Flowers on Main

Mack scowled at the assessment, but Jake chuckled. “Don’t mind him. Will thinks he has a deep understanding of our sad love lives. Of course, that raises the question of why he doesn’t have a love life of his own to worry about.”

“I had a date just last night,” Will said indignantly. “A real one, not like whatever’s going on between you two and the women you maybe are and maybe aren’t dating.”

Mack’s expression brightened. “Do tell,” he said. “Give us a shining example by which we can live our lives.”

Will frowned. “Mock me if you will, but this could be the one. This was our fourth date in two weeks.”

Jake and Mack exchanged a look. Will rarely went out with the same woman more than twice. Either he got bored or they got tired of having him analyze them. In one instance, when he’d gone out for two months with the same woman, he’d belatedly realized she’d actually been using him for free counseling. He’d sworn off dating for months after that.

Just as Mack was about to speak, Will stopped him. “Don’t worry. This isn’t another Jasmine. In fact, Laura’s a psychologist, too. She has a practice in Annapolis. She just bought a weekend place here.”

“And this is the first we’ve heard about her?” Jake chided.

“Are we not your best friends? Aren’t you supposed to run something this serious past us?”

“No,” Will said succinctly. “You’re my best friends, but you don’t have veto power over the women in my life.”

“I’ll remind you of that next time you try to exercise your veto power over the women in mine,” Mack grumbled.

“I’d never veto Susie,” Will told him.

“I’m not dating Susie,” Mack repeated.

Jake nudged Will in the ribs. “Protesting too much, wouldn’t you say?”

“I would,” Will agreed, clinking his beer bottle to Jake’s.

Mack looked as if he might want to crack his beer bottle over one of their heads, but instead, he took a long drink, then regarded Jake innocently.

“So why are we here? Does this have something to do with Bree?”

“I’m guessing yes,” Will said. “Jake’s not talking, though.”

“Because there’s nothing to say,” Jake insisted.

Because they’d each ruled out further discussion of the women in their lives, they fell silent. Sipping their beers, they turned their attention to the game just in time to see the relief pitcher walk in the other team’s winning run.

“Orioles suck,” Mack said.

Will nodded.

“You got that right,” Jake said, then sighed. It pretty well described the way his whole day had gone.

The smell of freshly cut wood filled the air inside what would soon be Flowers on Main. Bree stood back and admired the stainless steel–topped island that would be her primary work space in the backroom. It had nooks and crannies and drawers for storing vases, boxes, ribbons, wire, florist tape and anything else she might need to create spectacular arrangements.

“What do you think?” Mick asked, standing beside her. “Is it what you had in mind?”

She turned and threw her arms around him. “It’s perfect, Dad. Thank you so much. I can’t believe you were able to create that from the scribbles I gave you.”

He laughed. “Believe me, it wasn’t the scribbles. It was the way you described what you needed for it to be functional. Running over to Ted Jensen’s place one morning helped, too. I figured after all the years he’s been in business, he’d know what you’d need.”

“Since he’s closing down, I probably should have bought his furnishings instead of having you go to all this trouble,” Bree said.

“Absolutely not,” Mick countered. “You’re starting out fresh. Everything should be top-notch. I did make an offer on his coolers, though. Told him I’d need to run that by you, but they’re in good condition and it’ll save you some start-up money.”

Bree bristled that he’d done such a thing without asking her, then realized she was being silly. He’d left the final decision to her, after all. If Mick had made a contact that could save her money, she needed to consider it. “I’ll go and take a look later today,” she promised.

“Okay, then, let’s take another look at this floor plan,” Mick said. “I want you to show me again where you think the front counter ought to be.”

They started into the front room just as the door opened and Megan stepped inside. Bree wasn’t sure which of them was more shocked, her or her father.

“Megan!” Mick said, his face lighting up. “I wasn’t expecting you. Bree, honey, did you know your mother was coming?”

“No,” she said tersely, watching as Mick crossed the room and pressed a kiss to her mother’s cheek.

“How could I stay away when I heard about your new business, Bree?” Megan said, giving Mick a pointed look that Bree couldn’t quite interpret.

“Well, I’d stay and show you around,” Bree said, “but as you can tell, there’s not much to see and I have to drive over to Myrtle Creek.”

She was almost out the door, when she realized Megan was on her heels.

“Why don’t I ride along with you,” Megan said, her expression suggesting she wasn’t about to take no for an answer.

Bree gritted her teeth. “Up to you,” she said and went to her car. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather get settled after your trip down from New York? You’ll be staying at the inn again, right?”

“I’m thinking about staying at the house, but I need to discuss that with your father first,” her mother replied. “You don’t have any objections, do you?”

Bree shrugged. “It’s not my house.”

“It is your home,” her mother corrected. “And your opinion does count with me.”

“Then I think you should stay at the inn, assuming Jess has a room available. It’s been very busy. I’ll call her and check.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, flipped it open and dialed.

She ignored the hurt in her mother’s eyes as she waited for her sister to pick up. “Hey, Jess, this is Bree. You’ll never guess who’s here.”

“Mom,” Jess said. “Abby called me about an hour ago and told me she was coming.”

“Do you have a room available at the inn? I can bring her by right now.”

“Sorry. We’re fully booked. I told Abby the same thing. She said Mom could stay with her and the girls.”

“Perfect,” Bree said eagerly. “I’ll tell her. I can run her over there.”

“Not now. Trace is in New York for a few days, so Mom won’t be able to get in until Abby gets home from work.”

Which meant Bree would be stuck with her for the rest of the afternoon. “Wait, doesn’t Gram have a spare key to Abby’s?”

“Of course,” Jess said. “I don’t know why Abby didn’t think of that.”