“He’s, uh, checking out other options for the business.” The lie slid from my tongue too easily. Less than an hour in Cyrus’s presence and he’d already corrupted me somewhat, but I couldn’t help keeping up with the story he’d spun before. “I’ll call him and tell him about you being early and delivering what you promised today.”
“Please do.” He heaved the last pallet of flowers out of his van and tipped his head at me. “Can I help you carry these in before I go?”
My brows wanted to climb into my hair, but I hid my surprise. “That would be lovely. Thank you.”
As I was watching him drive away about fifteen minutes later, a smile formed at the side of my mouth. I couldn’t believe he’d even carried the delivery into the shop for me. In all the years I’d been ordering from that company, it had never happened.
The entire encounter had been empowering actually. A sense of victory hummed in my veins, the smile staying on my face as I went inside. While I didn’t condone his threats, there seemed to be a method to Cyrus’s madness.
I might actually just owe him for jumping in like he had. Whoever would have thunk it? I knew I certainly hadn’t.
Chapter 8
Cyrus
As I pushed down on the rusted metal doorjamb to enter the flower shop, I noticed Luna’s fingers flying over the keyboard in front of her ancient computer. The pink tip of her tongue was only just visible between her plump lips, her brow creased in thought.
Her eyes slid away from the screen even as she continued typing, skipping along the buckets on the walls before her mouth spread into a brilliant smile and her expression of intent concentration eased.
It dawned on me that I probably looked like a creep, my hand on the doorjamb without actually opening it as I peeked at her through the window. It was a very good thing I didn’t give a fuck what other people thought, though, because I just couldn’t quite force my gaze to leave her yet.
She really was fucking gorgeous in a wholesome, whimsical kind of way that—
Did I really just think the word whimsical?
I was so shocked that I finally pushed down on the handle and the bell above the door jingled to alert her of my presence, making it so I couldn’t stare at her anymore anyway.
“Hi,” I said. Thank fuck I’m an expert at hiding my thoughts. “How’s it going? You hear anything from our mutual friend yet?”
“Yeah, I did actually.” The smile hadn’t completely left her lips when she looked up, her warm blue eyes twinkling like precious fucking gems as they met mine. “He came early. Told me to let you know. I think he was rather relieved when he found out you weren’t here.”
“Did he ask where I was?”
She shrugged, the loose black curtain of her hair shifting around her shoulders as she did. “I said you were off exploring other options for us.”
“You did, huh?” I was honestly a bit surprised to hear it. Pleasantly so.
This woman had that butter-couldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth thing going and knowing that she’d played along with my little white lie was kind of hot. I offered her a smirk, but it was closer to a smile than it usually was. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Luna.”
“Likewise.” The corners of her lips were still turned up as she rounded the concrete slab of the counter. “Speaking of business, should we get down to yours? What’s the color palette for the wedding? I’ve checked and I think I have all the major types of flowers in that arrangement you showed me, but I’ll obviously need to know what else you had in mind if you want it exactly like that or if that’s just a point of departure and we’ll need to get the colors right, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I said, but I felt the smile-smirk slipping. “Right. Let’s get on that.”
Luna rubbed her palms together like an evil genius getting ready for a plan to take over the world, then spread her arms wide. “Okay, well, think of the shop as your playground. I’ve already set the stars of the show out in the back room so I can mock something up for you, but we need to pick fillers. We’re probably also going to need a variety of different arrangements. The pictures you showed me yesterday were of what the bride wanted on the tables, I’m assuming? So we’re also going to need to think of the church, any outside areas, the main table, the bathrooms.”
It was then that I realized I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. A rare moment for me.
I drew in a deep breath, my eyes narrowing as I surveyed the walls of flowers. “Yeah. I’m going to need your help.”
“No problem.” She smiled brightly. “That’s what I’m here for. Let’s start with the colors you need. That’ll narrow it down a bit.”
“The color palette?” I cocked my head and tried to remember if Peter had said anything about that, but nothing came to mind. “I’m not sure.”
Luna’s eyes flared and brows lifted. “Um, okay. Those pictures you showed me then. Let’s start with those. Are those arrangements set in stone or are they just an idea of the style the bride wants?”
Again, I drew a blank. “I don’t know.”
She paused for a second, her gaze sliding across my features like she was trying to decide if I was serious. When she must have seen that I was, she released a slow breath. “Okay. Do you have any information at all that we can use?”
“No.” I had the pictures, which she knew about, and Peter had told me Jenny wanted to use the Watering Can. That’s it. “I can speak to the bride, but as of right now, I don’t have anything else.”
“Do you want to give her a call?” she asked, moving back to her counter.
I shook my head. “She’s a shift worker. She won’t be able to speak to me right now.”
Luna’s eyes softened as she nodded. “I think you’ll need to speak to her before we can really do anything here then. I’m going to need at least a little bit of information before I can help you. Just a question though. How are you planning a wedding you know nothing about?”
Fuck. This was already day two of having to deal with this wedding bullshit. I didn’t mind spending my time helping Peter like I’d promised, but evidently, it was going to take a lot more time than I’d bargained for.
“I’m doing it as a favor. The bride and groom can’t really get away during the day, so they asked me to step in for them with vendors who need to be consulted during working hours.”
“As in, all the vendors?” Her chin lowered and her head dipped slightly to one side. “Do you have any idea how much work that’s going to be? Just about everyone involved in any wedding, except for the venues and their people, pretty much stick to office hours. Especially during the week.”
“I’m just starting to realize that, yeah.” My hands found my hips as I tilted my head back and glared at the ceiling. “Fuck.”
In my peripheral vision, I saw her chewing the inside of her cheek. “I can help you, if you want. I’m sure you have lots of friends who would be willing to help as well, but I know this industry. You did me a solid favor and I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.” I scoffed, bringing my head forward again to meet her eyes. “I stepped in because what that guy was doing was bullshit. I can’t stand it when people just shrug their shoulders in business, is all. That’s not how it works. If you’ve got a job to do, you fucking do it or you move over so someone else can.”
My breathing was a touch heavier now. I couldn’t help it. One of my pet peeves had always been people who shrugged things off at work.
Before I’d sold my system, before I’d been able to convince someone to give me a shitty, entry-level job, I used to wonder if those people just coasting through had any clue how lucky they were. I had skills, sure, but they’d been self-taught, and with no formal experience or qualifications, it had taken me a long time to find someone willing to give me a job.
I’d gotten to where I was by clawing my way up, fighting tooth and nail against the world when it kept shooting me down. It used to make my blood boil when I saw people who
had been given chances just fucking wasting them, and that had never changed.
Luna’s gaze was on mine, questions in the slight wrinkle between her brows, but she didn’t ask them. Instead, she took a small step toward me and nodded. “I get it. Let’s say I don’t owe you. Will you let me help you anyway? Again, I’m sure you have friends who—”
“I don’t have many of those actually.” My breathing was no longer irregular, but my fists clenched as I shoved my hands in the pockets of my slacks. “Especially not ones who know a single fucking thing about wedding planning.”
Frustration blew through me again. This shit would have been so much easier if Peter just would have caved and let me hire a goddamn wedding planner. Why does he have to be the only person on the fucking planet who doesn’t want my damn money?
Maybe I should find a wedding-planning agency to invest in. That way he couldn’t get pissy about it if they did it for him.
On the other hand, I’d given him my word and I couldn’t go back on that. Plus, I didn’t particularly want to sit with a wedding-planning agency in my portfolio once Peter and Jenny were hitched. I wanted to be able to go back to that happy plane of existence where I never had to think about weddings at all.
My fingers uncurled as I dragged one hand out and ran it through my hair. “I would appreciate your help very much.”
Luna’s mouth split into a smile and her eyes lit up. “Great. I’m glad. We’re going to have fun with this.”
“We are?” I frowned. “I very much doubt that.”
Thankfully, Luna didn’t take offense to my statement. She rolled her eyes and waved a hand. “Come on, Cyrus the Wedding Grinch. Have a little faith, would you?”
Despite my annoyance and frustration, I smiled a little. “Never. I can have faith in a lot of things but not weddings and certainly not marriages.”
“You really are Grinch-like.” Her eyes rolled again, the corners of her mouth still turned up. But then she inclined her head at the counter. “Let me print out a list for you of information we’ll need for a start and then we’ll jump in tomorrow. Does that work for you?”
Does it work for me to dedicate time on a third fucking day in a row to wedding planning? Hell no. “Sure. Let’s just get it over with.”
“Oh, goody.” She clapped her hands with mock excitement, her tone dry but her eyes sparkling. “It’s going to be such a pleasure to be working with someone who’s got such a passion for what we have to do.”
“Hey, you offered to help, remember?” I smirked as she moved to the space behind her computer and wiggled the mouse to wake it up. “I didn’t force you into working with me.”
She laughed. “True but you’re stuck with me now, I’m afraid. If you can get all the information on here before we meet tomorrow, we should be able to make a decent headway. I’ll have to bring in one of the temporary employees I use sometimes to watch the shop for me so we can head out, but I’ll have to talk them through a few changes I’ve made recently first. Could you be here by about ten?”
“I’ll be here.”
It honestly hadn’t even occurred to me when she’d first offered to help that she’d have to get someone in to watch the shop for her. Probably because it hadn’t occurred to me we’d have to leave. I was surprised by how helpful she was willing to be, to the extent she was willing to spend money on a temporary employee.
“Thank you,” I said, and I couldn’t remember a time when I’d meant it more.
Luna just smiled and waved me off with a roll of her shoulders. “It’s not a problem at all. I’ll see you tomorrow, Grinch. Do try to find some joy in all of this, would you? It’s not a death sentence.”
I chuckled, already turning to leave. “Well, it’s not mine. Marriage is just that for the groom, though.”
Chapter 9
Luna
Excitement rippled through me as I waited for Cyrus to arrive. Despite the fact that love hadn’t quite worked out for me, despite his cynicism about it and April’s, I really did love weddings.
Planning my wedding to Landon had actually been what I’d been looking forward to most about getting engaged, which probably should have clued me in to the fact that something wasn’t right between us.
I’d long since come to the conclusion that at that time of my life, I’d been more in love with the idea of marriage than I’d been with the man I’d wanted to enter into one with.
It had been a rough blow to take when I’d realized it, but ultimately, it had helped convince me that Landon hadn’t been the one for me anyway—married or not. Having realized that really sped the healing process along.
So even though I wasn’t ready for a relationship, it certainly wasn’t because I was pining for my ex. I was well and truly over Landon. I’d also just learned a few lessons in the process and I wasn’t eager for a repeat of them.
Now finally, two years after the opportunity to plan a wedding had been yanked away from me, I was finally going to get to do it. All thanks to Cyrus.
It was an added bonus that in doing so, I’d get to help him just like he’d helped me. He might not have felt like I owed him, but I sure felt like I did.
Plus, wedding planning? Swoon.
I was bouncing on the balls of my feet when a fancy, sleek black sports car pulled up at the curb.
A quick glance at the driver was all I needed to confirm my suspicion that the car belonged to Cyrus. No one else around here drove a car like that. I rushed over to him before he’d even gotten out, eager to get started.
He saw me coming and reached for something on the inside of his door as he gave me a curious frown, his head tipped to one side. I didn’t hear the lock clicking, but I assumed that was what he’d done since the door handle gave way easily when I pulled on the warm metal.
I hopped onto the buttery leather seat, barely sparing a glimpse at the ridiculously fancy interior of the cab before I buckled up and turned to face Cyrus. “Did you speak to the bride? What did she say?”
“Good morning to you, too.” A grin spread on his lips as he shook his head at me. “You’re really enthusiastic about sorting all this wedding stuff out, aren’t you?”
“Shamelessly so,” I said with absolutely no hesitation. “I can’t wait to get started. How about we go grab coffee somewhere so you can share what you’ve learned with the class? Then we plan our day from there?”
“I think I’m going to need something stronger than coffee,” he muttered but drove us to a small cafe nearby anyway.
When we took our seats at the cocktail-type table on the sidewalk, he ordered an extra-large coffee for himself, while I got a tea. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
I rolled my eyes at him again, just like I had the previous day when he’d said the same thing. “Are you really going to be like this all the time?”
Chest rising as he took in a deep breath through his nostrils, he held it for a second before shaking his head. “No, but not because I’ve suddenly changed my mind. You’re helping me, so I probably shouldn’t be a dick about it.”
“Imagine that, you not being a d-word about something,” I teased, even though he’d never really been that way to me. I had seen him in action with that driver, so I knew he definitely had it in him, but all our interactions had been pleasant enough.
Cyrus wrinkled his nose, his eyes narrowed, and his brow rose in confused disbelief. “A d-word?”
It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten a reaction like that when people realized I honestly never cursed. “I don’t like cursing, so I don’t do it.”
“A dick is a body part, not just a curse word,” he said, his expression remaining unchanged. “And also, you don’t curse?”
He said it in a way that made me think he couldn’t quite bring himself to believe it.
I caught his gaze and held it firmly. “No, I don’t. A few words have slipped through once or twice, but as a rule, I don’t use any cuss words.”
He grunted. “How the fuck does that wo
rk? And why?”
“I’m off-beat and quirky,” I said as if that explained everything. When Cyrus didn’t look away and gave his eyebrows another quick lift, I sighed. “I just don’t like it. I don’t feel like I need to curse to express myself, so I don’t.”
“Never?” he asked like he really couldn’t believe it.
I shook my head. “Like I said, I’ve had some slips here and there, but it’s been a long time.”
“Not even when you’re so pissed off that you can’t see straight?” A wicked gleam flashed in his eyes as his lips curved into a smirk. “Or when you need someone to fuck you harder so badly that you feel like you might die if they don’t?”
A flush crept onto my cheeks, but contrary to what most people assumed when they either found out or realized I didn’t curse, I wasn’t a complete innocent. “No, not even then. I don’t get that angry very often, and when I have, I’ve found there are other ways to express what I’m feeling. As for the other thing, harder is a word all by itself. It doesn’t need to be accompanied by the other one to get the point across.”
His eyes widened momentarily while I spoke, making it obvious he hadn’t been expecting me to address that last part. His smirk grew when I did. “If no one’s been able to make you say fuck in the heat of the moment, they haven’t been doing it right.”
“Heat of the moment as in an argument or sex?”
“Both.” He leaned back in his chair, but his gaze stayed glued to mine. “When done right, both have the capacity to make you lose your damn mind.”
I swore I saw a hint of heat breaking through the amusement dancing in his green eyes, but when I blinked, it was gone.
Even if I had imagined it, it took my mind to a place it definitely shouldn’t have been at just past ten in the morning. In public. Surrounded by throngs of people in the cafe or dashing past us on the sidewalk.
I cleared my throat and shoved the dirty thoughts from my mind. The cool yet confident way he talked about sex made it clear he thought he was good at it, and wondering about whether he was right was only going to reduce me to a puddle of lust right there on the oil-stained concrete beneath my feet.
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