Chapter 4
Eleanor POV
My alarm went off with Derek’s arm still across my waist.
I reached for my phone, missed it, and had to lean farther over the edge of the bed. His arm tightened briefly before he let me go.
“What time is it?”
“Seven.”
He made a quiet sound of complaint and rolled onto his back.
I silenced the alarm and sat up. For a moment, I kept my feet under the covers, looking at the clothes on the chair and his open suitcase beside the dresser.
In daylight, there was no mistaking that he was here.
Last night hadn’t changed the terms of our marriage. I knew that before I looked at him. Still, getting out of bed took more effort than it should have.
I went into the bathroom.
By the time I came out, he’d picked up his phone. He lay against the pillows, reading something, the sheet gathered at his waist.
I took a sweater from the drawer and turned toward the closet.
“You’re getting dressed?”
I glanced back. “Yes.”
“Where are you going?”
“Work.”
He lowered his phone.
It wasn’t a dramatic reaction. Just a pause, his eyes moving from my face to the jeans in my hand.
“You’re working?”
“Well, what else would I do? I still have to make a living.”
“Doing what?”
I pulled on my jeans before answering.
“I run a flower shop.”
He sat up a little.
“You own a flower shop?”
“Four Seasons Florals. On Newbury Street.”
He looked at me for another second, then set his phone down.
“When did this happen?”
“While you were in London.”
That covered most of our marriage. Neither of us needed me to point it out.
I took my sweater into the bathroom and put it on, then brushed my hair. When I came back, he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“I didn’t know you were interested in that.”
“I am.”
“Enough to open a business?”
I met his eyes in the mirror as I fastened my hair back.
“Apparently.”
He watched me for a moment. I couldn’t tell whether he was trying to picture me doing it or wondering why no one had told him.
I wasn’t going to ask.
My phone rang on the nightstand.
I crossed the room to get it.
“Good morning. Yes, eight is still fine.”
The woman on the other end sounded relieved. She’d had to change her plans twice already and was worried she’d made a mess of mine.
“You haven’t,” I said. “I’ll have everything ready when you get there.”
She asked about the card, then the wrapping.
“Cream paper, no cellophane. I’ve got it written down.”
I listened to one more question and checked the time.
“Yes. Just ask for Eleanor.”
When I hung up, Derek was still sitting there.
“A customer?”
“She needs to collect an order before work.”
“And you have to open for her?”
“I said I would.”
I slipped the phone into my bag.
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “You could’ve mentioned the shop.”
I looked at him.
There were several answers to that. None would make getting ready for work any easier.
“You know now,” I said.
I went downstairs and put a slice of bread in the toaster.
The kitchen window was bright with morning light. I filled the kettle, found a clean travel mug, and checked that I had my shop keys.
There was nothing unusual about any of it. I’d done the same things yesterday morning.
Today, I could hear Derek moving around upstairs, and I had to keep reminding myself that I didn’t need to wait for him.
I ate my toast while the kettle boiled.
My phone lit up with the customer’s name again, but this time it was only a message confirming the spelling for the card. I checked it against the order and sent back a quick reply.
By the time I’d made coffee, I had a few minutes to spare.
I could have sat down.
Instead, I rinsed the plate and wiped the crumbs off the counter. Then I checked my bag again, although I’d already found everything I needed.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Derek came into the kitchen in the clothes he’d slept in. His hair was still slightly untidy, and he hadn’t shaved.
I looked away before he could catch me watching.
“There’s hot water,” I said.
He glanced at the kettle, then at the travel mug in my hand.
“You’re taking breakfast with you?”
“I’ve eaten.”
He came closer, stopping beside the counter.
“What time does this woman get there?”
“Eight.”
“It’s not even seven thirty.”
“I still have to finish the flowers.”
I reached past him for the lid to my mug. He picked it up first and handed it to me.
Our fingers touched.
I looked at him then.
His gaze stayed on mine as he let go of the lid.
“You’re in a hurry.”
“I told you I have somewhere to be.”
“I heard you.”
He took the mug from my hand and set it on the counter.
I had time to step away. Instead, when his hand settled at my waist, I moved closer.
He kissed me, and I caught his shirt near the shoulder.
For a few seconds, I let myself stay there. He was warm, familiar now in a way he hadn’t been when I’d first stepped out of the shower. I didn’t have to wonder whether he wanted me to touch him.
When I drew back, he followed, his hand keeping me close.
I turned my face just enough to stop the next kiss.
“Derek.”
“What?”
“I really do have to leave.”
His eyes moved over my face, then down to my hand still holding his shirt.
I let go.
For a moment, he didn’t move. Then his hand loosened, and I stepped back.
He hadn’t been wrong about me wanting him. I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise just because I needed to be somewhere else.
I picked up my coffee and screwed the lid on.
“You’re leaving me here?” he asked.
There was a trace of disbelief in his voice. I couldn’t tell how serious he was.
“You know where everything is.”
He leaned against the counter, watching me put the mug into the side pocket of my bag.
“What time are you back?”
“After closing.”
“Which is when?”
“It depends on what still needs doing.”
I could hear how brief my answers sounded. If I stayed, though, I’d start looking for a reason behind the questions. It was too early, and I had too much to do.
I put on my coat in the hallway.
He followed as far as the kitchen doorway.
I wanted to go back and kiss him once more. I also knew how easily once more could turn into another ten minutes.
So I picked up my keys.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Eleanor.”
I paused with my hand on the door.
“You forgot this.”
He held out the scarf I’d left on the chair beneath my coat.
I took it.
“Thanks.”
I wrapped it around my neck as I stepped outside.
I reached the shop with twenty minutes to spare.
After unlocking the door, I switched on the lights, put my bag behind the counter, and took the customer’s flowers out of the cooler.
They needed a little work. I’d left the final wrapping until morning so I could check the stems and adjust anything that had shifted overnight.
I washed my hands and picked up the shears.
Within a few minutes, I was thinking about the arrangement instead of the kitchen. One rose sat too high. A length of greenery needed trimming. The ribbon I’d set aside was wider than I wanted, so I chose another.
At two minutes to eight, the bell over the door rang.
“Am I too early?”
“You’re fine.” I lifted the bouquet from the worktable. “Come and have a look.”
She approached with her car keys still in her hand. When she saw the flowers, she stopped worrying aloud about the time.
“Oh. That’s lovely.”
I turned the bouquet so she could see it properly.
“And the card’s tucked in here.”
She checked the name, nodded, and asked whether I had anything she could use to keep it steady in the car.
I found a box and showed her how to support it.
By the time she left, she was talking about where she’d put it when she arrived, and I was holding the door so she wouldn’t catch the wrapping on the frame.
“Thank you for coming in early,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
I watched her get safely into her car, then went back inside.
My coffee was still warm. I took a sip and opened the order calendar.
There were deliveries to prepare and a wedding proposal to finish. I moved a pen out of the way, pulled the first order toward me, and got to work.
When I next checked the time, an hour had gone by.
An unread email sat near the top of my inbox.
The subject line mentioned the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s charity gala.
I opened it, expecting a request for a quote.
They needed centerpieces. The turnaround was tight, and they wanted to know whether Four Seasons Florals could take the commission.
I read through the details, then reached for my calendar.
