Page 35 of The Dating Dare

“That’s really close. Maybe we should’ve walked.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t sure if you planned on buying a trunkful of wildflowers or something.”

“Not quite a trunkful, but I do want a nice-sized bouquet.” He slowed to pull into a spot in front of the flower shop. “Or maybe a huge one. I’m not sure. I have a rough concept in my head for the shot, but I’ll know which flower is the right one when I see it.”

The bell tinkled merrily when they stepped into the lovely flowershop. Tara always felt a little happier when she was in there. The gorgeous palette of nature’s colors and the heady fragrance of the flowers made it seem as though all was right in the world.

“Hey, Rosie.” Tara waved cheerily at the florist/owner.

Seth leaned down and whispered, “Rosie?”

“Shush. She was meant for this job. That’s all.”

“No, I think it’s cool.”

“Tara?” The florist rushed out from behind the counter and wrapped her in her arms. “It’s good to see you. I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

“It’s good to see you, too. Rosie, this is Seth, Aubrey’s new brother-in-law.”

Seth extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Rosie blushed like her namesake flower, placing her hand inside his with a breathy giggle. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

So nice?Was she flirting with Seth? A fleeting image of herself bending down to bite Rosie’s hand struck Tara.Down, green monster. They were just saying hello, for llama’s sake.

“Rosie was two years behind me in high school,” Tara said in an odd, high-pitched voice. “Go, Weldon High.”

“Yeah, she was one of the few upper classmen who acknowledged my existence.” Rosie smiled fondly at her, and Tara felt as small as a pussy willow for her brief bout of jealousy.

“I can see her doing that,” Seth said to Rosie while smiling warmly at Tara.

“She’s exaggerating.” It was Tara’s turn to blush. “Anyways, can we look around the store? Seth here is looking for some flowers that he’ll know when he sees them.”

Rosie blinked rapidly but held on to her smile. “O-kay. Feel free to browse and let me know if you need any help.”

The store was small, but every nook and cranny held beautiful arrangements and potted plants. Seth was quiet as he searched for the right flowers, and Tara walked beside him, enjoying every hidden treasure she spotted.

Her favorite was a small bouquet jam-packed with the colors of spring—yellow, pink, green, white, with droplets of orange-colored berries dotting the surface. Without thinking, she reached out for it. She just wanted to hold it for a second.

“That’s beautiful,” Seth said, reminding her how close by her side he’d been standing. “Do you like it?”

“I do. Something about it is so joyous and whimsical.” She smiled as brightly as the bouquet.

“May I?” He stretched his hand toward the arrangement she still held.

“Sure,” she said, handing it to him. Maybe he was as enchanted by it as she was.

To her surprise, Seth strode purposefully to the register and extended the bouquet to Rosie. “Could you ring this up for us?”

“Was this what you were looking for?” Rosie asked. “I’m very happy with how this turned out.”

“It’s very well done, but it actually caught Tara’s eyes more than mine.”

“Hey, what are you doing?” Tara came up behind Seth and placed a hand on his arm. So warm and firm. She wished she could wrap her hand around it and squeeze to feel how muscular he actually was.Stop acting like a glutton, and focus. “You don’t need to buy me those.”

“I don’t need to, but I want to. You’re taking time out of your day to help me. These are merely a token of my appreciation.”

Rosie’s eyes hopped from Seth to Tara. If Tara made a big deal out of it, it would look suspicious. Besides, it really wasn’t a big deal. Hewas just buying her flowers to thank her for her help. It didn’t matter that she never accepted flowers from men. They were too hard to explain to her family. But this time, she didn’t want to refuse. She really loved the bouquet, and if she were honest with herself, the giver wasn’t half bad himself.

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