33. Tom
THIRTY-THREE
Tom
“ D id she just faint?” Amelia gasps.
I caught Zoe’s fall, bending to get a better hold on her lax body, sliding my hands under her knees to cradle her in my arms carry-over-the-threshold style.
The bell wails an announcement of what would normally be a new customer, but Perry, Amelia and I turn to discover Samantha and Lexi Cocker walking into Florist Shop, both with jackets over dance clothes — yoga pants and tops. The latter explodes with, “Oh no! What happened?!” as they race forward, worry for Zoe etched into their faces.
Perry shakes his head. “Tom shocked her.”
Breaking a palm frond off a nearby tree for sale, and waving it at Zoe’s unconscious face, Amelia blurts, “Tom shocked us all!”
“To the point where she fainted?” Samantha frowns, “How?”
Lexi commands me, “Tell us what you did that shocked her this much! ”
I don’t say anything, so Amelia and Perry shout at once, “He kissed her!”
The Cocker sisters blink at me, then at Zoe, then back at me.
Lexi gestures with her hands, asking me, “You kissed her kissed her, or like muah … a peck kiss?” long red fingernails spread.
Perry scoffs, “You think she’d faint over a peck kiss?”
“She might.”
Samantha chides her sister, “Lexi, come on.”
“What? This is Zoe!” Lexi Cocker whispers, like she’s afraid of waking Zoe with the proclamation, “She might!”
Amelia is happy to clear the air, jumping in to announce, “He kissed her kissed her. Like one of those movie smooches right before the credits roll that leaves you crying and floating out of the theater. That kind of kiss.”
Perry tells me, “And then Tom said, You’re mine, Zoe Cocker. ”
Lexi grabs Samantha’s arm, knees buckling. “What?! Wow! I wish I’d seen that!”
Samantha is blinking heavily at me. “Tom Bennet! You are amazing.”
Lexi grins, “I feel like I’m going to cry!”
Samantha correctly deduces, “That’s why you were chasing her that night,” adding quietly, “What made her faint?”
Lexi smacks Sam’s arm. “The kiss! The claiming of her by saying she’s his! All of that! What, are you not paying attention?”
“But fainting?” Samantha tilts her head.
I explain,“Zoe’s not used to being treasured,” bringing her forehead to my lips and tenderly kissing her soft skin. “I’m going to change that.”
Amelia sighs, “Oh Tom. We’re leaving something out. You need to remember what she said before she fainted.”
I’m not going to say it aloud. Samantha and Lexi are staring at me, waiting to hear but I am not going to say it. I won’t give it that power.
Perry takes over, parroting, “ But I’m getting married. ” He sighs, adding a sad, “That’s what she said.”
“Wait…” Samantha whispers, “She’s going through with it?”
“Of course she is going through with it! This is Zoe we’re talking about!”
The front bell roars, turning all of us toward the door, again expecting a customer, but instead find Caleb himself strolling in, no suit jacket over his button-up shirt and tie. At seeing all of us, his casually confident expression changes to annoyance. “What’re you doing with my fiancé? What happened to Zoe?!”
Lexi and Samantha exchange a surprised and suspenseful look before turning toward me as I begin to say, “She’s alright — she just…”
“What’s going on?” Zoe whispers, opening foggy eyes. “Is that a customer?” She looks over, sees Caleb and darts a quick look up to me, shock and shame crossing her features. “Oh! Oh my gosh. Did I faint? Please put me down.”
My heart caves in as I respect her wishes. Caleb walks right to her as Samantha and Lexi make a path for him. Why are they so ready to allow him in? Are they just curious about what’s going to happen next?
“Zoe, you okay?” Caleb includes the vast amount of bouquet-filled vases in his question, “Was it the stress of doing so many of these?”
“No. I mean…” Zoe glances to me, then to her cousins, then fixes her gaze on him, agony on her beautiful face. “Yes! With all that’s been going on, I was so stressed out I…fainted!”
“There’s been a lot going on, alright!” Perry mutters.
Amelia clears her throat and nods a flat, “Very stressful.”
Lexi and Samantha are staring from Caleb to me before finally landing on Zoe as she says, “But we’re almost done. And now that Tom’s here to help, we should be finished within the hour.”
“I can help, too,” Caleb offers, and I want to punch him again.
“No!” Zoe hurries to add, “It would take more time to teach you.”
“Well, I came by to take you to dinner, since you’re normally closed by this time. I checked the business hours online when you didn’t answer my text.”
“Oh!” Zoe blinks. “I had the ringer off so I wouldn’t be distracted.”
“What if a customer called?”
“I had an auto-reply set up.”
Caleb shakes his head. “I didn’t get one.”
Zoe wraps her arms around her head, covering her face in dismay, “I must’ve forgotten to set that!”
Lexi explodes with what she seems to think is a brilliant idea, “You know what?! You go to dinner, Zoe. We’ll stay here with your team and finish this up.”
My teeth grit together, and I shove my hands into my pockets.
Samantha frowns at her sister, but when she receives a go-with-it-and-don’t-argue look in return, smiles and agrees, “You probably passed out because your stomach is empty. Don’t worry. We can do this for you. We’ve helped before.”
Lexi adds, “Remember before you were able to hire Amelia and Perry? When it was just you working seven days straight and Tom delivering for you?” Lexi glances to me with a look that makes me wonder what she’s up to. To Zoe she says, “Besides, don’t forget I was almost a florist, so I’ve got mad skills.”
Samantha smiles encouragingly at Zoe.
Caleb offers Zoe his arm. “Let’s get some vitamins into you. I’ll take you anywhere you want. Tell me your favorite place.”
She frowns at her cousins, but both Lexi and Sam emphatically nod. I exhale frustration through my nose. Zoe’s not telling him I kissed her, or what I said, and I can’t see how my declaring it does any good right now. If she goes with him, that says a lot to me.
What’s she gonna do?
“Okay, I’ll go.” Zoe takes his arm, and won’t look at me as the two of them head to the door. “I can do any final touches in the morning.”
Amelia runs behind the counter. “Wait! Your phone!” and runs it over, throwing me an apologetic glance as she passes. “I’ll check for any new orders.”
“We can do those in the morning, Amelia. You guys have been working all day. Promise me you’ll wait.”
“Promise.”
Lexi calls out, “Have a nice dinner!”
The sound of the bell mirrors my soul’s objection to them leaving together. Alone.
I stare at Lexi. “Why did you encourage that? Didn’t you see what a bad spot you put her in?”
Samantha stares at her sister, too. “Were you just trying to get them out of here, because it would be too awkward with Caleb and Tom here together, helping her with these arrangements?”
Perry mutters, “Awkward is an understatement.”
“Nope.” Lexi’s green eyes flash. “Zoe has a choice to make.”
“I’m her choice,” I growl.
Lexi raises a red eyebrow. “Did she leave, or did she stay with you?”