“I will,” she promised.
Aidan looked over Mary’s head to where Andrew was watching with undisguised amusement. “You’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything too strenuous?”
Andrew nodded.
“And you’ve got my personal cell, yes?”
Another nod, this one accompanied with an ill-concealed grin.
“Alright, then,” Aidan said, exhaling. He cupped the back of Mary’s head with his hand, then kissed her soundly right there in the front of her flower shop in a clear show of possession. “I’ll see you later. And don’t even think about doing anything when you get back home this afternoon. I’m bringing dinner.”
“Good Lord, woman, that man has it bad for you,” chuckled Andrew, shaking his head as he joined Mary in the window and watched Aidan walk away. They weren’t the only ones following him with their eyes.
“Well,” Mary said on a sigh as two older women simply stopped on the sidewalk and stared, openmouthed, as Aidan inclined his head and wished them a good morning, “I guess everyone knows he’s been staying at my place. My reputation’s shot to hell.”
Andrew laughed. “About damned time, too. You were making the rest of us look bad, you know.” At Mary’s disbelieving look, he said, “Oh, come off it. You know it’s true. And you wouldn’t have a problem with your rep if you’d just marry the man.”
Mary’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You know about that?”
“Yes.” Andrew’s eyes sparkled. “He’s laid public claim, darlin’. You and your rich boy toy are the hottest thing to hit Birch Falls in years.”
“You are taking way too much enjoyment out of this.”
“I’m just happy to see you finally getting what you deserve, Mary,” Andrew said, still smiling but his tone more serious. “If anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s you. And you can’t get much happier of an ending than Aidan Harrison, sweetheart.”
“You knew, didn’t you?” Mary asked, lifting one of the gardening aprons from a peg behind the counter and slipping it over her head. Andrew raised an eyebrow and pinned her with a look.
“I know lots of things. Which one are you talking about?”
Mary rolled her eyes. “About Aidan. You knew who he was, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. Everyone knows who Aidan Harrison is. Hell, Mary. A millionaire moves into the next town, one who just happens to be one of the most eligible and sought after bachelors in the country, and people tend to notice.” He gave her a stern look, but his eyes twinkled with amusement.
Mary blushed, wondering once again what Aidan saw in her.
“Then again,” Andrew drawled, “maybe it’s that demure na?veté that snagged him in the first place. He’s probably never met anyone as completely unaffected as you before.”
The rosy tint upon her cheeks darkened. “I’m not sure how to take that, Andrew. It sounds nice when you say it, but it feels kind of insulting.”
Andrew laughed. “Definitely not an insult, Mare. Don’t you know how attractive you are? Soft spoken, gentle, kind. You couldn’t give two shits how much money someone has or what they do for a living. No wonder Harrison has it bad for you. You must be like catnip to him. Irresistible and intoxicating at the same time.”
Embarrassed, she turned away. “I cannot believe you just called me catnip,” she said, lifting up a plastic pot of the stuff and frowning at the small green spiky leaves. It wasn’t the most attractive of plants, but it was a huge favorite with local cat lovers.
He laughed again. “Just saying.”
It didn’t take long for Mary to lose herself among the plants. The humid heat of the greenhouse, the smell of damp earth, the scents and colors of hundreds of blooms bursting all around her was a balm to her soul. This was where she felt most at peace, her hands deep in potting soil, nurturing and tending to create something beautiful.
It had been nearly a week since she’d been at the store, and it was clear that her plants missed her. Andrew did what he could, and Becky, the shy high-school girl with glasses, was still learning. It would take several days to get things back to where they should be, and Mary was looking forward to it. It was nice to feel needed, even if it was only by her plants.
And Max. Max needed her. But did Aidan?
Mary’s thoughts returned unerringly to him, just as they had from the very first night they’d met. There was something about him that made it all but impossible not to think of him. Aidan Harrison had somehow burrowed deep into her mind and her heart (not to mention her body) and conveniently set up shop.
He said he loved her. He said she was his heart. He even said he was going to ask her to marry him.
But he hadn’t, had he?