasons. For one or the other, it’s always for the wrong reason.”

  The corners of her full lips pressed in and she just stared at me for a beat before giving me a small smile. “Sure. I believe that you believe that. I also believe you’ll change your mind one day, and I hope you do end up coming back here to get your flowers. I’ll slap you and remind you of this conversation. I’m sure your fiancée will think we’re both insane, but at least she’ll know how serious you are about her to have asked her to marry you anyway.”

  Oh, if only she knew. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Anyway, I need to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow, Luna Willet. Let’s hope that delivery guy is on time. Otherwise, I’m going to be making those calls anyway.”

  She rolled her eyes at me again, amusement lighting them up as she gave me a knowing look. “You really do enjoy being ruthless, don’t you?”

  “I do.” I laughed again and winked at her. “And that’s the only time I’m ever going to say those words.”

  Her laughter was soft and melodic, the sound of it following me as I gave her a wave and left her shop. I wondered if she’d still have laughed if she’d known I’d said those words once before and I was hellbent on never, ever saying them again.

  Chapter 7

  Luna

  “Adi had to be at school early this morning,” April said as she let me into their apartment. She shut the door behind me and walked to their kitchen, talking to me over her shoulder. “Her class is going on a field trip, so she won’t be here for our girls’ breakfast this month.”

  I set my purse down on the coffee table in the living room before following her. “I’m sure she’ll have a lot more fun on a field trip with her friends than hanging out with us. Where are they going?”

  “A museum. They had to go in early to get organized and go through all the rules before they head off. You know how it goes.” Without asking if I wanted any, she filled a cup of tea for me and passed it over. “What’s new with you?”

&
nbsp; I raised my shoulder on a nonchalant shrug, but I couldn’t hold back a coy smile as I wiped imaginary dust off the kitchen island when I sat down. “Oh, you know. Not much. We did only have lunch yesterday. Whatever could have possibly happened in less than twenty-four hours?”

  April froze in the middle of fixing her coffee and spun around to face me with her eyes wide, her expression demanding. “Spill, Luna. What happened? Don’t you dare say nothing or I’ll give you floppy bacon instead of crispy.”

  An actual shudder traveled through me. “There’s no need to threaten the food of the gods. I’ll tell you, but I need you to promise you will not disrespect the pig that way.”

  “Fine.” Her body relaxed and she finally finished fixing her some coffee, then smirked at me as she sat down. “Now, spill.”

  “Remember yesterday when we hypothesized about meeting the hottest man on the planet when we got back to work?”

  She frowned but nodded. “What about it?”

  “I did.”

  “You did what?” Her eyes narrowed before they reversed course, opening wider than before as her lips parted. “You met the hottest man on the planet when you got back to work? How? Where? Who? Oh my god, did you take a picture?”

  Laughing at the rapid-fire barrage of questions, I held up my hand and counted down on my fingers as I answered them one by one. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I did. He’s definitely one of the most attractive men I’ve ever seen in person, though I don’t know about him empirically being the hottest man on the whole planet.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Let’s not get caught up in technicalities. What does he look like, and most importantly, you still haven’t told me if you took a picture.”

  “I also still have to answer the rest of your questions.” I quickly gave her the cliff notes version of how it had happened, then shot her a look. “Of course, I didn’t take a picture. How would I even have done that? Just asked him to keep still so I could take a few selfies with a potential new client?”

  “Well, yeah.” Her brow furrowed like she really didn’t understand why I hadn’t done it. “If people can take selfies with their regular morning coffee, why couldn’t you take one with him?”

  “Maybe because he’s not a coffee?” I deadpanned.

  April chuckled. “Maybe not, but it sounds like he ended up being your knight in shining armor.”

  “I wasn’t some damsel in distress, though. I didn’t really need his help.” I was glad I’d gotten it, provided that my delivery was actually made later in the day. But until then, I’d reserved judgment on the issue. “Besides, he’s not a knight. Trust me. He just gets his kicks that way, you know?”

  “No, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” She glanced down at her watch and cursed. “You’re going to have to talk while I cook, though. Otherwise, we’ll be late. Again.”

  “Our meals do tend to run over often, don’t they?” I got up to help her. “I don’t really know how to explain it. Yes, he did help me, but it wasn’t like he was really doing it for me. It was more like he couldn’t resist going toe to toe with the driver.”

  “He’s probably a businessman then. So what?” Oil snapped in the pan as it heated up, and the kitchen soon filled with the smells of breakfast cooking.

  “So I’m pretty sure he’s not the type to go around playing a white knight to others. A dark knight, maybe, but that’s the last thing I need in my life. He admitted to enjoying being ruthless, April. You should have seen how easily he threatened the driver and how serious he was about it.”

  “The driver who was trying to fuck you over?” Her brows pulled together. “I don’t see how threatening that guy is somehow a con for the hot guy’s column. What’s his name, by the way? I don’t want to keep referring to him as hot guy.”

  “Cyrus,” I said, the slightest little tingle tickling my palm as the memory of having his hand against it brushed up against my subconscious. I shoved it down because there was no way I should have been feeling any tingles whatsoever when I thought of him. “It’s not a con for him because of who it was against. It’s about how naturally it came to him.”

  “In other words, he’s a dick.” April tossed me a glance as she turned the bacon, letting it simmer to crisp it up properly for me.

  God, I love her.

  But she wasn’t wrong about Cyrus. “Yes, he is. He wasn’t so bad once the driver left, but he’s just got this air about him, you know? Definitely not white-knight material and it’s a good thing too, since I’m really not looking for that at the moment.”

  “Why’d you bring him up then?” She shifted slightly to look at me while still keeping an eye on the stove, her spatula resting on the side of one pan.

  “Because I thought it was ironic that I met a hot guy after that conversation we had. Anyway, like I said, there’s nothing there. I just thought I should tell you about it.”

  “Are you going to see him again?” she asked, turning down the heat as she removed the pan containing the bacon from the stove. She transferred the pieces to a plate covered by a paper towel to absorb some of the fat. “You did mention he was a potential client, so you’re going to see him again, right?”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I am. He insisted on being there when the delivery arrives.”

  “He can’t be all bad if he wants to make sure it actually gets delivered this time,” she argued as she reached for the toast that had just popped up. “Grab the butter, will you? The tomatoes are almost done. Then it’s just the eggs left to do.”

  “That sounds so good. I’m thinking we should do girls’ breakfast every morning before work, not just once a month.” I opened the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water, along with the butter. “But to get back to the point, I didn’t say he was all bad. I just said he was hot and not really my type. Why are we still talking about him?”

  “Because I’m thinking you should fuck him and I needed you to admit that he had some kind of redeeming quality before I could do it,” she said so offhandedly that I turned to stare at her with the fridge still hanging open.

  She waved her hand through the air with a smirk tugging at her lips. “What? Don’t look at me like that. Just because you don’t curse doesn’t mean you’re an angel. I know you’re not some naïve virgin who hasn’t ever even considered hooking up with someone just to hook up with them.”

  I rolled my eyes and nudged the door closed with my shoulder, then carried my loot back to the island. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not propositioning a man I’ve only met once, who has an edge of danger to him even if he does also have a nice smile, and who also just so happens to be a client.”

  “If he’s as hot as you say he is, I’d bet he’s got enough experience to be dangerous to your poor deprived body with his cock.” She waggled her brows at me and rocked her pelvis in an obscene motion.

  I groaned and buried my flaming cheeks in my hands when I sat down. “Why do you insist on saying things like that?”

  “Because you react like that.” She burst into a fit of giggles as she cracked eggs into the pan. “Besides, just because you don’t like the way I said it doesn’t mean I don’t have a point. It’s been over a year for you, Luna. In all that time, I’ve never even heard about you looking at a guy. Why not hook up with one who has caught your eye?”

  I couldn’t even deny how long it’d been, but it wasn’t as simple as all that. “For starters, because it’s kind of a team sport. Both parties have to be into it for a hookup to happen and I’m pretty sure he gets his rocks off only in high-powered business meetings where he gets to fight with people or with supermodels.”

  “And?” She cocked her head as she dished up the eggs. “You’ll never know if he’s interested if you don’t try.”

  “Why would I try with someone I just told you wasn’t my type?” I helped her bring the food to the counter, snagging a piece of bacon from my plate and popping it into my mouth.

  So good. So unhealthy, but so good.

  Apri
l sat down across from me and shook her head. “He’s not your type for a relationship. That’s a completely different type than for a hookup. Just let the soulmate idea go and sleep with this guy. I’m sure if you bring up the idea of no-strings-attached sex with him, he’ll jump at it.”

  My teeth sank into my lip as I thought. It had been a long time since I’d been with anyone, and I couldn’t deny that the thought of breaking that dry spell with him was tempting, but I just didn’t know.

  Eventually, I nodded at April and swallowed my next bite. “I’ll think about it.”

  She grinned and pumped her fist in the air, still clutching her fork. “In that case, my work here is done. Now let’s stop talking about your hot guy. Sheesh. Have a heart, woman. It’s not like I’m getting it on the regular.”

  I laughed and didn’t point out that she was the one who’d kept talking about him. Instead, we talked about some arrogant jerk of a new doctor who’d started at the hospital where she worked, Adi, and our plans for the rest of the week.

  When I got to the shop five minutes before it was due to open, I was surprised to find the delivery van already waiting for me. The red-faced driver was the same guy we had dealt with the day before and he was already offloading the plants right in front of the back door.

  He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his chunky forearm and noticed me approaching. “It’s all here, Ms. Willet. Double what you ordered, as promised. I’m really sorry about the mix up and my superiors have told me to assure you it won’t happen again.”

  A strange little thrill of vindication ran through me. “Thank you. I appreciate you coming in early. I’ll be sure to convey my thanks to your company as well.”

  A relieved sound slipped from his throat, but then his eyes narrowed as they peered over my shoulder. “Where’s that other guy today?”