Page 77 of Hoax and Kisses
I’m sure Zoey’s never done this before, and the idea of sharing that moment with her makes my body shiver with anticipation.
I load the flowers in the van, overcome with more joy than I have any business feeling over something as trivial as this, when a familiar voice breaks through the quiet hum of the morning.
“Do you need help?”
I turn, and there she is.
Zoey rounds the front of my delivery van, and once again, I’m grinning like a fool, far too excited at the sight of her. It’s been four days, and I—well, I really fucking missed her.
My fingers flex around the flowers I’m holding. The low sun catches her hair, turning it a warm chocolate brown. In that soft morning light, she looks a little brighter than the rest of the world, and something inside me whispers that I’ve never known anything more true.
She leans against the van with an easy smile, crossing one ankle over the other.
Did she feel my absence as much as I felt hers? Did the four days we were apart stretch like weeks for her too?
I drop the flowers in the cargo area of the van and close the distance between us. The second I’m within reach, I wrap my arm around her waist, lifting her against me. “Good morning, beautiful.”
She buries her face in the crook of my neck, draping her arms over my shoulders and melting further into me. “Morning.”
Her voice is so soft, so content, it makes me want to keep her nestled here forever. There’s no one around, no one watching, but even if there were, I wouldn’t be pretending. I couldn’t fake this if I tried. I just need her near. And her eager response? It’s like she’s forgotten about it too.
My heart hammers so hard against my ribs I’m sure she can feel it. But does she realize that she’s the reason why?
Pressing my nose into her hair, I breathe her in. “Ready to sell some flowers and mingle with the town?”
“I guess so.” She sighs, and the puff of air warms my skin. “Even if you made me get up super early.”
Laughing, I stroke her hair. “I warned you when we agreed to fake date, remember? You said you had no problem with it.”
“I don’t think I was listening at that moment,” she mumbles.
I untangle myself from her, setting her back on her feet. As we step apart, the blinds of the grocery store a few doors down roll up and Sue appears in the window. She waves to me, and I return the greeting. Zoey turns, and when she spots her, a quietohslips from her lips,her shoulders dropping an inch. When she looks back at me, her eyes have lost a bit of the spark they had a few seconds ago.
I place my hands on her arms. “Everything okay?”
“Absolutely,” she says, flashing me one of her famous fake-ass smiles. “Do you need more help?”
The switch in her attitude gives me whiplash. I want to go back to when she had her arms around my neck and it felt like I was dreaming with my eyes open.
I rock back on my heels. “I have a couple more crates to load, and we’ll be on our way.”
With a nod, she backs away. “I’ll wait for you in the van.”
Ten minutes later, we’re on our way.
“It’s called the Pine Falls Market,” I say as I head for Brookhaven, “but we hold it in a nearby town. It’s a more convenient location for all the hamlets in the area. Kind of like a community market.”
“You do this often?” she asks, shifting in her seat to face me, her expression glinting with curiosity.
I nod. “Every week. It’s very popular, so it’s good business for me.”
When we get there, the square is already buzzing with the early morning energy. All around, local merchants set up their stands, chatting and hauling their wares.
“Anything I should focus on today? Anybody I should charm?” Zoey asks, her tone playful.
“The usual suspects,” I say as I unlock the bed. “Justin—he owns a construction company—usually picks up lunch at Mia’s stand. He’d be a good ally.” With a hand on the van handle, I turn to Zoey. “Just be yourself. You’ve been doing great so far. From the snippets I’ve gleaned here and there, the lodge is on everybody’s mind. Continue what you’ve been doing today. All I ask is that you don’t sell more flowers than me.”
Cheeks pink, she breathes a soft laugh. The sound lights me up from the inside. I worry I’ve become addicted to it.
