[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

 She s my best friend Nellie s cousin. She shrugged.  Her specialty s the tarot.
 Interesting. But his expression said it clearly wasn t.
 You paint? She tried to imagine this big, strapping, tattooed man s man holding a
dainty paintbrush. Though she d already seen him with the watering can. In his hands,
daisies were sexy.  Really?
 Really. He hesitated as if he was about to divulge a painful secret.  Watercolors. Not
often anymore. I don t have the time.
 That s cool.
He only lifted a brow as if to say  yeah, right.
 I m serious. I d like to see some of your work sometime. She had to laugh at his
dubious expression.  C mon. Let s go.
It felt odd to follow him downstairs, and odder still to clasp his hand when he held it
out. She should be rushing into the store to get her morning routine started, not taking
the time to stroll in the sunshine as if her day were entirely her own.
Your only responsibility is to make yourself happy.
Pfft to that one. She couldn t just forget the promises she d made to herself and to Roz
 even if Roz hadn t been around to hear them. For once she wanted to do something on
her own, just to prove to herself that she could. This time, she was sinking or swimming
all on her own.
 Penny for your frown. Dillon swung their hands between them as they made their way
to the end of the street.
 Was I frowning?
 Yes. You get the cutest wrinkle right here. He rubbed his finger between his eyes.
 What has you worried on such a beautiful day?
She glanced up at the deep-blue, cloudless sky. The bright sunshine made her squint,
but she loved the warmth on her back and shoulders. Flowers bloomed all around them.
Dandelions and wildflowers competed with clumps of pink mountain laurel and looked
almost as beautiful.
And everything was so green. The vibrancy of the colors around her took her breath
away, as if she were seeing the place for the first time. Even her own building, the one
she d decried as below her station, somehow looked tall and regal when she glanced back
to ascertain her world hadn t changed overnight.
So if the world hadn t changed, what had? Her?
He squeezed her hand and she inhaled deeply. Hard to be depressed or anxious when a
gorgeous guy with hair as gold as the day spinning out in front of them sauntered at her
side. He hadn t allowed her to be alone when she d been at the bottom of her own
personal well.
No, for once, she didn t feel worried. All she felt at that very moment was grateful.
 It is a beautiful day. You re right.
 I often am. Remember that the next time you re tempted to argue with me. He pulled
her against his side at the corner to wait for the stoplight to change.  So what s on the
agenda today in flowerland?
 Flowerland? She smiled while they hurried across the street. Or rather, she hurried.
Dillon s long legs ate up ground at their own lazy pace, as if he expected the world to
simply wait for him to catch up. Looking as beachcomber-sexy as he did effortlessly, it
just might.  A friend of a friend s getting married next year and she wanted to discuss
Divine handling the arrangements. But I don t think it s going to work out.
They walked past Value Hardware, which already seemed to be moving at full-steam.
One of the workers watered a hanging arrangement next to the door. Alexa frowned
while the kid splashed water on the drooping red flowers. With some good soil, she could
help that ailing geranium. It certainly wouldn t do well out in today s hot sun when the kid
likely wasn t even soaking the roots.
Actually, he seemed much more interested in looking over his shoulder at Alexa and
Dillon. A wide smile crossed his freckled face, and he opened his mouth to speak, but
Dillon lengthened his stride, suddenly speeding up.
She smiled again. How sweet. He knew how she felt about that place and he didn t
want her to have to see it for any longer than necessary.
He really was a nice guy. She didn t meet nearly enough of those. How strange that
she d stumbled upon him when she d been at her lowest point.
Strange and sort of wonderful.
 How come you don t think it s going to work out? he asked, voice slightly strained,
once they d made it past the sprawling hardware store.
 I don t have the staff, for one thing. My new floral designer just took another job so I m
on my own. Except for Nellie, the godsend. She s working with me part-time.
 That s good. Sucks about your other designer though.
Alexa shrugged.  Patty got a better offer. I can t really blame her for going. If I were in
her position, I would ve left too.
 No, you wouldn t. His quiet certainty caused her to stare up at him. Perspiration
dotted his temples, but somehow that only made him look more rugged. She could so see
him on a ladder, painting a house with his shirt off and all those golden muscles flexing.
Those talented hips swiveling with his natural grace while he mounted each step, then
turned to shoot her one of those dazzling grins that swept the thoughts from her head
like sand from a bucket.
She shook herself out of her reverie. Whatever the positives to having Dillon around, he
certainly didn t help with her concentration.  How do you know I wouldn t have left?
 Because you re determined. You d see the possibilities at Divine, not the problems. As
you do now, even though you re frightened you re not enough to face them. He turned
her toward him with a gentleness that made her heart race.  You are. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]