Without hesitating, she hurried to the back. The store was quiet, so I could make out the sound of Margaret chattering to herself under her breath as she worked. Every now and then, she’d let out a loud curse before apologizing and continuing on. Hearing her made me curious as to what she looked like while she was in the zone, but I knew if I stepped foot in her space, I’d likely have a pair of scissors thrown at my head for disrupting her.
So, instead, I stood in the awkward silence, waiting until the moment I heard her give a triumphant little yell and the patter of footsteps. “I’ve got it!” she said, rounding the corner with her creation.
While I’d been expecting some giant monstrosity, I was surprised to see she’d come up with something both modest and elegant.
“Margaret, it’s beautiful,” I said, taking in the myriad of pink, yellow, and orange hues amidst the long, fragrant green leaves. “What is it?”
She smiled. “Daisies and eucalyptus. These big ones are gerrondo daisies—I get them imported from California—and mini gerbers.” She lowered her voice. “Those I actually grow in my greenhouse.”
“It’s perfect,” I whispered, tearing my gaze from the bouquet. “She’ll love it.”
Margaret nodded and handed it over before I could pull out my wallet. “Don’t even think about it, young man. This one’s on the house.”
“I can’t accept that,” I protested. “Let me pay you.”
She swatted my arm. “Boy, didn’t you hear me when I said that family has already paid me more money than I’m worth for John’s service? The least I could do is this. She needs a pop of color more than I do.” Before I could say anything else, she grabbed my shoulders and turned me toward the door. “Now go get the girl.”
I smiled, but didn’t argue. There was no point to it. And I happened to like how it sounded. Olivia might not have been my girl right now, but I was beginning to wonder if I could make her mine one day.
I thought bucklingthe bouquet in would’ve been enough to stop it from sliding, but I was wrong. I’d barely made it out of town before I had to rethink my strategy.
Unfortunately, that meant holding the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip while the other hand was on the precious cargo in the front seat. I let out a sigh of relief when I pulled up outside Lukas’s guest cabin.
At least I did that right.
After calling Lukas this morning, I knew he had to visit a job site near Knoxville this afternoon, which meant he’d be gone most of the day. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about him seeing my truck and getting nosy.
Grabbing the bouquet, I hopped out of the truck and walked to the front door. Though I knew she likely wouldn’t answer, I rapped my knuckles against the wood and waited.
Though muffled, I heard the unmistakable sound of her voice from the other side. The curtains next to the window snapped back, giving me a sign of life. I smiled, holding the flowers up for her to see. It was probably enough of a shock to warrant an investigation, and thankfully, I was right.
The door opened, giving me my first glimpse of the woman in hiding. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.
Olivia was dressed in a relaxed pair of tan slacks and a simple black short-sleeve shirt. Her hair was pulled back out of her face—a look I’d quickly associated with her public, business-like persona rather than the smiling woman who drank chocolate milkshakes and laughed out loud. Though she tried to cover them with makeup, the pale purple half-circles beneath her eyes gave away how much sleep she was losing.
“H-Hey, honey,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Wanted to bring these by for you.”
Olivia’s eyes dipped to the bouquet, but she made no move to take it from my hand. Instead, her fingers tapped against thedoorframe. “What’re you doing here, Duke?” There was an edge of annoyance in her tone, but I didn’t let that deter me.
“Like I said, I wanted to bring these to you.”
“You drove all the way out here to bring me flowers?” I nodded, tamping down the anxiety coursing through my body. “Why?”
“Consider it a welfare check. You weren’t answering any of my texts or my calls. When I come by at night to drop dinner off, I never see a flicker of movement inside.”
“While I appreciate the concern, my brother knows I’m alive. You can get your little welfare updates from him.” Without so much as a goodbye, she began to shut the door in my face.
I reached out, stopping it with my free hand. Olivia glanced up, our eyes meeting for only a second before I pushed past her and stepped inside the house. “Duke, what are you?—”
I didn’t stop until I was standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking around for something, anything to be out of place. A sign she was struggling. Instead of finding a mess, however, the entire space was immaculately clean. The marble countertops damn near sparkled beneath the early afternoon sun streaming in from the arched window above the sink. There were no streaks on the stainless steel appliances. All the pillows on the couch were perfectly placed, the blanket neatly folded and draped over the arm.
Hell, there was even a fucking simmer pot on the stove, filling the space with notes of apple cider and citrus.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Olivia asked, hot on my heels. “You can’t just barge into someone’s house like you own the fucking thing.”
I set the flowers down in the middle of the island before turning toward her, matching the tense energy. “It’s not your house. It’s Lukas’s. And I helped him build the damn thing.”
She gave a slow clap. “Oh, well, ignore me then. Come on in and make yourself at home, why don’t you?”