Chapter One #3
His eyes, now a dark emerald green, locked on hers, and her heart lurched against her sternum.
This could not be happening. Drop-dead gorgeous guys like Buchanan didn’t ask Lily Foster out.
She hadn’t had a date in six months, which really wasn’t all that surprising considering she didn’t frequent singles bars and clubs.
Ever.
Tucked away at Bloom & Grow, she worked ten hours a day with few, if any, days off, and when she looked out her window at night, she could still see her workplace. She had no social life.
Buchanan looked worried. She’d waited too long to answer him. “Mr. Buchanan, I—”
“Call me Rhett, please.” He reached for her hand.
The physical connection was so swift and startling she swore she felt an electric shock, and a faint tremble worked at her spine.
“I want to see you again,” he said softly. “Tonight. If I can’t talk you into dinner, how about a cocktail party? Island crowd? You’ll have fun. I promise.”
She feared she swayed slightly, but he gave no indication. He merely continued his mesmerizing stare. She knew she hadn’t gasped at his invitation because she couldn’t breathe. His stare felt like a tender caress, and she prayed it would last a while longer.
An Island party? Her?
She had never been invited to a Jupiter Island party in her life.
“All right,” she whispered, so softly she almost couldn’t hear her own words.
He heard. He grinned.
“There you are!” Tammy rounded the end of the row of pines and caught sight of her.
A panicky chill hit Lily. Had Rhett only invited her because he assumed she was part of the Jupiter Island social set? A social equal perhaps? Would there be take-backs or do-overs if he found out she worked here at the nursery?
“Good afternoon,” Tammy said to Rhett, flipping her luscious red curls back over her shoulder and extending her hand. “I’m Tammy Waynette, the sales manager of Bloom & Grow.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said and shook the proffered hand. “I’m Rhett Buchanan, but please call me Rhett.”
Lily knew that come-hither gesture of Tammy’s and watched her eyes light up—that predatory glint Tammy got when she spotted a handsome man.
Lily felt a stab of unfamiliar irritation.
Like iron flecks to a magnet, men naturally drifted to Tammy, with her gorgeous head of fiery-red hair and emerald-green eyes, and Lily usually enjoyed watching the show. But not today. Not with Rhett Buchanan.
“Sorry I’m late,” Tammy apologized. “Everybody wants plants before the weekend, and we had an unexpected order to pull.”
“No problem,” he said.
“So has Lily been showing you your trees?” Tammy flashed her patent I’ll-take-it-from-here look.
“Yes, she’s very knowledgeable,” Rhett said and slanted Lily a smile.
“Well, of course she is,” Tammy agreed, “she’s our—”
“—best customer!” Lily blurted. “Actually, Tammy thinks I’m her most frequent customer since I don’t buy stock every time I visit.” She gave Rhett a sheepish smile. “I like to look.”
Tammy’s eyes visibly widened.
“Rhett and I ran into each other in the office while I shopped from your interiors brochure,” Lily quickly added. “I volunteered to show him where the laydown yard was since I’ve been here so many times.”
Rhett turned back to Tammy. “She’s been a big help.”
Tammy’s expression had gone incredulous. Lily shook her head and mouthed, I’ll explain later.
“Okaayy,” Tammy said slowly.
“I was just getting Rhett started with his inspection, and I’ll leave him in your capable hands now,” Lily said and followed with a just-go-along-with-this look.
“Surely, you’re not leaving,” Rhett said quickly. “Please stay and walk with us. Besides, I need to get your phone number.”
Tammy’s eyebrows went straight up.
Rhett pulled a pen and a small note pad from his shirt pocket and handed them to Lily. She scribbled Lily next to her cell phone number on the top page and passed his pad back. Her hands trembled, but Rhett didn’t seem to notice.
Tammy sure did. Her brows stretched to her hairline.
Lily only smiled and gave her manager a chagrined shrug when Rhett turned away.
Lily tagged along behind the two as they started down the row of pines, but Rhett reached back for her hand and tugged her forward to walk alongside him. Lily’s heart sang.
While Tammy chattered her way through the rest of the inspection, Rhett stole furtive glances in Lily’s direction. Each time he did, she got a delicious butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation.
Oh please, dear Lord, don’t let any of the nursery people come along and ask me for something.
Probably no one recognized her in the yellow sundress, but she tempted fate out here in broad daylight, and she needed to make a quick exit. Once Tammy completed verification of the final row of stock, the threesome sauntered toward the golf cart.
“You two take the cart,” Tammy told them. “My truck’s parked back here, and I’ll meet you up at the office.”
Rhett drove the cart as before, and when they neared the office, Lily inwardly groaned at the sight of her red Toyota Tundra truck parked out front.
Her jig was up. No self-respecting socialite drove a truck.
If she climbed into that truck, Rhett would know she had deceived him, and a socialite wouldn’t hang around the nursery all day either.
As though in answer to an unspoken prayer, Rob Shaw pulled up in his sleek black Porsche. Lily hopped out of the cart and streaked for the Porsche.
“Thank you so much for bringing my car up for me, Rob. I forgot I left it at the Bonsai greenhouse,” she said loudly enough for Rhett to hear, then whispered, “If you love me, Rob, you’ll lend me your car for ten minutes and play along. I want to be Cinderella for just a little longer. Please?”
Rob gaped at her just like Tammy had out at the laydown yard, but he unfolded his tall frame from the sports car and silently handed over the keys as Rhett walked up. The two men stood eye to eye.
Rhett extended a hand first. “Rhett Buchanan, tree buyer.”
Rob shook his hand. “Rob Shaw, tree grower.”
Rhett laughed and turned to Lily. “I need directions to your house before you go.”
“I’ll meet you,” she blurted. “I have a late afternoon meeting that may run long.”
He looked dubious. “Sure.” He got his pad and pen back out and wrote down an address and a phone number, then tore off the slip of paper and handed it to Lily. “The address is on the island, easy to find. That’s my cell number. Call when you’re close, and I’ll come outside and meet you.”
Lily’s knees wobbled, and she locked them tight. She had actually gotten away with this masquerade. “Great,” she said, her voice a little squeaky.
“The party starts at seven.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.” Still squeaky. Too excited.
Rhett didn’t move, and she realized he was waiting for her to get in the Porsche, so he could close the door.
The door on Rob’s Porsche.
Rob’s Porsche with a stick shift.
Oh good grief.
As gracefully as she could, she angled into the low-slung vehicle.
“Nice to have met you, Lily. Very nice.” Rhett winked, then closed the door.
One little wink made her heart race. She gulped, nodded, and cranked the powerful engine.
She waited a few seconds in the hope Rhett would walk back inside, but he didn’t move.
She positioned one sandal on the clutch pedal and the other sandal on the gas pedal, and with three inches of cork heels on her espadrilles, she couldn’t feel either pedal.
Shoving the gearshift in reverse, she eased up on the clutch, gave some gas, and bucked the sleek sports car into a stall.
Okay, sorry for fibbing, Lord. Now please help me!
Keeping her eyes on the dashboard, she recranked the engine and tried again—with another brief prayer to keep Rob from strangling her later. Three hard jerks and she managed to back the Porsche out. Lily finally glanced at Rhett and knew for a fact her cheeks and neck had a lighthouse-bright flush.
She buzzed down the window. “I just got the car, and I’m still getting used to a stick.”
He grinned. “I figured.”
She eased out of the front entrance, drove around the north end of the property to the shipping entrance, and turned in, then veered to the driveway at her cottage where Rob jogged up moments later.
“Figured you’d end up here.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Start talking, Cinderella. And when you’re done, I’m giving you pumpkin-coach-driving lessons.”