Page 13 of Cursed Luck
She wondered how much longer he planned to stick around. There was not much more she could take. If he penetrated her dreams before, there was no doubt he would take on a starring role after the innocent touches they had shared.
“I hope you don’t give your other clients the same kind of advice,” she muttered.
“What are you talking about? I haven’t been given the opportunity to even advise you.”
Mia quirked a brow at him. “You haven’t? Hmm… Well, have at it so you can get back to more important things.”
“Are you always this pleasant with customers? Because… never mind.” Before she could toss out a scathing reply, he continued. “I suggest you pull back what you have. You have a wonderful selection of products to offer, but it’s overwhelming your customers. In the front, you should keep your fresh-cut flowers you have wrapped to one side of the door. On the other side, some smaller houseplants. This will draw them inside where you’ll have more of both. But… not this many,” he said, his hands in the air as he spun slowly. “Any of the extras, keep in the back and pull them out as you sell. Too many options tell the customer you’re available. Make them think you have product flying off the shelves. It’s obvious with or without your magic you are incredibly talented. Your eye for details creates masterful arrangements.”
“Really?” she asked, torn between wanting to smack him and fawn over the compliment.
He nodded. “You do. If you trust me and don’t let your pigheadedness get in the way, your business will double if not triple in this next quarter.”
Mia froze. “Excuse me?”
He placed a few random plants on the counter. “What?”
“Pigheadedness?”
His eyes rounded, and his lips parted and shut. “Who said pigheadedness?”
“You did,” she stated, her voice hard as her muscles clenched.
“I did?”
“Care to tell me why you think I am pigheaded?” she asked through clenched teeth.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, Mia. It’s just, I saw how you looked at Penny when she came in, and—”
“Nope. You don’t get to come in here and tell me howI’mlooking at someone is a problem.”
“She was a customer.”
“Yes, she was, and she had no right to snub her nose at my store. She hadn’t even looked around!” she snapped as she waved a finger around the shop.
“You don’t know that,” he replied. “You need her business.”
Mia sucked her lips into her mouth as she inhaled deeply, then released them with a pop. “Look, Edward. I appreciate you coming in here trying to help me, but I think I’ll be doing fine. Have a great day,” she said and turned her back toward him.
Edward set the watering can back down as she raised it. “Pig-head-ed-ness,” he said slowly, enunciating each syllable. “If I hadn’t sweet-talked Penny, you wouldn’t have soldeighteenarrangements just now with the possibility of being the florist for her sister’swedding!”
It didn’t matter at all if there was any validity to his words. His arrogance—mixed with the tone he used—made her see red.
“Get out now before I make you get out,” she demanded. Her voice had a hard, eerie edge to it.
His nostrils flared, and his dark eyes turned nearly black as he shook his head. “I’ll go, but you know I’m right, even if you’re not willing to admit it. This isn’t the end of it.”
Chapter 7
It’d been a week since he stepped into Mia’s Flowers, long enough that each breath he took should have been void of the floral aroma he associated with the beautiful and crazy woman. She seemed to haunt his every minute—in his dreams, the walk into work where he noticed more planters lining the sidewalks than he cared to admit, and the memories that seemed to creep up on him.
No other woman crawled under his skin like Mia Hemlock had. She went toe to toe with him, even if he hadn’t tried to argue or upset her.
Edward grinned. She had shown obvious signs of jealousy with the woman in the store. His chest puffed at the thought. He’d never cared for jealous women, avoiding them at all costs. And yet Mia’s reaction left him elated.
Unable to stop himself, he took a detour to the café. He’d nearly ordered a cappuccino for Mia before the familiar tingle of magic directed him to choose tea instead. Thankfully, Brandy was not around to see him buying a special blend tea and coffee. She would have ridden his ass to find out who the former was for.
The sun was still low in the sky as he took long strides toward Mia’s Flowers. He smirked at the tea as varying outcomes played in his head. Would Mia appreciate the gesture and accept the cup? Was she the type of woman to toss it in his face? Could she accept the peace offering? Had she thought of him as much as he had of her?
