7. Chapter 7

W ell, that was only half of a shit show. It could have been worse. At least I had a legitimate reason to have him here now, instead of whatever the fuck was going on in my head.

Paul came through the still-open door and closed it behind him, standing in front of it with a mischievous grin.

"What?"

"You can't just ‘ what ' me this time." His feet were shoulder-width apart and his arms crossed over his chest in a firm stance that said there would be no dismissing me.

"Well, you can't just send people to my office when I'm not expecting them," I countered.

"Yes, I damn well can, especially after you have flowers delivered to me. Do you have any idea how much trouble that could cause me? You know Percy is the jealous type. Not that I mind when he gets a little possessive, but he made me swear I would never fall into the assistant/boss affair cliché again. He was my last boss, and I married him. But you and I are not a thing, never will be."

"Of course, we're not!" I was shocked to even hear the suggestion.

"Well, that's what it's going to look like, when the whole office will be talking about how you got me flowers. So you need to talk to Percy and tell him that my getting flowers is more about you than about me."

"Why would it be about me?"

Paul threw his hands in the air. "Are you serious right now?"

"What?"

"You like him. Just admit it."

"Who?" Even if I knew who he meant, I wasn't prepared to face it.

"You are a lot of things, boss, but delusional is not one of them. You know exactly who I mean."

I wrinkled my nose. "I might be a little delusional."

Paul's expression changed from exasperation to something more impish. "I find that so interesting. Tell me more."

"Shit. I don't even know."

"But there's clearly something if you've had him come here twice."

"To be fair, I didn't request him this time."

Paul's grin widened. "But you did last time? "

"Yes, alright? Yes. It was the only thing I could think of."

"You know, most people simply strike up a conversation, not create a whole ruse to get a person to come to their place of business."

I slumped down on the couch that I rarely sat on. "You make it sound so easy."

My assistant sat in one of the chairs. "You make it seem so hard ."

"Isn't it, though?"

Paul let out a laugh. "I gotta admit, it's kind of fun to see you like this."

I glared at him until he waved his hands to relent.

"Tell me about him. What's his name? Where did you meet?"

"His name is Marley." My lips tugged up at the sound of his name in my mouth.

"Well, shit. So this is more than a casual interest."

I clapped my hands together and stood to my feet. "And I think that's it."

Paul stood and held his hands out in surrender. "Alright, fine. But I'm here if you need to talk anything out, at least I will be if you get ahead of the potential mess you made with Percy."

Letting out a sigh, I said, "I'll call him. I didn't mean to put you in the middle of all of this."

"Thank you. And thanks for the flowers, they are very nice. Don't ever do that again. "

After having the world's most awkward phone call with my assistant's spouse—the fallout avoided—I opened the blinds in my office. Things couldn't get worse than they already had, and I'd lost enough time to sulking and hiding that it was time for me to crawl out of my ass and get everything back in order. Since Marley's departure, my office felt darker and colder, as he had said. He'd brought so much life and light in with him that his absence made it feel worse. I'd always been fine with how it was, hell, I'd picked it all out, but it felt different now.

What might have been an improvised ruse to have a reason to stay in contact with him might actually have been a good idea. I did need something to lighten it up in here, plus I would get to see him weekly, I hoped. It was a win-win. What could possibly go wrong?

At the end of the day, I practically jumped out of my seat when I got an email from Bearclaw Blossoms . It contained a contract for services, along with three different package options with photos to get an idea of how many flowers I would be getting with each. I had never considered myself a flower person, always opting for a clean, strong aesthetic that gave an air of power and respect. Even a few weeks ago, I would not have imagined myself ordering flowers, let alone signing a contract for a weekly delivery. It might have been a little overkill, but flowers didn't last long anyway, right?

That was one of the many justifications I made as I filled out the agreement for the largest package Marley had offered me. I expected some sort of rebuttal or clarification on the note I had put into the special requests at the bottom. It was probably unreasonable of me to ask, since the man clearly had a busy, successful business, and I was being selfish. He never said anything, though, and signed off on it, sending me a copy of our contract that I could cancel at any time.

It was official. He would come in every Monday to bring fresh flowers. Perhaps it was all a little exorbitant to spend so much on something temporary, but I had the money, money which I didn't often spend on anything outside of what I needed. Flowers certainly weren't something I needed , but my gut told me that Marley was , and I'd gotten as far as I had in my career by listening to my gut.

Since I often worked through the weekend, Mondays were just another day for me—at least they were, until I knew Marley would be showing up. He had agreed to come early in the day so that I could get the most time out of the flowers and it would help him with his schedule as well.

My blinds were wide open today, not only so I could see anyone coming to my office, but also because I wanted to show Marley that it wasn't always so cave-like. Trying not to look too eager, I sat at my computer and reviewed reports sent to me from the marketing team after I had checked myself in the mirror… a few times.

When I saw him walk by my office and wave through the window, my heart did a weird flip. A second later, a knock sounded on my open door.

Marley peeked in and smiled, instantly brightening the room more than windows or lamps ever could. He wore a pastel pink button-up that hung open over a light blue tee. Paul was a hazy figure in the background, making some kind of gesture I couldn't see because the man with magenta hair pulled all of my focus.

"Good morning, Derek. Is this a good time?"

Anytime is a good time for you . Luckily, I managed to keep those words to myself. "Yes, yes. Come in." I stood abruptly, knocking my knee hard on my desk. I winced and rubbed it, trying not to draw attention even as my knee throbbed.

He must have caught my expression as his turned to one of concern and he rushed over. "Are you okay?"

With him a mere few inches away, I caught that light floral perfume that seemed to cling to him, and his dark brown eyes shone with a light that seemed to come from within. Marley had a smattering of freckles on his tawny cheeks that I'd caught a glimpse of in the photos on his Instagram, but they could not compare to the way he looked up close. They were the perfect accent to an already beautiful face.

When I didn't answer, too caught up in him, Marley placed his hand on my arm. "Derek? Are you alright?"

Blinking hard, I cleared my throat and took a step back from him. "Yes, sorry. I'm fine, just bumped my knee, but nothing major. And you? How are you this Monday morning?"

He watched me for a moment before offering me that electric smile and turning toward the small cart that sat behind him. I hadn't even noticed the flowers he'd brought in, though with that many they were hard to miss.

"I can't complain. I got to wake up and do what I love doing. And coming here is a nice change to my normal schedule."

My brows pinched as I thought of the inconvenience it likely was for him. "We can amend the contract if it's too much. I know we're not exactly in the neighborhood here, and I don't want to put you out."

Marley grabbed a tall, rectangular vase that appeared to be made of wood. It was simple, yet lovely. He must have noticed me looking as he held it up for my assessment.

"I wanted to get a couple of permanent fixtures that would allow us to refill and rearrange the flowers each week. No use bringing in a fresh vase each time. Although it may take me a little more time to put together here, instead of having them pre-assembled at the shop. What do you think?"

"It's subtle but strong."

Marley beamed. "Yes, exactly. I thought it would fit your style."

The wood's coloring was very close to my mahogany desk, complementing it nicely. It was far better than a glass vase would've been, and less likely to break.

"It's very nice, thank you."

"Oh, good, I'm glad you like it. Theo made them. He's a vendor at Heartcraft Market, a very talented woodcarver. I've seen them in his booth and have been really tempted to get them for a while, but haven't found a specific reason, not until now."

"Oh? Handmade? Impressive. And you bought those just for me?" Something about knowing he had picked them out for me gave me a weird flutter in my gut.

"I did. And I'm thrilled to see how perfectly they fit."

"That's too much. You didn't have to do that. Let me reimburse you at least."

Marley simply waved me off as he carefully arranged a mix of greenery and flowers in one of the vases. "Nonsense. Consider it part of the package, and I like supporting my friends. Besides, the dark wood really makes the color of the flowers pop even more. It makes for a nice balance. "

I nodded my head in agreement, noting the difference it already felt to have the color in my office. To have him in my office.

"And to answer your earlier question, I really don't mind coming and doing this. It takes me back to my roots, what I love about being a florist. Getting to see the reactions and the happiness flowers bring is one of my biggest joys. Plus, it gets me out and seeing people instead of in my shop, where most of my interactions are brief or virtual."

"It's nice to have you here. Thank you." At least he didn't seem put off by my request that he be the one to deliver the flowers.

"Of course! And let me know if I'm in the way. I don't want to stop you from doing whatever it is you do."

As if there were anything more important in the world than him in my office. "You're fine. I don't have any meetings scheduled this morning."

I'd purposely blocked off two hours on my calendar today. Not that it would take that long, but I wasn't sure what to expect or how punctual he would be. And he was. Punctual. He'd arrived right when he said he would. I liked that.

"So, tell me, Derek. How do you know Carmen?"

Hearing my sister's name shook me free from the trance I was in, watching as he meticulously lined up each blossom. "Carmen? "

"Yes, Carmen Barry? You mentioned she was the one that referred you to me?"

"Oh! Yes, Carmen Barry." Her married name was still funny to hear. It was a nice name, I just hadn't gotten used to it yet. "Well…Carmen and I go way back."

Marley paused to look at me. "Really? Did you go to university with her and Adam?"

"You know Adam?" My sister's best friend. Just how close was he with my family?

"Not really, we just met at the wedding when Carmen introduced us. I think she thought we would hit it off."

That flutter that had been in my stomach earlier turned sour as I thought of Marley with the cute young man. I had absolutely no claim over him, no reason to feel anything about anyone he might have had an interest in. Still…I was curious. "And did you? Hit it off?"

"Oh, sure. He was sweet and fun. We danced a little, but nothing more than that. He was heading back to Boston after the wedding, anyway."

"Good." The word slipped out before I could stop it. Adam was cute, I'd thought so too, but I didn't like the idea of anything happening with him and Marley.

Marley tilted his head, as if he were waiting for an explanation from me, but I had none to offer. I returned to my desk to give me something to focus on, definitely not to hide.

"So you're not from Boston, then? "

"No, I grew up nearby and went to school in Irvine. But Carmen had been anxious to get out on her own, so it wasn't really a surprise when she ended up across the country."

"Good for her. That's hard to do."

"It is."

"So you and Carmen were close? Like…together?" He asked gingerly.

"Fuck no! It's not like that, never was. She's my sister."

"Sister?" The word came out on a squeak that would have been amusing if it didn't stir my insides about.

"Yes. Like I said, way back."

A quick laugh burst out of him, and I could have sworn he was bursting with rays of sunlight. "Sorry, that just surprised me. I should have put it together, except that it was always the Barry wedding, and even though documents were signed in her maiden name, I hadn't made the connection. Marten. Carmen Marten. Derek Marten." He waved his arm in my direction.

"That's me."

"D. Marten." Something happened. He stared at me, his gaze clearly roving up and down me, though most of the view was blocked by my desk. Realization of… something seemed to dawn on him. But the strange expression soon changed as he pursed his lips, trying to fight a smile, and I wished he didn't. He was cute as it was, more than cute, but that smile of his was captivating, and shouldn't be hidden away.

He returned his focus to the second vase, putting a bouquet together. "She and Steve seemed so perfect together. How are the newlyweds?"

Carmen had texted the family group chat when they returned home from their honeymoon. Aside from that, I hadn't heard. Though, I had no doubt that they had stuff plastered all over social media. "Quiet, but happy. I think they're busy enjoying their new roles."

Marley let out a soft sigh. "I bet. That must be so nice."

"What's that?"

He straightened. "Oh, nothing. I'm just about finished." He made one final adjustment before placing the flowers around my office. "There, how does it look?"

With one vase on each side table on either side of the couch and a smaller square vase with a lower profile on the edge of my desk, it made the room look so much different. Each had shades of purple with hints of green. It was funny how such a simple addition could really change the entire vibe.

"It's beautiful. You've done a fantastic job. Thank you."

"Yay, glad you like them. Let me tell you what you have and then I'll get out of your hair."

"You're not in my hair."

Marley grinned. "Nevertheless, I've taken up more time than I meant to. I decided to go with purple. Because purple is a royal color. It represents power, respect, and admiration, things that seem important to you in your position. So you have lavender roses and lavender matsumoto asters. And we have green to signify good fortune and good health. These are green button spray chrysanthemums."

It struck me to know that he had carefully selected each item with purpose. "Those flowers say all of that?"

"Flowers can simply be beautiful things to look at, but they have a whole language that can convey almost any meaning from positive to negative."

"That's amazing. I had no idea."

"I'll happily translate for you." Marley winked and damn if he wasn't already the cutest person to walk the earth, that would have done it.

"So…I'll see you next week?"

Marley grabbed his cart and gave a little wave. "Next week. Have a great week, Derek."

"Thanks. You too."