Chapter 3
Maverick
I adjusted a bunch of pale pink peonies next to vibrant orange dahlias and white jasmine blossoms. Silas was bringing in a client to choose their wedding flowers.
I had a catalog with more exotic flowers that could be ordered, but I always liked to set out any popular options I had on hand for them to see in person.
While I added gardenias in shades of yellow and white, the door bells tinkled.
“Be right with you,” I called, surveying the colorful display one last time before turning toward the door.
“Oh, how lovely,” Lula Miller said with a smile. “No wonder this place is called Rainbow Garden.”
“Yes,” I said, not pointing out that it was also called that because I was gay as fuck and didn’t want to bother hiding it for the business’s sake.
If someone had a problem with it, they could drive their asses over to Boring Garden in Riverton.
Its actual name was Bouquets For Every Occasion, but whatever, it was Boring with a capital B.
Paula Goodman stood with Lula, gazing around the shop through cat-eye glasses with turquoise rims. Glass coolers along the far side of the wall held every variety of flower I was likely to sell this time of year.
I had bright, colorful bouquets of daisies with birthday messages, bunches of lilies and white hydrangeas, roses, and mums suitable for funeral services, roses and carnations for anniversaries, and more.
I tried to anticipate every occasion—as well as offering custom floral designs that were more creative—but this time of year was really all about the weddings.
“How can I help you ladies? I’ve got a wedding consult coming in a few minutes.”
Lula perked up. “Oh, is Silas working this one?”
“He sure is,” I said. “But I want to get you two sorted out before I get sidetracked with wedding fanfare. Are we just looking?”
“I wanted a summer bouquet for my next party,” Paula said. “It makes a nice hostess gift, and it brightens up the room and keeps the affair classy.”
“Classy. Right.”
I’d heard about these parties, though I’d never been to one.
Paula had made a name for herself as the sex toy queen of Granville.
I wasn’t sure selling dildos, vibrators, and ball gags was classy, per se, but I was all for sex positivity—especially when I’d heard that Paula had added a line of toys to appeal to gay men, too.
That was, in fact, classy in my book.
“Let me show you some options,” I said, walking her over to the coolers. “I’m thinking you want something that says elegant but fun, not too romantic because this isn’t a date, but more…the sense of possibility.”
“That’s exactly right,” Paula said with a big smile. “Perhaps you’d like to come to the party? I’m unveiling a few new products—”
Lula leaned in and said, “Anal snakes and a new silicone sound. That goes in your—”
“Oh, I know what it is,” I interrupted with a shrill laugh. “I think I’m all set in that department.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Lula said.
“It’s a natural part of life,” Paula added. “I don’t think of these as toys so much as bedroom aids. It saved my marriage, because Dirk sure was hopeless on his own.”
TMI. T.M.I!
“About those flowers,” I interrupted before they could scar me any further. “Let me get started on a bouquet for you.”
I pulled together a blush-colored arrangement with peach roses and mini Gerbera daisies, pink snapdragons and hot pink Peruvian lilies, accented with feather willow eucalyptus and greenery.
“The sweet blush of what’s to come.” I held up the vase. “What do you think?”
“You’re an artist!” Paula said. “It’s perfect.”
I finished tucking in the last stem as the door chimed with Silas’s entry. Lula whirled. “Look what the cat dragged in! Where’s your bride?”
Silas quirked a smile. “Actually, I’ve got a groom joining me today.”
“Oh, really? It’s lovely to see a man take some initiative.”
“Well, one of them has to,” Silas said with a chuckle. “This is an all-groom ceremony.”
I tilted my head. Well, well. It had been a while since we had a same-sex marriage.
There was a flurry of them for a while. Tucker and Laurie Ellis, Wes and Beckett Monroe, Hunter and Clark Rhodes.
But it’d been at least a year without any action on that front.
Evan and Dawson Woods had gotten married in a small backyard affair, so I didn’t get to participate in that one, and by all accounts, the other same-sex couples in town seemed content to skip all the frills.
I kept hoping Calista would bring in her girlfriend, but it hadn’t happened yet.
“Who is it?” Lula asked eagerly.
Silas shook his head. “We’re not here to feed you gossip, Aunt Lula. You’ll just have to get your invitation in the mail like everyone else.”
She huffed. “Not if I wait for your groom to show up.”
Silas shot me a look, and I took my cue to ring up the bouquet for Paula. While I did, Lula pestered Silas about the mystery groom, but he was tight-lipped.
His phone rang, and he pulled it out of his back pocket.
“Hey, I’m over at Rainbow Garden whenever you’re ready…
Oh. What about—” He paused to listen to the other end of the line.
“Okay, we’ll reschedule. No problem. My aunt is here, dying to accost you the second you walk through the door, so this is probably for the best.”
Lula smacked his arm. “Don’t tell him!”
Silas shimmied away from her, laughing into the phone. “Yeah, don’t worry. My lips are sealed. I enjoy making her suffer a little, anyway.”
“Silas!” Lula gasped, looking affronted.
“Toodles,” Silas said with a playful grin and tucked the phone back into his pocket. “Sorry, Aunt Lula. My groom won’t be making it today.” He glanced toward me and said more sincerely, “Sorry to put you to all this trouble for nothing, Mav.”
I waved it away. “No problem. Just let me know when you’ve got something rescheduled.”
“Will do. See you later.”
Silas turned toward the door, but Lula caught his arm. “Wait, enough teasing. Who is it?”
Silas mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. “I’ll never tell.”
He dashed out the door, and Lula huffed and took off after him. I exchanged a glance with Paula.
“Think she’ll get it out of him?” Paula asked.
I smirked. “I think he enjoys the pain he’s inflicting a little too much to give up the secret easily.”
She giggled. “You’re probably right. Thank you so much for this lovely bouquet. Are you sure you don’t want an invite to the party?”
“I’m su—”
I stopped short, a devious smile creeping across my face.
I didn’t have any desire to go to a sex toy party, especially one full of middle-aged or older women who would scar me mentally.
But…I knew someone who’d be looking to get me back for that little “truck for sale” prank and who was definitely worthy of a little bit of scarring.
Figuratively speaking, of course.
“Any chance I could buy something without attending a party?” I asked.
Paula beamed. “Actually, now that you mention it, I have a few things in my trunk. Would you like to come see?”
Buying sex toys out of an old woman’s car trunk? Sounded sketchy.
“I’m in!”