Page 24 of Rose's One Night to Forever
“Exactly.” Rose hummed a happy tune as she swung.
Chance sat on his own swing and watched her, his gaze tracing the line of her legs as she pumped back and forth.
She was so full of life, so intensely beautiful, he wasn’t certain he could behave like a mature adult and give their relationship the time it needed to develop. The urge to say something wild about how much he already cared was strong.
He was drawn to her, intrigued—
Falling under her spell.
It was too fast, even though in his soul, he knew it was right. Which meant, somehow, he needed to plan and plot to make sure she felt the same way. Make sure this summer was filled with the magic needed not just to set up his studio and a new home, but a new life.
One full of opportunities to see Rose bloom.
10
The first gift arrived the next morning.
Rose went downstairs to grab the newspaper before hurrying back up to their apartment with the oversized envelope in her hands.
“What’s that?” Tansy asked.
Carefully, Rose used a letter opener to slit the top of the legal-sized envelope. “No idea, but it’s addressed to me and has no stamps. So somebody local put it through the mail slot.”
She eased out two pieces of cardboard, sliding them apart to display a dazzling photograph of a bouquet of yellow roses. It wasn’t a straight-on portrait but one taken at a slightly off angle. The bright yellows and pale shadows contrasted sharply, the background image a gentle blur that somehow made the flowers pop until she swore she could touch them.
“Oh. How pretty.”
“Someone’s sweet on you,” Tansy teased. “And someone is very talented. Look.” She pointed at the logo on the back of the picture.
A stylized C and G overlapped with the words artistic endeavors forming waves like an old-fashioned postal script behind it.
Happiness warmed Rose. “That’s Chance’s logo.”
“Chance and Rose, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Tansy chanted, but she grinned widely as she wrapped an arm around Rose’s shoulder. “I think he’s nice, and more than that, I think you think he’s nice.”
“I do. But we’re just dating,” Rose said. “There’s no guarantees this is going anywhere.”
“True.” Tansy leaned forward and examined the picture a little closer. “Those are your roses. From your shop.”
Rose blinked then took a second look herself. “You’re right.”
He must have snapped it the night he’d rescued her from the broken glass and stayed to help.
She propped the picture on the bookshelf where she could see it easily.
That was the beginning. Every day, something arrived to make her smile. None of the trinkets were expensive, many of them free or homemade. A pretty rock he found while exploring, a bouquet made from delicate willow branches tied with rustic twine.
A small metallic button with a teeny painted frog in the middle. Around the edges were the words I Get Up at the Croak of Dawn.
After that first morning, Chance accompanied his offerings, and every time he showed up to present them, Rose caught herself staring at him, wondering if he would vanish soon. If the sweet wonder of their situation would fade, or if he’d realize small-town life wasn’t what he was looking for.
A small part inside her worried he’d realize she wasn’t what he was looking for.
But he kept coming.
He invited her to join him at the movies, accompanied her on walks. Occasionally they met in the evening, but more often, they took to stealing time out of the middle of the day, joining each other for lunch.
Two weeks after he’d had dinner with her parents, Chance showed up at the flower shop with lunch for them both and a book neatly wrapped with familiar wrapping paper.
