The Bridal Bouquet. Tara Randel
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you need a night out with the girls,” her friend Nealy answered.
“You’re so busy conquering the world of wedding flowers, we don’t see you,” Lilli added.
“Except this isn’t a girls’ night out. It’s the entire town of Cypress Pointe out. And you’re both here with your significant others.” Coughing, she grabbed the water bottle from Lilli’s outstretched hand.
“You make that sound like a bad thing,” Lilli said.
“Look, bonfires are special to both of you. I get it. You have wonderful memories associated here. All I do is end up going home with a scratchy throat and smelly clothes and hair.”
Nealy laughed. “You are so not a romantic.”
Lilli tapped a finger against her chin. “We need to find you a guy.”
“Whoa. Put the brakes on.” Kady held up her hand. “I’m not looking.”
“That’s your problem. You should be.”
“Why bother? I know most of the single men in town. Dated some of them. It didn’t happen.”
“That’s no reason to close yourself off,” Nealy argued.
Sure it was. Most of the guys she’d dated were as busy as she, always canceling at the last minute with work obligations. She got it, but for once she’d love to be put first in a relationship. Take Brad, for instance.
She’d trusted him. Thought she’d fallen hard for the country-club general manager she’d met while attending a business meeting there. She’d been talking with the event coordinator about her floral services when Brad walked into the office. They’d clicked. One date led to another and soon they were an item. Kady couldn’t believe how well they’d synced.
Until they didn’t.
After three months of assurances that he wanted to settle down, Brad jumped at an opportunity to move to a big club in Texas and hadn’t asked her to come with him. Worst of all, he’d bragged about acquiring only quality vendors, like Kady, to land the job.
While still in Florida, he’d promised she would be the exclusive florist for the club, which quickly fell through when the new general manager didn’t agree. Not only had her heart been bruised, but Brad had also cost her business she’d been counting on, while using her to advance his own career. After that, her trust level in men plummeted.
Since then, having gone on too many bad dates to count, Kady decided she and dating were like oil and water. Didn’t mix well. She accepted that. Why couldn’t her friends? Running her business and building a brand were the most important relationships in her life right now.
“You two are disgustingly happy and I’m thrilled for you both—truly I am. But not everyone is looking for their soul mate.”
Nealy leveled a glance at Lilli. “That is true. Things weren’t smooth sailing for either of us when we started out with our guys.”
“But they are now.”
Lilli’s smitten expression made Kady laugh. “Spoken like a bride-to-be.”
“The bride-to-be who has venue choices to make,” Nealy reminded her. As her event planner, she’d been after Lilli to make decisions so she could get the wedding ball rolling.
“And flowers to select,” Kady added.
“I will.” Lilli’s eyes went all dreamy. “We’re enjoying the moment.”
Nealy sputtered, “You’re making Max crazy. The PI is ready to drag you down the aisle.”
“There is that, too.”
Kady smiled at her childhood friend. She was delighted about the upcoming nuptials, especially since she’d be doing the flowers for the wedding and all the other related events. If Lilli ever set a date, that was.
“Hey, look. Dane’s waving at me.” Nealy stood, waving back to the man who owned the Grand Cypress Hotel, home to this year’s florist convention. “I should see what he wants.”
Lilli followed, brushing sand off the seat of her jeans. “And I should find Max.”
“Nice,” Kady mumbled, still seated. “You drag me down here then dump me.”
“We’ll be back,” Nealy assured her as the two took off. Yeah, right. From past experience, she knew once those two got with their men, there was no separating them. She smiled.
The wind picked up again, blowing the acrid smoke in Kady’s direction. Her nose burned and she blinked back fresh tears. Pushing up from the sand, she was ready to call it a night. The entire population of Cypress Pointe might enjoy the revelry of a bonfire on the beach, but Kady was not one of them.
Zipping up the jacket she’d layered over a sweatshirt and jeans, she coughed again as she weaved through the crowd, headed to the parking lot. She passed a group of laughing guys, swerving out of their way when she heard a deep male voice.
“Kady?”
She swung around, her foot sliding in the damp sand. Her pulse jumped as the hunk from the wedding headed in her direction.
“Hi. Dylan, right?”
“Yeah. Enjoying the bonfire?”
She brushed ash from her sleeves and answered, tongue in cheek. “Sure.”
His metal-colored eyes sparkled with humor. “I’ll take that as a no.”
She laughed. “You’d be correct.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Friends dragged me out. You?”
“Family dragged me out.” His smile, somewhere between sad and amused, reminded her of just how attractive she found him.
“Part of the wedding festivities?”
“Apparently.” He rubbed his leg and tried to hide a grimace.
She nodded toward his leg. “Are you okay?”
“Injury. Been standing out in the cold for too long.”
“There’s a bench over there.” She pointed. “You can have a seat.”
“If you’ll join me.”
Her stomach fluttered at his invitation. Trying to act nonchalant, she shrugged. “Why not? I was only planning to go home and take a nice warm shower to get the stench out of my hair.”
“Bet you’re loads of fun on a camping trip.”
“Never been.”
“Fun times.”
Kady slowed her pace to match Dylan’s gait. He’d changed into a jacket over a Henley shirt, with jeans and boots. Shedding his formal wear hadn’t made him any less attractive.
When they reached the bench he eased down gingerly. Not sure how to act around him, she perched at the far end, leaving plenty of space between them. Not that she had to worry—it seemed like the entire town surrounded them. If he started anything sketchy, she’d yell at the top of her lungs.
“I promise you, I have no evil intentions.”
Great. Obvious much? “A girl can’t take chances.”
“Very wise of you.”
She sat back and relaxed a bit. “And kind of insulting to you?”
“Nah. I get it.”
His easy acceptance made her loosen her tense shoulders. Here she sat, on a bench, curious about the good-looking guy who’d not only kept her from ruining a flower arrangement at the reception, but was also the man she’d been thinking about all day. Why not enjoy it?
“Do you have these public bonfires on the