Page 59 of The Floral Arrangement

“Sure.” Happy to delay our meeting for as long as possible, I started the engine and continued on. The grass lining the road was surprisingly overgrown. Jim would never have let it get that long.

Next to the road, part way down the flower field, Dana was crouched over inspecting a red tulip.

She looked up as my shadow crossed her vision. “We’ve got aphids.”

My stomach dropped. “Shit. How bad is it?” A severe infestation could destroy an entire crop of flowers.

“There aren’t too many—yet. But I’ll need to get on it before they multiply.” Dana wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “And did you hear that the heat pump in the greenhouse broke too, as well as the ride-on lawnmower?”

“Oh no! That explains why the grass was looking so overgrown.” I wrinkled my brow. “And heat pumps are expensive.” Another financial hit was the last thing the farm needed.

“Yeah. Thank god it’ll be fairly warm for the next few weeks, so the flowers in there should be okay for now.” Dana brushed dirt off her pants. “It feels like the farm is just falling apart since Jim left.”

I crouched next to her and examined a yellow tulip. Dozens of tiny green aphids were crawling on its stem. “I can’t help with the heat pump, but I’m going to Lowe’s this afternoon to get more supplies for the store and can pick up some neem oil if you’d like.”

Dana smiled. “That would be awesome, thanks. I’m run off my feet at the moment. Jim used to do so much around here whereas Roz is… Well, she’s no Jim.”

“I saw you had her pruning roses without gloves,” I said, raising my eyebrows.

Dana smirked. “Yes, well.” She stood up and straightened her shirt. “Look, Roz isn’t my favorite person, but at least she’s willing to get her hands dirty and learn more about farming. And she finally bought some sensible clothes, thank god. It was excruciating watching her walk around here in her fancy business suits.” She led me down the field, beside a row of purple tulips. “I need her to succeed, otherwise I’m screwed. I did notice she seems to be taking interest in you.” Dana glanced sideways at me.

“Me?” My stomach twisted. Shit. I had no idea if Dana thought we were dating or not. Probably not, or she wouldn’t have been so open with me about Roz’s failings. I should say something. Although, perhaps I should speak to Roz first, in case she wanted to control the message. Dana was her employee, after all. But was it weird not to mention it?

Dana shrugged, oblivious to my internal panic. “She wanted to do the flower delivery the other day. And whenever your name arises, I’ve noticed her ears prick up.”

“Huh,” I said noncommittally. That was interesting. “Oh wow, these hyacinths are incredible. They’re going to look fantastic in the table centerpieces for the wedding next week.”

“They’re stunning, aren’t they?” Dana tilted her head toward the old glass greenhouse, which was now used primarily as a workspace. “Should we head over and go through the orders?”

* * *

I returnedto a pile of thorny branches in front of the farmhouse, with Roz nowhere to be seen. I peered at the rose bushes. The cuts were neat, and she’d done a nice job thinning the bushes out.Not bad.

I walked up the stairs to the porch. The front door was open, so I tentatively poked my head inside. “Roz?”

“I’m in the study,” Roz called. “Come in.”

I entered the large room. Light streamed through the open window, which looked out over the grassy lawn and parking lot. Roz sat behind the imposing oak desk, plans spread out in front of her. She looked so… confident and in control.

“Take a seat,” she said, flipping the drawings around so I could see them and gesturing at the wooden chair opposite her.

I sat down and poured over the artist renderings of a large, red brick building with floor-to-ceiling, black steel-framed windows. “Wow, these are great!” The architect had included the solar panels and rainwater collection system I’d suggested and it looked like most of the building would be constructed from sustainable materials.

Roz stood and walked around the desk so she was directly behind me. She leaned over and pointed to the large building. “So, this will now fit up to three hundred people and function as both an event space and a taproom.” She moved her finger over to a smaller building, which looked like a barn. “And this is for the catering kitchen and storage.” She pulled over another drawing of the event space’s interior.

Roz’s arm brushed against my shoulder. Damn, she smelled nice. I took a deep breath through my nose. Sandalwood and cedar with earthy undertones.That would make an amazing candle. Eau de Roz.

I shook myself, refocusing on the designs in front of me. My eyes widened as I studied the artist’s rendering of the interior. Wooden floors, incredible views over the farm from the large windows and a soaring ceiling.

“This is amazing! I can’t wait to see my flower arrangements here.”

“Oh, good. I’m glad you think so. Do you have any other thoughts?” Roz was so close to me that her warm breath tickled my cheek.Don’t turn around. Focus on the plans.

I shuffled on the chair to create some space between us, bumping the paper in the process. We reached out to straighten the plans at the same time, our hands touching. I yanked mine away.

Roz looked at me. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, sorry.” I swallowed and returned my gaze to the plans. “Have they mentioned insulation?”

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