Sabrina

 

We’re very busy with the Thornhill wedding. That Mrs. Thornhill is a force to be reckoned with, isn’t she? I’ll keep you updated.

I loved that Addi kept me posted and was taking such good care of the Thornhills. I certainly didn’t need any more bad publicity back in San Francisco. Her refreshing message came through at just the right time while I waited for Naomi to respond about her urgent text.

Why did everything have to happen all at once?

It wasn’t unusual for Naomi to send me a cryptic text and then not respond. She was overly dramatic in every sense of the word. I wouldn’t be able to count how many times she called me in a complete frenzy over the silliest things.

A few months ago, she called me in hysterics, and I could barely understand what she was saying. I rushed over to her apartment because I thought someone had died! It turned out she had lost a necklace she had borrowed from another friend. I was so angry with her for scaring me like that!

But, for some reason, tonight I had a weird feeling there was more to her urgent message this time.

Unfortunately, my perfect date with Ethan took a turn at the exact moment things were starting to heat up. Talk about lousy timing. We made our way off the Orlando Eye and onto the platform while he was still on the phone. I tried not to overanalyze, but it crossed my mind that the universe was trying to intervene and tell me to stop before I did something I might regret.

I took a long look at Ethan’s chiseled jaw line, his long eyelashes—and of course those blue eyes. I let out a sigh.

There was no way I would regret anything that might happen with him.

I stayed quiet while he finished his call with Jackie. I could tell by the way his jaw tightened he was frustrated. Even I was frustrated, and I didn’t know all that was being said.

He finally hung up and let out a loud sigh.

“Let me guess, your sister-in-law hates me?” I said with a grin, trying to lighten things up.

It didn’t work. The mood of our evening had drastically shifted, and not to the place it seemed to have been heading before the call.

“Jackie can be difficult,” he said, rolling his eyes. “According to her, your flower shop just ‘stole’ one of her potential customers.”

He had to be talking about Christina’s wedding. I glanced at my phone to check if there was a message from Rhonda or Christina. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but this wedding would be huge for Blooms. Addi would be so pleased, and I would feel like I had done something positive for her in this whole life-switch thing.

“Did she say which customer I allegedly ‘stole’?” I asked, trying to act like I had no idea.

“Some wedding,” he replied with a shrug. “Apparently, the bride and her mother met with Jackie and then told her they were using a florist who was in town from San Francisco. Needless to say, she figured out who you were and my connection to you.”

I groaned. “I heard you mention the YouTube video of me in the airport. I’m assuming she saw it.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

I should have known that people were going to figure it out eventually. How long did I actually believe I was going to fly under the radar, safely tucked away in Orlando? I was living in a fantasy.

The truth was, the time had come for me to go home, back to San Francisco—and the life I’d left behind.

The decision had been creeping up on me for a while now. I’d run away, and through my fortuitous meeting with Addi in the airport that night, I’d totally landed on my feet here in Orlando.

But the time for running away had passed, and something inside of me told me it was time to go back to San Francisco, back to face up to what I’d done and to move on with my life.

Except, I knew I was going to live my life differently now.

 “So, was she telling you to stay away from me? I know she wants you and Aubrey to end up together. I can’t fault her for that.”

He shook his head. “She knows better than to tell me who I can see. And it’s never going to happen with Aubrey, she needs to forget that idea.” He paused. “But, I should warn you, she can be ruthless when she feels threatened.”

Ruthless?

I swallowed. “What does that mean?”

He frowned. “She’s put everything she has into Fuchsia Flowers, and she’s going to do whatever it takes to make it a success. The fact that she just lost a wedding to you?” He paused, shaking his head. “Anyway, let me talk to my brother. I’m sure between the two of us we can talk her down.”

Crap. Maybe I had underestimated her? I had no idea what this woman was capable of. What if she set out to destroy Addi’s business? It would be my fault, and I would never be able to live with myself. Addi had been a great friend in the short time I had known her, and from what she told me, she was taking such good care of The Flower Girl.

I certainly didn’t want to repay her by letting Blooms fail.

“What would she do? I can’t help it that Christina and her mother selected Blooms for their wedding. Like you told her, there’s a lot of competition out there,” I said, raising my voice.

I was getting more and more worried by the second.

Ethan dropped his head. “I’m so sorry she ruined our evening. I should’ve never answered my phone.”

I pursed my lips because I couldn’t disagree with him. I would have done anything to go back to that moment, right before his phone rang, when everything felt perfect between us.

Now, I was distracted. I was already going into panic mode. I needed to be prepared to do some major damage control. My mind was swirling with thoughts of Mrs. Watson and of Jackie and of Christina’s wedding. I was afraid I was already on thin ice with Mrs. Watson. It would only take one teeny tiny mishap to make her run, right into Jackie’s waiting arms.

I let out a heavy sigh. I had no idea how I was going to fix this.

Ethan and I had been walking as we talked and we were now standing in the middle of a large grass area. There were people milling around everywhere. The Orlando Eye loomed above us and was lit up with bright pink lights.

Ethan reached for my hand. We met each other’s gaze once again. I had no doubt that my expression was giving away how worried I was feeling. But all that faded away as Ethan slowly moved his body closer to mine, making my heart beat a little faster. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arms around my waist. I reached up and put my arms around his neck.

We weren’t soaring over Orlando anymore, but I didn’t care. All thoughts of Jackie and flowers were quickly leaving my mind.

This was happening, and I wasn’t going to stop it.

“Ew, Mommy, those people are going to kiss!” a little boy yelled, startling both Ethan and me.

We looked over at the boy and his mom, and she began to laugh.

Really? Another interruption?

Shut up, universe!

“Let’s get out of here,” Ethan whispered. He grabbed ahold of my hand and led me toward the parking lot.

We were both quiet as we walked to the car, hand in hand.

I cleared my throat. “I hate to bring this up again, but do you think I should talk to Jackie? Would it help?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure, but if you decide to do it, I’m going with you.”

I smiled. I was relieved to hear him say that. If she was as “ruthless” as he claimed, I had no doubt I was going to need him for backup.

Ethan didn’t let go of my hand the entire ride back to Addi’s apartment. We were both quiet, and I wondered what he was thinking. I could only imagine the things his sister-in-law had said about me.

When we arrived at Addi’s apartment, he walked me to the door.

“Well, that wasn’t the ending I was hoping for tonight.”

I smiled. “Me either.”

Ethan folded his arms across his chest and got a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Oh, really? Please tell me about the ending you were hoping for.”

My cheeks heated up. I didn’t know how to answer him. My heart and my head were sending totally conflicting signals.

“You go first,” I said with a flirtatious grin.

He unfolded his arms and moved closer to me. The pace of my breathing began to pick up again. He reached for my waist and pulled me toward him just like he had earlier in the evening.

Although this time, there were no phones ringing or spectators interrupting us.

We were finally alone.

“I was hoping I would be able to do this while we were four hundred feet in the air.”

Before I could even respond, he was kissing me. I kissed him back. My legs had completely gone to Jell-O, and if it weren’t for his arms wrapped tightly around me, I would have melted.

And wow, Ethan was a good kisser! Not that I was surprised. His kiss was gentle and soft, perfect for a first kiss. I didn’t want it to end. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to me—if that was even possible.

A few seconds later, he touched his forehead against mine. “I promise I’m not trying to complicate things for you,” he whispered. “I know you’re going through a difficult time, but I couldn’t leave here tonight without doing that.”

I was still breathless from the exquisite feeling of his lips on mine, so I simply nodded. I had so much going through my mind right at that second, but one thing was for sure: I wanted him to kiss me like that again.

“I’m glad you didn’t leave before we had the chance to do that,” I said, my voice shaking.

He shot me a wicked smile. “Well, that’s good to hear.”

I didn’t want Ethan to leave yet, but I had to figure out how to handle this situation with Jackie. Blooms had to take priority over my personal life at the moment.

“Sabrina, are you okay?” Ethan asked, bringing my attention back to him.

I sighed. “Yes, I’m just worried.”

“About Jackie?”

I nodded.

“How about we go talk to her tomorrow morning—after you have breakfast with me?”

I smiled. “I’d like that.”

He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Good. I’ll let you get your rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

After we said goodbye, I was alone in Addi’s living room.

What was supposed to happen next? I knew what I wanted to happen, but then I remembered that across the country I had a business, a home, and a family that was angry with me. Before I could worry about any of that, I had to do whatever I could to ensure that Blooms on Valencia was safe. I had to lock in Christina’s wedding and check on Mrs. Watson.

I looked around at the Addi’s cozy townhouse. I was going to miss this place more than I thought I would, but I knew it was time for me to go home.

I finally crawled into bed about an hour later, after sending Christina and Rhonda follow-up emails. Jackie told Ethan they were going to go with Blooms, but I still hadn’t heard from them.

I sent another text to Naomi. There was no response. I guess what she needed to tell me wasn’t as important as she had claimed it to be. Not that I was surprised.

I was just about to doze off when my phone buzzed again. Expecting it to be Naomi, I picked it up. I was both exhilarated and nervous when I read Ethan’s text.

I can’t wait to see you in the morning. This will all get worked out, I promise.

I wish I was as confident as he was.

* * *

Breakfast was my favorite meal of the day, and having it with Ethan made it even better. After tossing and turning most of the night, I was up and ready for the day.

I called Isabella to let her know I would be at Blooms around lunchtime. I wasn’t expecting Mrs. Watson until the next day, so I was more than confident she could handle anything else that came up.

I looked through my clothes, trying to find something to wear. My selection was running thin, and I was missing my full closet back in California. I finally selected a black sundress and matching three-inch wedges. I loved that I could wear my highest shoes and Ethan was still taller than me.

There was a knock on the door at nine o’clock on the dot, and I felt a surge of excitement that Ethan was right outside my door. I dabbed a bit of perfume on my neck and rushed toward the door.

“Good morning,” I said cheerfully as I opened it.

Ethan gasped as he looked me up and down, which made me a little nervous. Was I overdressed? He was wearing a pair of gray slacks with a white polo shirt.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

I must have overdone it. Of course, I wanted to look cute for him and professional enough for my “impromptu” visit to Fuchsia Flowers.

“Absolutely nothing,” he said. “You just took my breath away. Do you always look this good in the morning?”

My cheeks started to heat up again. That seemed to be a regular occurrence when Ethan was around. He always seemed to know exactly what to say.

“Thank you. And to answer your question, you can thank my mother for this. While I was growing up she adamantly expressed the importance of looking ‘presentable’ at all times. She nearly had a heart attack one day when she stopped into my shop and saw me wearing yoga pants and a baseball cap.”

He laughed. “I have no doubt you would look really hot in yoga pants and a baseball cap.”

My cheeks were so warm you could probably fry an egg on them about now.

I picked up my bag from the kitchen counter. I was trying to distract myself so I wouldn’t continue to make an ass of myself with all the stupid blushing. I turned back to him and smiled. “I’m ready if you are.”

He leaned down to kiss my cheek. “I’ve been ready since I left you last night.”

Damn, this guy was good.

Ethan took me to a breakfast place called Keke’s, and the food was delicious. We were having such a good time until I knew I had to bring up the topic of Fuchsia Flowers.

“Does Jackie know I’m coming to talk to her?”

He groaned. “Yes, she knows. But she doesn’t know we’re coming today.”

I snorted. “Oh, well. Nothing like another blindside.”

After our breakfast, we made our way to Fuchsia Flowers. My heart was pounding as we parked outside the shop. I had no idea what to expect, but having Ethan with me helped calm my nerves, at least a bit.

“You okay?” Ethan asked, shooting me a quizzical look. “Just take a few deep breaths.”

I was as ready as I would ever be, and even more ready to get this over with. I didn’t owe her anything because Blooms on Valencia was in business first, and it wasn’t going anywhere.

Not on my watch.

Just before we reached the door, Ethan took my hand in his.

I shot him a grateful look. “Thank you for doing this.”

The fact was, this was his family and he was still by my side. There was something to be said for that.

I took a final deep breath, and we walked together into the perfectly pink shop.

“Stay right here,” Ethan said as he went looking for Jackie.

I took another deep breath and looked around. And that’s when I spotted Jackie, talking to someone with big blonde hair, wearing a gaudy jacket with red flowers all over it.

Wait! No, this couldn’t be happening! It was Mrs. Watson. Jackie was talking to her, and she was smiling. Smiling! I don’t think I’d seen Mrs. Watson smile since the day I’d met her.

Addi’s biggest customer was meeting with the competition.

I froze at the sight of them, and in typical Sabrina fashion, I felt a strong need to run. And keep on running, right until I was back, safe in California.

But before I had the chance to make my move, Jackie glanced over and saw me. At first, she looked surprised, and then she glared at me.

If looks could kill, I would be six feet underground.

“Please, excuse me for one moment,” she said to Mrs. Watson.

She began to walk toward me. Right at that moment, Ethan grabbed her arm. “Jackie, wait.”

A look of shock spread across her face as she looked from Ethan to me and back again. “Ethan, did you bring her here?”

At the same time, Mrs. Watson turned around and saw me. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

My need to run got the better of me. I rushed toward door. And then I remembered being at the airport in Dallas. While most of the people were whispering or taping me running through the terminal in my wedding dress, Addi went out of her way to talk to me.

I couldn’t do this to her. I stopped in my tracks, scrunched my eyes shut, and took a deep breath.

I was going to fix this, no matter what.