Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
I n the days since their ice cream shop run-in, she hadn’t heard from Rafferty and the radio silence was killing her. Overthinking was a full-time job and her mind had wandered every minute she was free. Her anxiety spiked to new levels, making her think the worst of the situation. She’d had this with Clarke too, wondering if they were actually too busy to return a call or if they were cheating on her. She’d never voiced these concerns, even when it was evident on her face when Clarke would get home from work. She’d never been able to hide how her anxiety made her feel.
Did I write down the wrong number? Oh god, maybe I did that and now he can’t get in touch with me. Or maybe he realized that he doesn’t want to.
She should have asked whether he had someone waiting at home before sliding her number across the table. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t called, he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. She did her best to stay distracted, attending back-to-back meetings and visiting with her distributor about new stock; but her mind drifted back to Rafferty constantly.
Living with anxiety was hard, even when it was treated and her therapist had given her multiple exercises to prevent a panic attack. She did the best she could every single day, but in situations like this she was flustered. Since her divorce she’d gotten good at hiding her tells from the people in her life and she hadn’t had a meltdown since she started the flower shop.
There’s a first time for everything.
Thankfully distraction came in the form of her friends—the Snap, Crackle and Pop chat was one of the things entertaining her. It had been created a few weeks ago and included Ginny Thomas, of Wildes Events & Weddings, and Clementine Kinney, baker extraordinaire and owner of Pretty Baked. It was mostly a conversation between Ginny and Daisy with Clementine contributing once a day, if they were lucky.
After her divorce, she’d lost many of her friends. When she moved to Wildes to start over, she had a tough time meeting people. So when Monroe came into her life, she was nervous that she’d do something to chase her away. Twelve years in, Roe was the best part of her life and she hadn’t expected anybody else to work their way in.
Until Ginny and Clementine.
She’d met them through Frankie Willows years ago. She’d been enamored by Ginny, not only because she was a fellow Indian, but because of her big personality. Thanks to working together regularly at events, they had become pretty good friends.
Her first interaction with Clementine was when a bride insisted that her wedding cake have real flowers. So Daisy came by the bakery and they hashed it out, finding the right way to use the flowers without taking away from the cake itself. And, she was surprised when a friendship formed.
For all her talent with baked goods, Clementine was not a people person. So it took some effort to get her to agree to monthly visits where Ginny and Daisy could eat all the leftover wedding samplers. Even though they’d done that a few weeks ago, the two of them showed up that evening armed with shopping bags and wide grins.
“What’s going on?” Clementine asked, looking very confused.
“Girl’s night.” Daisy beamed as she walked into the kitchen.
Ginny was right behind her, setting wine on the counter. “You didn’t reply on the group chat, but we still showed up.”
“Thought we deserved a fun night together,” Daisy added as she unloaded the cheese and crackers, and ingredients for pizza.
Clementine still hadn’t said anything, but watched them with her permanent scowl in place.
Ginny wasn’t deterred, the woman rarely was. “We know you’re not warm and cuddly and this is weird for you, but this is what friends do. And good news, Daisy’s cooking.”
Gasping loudly, she shook her head. “I don’t know how to make pizza!”
“Shit, Clem, looks like you’re still cooking.” Ginny flashed their friend a wide smile.
Clementine rolled her eyes and grumbled, “You are the worst.” She looked at their purchases and started to hand out instructions when the bell over the front door rang.
“We’ve talked about you and locking doors, babe!” a male voice called out.
Daisy looked over at Ginny who matched her amused grin as they both said “ Babe? ”
“Don’t…” Clementine warned, but they were already rushing out of the kitchen to find a handsome blond tattooed man with a bouquet of flowers and a paper bag in his hands.
“Oh, hi?” His eyes were wide as they stared him down.
“You look familiar,” Daisy said, head tilted to the side.
“Oakley. We um…we met at um… the Christmas party.”
Ginny snapped her fingers. “That’s right! I’m Ginny, this is Daisy.”
“Yeah, I remember.” The words came out shaky and his eyes darted past them. Looking over her shoulder, she found Clementine standing in the doorway watching the whole thing unfold. Clearly whoever this man was to their friend, he was important.
Turning back, Daisy put her hands on her hips to try and look more serious as she said, “What are your intentions with our friend?”
Nervously, he said, “Uh…only the good kind?”
“You’ll treat her well?” Ginny asked.
He nodded. “Like a queen.”
Daisy gestured to the flowers. “Are those from my shop?”
“Yes ma’am. Only the best for Clementine.”
She exchanged a grin with Ginny, but before either of them could say anything more, Clementine spoke up. “Okay, that’s enough. Stop scaring him.”
“Wanted to make sure he’s worthy.” Daisy narrowed her eyes.
“He’s cute, so that’s one point in his favor. Nice tattoos too, so more points,” Ginny added. “But is he worthy?”
“For fuck’s sake, he’s worthy.”
She saw the way Oakley blushed, but his eyes brightened at the words too. Clementine shot them a glare as she walked over and they laughed.
Hands up, Daisy backed away, Ginny by her side. “We’ll go set up for dinner!”
Not that either of them did that. Instead, they poured wine into reusable cups and stayed in the doorway as Clementine and Oakley talked. When it sounded like he was leaving, they leaned out of the kitchen and waved, making him blush some more. It took her a few more minutes, but the chef joined them in the kitchen, a small smile on her face. This was what she wanted for her friends. Monroe found it with Wyatt, Frankie had it with Milo, Ginny and Clementine deserved it too. One day, she’d have it again too. Maybe with Rafferty , her mind so politely offered and she grunted at the intrusive thought.
“Here, let’s get to work,” Clementine said, handing them colorful aprons. Daisy poured the chef a drink and the three of them started working on their dinner.
“So…when did this thing with Oakley start?” Ginny broke the silence.
“A little while ago.”
“Since Christmas?” Daisy asked.
“Why does it matter?” Clementine turned to them, eyebrows dipped as she shrugged. “It’s new. That’s enough.”
“Glowing review of a relationship,” Ginny deadpanned.
Clementine grunted. “The less I say, the better for everyone.”
With a dramatic gasp, Daisy clapped her hands. “Oh, he’s awkward in the streets and a freak in the sheets.”
Clementine grabbed a handful of flour, but changed her mind and shot them a smirk instead. They finished making dinner and sat right there in the kitchen and inhaled everything. All while interrogating Clementine about her relationship .
This. This is what I’ve always wanted.
Another distraction presented itself, sort of, in the form of Milo Winters. She’d met him a few times since he and Frankie got together, but never actually interacted with him beyond the usual conversations. So getting a call from him a month ago saying that he was going to propose and wanted to plan a surprise wedding for Frankie was the best thing she’d heard all week. They’d exchanged pictures and notes and were finally on a video call to finalize everything.
“What are mums?” he asked, squinting at his screen, blond hair sticking up every which way.
“Chrysanthemums.”
“That sounds better than the short-form.”
“It’s easier to call them mums and most people know what I mean.”
“The only flowers I know are sunflowers and lilies.”
She chuckled. “Don’t worry, your wife-to-be is pretty good with flowers.”
At the mention of Frankie, Milo’s eyes lit up and his entire face transformed. She was happy for her friend, because she deserved someone who loved her so deeply that he went out of his way to do everything just how she liked it. Especially when he broke Daisy’s heart by telling her that spring colors would not work because Frankie was more of a fall person. When she got down to putting the flowers and colors together, she fell in love with what she was creating. She’d already figured out the table top designs and what would be added to every chair. She worked closely with Ginny to get all the plans and layouts, so she had everything needed to bring this dream wedding to life.
“I don’t think Frankie likes roses,” Milo mumbled, going through the list of flowers.
“Not a big fan myself, but she’ll love these.” She held up the toffee colored blooms and saw his eyes widen. It wasn’t a regular color and sourcing fall shades had been a bit of a task. But when the buckets were brought in a week ago, she’d been so happy with her selections.
“Those are amazing. Can I see the rest?”
She picked up her laptop to move through the shop. Her staff were putting all of the big arrangements together, so she flipped the laptop around to show Milo what was happening.
Roses were some of the best-selling flowers at every florist, but Daisy didn’t care for them. She made sure to always direct customers to the more beautiful ones like ranunculus or carnations. Even tulips and peonies were a good choice.
She’d ordered the toffee ones as soon as she saw them, along with a golden mustard color. They added bronze and terracotta carnations, richly colored cremons with gold-painted dried grass to round out the arrangements. The smaller tabletop jars would have peonies and hyacinths that were also in hues she’d never considered before.
“She’s going to completely lose her mind,” Milo said, awe clear in his voice. “Thank you so much for making this happen, Daisy.”
She turned the laptop around and grinned. “Absolutely. Are you back in Wildes yet?”
“Tomorrow night. Then it’s two weeks of keeping Frankie in the dark about all of the little details.”
Laughing, they exchanged a few more things about payment and invoices. Then she said bye and closed her laptop so she could finish working on the bouquet for Frankie and her bridesmaids.
As she wrapped twine around smaller sections, she allowed herself a few minutes to think about Rafferty. Maybe worry was the right word. She didn’t have any way to get in touch with him to make sure he was okay.
Besides, he’d find her when he was ready. Right?
She’d been at an event since early that morning and was exhausted when she returned to the shop. While tempted to go home and collapse into bed, she changed into her usual uniform of jeans and a tee. Then tugged her apron on and grabbed her gloves as she caught up with her staff for updates. Ripley was the last to talk to her and he gestured to the person waiting for her.
The relief that swept through her almost made her knees buckle. “Raff.” She put one hand on her hip and tilted her head, like she was upset with him. She was , but she was happy that he’d showed up.
He had the decency to look embarrassed, shuffling on his feet. “There’s a good explanation, I swear.”
She nodded and gestured for him to join her at the work table. She pushed a stool out for him and tugged her gloves on. The flowers she needed were already set up in respective buckets, so all she had to do was clean, trim and style them.
“This place is incredible.”
She smiled, eyes darting around the shop. “Thanks. All those conversations with Nonna and my grandaunt Magnolia, this was the only thing I could imagine myself doing.”
“They’d be so fucking proud of you. Hell, I’m proud of you.” He beamed, eyes bright as he looked around the shop before settling on her. Her face felt warm at his words and she shook her head, focusing instead on the task at hand. “What’s this?”
“A friend’s getting married this weekend, so I’m putting together her bouquet. What have you been up to?”
“Settling in slowly and getting into the groove of things.”
“I’m sure a small town like this is a big change for a family from the city.”
“Cal loves it and he keeps asking why we didn’t move earlier,” he replied with a laugh.
“Just you and Cal?” Nice, very smooth . The words almost stuck in her throat, but she needed to make sure she wasn’t feeling things for a married man.
“Just me and Cal. His birth mother is still in New York.” If he knew why she asked the question, he didn’t let on.
“Oh?”
“She was struggling,” he admitted softly and she saw sadness flit through his eyes. The question was at the tip of her tongue, but it wasn’t her business or her place.
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded. “But he was lucky to have Dad, Nonna and Poppy the first few years.”
“That’s the trifecta of awesome and I would know because they were there for me too.”
“Are we going to ignore that I was there too?”
“Didn’t want to inflate your ego anymore than necessary,” she said, keeping her head and eyes down. “Besides, you know how much of an impact you had on me.”
Ever since he’d come back into her life, she’d been thinking about those seven years in New York. The years she had him . He was the first real friend she’d ever had and her first real love too. He had to know how he completely changed her life.
“Why are you hiding from me?”
“I’m not hiding,” she mumbled.
“Look me in the eyes and say that.”
She laughed and lifted her head. “I’m not hiding. I’m…you know, processing that you’re here. When you didn’t call, I was convinced I’d dreamed up that whole ice cream shop encounter.”
“I’m sorry,” he started. “I have been busy with Cal and work and settling in. As much as it pains me to admit it, I lost your number. I thought I’d put it into my phone, but the napkin went through the washer.”
“That feels like such a you thing to do.”
He shrugged. “Not much has changed.”
“I beg to differ, but change isn’t a bad thing.”
Nodding, they watched each other for a long moment before she turned to the flowers. She had so many questions, she wanted to understand why he was in Wildes, what brought him to this small town that was in the middle of nowhere. She couldn’t wait to dig into his beautiful mind and find out who he was now. Knowing that he didn’t have a partner waiting at home eased some of that guilt she’d let fester, but she was still nervous about letting herself get attached. It was easy to say that Rafferty wouldn’t hurt her, but they were different people now and priorities had shifted, so she didn’t know what this meant for them. Even as friends.
She brushed hair out of her face and smiled. “So you’re sticking around?”
“For as long as this town will have me.”
And what about me?
She didn’t say that out loud. Instead her smile widened and she nodded. If he asked for her opinion, she would insist that he stay forever. They stared at each other, smiles tugging at lips and eyes lighting up and it felt like the old days. Back when they could talk without saying a damn thing, when brief touches and wiggles of eyebrows were enough to communicate everything.
All of a sudden, a blaring sound filled the shop. They jumped and he swore under his breath as he pulled out his phone. He silenced the alarm and his eyebrows dipped at whatever he was reading.
“I’m sorry, Daze. I have to go.”
“Is everything okay? Is it Callahan?”
He shook his head and put his phone away. “Fire emergency.”
“Fire… what ?”
“I’m a firefighter.” She stared at him, heart pounding against her ribs at the thought of losing this man to a burning building. He offered her a small smile, tucking hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing along her jaw. The touch seared through her, but she didn’t pull away. “I’ll be okay.”
“Please be safe.”
“Of course.”
She pushed the closest piece of paper and pencil towards him. “Your number.” He scribbled it down, eyes meeting hers again. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, but she forced out the words, “Come back to me, okay?”
“Always,” he said, voice softer and raspier.
He looked like he was going to say something else, when his phone rang again and he pulled back to stare at the screen. She was glad he didn’t make any more promises, because she was already so afraid that he might not make it back. Everybody watched as he left, then eyes swung to her and she held herself together, being strong so she wouldn’t fall apart.