Page 51 of The Floral Arrangement

I watched her, fascinated. How did she manage to remain so cool while covered in mud and with her butt exposed to the breeze? Perhaps twenty years in the cutthroat world of management consulting prepared you for every eventuality, including unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions. I tugged at the collar of my dress. Whatever the reason, Roz’s butt was not helping me shake off the annoying attraction I’d developed toward her one iota.

“That was great,” Fred said as we walked back to his car, Roz keeping a step behind him.

Roz smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that.”

A group of teens passed us, heading toward the petting zoo. Roz twisted her back slightly away from them and wrapped her arm around my waist, pressing her body close to mine. Roz’s cedar scent, the earthy tones stronger than usual, danced in my nostrils. My pulse increased.She’s just doing it to protect her modesty, remember?

I watched Fred as he pulled his keys from his pocket and pressed a button. Surely he now had enough information to give an enthusiastic yes.

“Do you have any other questions?” Roz asked.

“Not at the moment.” Fred reached for his car door. “But this is such a great area, I’ve decided to look for a vacation home around here.” He grinned. “I’ll be staying here for the next week and working remotely. So if I think of anything else I’ll be in easy reach. I’ll probably pop in once or twice to have lunch at the café—those fritters I had last time were delicious.”

“Oh, excellent.” A muscle twitched under Roz’s eye. “Talk soon.”

“How do you think it went?” I asked as Fred reversed his car out of the parking spot.

Still smiling, Roz muttered through her teeth, “Terrific. My butt’s hanging out of my pants and I’m covered in mud.”

I laughed. “Thankfully, Fred didn’t seem to notice the butt situation.”

“Yes, well let’s head back inside before anyone else does.” Roz scanned the parking lot. “Thank god the farm is quiet this morning.”

We walked across the lot. As we stepped onto the path to the house, my eyes dipped to Roz’s butt. Heat shot up my cheeks as I yanked my gaze away and focused on Roz’s face instead. “So butts aside, do you think he’s interested?”

“He loved your sustainability sections and he seemed impressed with all the information we included about supply and demand.” Roz pressed her lips together. “But I think he’s worried I don’t have enough practical farming experience.”

“Really? He seems so enthusiastic. Well, he clearly hasn’t seen you milk a cow,” I said, grinning. “If he did, he’d realize exactly how good at farming you are.”

Roz narrowed her eyes. “Ha ha.”

“And the fact he’s considering buying a house around here has to be a good sign right?”

Roz shrugged. “I hope so.”

“I did have one big takeaway from today’s meeting,” I said, picking up my speed to keep up with Roz’s fast stride so I wasn’t tempted to peek at her butt again.

“Hmm, what’s that?” Roz gave a muddy patch of dirt a wide berth.

“You need some new clothes.” I watched Roz closely. Would she be offended by my suggestion?

Roz’s forehead wrinkled. “These pants are a write-off, but I’ve got plenty more at home.”

“I don’t mean more of those pants. I mean a whole new wardrobe. While your clothes are very, um… business-like, they’re not exactly designed for farm life. They seem better suited for impressing rich CEOs of Fortune 500 companies than convincing people you’re a farmer.”

Roz paused for a moment and then gave an abrupt nod. “You’re probably right. I have been thinking that I need some new clothes.” She sighed. “I’ve been putting it off because I can’t stand shopping.”

“Well, if you want, I could take you.” My mouth slammed shut. What the hell was I doing? I was trying to avoid spending unnecessary time with Roz, and here I was volunteering to be her personal shopper? But I’d seen the way Fred had stared at her shoes. Making Roz look more like a farmer might help convince him that she knew what she was doing. And I had no confidence that Roz would select the appropriate clothes if she was left to her own devices.

Roz shot me a sharp look. “Are you sure?”

I stopped at the front steps of the farmhouse. “Why don’t we go now? Maddie is covering for me at Sapphire Blooms. And I need to buy a new hat anyway.”

“Okay.” Roz sprang up the steps and pushed open the front door. “I’ll just run upstairs and get changed.Feel free to make yourself at home. Oh, and before we head off, we should have lunch. Shopping is bad enough at the best of times. Shopping on an empty stomach is even worse.”

An image of Roz, always so proper, having a toddler-like hangry meltdown on the floor of Tractor Supply Co. flashed into my mind. I chuckled.“Sounds great.”

“My treat.” Roz paused in the doorway. “As a thank-you for attending the meeting today.”

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