Chapter Fourteen #2
“To a fulfilling life.” Kelley touched her finger lightly against the white petal of a flower.
“The kind where work is challenging and frustrating and rewarding. Yet, it all fits because you are part of a team. You have a partner and life balance and a full heart.” She tossed the flower onto the growing pile and frowned. “My ex-husband sold me on that vision.”
“What’s the vision now?” Asher asked.
“Create it for myself.” She notched her chin higher.
“That’s probably for the best. It will save you disappointment.”
“What part don’t you like?” She shifted toward him and tipped her head to consider him. “The full heart or the work-life balance?”
He met her gaze and said softly, “I don’t like that your ex-husband let you down and hurt you.”
She pressed her lips together, then whispered a soft thank-you for that.
The others returned, carrying their snack bar loot and showing off their good cheer, before Asher could explain to her there had not been much reason for him to pursue a work-life balance.
At least, until recently. Yet, that was only a consequence of an idle mind.
Once he got back to New York, his job would occupy his days and nights, just as he liked.
He resumed sorting flowers to avoid losing his good mood entirely.
Snacks and drinks distributed to all, Lynette and Beatrice wasted no time getting down to the business of how to weave the flowers into proper parade horse collars.
Everyone received a long, flexible branch of trailing greenery to serve as the base.
Wildflowers were woven in with string and wire.
More of Asher’s flowers fell off than stayed attached; however, Asher kept at it like his mother would have told him to.
It was slow and meticulous, but the company was fun and lively.
And soon enough the first movie started.
A while later, Beatrice called for a break to rest her fingers during the intermission between movies.
Big E and Owen headed out for drink refills.
The rest of them stood to stretch their backs and gather more wildflowers.
An upbeat country song played over the loudspeakers. Kelley hummed along beside Asher.
Lynette walked over and dropped a bundle of freshly picked flowers into the basket Asher held. There was a glint in her perceptive gaze. “Kelley, this sounds like one of those songs you were dancing to at sunrise in the diner that morning with your cowboy.”
Kelley’s hum disappeared. She did not look at Asher and said lightly, “There are so many great country songs to dance to these days.”
“Indeed. You’ll certainly get a chance to kick up your heels at Laura-Beth’s wedding this weekend,” Beatrice called out and shimmied her hips. “I’ve always fancied a turn or two around the dance floor with a handsome cowboy myself, same as you, Kelley.”
“I do like a dance floor,” Kelley replied, her words sounding slightly strained.
Asher abruptly set the basket down and got busy gathering flowers, rather than taking Kelley’s hand and twirling her around a field as if to prove no dance floor was required.
“You’ve asked him, haven’t you?” Beatrice asked and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. “Trust us. The singles’ table is not a place you want to spend your sister’s wedding.”
Kelley yanked at the flowers and dropped them into the basket.
Asher noted there were more weeds and grass than flowers. He eyed Kelley and spotted the rather fetching flush in her cheeks.
“I sat at the singles’ table at my cousin Patsy’s second marriage.” Lynette grimaced. Her nose wrinkled. “It was much more dull than I expected it would be.”
“And not full of eligible bachelors like we thought.” Beatrice frowned yet swayed back and forth to the beat of the music. She sighed. “Not a dancer among them that night. But you won’t need to worry about that with your mystery cowboy, Kelley.”
Asher was worried. His cowgirl’s cheeks could not get any brighter. He barely swallowed his laugh.
Frannie carried over her armful of flowers, glanced from Asher to Kelley and then grinned at the Arbor sisters. She said slyly, “Beatrice and Lynette, you should both know that Kelley’s plus-one does not know he is a plus-one yet.”
Lynette’s mouth formed into the shape of an O.
Beatrice’s eyebrows winged up under her silver bangs and hid there. “Kelley? You haven’t asked him yet?”
Kelley shook her head.
Lynette bustled toward her sister and motioned for Frannie to join her. “Come on, ladies. We need to give Kelley a moment to work this one through on her own.”
“There’s no time to waste, dear.” Beatrice tapped her wrist and pointed at Kelley. “We can’t tell you how many eligible cowgirls we saw at the snack bar line.”
Frannie grabbed the flower basket, blew her sister a kiss and escorted Beatrice and Lynette back toward their blanket.
Asher moved beside Kelley and whispered, “Do you have something to ask me?”
“I have to go to the florist to pick up the arrangements for the rehearsal dinner.” Kelley turned and faced him. “If you want, I can place the bulk order with Nora, then you won’t have an awkward run-in with your former crush.”
Asher leaned in to the silence and decided to wait out his cowgirl. Clearly, she was working something out for herself.
“Unless you were planning to talk to Nora,” Kelley continued quickly.
And Asher continued to keep quiet.
His cowgirl rattled on, “Of course, you need to talk to her. Once you do, you will likely hit it off and you will ask her out obviously.” One exhale. One longer inhale. It was as if she was gathering her thoughts and steam at the same time. “Or, Nora might want to take you to Laura-Beth’s wedding.”
Asher waited a beat to be certain Kelley was finished.
She chewed on her bottom lip like she might be wanting to say more. Her gaze was locked on his but she was silent.
“I’m not asking Nora out,” Asher said, finally, and edged closer to Kelley. “As for a crush on a cowgirl, yes, I’ve got one of those. It’s a bit of a recent development. And quite a new feeling for me.”
“You’ve never had a crush before?” Kelley asked.
“Not quite like this one.” This one had all the potential of being one for the ages.
“I think I have one, too,” Kelley confessed.
“What should we do about it?” Besides not to encourage it. That did not appeal, not even a little bit. Even if Asher knew it was the wise choice.
“Go to a wedding, sit at the singles’ table and pretend it’s not there,” she suggested.
He grinned at her and shrugged. “Or we could go to a wedding, skip the sitting and dance the night away.”
“One night, then.” She held out her hand. “No pressure. No expectations.”
And no promises hidden between the words. Asher shook her hand gladly. “Agree. It’s one night and we walk away the same as we were before.”
The noise around them seemed to die off as she lifted one pink flower up between them and asked, “Asher Blackwell, will you be my wedding date?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He took the flower from her grip and tucked it carefully behind her ear. “I would be honored to be your date, Kelley Munroe.”
And he left it at that. Because if he kissed his cowgirl, he would have a complication of the heart kind. And he was already on borrowed time.