CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ROME
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“Fortunately, these flowers come in multiple colors,” she continued. “So, they’re perfect if you want them to blend in with your home’s décor.”
I had no idea which flowers she was referring to because I hadn’t been paying attention. Damn.
“What would you recommend?” I asked, not wanting her to know I’d gotten lost in her eyes for a moment.
“For someone who doesn’t leave the house often?”
I nodded.
“I’d recommend something calming and easy to care for. Flowers can also help clean the air in a home. Since this person rarely leaves home, those kinds of flowers could be helpful. Bromeliads, gerberas, and peace lilies are all suitable options for removing harmful toxins from the air.”
It was funny how she was talking about cleaning the air while she was the one making it difficult for me to breathe. And to focus.
“Peace lilies,” I repeated, glancing at the plant she’d gestured toward. “They sound nice.”
“They’re beautiful, simple, and they don’t require much maintenance.”
“You... uh... know a whole lot about flowers,” I told her. “How long have you been doing this?”
“Most of my life,” she said, touching the leaf of one plant. “My family has owned this shop for years.”
“Was this always your dream?” I asked. “Becoming a florist?”
Her gaze returned to mine. Would I ever stop feeling like I couldn’t breathe when this woman stared directly at me?
“No,” she admitted. “This wasn’t always my dream. But it’s always been a passion of mine, and I love what I do.”
“What was your dream before this?” I asked.
“It’s been so long, I don’t even remember what that dream was,” she told me, and I knew a lie when I heard it.
I’d been hoping she’d say something pertaining to her degree. Since she hadn’t, I couldn’t bring it up. Damn. All of this being patient was driving me crazy. I understood why my brothers had resorted to kidnapping. That would make all this a lot easier.
I studied her as she explained the upkeep for various flowers. The professional tone remained in place as she talked, but there was something underneath it. Something controlled. She was keeping a distance between us. Forcing herself not to be too friendly, while not being standoffish either.
She was treating me like a customer, even though we both knew I was much more than that. And damn it, I hated this. I wanted her to look at me and see me, her Romeo, not a patron of her store.
I wanted to tell her that I’d spent the morning preparing my beach house for her. I wanted to tell her she could stop pretending. I knew who she was. I knew, and I didn’t care. I wasn’t mad.
She didn’t even have to explain to me why she’d hacked me in the first place. I just wanted us to move forward. I wanted this woman to be mine. I wanted the hacker and the florist. Juliet and Blossom.
“What do you think?” she asked.
I think I need you in my life right fucking now.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to be the customer she seemed to want me to be. I looked at the peace lilies again.
“These are peace lilies, right?” I nodded to the flowers.
“Yes, they are.”
“I’ll take those.”
“Good choice.”
“Thanks. I think Marcel will like the name. Maybe they’ll bring him peace,” I mused.
“Marcel?” she asked.
“My cousin,” I explained.
She nodded. “I hope they brighten his home and bring him joy, Mr. Cattaneo.”
“Me too.”
“If you wait at the register, I’ll get these ready for you.”
“Okay,” I told her.
She led me to the register. “Wait right here,” she instructed.
To the cashier, she said, “I’ll ring up Mr. Cattaneo after I prepare his flowers. Please go to the back room and grab those rose-gold vases for me. A customer is coming later to pick them up.”
The cashier nodded, then rushed from behind the register. Facing me again, Blossom smiled.
“Give me one second, and I’ll have your order ready.”
“Thanks,” I told her.
My eyes remained on her as she returned to the flowers and prepared them. I followed her movements as she took them with her behind the register. I wanted to ask her where she was going today that required her to wear such a form-fitting dress.
However, I didn’t have the right to ask her those questions. Not yet. She told me how much I owed her. I gave her my card, wanting to tell her to keep it. What was mine was hers anyway. But she wasn’t ready to hear that yet.
After ringing me up, she handed me back my card and a receipt. Then she handed me the bouquet of flowers.
“Here you go, Mr. Cattaneo. Peace lilies. They should brighten the house and help keep the air fresher. I hope your cousin likes them.”
“Thank you, Blossom.”
“You’re welcome.”
With that said, she stared down at a clipboard and began reading the paper attached to it. That was it. She was done with me. There were no lingering looks. No sneak stares at me from under those long lashes of hers.
No sign that she knew me as anyone other than Monique’s future brother-in-law. I felt stupid as hell for just standing there, holding my flowers, staring at a woman who refused to look up at me.
Holding in my sigh, I turned and left her shop. The bell chimed above me as I stepped outside. Halfway to my car, I stopped and looked back, expecting to find her staring back at me. The doorway was empty.
She wasn’t standing there watching me this time. I stared at the glass door for a few seconds, waiting for her to appear. Needing her to appear. She didn’t. Fuck! Disappointment washed over me, a cold chill that left me feeling discarded.
This encounter hadn’t gone the way I’d hoped. But I wasn’t giving up. There was always tomorrow. Today would not be the last time I stepped into Blossoms and Vines. It definitely wouldn’t be the last time I saw Blossom Brooks.
“Pretend all you want,” I whispered as I walked toward my car. “But you’re already mine, Blossom. And I’m going to prove that to you soon.”
***
BLOSSOM
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I could still hear the sound of the bell chiming after Rome left my shop. No, the bell wasn’t still ringing. However, the sound kept repeating in my head as I stood there, staring down at my clipboard.
Though I wanted to, I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. I had to be strong. So, I resisted the urge to look out the door and see if he’d turned around. I wanted to know if he’d paused by his car and glanced back at the shop.
I wanted to know if he was watching me the way I wanted to watch him. But I didn’t look. I kept my eyes on the paper before me, unable to read a single word through the tears that blurred my vision.
I blinked, forcing them back. This was progress. It had to be. The last time he’d walked into my shop, I’d almost fallen apart. Today, I held it together. I’d looked him in the eye. I’d helped him pick out flowers.
I’d sounded professional, polite, unbothered, even though my heart had been breaking the entire time. I tightened my grip on the clipboard and still didn’t look toward the door. Not once.
He had to be gone now. It had to be safe to look up. Still, I waited. I had to be sure. Because if I saw him again right now, I would surely fall apart. So, I waited, keeping my unbothered mask in place.
Yes, this was progress. Even if it hurt like hell. I blinked rapidly when the breakroom door opened, and Kelly stepped back into the front of the shop. I couldn’t let her see me shaken up.
Clearing my throat, I raised my head and looked her way. One look at her told me Rome's unexpected appearance had rattled her, too. Her shoulders were hunched over. Her gaze immediately moved toward the front door, then she slowly stared around the shop, searching for the threat. Poor thing.
"Hey," I said softly.
Her gaze found mine. I smiled at her, hoping to comfort her. Kelly offered me a small smile that didn't quite reach her hazel eyes.
"You okay?" I asked.
She nodded. Then immediately shook her head.
"No. Not really,” she admitted. “Sorry for lying. I’m still working on... not saying what’s expected of me.”
“It’s okay, Kels. I understand.”
“Though you told me he’d come into the shop the other day, I hadn’t expected to see him on my first day back working.”
“I know. His visit today was unexpected.”
“I’m glad you were here with me, and hadn’t left for the wedding set up yet,” she told me.
“Even if it hadn’t been me here with you, you would’ve been fine. You handled it well.”
“Did I?” Kelly let out a nervous laugh and rubbed her hands together, still standing close to the breakroom door. “I was a trembling mess behind the counter. I didn’t know what to do.”
“But you didn’t let it show. I’m proud of you.”
This time, her smile held a little more confidence.
"I wasn’t as calm as you were,” Kelly told me. “You didn’t seem bothered at all.”
I almost laughed at that. If only she knew.
"I’m just good at acting," I admitted.
Because that’s exactly what I’d been doing... acting. Kelly studied me for a moment.
"Do you think he’ll come back?" she asked.
Considering the way he’d looked at me, yes, he would.
"He probably will,” I told her.
My answer didn’t comfort her. But I didn’t want to lie to her. We all needed to learn to put up a wall, a mask, when we faced anyone from the Cattaneo family. Especially Rome. Moving around the counter, I approached her.
When I reached her, I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as she stared around the shop again, looking as if she expected him to pop up from behind a counter or something.
"Kelly, look at me. Kels."
She looked my way.
"I won't let anyone hurt you. Do you understand?"
She swallowed. "I know."
"I mean it."
She nodded. "I know, Blossom."
"Why don't you take a break?” I told her, lowering my hand from her shoulder. “I'll work the register for a while."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
Kelly glanced toward the counter. Then toward the breakroom.
"I think I need a few minutes to calm down,” she confessed.
"Go ahead. It’s okay. Really."
She smiled weakly. "I might study for my test while I'm back there."
"How are your online classes going?" I asked.
A real smile spread across her face this time.
"They're going really well. I actually love psychology. It's way more interesting than I thought it would be."
For the first time since Rome walked into the shop, Kelly looked somewhat relaxed.
"I'm proud of you, Kels."
A blush tinted her cheeks. "Thanks."
"No, seriously. I'm proud of you. We really need someone with a psychology degree around here."
Though I meant it as a joke, the truth was, we really did need a therapist around here. Someone the Petals could talk to about their problems.
“After talking to one myself, I became interested in being one. If I can be a help to our team, that would be good. I really want to be helpful instead of a hindrance,” she muttered.
“You are a big help around here, Kels. I promise.”
“Thanks, Blossy. I’m going to go back and study for a bit. If you get busy, call me.”
“Will do.”
After Kelly disappeared into the breakroom, I moved behind the register and sank into the chair. The moment I sat down, the smile I'd forced onto my face vanished, and the mask I’d worn for her benefit fell away.
My heart was still racing, and my hands were trembling slightly. He knew something. Rome knew something. Not about Marcel. Not about my mom. Not about The Circuit or Kelly. It was me.
He knew who I was. Or at least he suspected it. The way he'd looked at me today had been different. More focused. More attentive. Like he was studying me. Like he was searching for something in me... someone in me.
He’d been looking at me and seeing Juliet With Curves. I closed my eyes briefly and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Damn it. I couldn't risk hacking him again to try to find out what he knew. I’d told myself I wouldn’t do that again.
It was too risky. I’d implemented plan B. I had to wait it out and see if it worked. Plus, my instincts screamed that if I hacked him again, it would be a trap. Rome was too smart for me to keep taking chances.
If he suspected I was Juliet, then the last thing I needed was to hand him confirmation by letting him track me back to my cottage behind the store. All I could do was play it cool. So, when he showed up, and he would show up again, I’d remain nonchalant.
I’d smile, pretend he was a customer, and pray he eventually gave up. The problem was that I didn't think Rome Cattaneo was the type of man who gave up on what he wanted. My gaze drifted toward the front door.
Toward the place where he'd stood only minutes ago. The way he'd looked at me replayed in my mind. The way he'd smiled. The way he'd watched me. The way he'd kept finding reasons to continue the conversation.
He was searching for her.
For the version of me who’d hacked him.
His Juliet.
And my heart hated that I couldn't let him find what he was looking for. I blinked rapidly as tears threatened to spill over. No. I couldn’t do this. Not here. Not now. Not with Kelly in the other room.
I had to hold it together. I swallowed hard. Rome wanted something he could never have. He wanted Juliet. And Juliet couldn't exist in his world. Not if I wanted to protect the people in mine.
A painful ache settled in my chest. I wished I could rewind time to before the Marcel incident occurred. I wished I could change things, prevent it all from happening, and protect everyone. I wanted to protect Kelly and my mom.
But I also wanted to protect Rome and me. Because I wasn't the only one hurting. Rome was hurting too. I'd seen it in his eyes.
And Marcel...
My chest tightened. Marcel was hurting the worst of all. The man rarely left his house now because of us. Because of one terrible mistake. A tear slid down my cheek. Then another. I didn't bother wiping them away.
I simply sat there behind the register, staring out at the empty shop, hating life at the moment. Hating that I’d fallen in love with the enemy. And hating that if the enemy knew the real me, he’d loathe everything about me.