I let out a giggle. I had waited an extra thirty minutes past closing time for her to show up to give final approval on the flowers for her wedding. I texted her twice to ask if she wanted to reschedule, but I didn’t get a reply, so I sent one final message telling her that she could stop by the shop before work tomorrow.
Hurrying to unlock the door, I apologize. “I’m sorry. You startled me.”
She brushes past me when I motion for her to step inside first. “A woman can’t be too careful in this city. You’re prepared in the event of an emergency. I am too.”
She pats the outside of the designer bag slung over her forearm.
I don’t ask what she has in there to fend off a would-be-attacker. Instead, I flick the overhead lights back on and lock the door behind us.
“I just saw your text messages now.” She dips her chin toward the phone in her hand. “I was talking to my fiancé on my way over. Jay. His name is Jay. He’s stopping by to check out the flowers. That’s not a problem, is it?”
Why would it be?
I’ve only ever had amazing experiences when men have joined their fiancées to choose the flowers for their wedding. It’s always a treat for me because I get a feel for the unique dynamic of the couple. That insight is helpful when it comes to suggesting the style of arrangements for the ceremony.
I smile. “It’s not a problem at all.”
Audrey’s gaze leaps over my shoulder to the door just as I hear a faint rap on it. “Speak of the sexy devil. There he is.”
I smile at her choice of words. She’s head over heels for her future husband.
I unlock the glass door and swing it open to find a man with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes hidden behind black-rimmed eyeglasses. “Hi. I’m Athena. You must be Jay. Welcome to Wild Lilac.”
Chapter 40
Liam
Just as I round the corner to sprint to Wild Lilac, I spot Athena leaving the shop with Audrey and her fiancé.
What the hell?
When I saw Audrey an hour ago, she was racing out of the office even though she was scheduled to work the late shift with me.
She’s worked for Winola for years. I know they go way back. It’s one of the reasons Audrey can take off early when the need arises. Her job is secure. There’s no way in hell that Winola would ever send Audrey packing.
Audrey spots me first out of the corner of her eye. Her hand rises in the air in an animated greeting. “Wolf! What are you doing here?”
I have no idea if Athena wants Audrey to know we’re involved, so I pause to let her take the lead on this one.
She does so seamlessly. “Liam is here to pick up bouquets for his nieces.”
I’ll go with that.
“You’re late.” Audrey drums her fingertips over my chest. “We were all late. Athena should have shut down the store an hour ago.”
That might be true, but I was holding out hope that I’d catch her before she took off for the night.
I want to walk her home so I can spend the night with her.
Her apartment is cramped, and I can already tell that my feet will hang off the end of the bed, but I want to be next to her when I fall asleep tonight.
“Wolf.” Jay extends a hand to me. “It’s good to see you again.”
I can say the same. Jay stops by to drop off lunch for the office a couple of times a month. He works at Axel Tribeca as a chef. It’s an upscale place that I don’t ordinarily frequent, but the food is damn good.
I give his hand a firm shake.
“We’re headed to the restaurant to grab a bite.” His gaze volleys between Athena and me. “You two are welcome to join us.”