Page 63 of The Floral Arrangement

An image appeared, uninvited, in my head: me sitting on Roz’s desk, naked with my legs splayed, as Roz, standing between my thighs, trailed kisses down my neck. A lick of heat unfurled from my core.

No, no, no. I shook my head.Do not go there, Olivia.

I’d order extra garlic on the pizza so I didn’t get any ideas.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

ROZ

I stared at my wardrobe,naked and still slightly damp from my shower. Shit. What was appropriate movie-night attire?

While my clothing selection had expanded considerably thanks to my shopping trip with Olivia, there was still a gaping hole when it came to clothing to socialize in. My options were a suit, my gym clothes or farm clothes. The memory of Olivia staring at me as I stepped out of my truck wearing Lycra on the day of the bike ride was still fresh in my mind. Gym clothes were definitely off the table. I pulled out a pair of charcoal gray suit pants and a white shirt and held them against my body in front of the mirror.

I sighed. No, that looked way too formal to eat pizza in.

Tan work pants and a red flannel shirt it would have to be.

Olivia’s movie night suggestion had surprised me, especially given her strange behavior lately, but I was looking forward to having a distraction from worrying about the farm, especially after the discussion with the accountant I’d had earlier in the week. We didn’t just need the funding to keep the flower farm going. We needed it to keep the entire business above water. A heavy sensation pulled at my chest.There’s no point dwelling on it now.

My doorbell chimed. I flung on my shirt and pulled on the pants, then glanced at my reflection in the mirror. It would have to do.

Running my hand through my hair, I jogged down the stairs, slowing my pace as I approached the front door. I didn’t want to be out of breath to greet Olivia.

I opened the door and blinked.

Mom and Dad stood in front of me, beaming.They looked like they’d come directly from playing tennis, both wearing white shoes and white polo shirts, Mom in blue capris and Dad in white shorts.

I folded my arms. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, sweetheart,” Mom said, pulling her sunglasses on top of her head.

Dad’s gaze shifted to the perimeter of the parking lot. “Your roses are looking good, Roz.”

Despite myself, my chest welled with pride. “I just pruned them.” I refocused my attention on my parents. “So, what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu visit to?”

“Ah, yes. Surprise!” Dad threw something at me.

Ouch. A small hard object hit my chest. I grabbed it just as it slid down my shirt.

Dad grimaced. “Sorry. I forgot about your poor reflexes.”

I stared at the object in my hand and frowned. Were they playing some weird joke on me? It looked like the car key for my old car, just without any scratches on it.

“It’s parked over there.” Mom pointed in the direction of the parking lot.

My gaze fell on a shiny black Mercedes-Benz. My eyes narrowed.They didn’t.“What’s that?”

“It’s your new car.” Mom grinned. “Since your insurance company wouldn’t cover it, we thought we would.”

They did.My blood pounded through my veins with ferocious intensity.

I sucked in a deep breath, held it and then released it.Stay calm.“That is very generous, but you know how I feel about accepting gifts.” Especially gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from my parents, of all people. “And I’m quite happy driving the farm trucks around. It’s a lot more practical than a Mercedes. Can you please return it?”

“Come on, Roz,” Dad said, glancing at Mom whose smile was faltering. “Just take it. We want you to have it.”

Mom nodded. “We have more than enough money.”

“No. I—” A door slammed. I shifted my gaze toward the parking lot. Olivia jumped out of her car, wearing jeans and a light red sweater. She leaned back in and pulled out four pizza boxes. My eyebrows shot up. “Olivia has just arrived for dinner. I’m not arguing about this. I know you mean well, but I don’t want the car.”

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