“Luke Bennet. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
The sound of Ivy’s voice put a smile back on my face. I’d expected to find her giggling, as she was, and I’d expected her to launch herself into my arms, like she did. What I didn’t expect when I looked down was to find her visibly pregnant.
I caught her with ease, hugging her for a second before setting her down to get a good look at her. The same bright eyes I remembered, the same red hair. Though unlike Tess’s, which was lush and russet, Ivy’s was copper and curly and wild as she was.
“Well, would ya look at that?” I said, nodding to her belly.
She flushed, laughing as she rolled her eyes. “Six months in, an eternity to go. We all knew I’d end up knocked up, didn’t we?”
“Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Dean Wilson.” She beamed up at me, resting a hand on the curve of her stomach.
“The delivery guy?”
“He runs the company now. Very established,” she said with a wink. “I can’t believe you’re back! God, it’s good to see you.”
“At least one of you thinks so,” I said, glancing in the direction Tess had gone.
But Ivy waved a hand. “Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s just grumpy this morning.”
“She was grumpy yesterday too.”
“Well, you humped her in the cooler.”
“In fairness, I thought she was you.”
Ivy laughed. “Well, sadly, I am off the market and in the family way. Tess, however, is not.”
“Right. She seems super available,” I deadpanned.
Some mischief flickered behind her eyes. “Oh, don’t let her fool you.”
My brows gathered in confusion, but when I opened my mouth to speak, she cut me off.
“So Judy’s already after you, huh?” she asked, nodding at the vases.
“She’s relentless.”
“Well, you did sleep with her all summer after senior year.”
“Ah, the good old days. I’m telling you—the older ladies are always the wildest.”
“You’re disgusting, Luke,” she said around a laugh.
I shrugged. “Hey, whatever it takes to save Mom’s shop.”
“Oh my God. You aren’t actually going to sleep with her, are you?”
I picked up my box with a smirk. “Depends on which kimono she’s wearing. Always was a sucker for animal print.”
A bawdy laugh burst out of her, and she swatted my arm. “It’s a comfort that some things never change.”
I winked at her. “I aim to please. Congrats on the bun, Ivy.”
“Thanks. See you in a bit. I’ll show you the new register when you get back, okay?”
“You bet.”
I made my way into the shop, past the tables where Tess worked with the laser-focus of a bomb disposal tech. She ignored me completely even though I stared a hole in her. It was impressive, the determination she maintained to pretend like I didn’t exist.
Donuts. I was one hundred percent bringing donuts back with me.
I didn’t get the animosity, and frankly, that made me feel like a dumbshit. By my estimation, I’d never been anything but nice to her, if not a touch too flirtatious, which was something I really didn’t get. Who didn’t like getting flirted with? I mean, barring breaching the line of comfort. Maybe Tess’s line was just much farther out than most.
I thought back over yesterday and the cooler incident, replaying the encounter and the conversation that had followed. The best I could come up with was that I’d caught her off guard—not only with the groping, but with the news that we’d be working together, which seemed to have thrown her contempt in an amplifier cranked to eleven. I would have been surprised Mom hadn’t told Tess I’d be working the counter if she wasn’t so scatterbrained. Mom could tell me the name, phone number, and pedigree of every single woman in a ten-block radius who would make good marriage material but couldn’t recall the date on any given day.
I’d surprised Tess, and she wasn’t the kind of girl who liked surprises. I made a mental note to find out why so I could change her mind about that too.
There was nothing in the world like adventure. There was nothing so sweet as discovery. The unknown, the new, only broadened our lives, made us better. Taught us. Made us more than we were. I sought it at every turn, craved it with every sunrise. California had been a feast, from the people to the jobs, the food to the lifestyle. I’d had jobs ranging from glass blower to stunt man. I worked with a contractor buddy, renovating houses. Was an extra on TV. At one point, I’d even modeled baseball pants for Dick’s Sporting Goods, which had left me fielding cracks from my brothers for … well, I was still fielding them years later.
I wanted to learn everything, wanted to experience it all. I couldn’t imagine living a life like Tess, in the same job—her only job—for ten years. Monotony sounded like death, a life that would slowly chip away at my soul until there was nothing left but a husk punching a clock every day.
I couldn’t understand how anyone would choose that life.
Marcus said I was undisciplined, a flake. Hedonistic and selfish. But then again, Marcus had eaten a peanut butter sandwich with a banana every single day through high school without ever questioning how weird that was. As such, his argument was invalid.
I passed through the double doors that led to the greenhouse, the humid air thick and sticky. It smelled like earth, like damp leaves and living things, and I took an instinctive breath to fill my lungs with its rich perfume.
Dad hefted himself to stand—a motion that seemed to take more effort than I remembered him requiring. He hooked a small spade in his belt and dusted off his hands.
“I see you’ve been summoned,” he said with a smirk and a nod at the box in my hands.
A laugh burst out of Kash, and he leaned on the handle of his hoe. “Judy sure didn’t waste any time.”
“Don’t act like you weren’t the one who called her and told her I was back,” I said, adjusting my grip on the box.
“Who, me?” he asked innocently. “Never.”
I snorted.
“Pretty sure Laney’s planning to put out an ad announcing your return,” Kash said. “She’s got a couple pictures picked out for the spread. There’s a good one of you hauling potted palms with no shirt on that’s in the running. But I voted for the one of you at four, bare-assed in a planter box.”
Dad nodded his appreciation. “I think I’ve got one of you shoveling the garden with nothing but Laney’s pink rain boots on.”
I gave them both a look. “You act like I’m not the first to suggest objectifying myself. Feel free to post all the nudes you want, if it’ll help sell flowers. I’m still waiting on word about the naked sandwich board. Just let me know a couple of days in advance so I can cut back on my salt intake.”
Kash rolled his eyes. “There he is. Good old Luke.” As I headed for the back door, he added, “Don’t let Judy scratch you up. We need you camera ready!”
If I’d had a free hand, I would have flipped him off. As it was, I opened the door with my elbow and stepped into the alley.
A small driveway led to the greenhouse, and in it sat the delivery van, painted with a bouquet and the words Longbourne Flower Shop on the side. I don’t think Mom had filled the van up in years for a delivery beyond the occasional wedding.