Chapter 13
thirteen
In the garden of love, flowers don’t die.
—Nitya Prakash
TESSA
Tessa and Dawson remained hovering nervously near the greenhouse until the wedding ceremony was over. She wanted to be available in case Jaime or Claire needed anything brought back from the flower shop. Dawson hung around in case something went horribly wrong with the greenhouse, like a space heater conked out or the electricity went wonky. So far, from where they were standing by the Airstream, this event was a success. The sun was setting, and the dinner service had just started, and this portion of the evening belonged to the caterer. Tessa was starting to relax. When the staff had left the Airstream to deliver dinner plates, Tessa popped inside to get two cups of just-brewed coffee out of the percolating coffeemaker.
She came back out to join Dawson. He was leaning against the Airstream, one ankle crossed over the other, hands in his pockets, a pleased look on his face.
He took the cup she held out for him. “Thanks.”
She stood beside him, looking at the greenhouse in the setting sun. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? All that’s happened in just a few weeks.” Inside the greenhouse, guests were laughing and enjoying themselves. “I might have imagined fields of flowers, but I had never imagined this.” She took a sip of coffee. “Liam wants us to consider keeping this as a venue site and not use it as a greenhouse.”
“Yeah,” Dawson said. “He told me the same thing.”
“But that’s ridiculous, right? We need the greenhouse for the flowers. That’s what this flower farm is all about.”
Dawson remained quiet, which wasn’t unusual, but this quiet went on for way too long. She pivoted to face him. “Something’s up.” A spike of fear trickled through her. Maybe he’d been so insistent about the greenhouse so that he could leave with a clear conscience. The flower farm had a solid base, it had the patronage of Rose’s Flower Shop, Tessa had her friends back ... and now he could get a real job. Elsewhere.
“So ... I bought those six acres.”
“Wait ... what?” The adjoining six acres to her field?
He pushed off from the trailer. “I know I should’ve told you, but it was too good a deal to pass up. And this way, if we wanted to keep this greenhouse as a venue site—for weddings or flower workshops or those kinds of things you keep talking about—we could add another greenhouse in the back six acres. This site is best for bringing in the public. Easy access to the road, good parking. And then there’s varieties. You wanted year-round flowers and that’s going to take more than three acres.”
“Dawson ... hold on a minute. I love the idea of this, but I can’t afford that land.”
“You don’t have to. I bought it.”
“You can’t afford to buy it.”
“I can and I did.”
Still confused, she peered at him. “But ... that would mean...” What did it mean?
A smile started. “It would mean ... that you’re no longer my boss.” He took her coffee cup out of her hand and set both cups on the ground. He took a step closer to her. “It would mean ... that we’re partners.” He put his hands on her elbows. “It would mean that we’re in this for the long haul.” He peered down at her, his eyes landing on her lips. “It would mean I’m all in ... if you are.”
She looked up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “All in.” She reached up to kiss him, and as his arms circled around her, she realized that she’d never really known what it was to be loved until she was loved by Dawson. Between kisses, she said, “I just came up with a name for our flower farm. A Year of Flowers.”
He tightened his arms around her. “I like it. Says it all.”
They stayed in an embrace for a long while, so long that Tessa closed her eyes. The minute she did, a lovely feeling came over her. Like a hug from Rose. She opened her eyes with a start, but it was Dawson whose arms held her.
And suddenly a commotion from inside the greenhouse startled them. The caterer bolted out of the greenhouse and ran toward the Airstream. “Get some towels! A blanket! Bring hot water! The bride started line dancing and her water broke! The baby’s coming.”