I stand outside April’s florist shop and watch her work. An older lady is behind the counter helping a customer, while April is tucked into the corner of the shop working on her computer at a small round table. Today her hair is loose and flowing, and I want to touch those glimmering brown curls to see if they are as soft as they look.

I pull the ballcap lower, shielding my face as a group of young girls walks by. So far, I’ve escaped detection—at least I hope I have—and I intend to keep it that way. My arm tightens on the book in my arms. I better go ahead and get it over with, because what I have to tell April won’t be easy. My phone rings, and by the tone, I know it’s Kent, my publicist. I push ignore and tuck the phone back in my pocket.

April looks up when the bell rings above and smiles sweetly as I enter. She motions me over. “Come on in and have a seat. I’ve already pulled a lot of samples.” She meets my gaze, looks over my shoulder, and asks. “Is Belinda running late?”

I don’t want to upset April, but there isn’t any way around it. “No. She’s not late. She’s not coming.” I watch her expression closely.

“What?” Her eyes go wildly distraught.

“Wes called last night—he got an unexpected ten-day pass. April’s flown out to be with him. They’ll be driving back the day before the wedding. But don’t worry. I’m staying, and Belinda gave me carte blanche on decision making, and we also have this.” I hold up the book and lay it on the table in front of April.

Her eyes stare at the frilly pink cover in front of her before she looks back at me. “Elias…I don’t know…”

I stop her from going further with that thought. “Open the book, April.”

Her eyes go back to the antacid-pink scrapbook. As she turns the pages, I see her worry lessen. “This is her wedding dream book, isn’t it?” she asks.

Pulling the chair out beside her, I sit and lean in for a look. “Yes. I didn’t even know women had things like that.” Belinda must have started the scrapbook in her teens. I haven’t seen her childish script in a long time.

April turns another page. “Well, not every woman, but I have heard of a few. This will definitely help us. So, she’s okay with you making the decisions?”

I grin. April is already making notes in her computer. “Yes. All she wants is to marry Wes.”

Her fingers jump from the keyboard, and she turns to me, her eyes widening in sheer panic. “What about her dress?”

“That’s already taken care of. And her bridesmaids and groomsmen are good to go. The groomsmen are wearing dove gray suits and her bridesmaids are wearing royal blue.”

Her shoulders relax, and her fingers go back to work on the keyboard. “That’s a huge relief. Okay, let’s get started.”

After only a few hours, I’m ready to pull my hair out. I’ve never known how involved planning a wedding could be. Some of the things April insisted we need, I’ve never heard of. She expected me to decide between six different colors of salmon like it was a monumental decision that all other decisions would be based on. Renovating a house from the ground up was a piece of cake compared to planning a wedding. Plus, sitting as close as we were for an extended period of time has become problematic. April’s scent is a major distraction. It’s coconut, not raspberry as it was in my dream. I’ve been able to pinpoint the location of the scent to her hair, so I assume it’s her shampoo. The thought of April in the shower with water sliding down her body isn’t something I need in my head at the moment.

“We can assemble the welcome baskets in the back. I have a large work area with plenty of shelving.”

I tried to come out of the fog she’d created in my brain. “Wait. I must have missed something. Welcome baskets?”

“Yes, welcome baskets to have waiting for the guests in their rooms once they check into the hotel.”

That’s a rather nice idea. “And what’s in a welcome basket?”

April clicked through on her laptop and pulled up a screen to show me. “Well, you haven’t decided yet. Here’s your options.”

I glance at the screen, and my head begins to throb. How am I supposed to know what to select? “What would you recommend?”

“I would keep everything local to the area. I mean, Belinda fell in love with the area, so why not showcase what’s available? A bottle of wine from our local vineyard. An assortment of cookies from the bakery in town. A bag of organic granola that’s made by a local family. Oh, and Mr. and Ms. Shiftlet have bees and sell the honey. We can pair the honey with a specially mixed tea from Tea for Two. And I might be able to have them use special labeling with Wes and Belinda’s names and their wedding date.” April tapped her pen on her cheek, her mind continuing to spin with ideas. “Do you have any pictures of Wes and Belinda?”

“Yeah.” I pull my phone out and open my pictures, pointing out several that are my favorites. April’s head bends over to survey the options, and I take the opportunity to sniff her hair again. It’s definitely the shampoo.

“Email this one to me. I’ll get some prints, and we can include a framed picture of the happy couple in the baskets.”

Mind blown. “April, I want to apologize again. What you’ve done this morning is amazing. I’m sorry I ever doubted your abilities.”

April looked up from her mad note-taking and smiles. “Thanks, Elias. That means a lot, but we have so much more to do!”

I groan and knock my head on the table in a dramatic fit of surrender. April laughs at my childish temper tantrum. Her scent, her smile, and now her gentle laughter, and I’m in sensory overload. I’ve got to put space between us. “Why don’t we come back to this? It’s almost time to meet the caterer. I believe you mentioned she’s your business partner.”

“Yes, and she owns the bakery in town.” April starts packing up her laptop and papers.

That would mean more sitting in too-close quarters. “Do we have time to grab lunch first?”

She finishes stuffing everything inside a leather crossbody bag and zips the flap closed. “Trust me—this will be lunch. Rachael is one of the best cooks I know. She’ll have so much food for you to choose from, you won’t be hungry for a thing when we leave.”

Oh, yes, I will. I’ll still have a raging appetite to sample you. But I keep that comment to myself. “Sounds great—let’s go.” What could I do but smile politely?

April pushes back from the table and slips the strap of her bag over her head. “Just let me tell my grandmother I’m going.”

I wait for April by the door and watch as she speaks with the lady behind the counter, who is busy creating a brightly-colored floral arrangement. I have no idea what all the flowers are, but I can appreciate their beauty. Looking around her shop, I like what she’s done with the renovation, but she could use more wall shelves and display areas. My eyes go back to April. Today, she’s wearing a black skirt with a blue blouse tucked in and low-heeled black shoes. I like what she has on, and from the back view I’m able to appreciate her…

“Ready to go?”

My head jerks up as April turns around, catching me checking her out. “Sure.” I grin and hold the door open. What can I say? She’s gorgeous—I’m going to look. The waft of coconut I get when she breezes past once again goes straight to the memory of her naked body in the shower. I stay half a step behind as we walk down Main Street, hoping things will disappear before she notices my embarrassing state. All I need is another mark against me.

I can’t get used to the absence of traffic. Main Street has a handful of cars parked in spaces on both sides of the road, and occasionally I see a passing vehicle. “I have to agree with my sister. The town is charming.”

“I’m glad it’s kept its small-town feel over the years. Asheville is about an hour away, so we don’t have too far to go to take advantage of big city life. And you can’t beat the mountain scenery around here. You really should see the Great Smoky Mountains at sunset.”

“I’ll be sure to. On the drive in, I noticed a large apartment complex. That must have been a nightmare to get zoning approval.”

“I have no idea. White Oaks Mill was built in nineteen hundred as a cotton mill, and about ten years ago, it was renovated into apartments. I have an apartment there. Rachael does, too.”

Living in a rehabbed industrial building must be interesting. “Do you have family here?”

April nods and steps off the sidewalk to cross the road. “I do. My parents and one of my three brothers still live in the area.”

“Three brothers? That must have been exciting growing up.” At the next intersection, we pause to let a late-model Ford truck pass. The man driving waves, and April calls out a greeting. Small town living is charming.

We hurry across the street. “It was. We’re still very close. But growing up, it was like I had four fathers.”

“I bet you couldn’t get away with anything.”

April turns to me, grinning. “Oh, I don’t know about that. You forget that I had Rachael. Between the two of us, we could come up with a scheme to do most anything we wanted.”

“It sounds like boys were involved.”

“A time or two. When we had just gotten our driver’s licenses, we hijacked Rachael’s mother’s Cadillac and drove to Charlotte to see a concert after our parents wouldn’t allow us to go. We found out at the concert where the band was staying for the night. Since we didn’t have money for a room, we slept in the car in the hotel parking lot, hoping for a glimpse of them. Looking back, I can’t believe we were so stupid or that we didn’t get caught. Rachael was going with or without me. I went along to keep her out of trouble. Rachael and trouble always went hand in hand. She had a very big crush on the lead singer of the very band that’s playing at your sister’s wedding.”

“Kyle Welsh?” Every woman young and old has a crush on Kyle Welsh. I’ve always said it’s the accent because he’s really homely looking in my opinion.

“That would be the one. But don’t worry, Rachael has mellowed since her rocker days. I promise she won’t cause a scene.”

“I’m not worried. Kyle can take care of himself. How did you get into the floral business?”

“My grandmother. The year I graduated college, Grammy put me in charge of the shop, so she could retire. It wasn’t in my plans—it just kinda happened.”

“Was that your grandmother at the shop today?”

“Yes. She still comes in to help if I need her. She’ll be filling in for me until after the wedding. I also have a lot of extra staff coming in to help.”

“We haven’t talked about price. But get whatever you need to make Belinda’s wedding special.”

“It will be, Elias. I know you’re concerned with having the wedding here. Especially since I’ll be handling everything, but I promise I will do everything in my power to give Belinda a dream wedding.”

“I know you will, April. I have every confidence in you, and White Oaks is a grand estate. Tell me more about your renovation plans.”

“Well, I hope we’ll be able to finish the inside renovation this year. You saw what it’s like now, but we have big plans for bringing the house back to the way it was when it was built.”

“Who’s been doing the work so far?”

“Mostly Rachael and I have. My brother helps, too, when he can spare the time. We had the wiring and plumbing contracted out, but everything else we’ve done on our own by learning from YouTube videos and watching shows like yours.”

“That’s unbelievable. I hope you’ll let me know when you finish. I’d like to come back and see what you’ve done.”

“Really? You don’t get enough renovation in your day job?”

“Strange, right? But I love what I do. It didn’t start out that way. When I was helping my uncle and learning, it wasn’t any fun.”

“But you weren’t supposed to be doing that. You were supposed to be in college. It’s understandable that you had some hidden resentment towards that.”

“You know, April, I’d never put it together that way. Don’t get me wrong. I am thankful to have had my uncle to lean on and learn from, but at the time, I was so overwhelmed.”

She puts her hand on my arm, and I can feel the warmth of her skin. “Elias, you did a great job. Never doubt that. Now, are you ready to eat?” She points toward the bakery door.

We stop in front of a storefront. Large glass windows surround the glass door, painted letters proclaiming, The Sweet Spot is open. “The bakery?” I take a guess.

“Yeah, Rachael works at the bakery, but she hopes to open a restaurant on the grounds of White’s Manor someday.”

I hold the door open, and I’m hit with a sensory overload of scents. My stomach growls, and I know I’m not leaving without a takeout box of cinnamon rolls. April walks in just as a young boy with hair so deep red it appears copper, runs from the back room. Something jogs my memory, but just as quickly disappears with the boy’s excitement.

“Aunt April!”

I see it coming, and I brace April from behind as the boy dives in for a hug.

“Hey, buddy.” She ruffles his hair. “Why aren’t you in school today?”

He rolls his eyes and takes her by the hand tugging her toward the back. “It’s a teacher work day.”

“Your mom’s not making you do homework?”

“Henry K. Hart!” A woman’s loud voice rings out from the back of the shop.

The boy’s shoulders stiffen. “Oh no, gotta go. I’m supposed to be reading a yucky old book for school.” The boy runs back through the doors behind the showcase counter.

A very pretty woman appears. I remember her from the bar. She’d been with April. Her straight hair is dark as night, and her brown eyes glare at me as she approaches. From the burnished tone of her skin and her high cheekbones, she might have a Native American ancestor in her background.

“Rachael, this is Elias Holt. Our customer. Who you will be nice to,” April says with an overly nice smile.

“Rachael, it’s nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand to shake, and I’m sure I see Rachael’s nose turn up in disgust. I try not to grin. That wouldn’t be a good thing.

She ignores my outstretched hand and says, “If you’ll take a seat at the back table, I’ll bring your first sample appetizer.”

I watch her retreating back. “Was it something I said?”

April chuckles and leads us over to the back table and pulls out a chair. “She’s still not over her snit about what you said to me.”

Of course, April would have shared about our first meeting and my rude behavior. I’ll just turn on the charm; it’s never failed me before. “Ahhh, I need to make sure to tell her how wonderful her food tastes.”

“That will certainly help.” April pulls a few paper napkins from the table dispenser and hands me one. “And if she refers to you as dipstick, just ignore.”

I’m cautiously smiling when Rachael reappears. “These are my recommendations.” She sits a platter down in front of me with a loud clatter. The smell alone is divine, and my stomach rumbles.

Rachael gently places another platter in front of April. “And these are other options you can select from.”

“These look too beautiful to eat,” I say, winking at April. Rachael snorts and goes to get a few bottles of water from the cooler.

“Too much?” I ask April.

“Little bit.” She bites her lip to keep from laughing.

Over two hours later, we are walking back to April’s shop with the menu for the wedding locked down. I’m uncomfortably full, but April was correct. Everything Rachael had prepared was top-notch. I’ve never eaten anything better. “Where did Rachael learn to cook like this?”

“It started when she had Henry. She was really paranoid about him eating healthy, so she taught herself and found she had a knack for it. She wanted to go to culinary school, but things just didn’t work out that way.”

“Why not?”

“You met her son, Henry.”

“The red-headed boy is Rachael’s son? Is he adopted?” I ask.

April laughs, “I know, they don’t look anything alike. Rachael was a teen mom who was disowned by her family.”

Some people have no right to be parents. “That’s rough. How old is Henry?”

“He’s ten,” she answers.

Ten. I would have thought he was older. He’s a big boy for his age. “Wow! She doesn’t look old enough to have a son that old. What about Henry’s dad?”

“We don’t talk about him. Actually, I have no idea who he is.”

“Oh, okay.” That seems odd, but April doesn’t want to talk about it. “Well, I know Belinda will love what we picked out today.”

I change the subject, and we talk about wedding things until we are once again in front of her shop. “I would offer to take you out to dinner, but I don’t want to think about food for a while.”

“No problem. I’ve got some orders I need to work on before I can go home. But be back in the morning. We still have a lot to do.”

“Hey, April.”

I look up to find a man making his way toward us. His eyes are fixed on April in a much too possessive way. Instantly, I don’t like him.

“Hi, Banks. What are you doing in town?” April says, moving toward him.

I grind my teeth together as the doofus leans in and kisses April’s cheek.

“Mom had a doctor’s appointment in Asheville. I just dropped her off back home and thought I’d stop by and see if you were free.”

“Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners? Elias, this is Banks Bishop. Banks, this is Elias. His sister Belinda is having her wedding at the Manor.”

My eyes clash with Banks’s. What a stupid name. I detect a proprietary message being hurled my way. In every animal species, males mark their territory. I have no problem picking up on the no-go-zone around April. The problem I have with that is April doesn’t seem all that into Banks.

“Sorry, man. April was just saying she had a lot of work to do tonight.” I take a step closer to April and put my hand on her lower back. I know it’s not my imagination that she leans back into my touch.

Banks turns to April for confirmation.

April nods and doesn’t look all that heartbroken. “Yeah. Sorry, Banks. I do have a lot to do tonight. Maybe next time?”

“Sure.” Banks scans my face like he’s trying to remember where he’s seen me. “I’ll give you a call.”

I happily watch him walk away. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“No. I don’t have a boyfriend. We went to school together and we’ve been friends for a long time.”

I let it go. What Banks is to April is none of my business.