“Well, excuse me. I had no idea. I’ll just leave everything except for the daffodils. I can come back for the rest tomorrow or the next day when Reese or Hattie can assist me, so I won’t be such a bother to you.”
“Oh, man…” Wyatt turned and paced the length of the aisle; the nip of rose thorns didn’t sting half as much as Kami’s ire. “I suppose I can haul it all for you. Reese took the delivery truck, but mine’s parked out back. We can probably fit most of this stuff, if I pack the bed carefully….” He wasn’t sure where the words came from. As they slipped out, he wished he could take them back. The last thing he wanted to do was spend more time with her. Getting tangled up with Kami Moretto was a mistake, plain and simple, especially since he hoped to leave Clover Cove again just as soon as he got the nursery back on its feet. Yet, more words came, digging the hole even deeper. “Yeah, I think we can manage with my truck.”
“No need.”
“Kami...” He began and she turned. Her tense posture easing.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.” Chalk it up to the heat and the fact that his brain was muddled from a severe lack of caffeine. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear Kami cast a spell over him, skewing his internal axis by several degrees. “With a little luck we can do it in one trip and save you some time.”
“That would be great.” Her mouth rounded into a surprised little
oh
of delight. “Especially since I have to get back to the restaurant in time for the dinner rush. There’s no telling how long Jada will last today.”
“Jada?”
“Our part-time help.” Kami lifted a finger to her lips as she shook her head. “She’s young, and let’s just say that sometimes she gets a bit…distracted.”
“OK, then.” Wyatt began to haul the first cart toward the exit, where he’d pull his truck around to meet her. “Anything else you want? The remainder of the flats? A few more containers of monkey grass? Maybe your very own greenhouse?”
“That’s not funny, Wyatt Cutler.” Kami lifted the finger from her lips to waggle it at him. “I know for a fact your mama taught you better than to make fun of a woman simply because she loves flowers.”
“I’ll reserve the bulk of my laughter for when you begin to put this stuff in the ground.
That
will take some doing, and I’m sure the show will be worth the wait.” He delved his hand into his pants pocket for the keys to his four-by-four. “In the meantime, I’ll pull the truck around. We’ll get this loaded and be on our way.”
“Wait.” Kami’s fingers brushed his forearm, and even through the long sleeves of his shirt, her touch was electric. “I have to pay first.”
“No problem. I’ll start you a tab.” Wyatt pulled back and gave his arm a slight shake to still the hum of his nerve endings. No use…the unsettling vibration continued to pulse through him. He grasped the cart handle and shoved. “Odds are you’ll be back. If not, I’ll know where to find you.”
4
“Nice house,” Wyatt murmured as he turned into Kami’s drive. “Lots of potential. How long have you lived here?”
“A little over a year.” Kami shifted in her seat, suddenly embarrassed by the paint peeling off black shutters set against stark white siding. The colors were drab and bleak, and a flurry of weeds growing along the walk and up through cracks along the narrow drive only served to make the grounds look as if they’d suffered a bad haircut. “I know it looks like I just moved in. The place is a mess but the price was right. I had good intentions for renovations, but didn’t get around to much last spring with Mama so sick.”
“Right.” Wyatt tapped the brake pedal as they neared the detached garage, slipping the truck into a space between the wall and the walk. “That’s tough. I know you must miss her.”
“I do. It still hurts here.” Kami flattened a palm to her chest. “Deep inside.”
“I understand.” Sunlight streamed through the windshield, bringing out gold flecks around the edges of his coffee-colored eyes. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Thanks.”
His smile was a flash of light in the storm and, by the gentle tone of his voice, she knew he really did understand. It was a comfort to talk to someone who’d been through the fire, who knew what she was feeling.
“You must be hurting, too. Your dad, you two were close?”
“For the most part, until I left for New York. He wanted me to stay around, help with the business. He always had a dream that we’d all—Reese, Maddie, Dillon and me—grow up to join him in his venture. Reese did, choosing to bypass college to get his training in-house and hands-on. Even Dillon and Maddie both decided to study horticulture at the University of Tennessee. Maddie will be finished in another year, Dillon in two, and they both plan to return home afterwards. This all made things even harder for me, because I have no desire to dabble in plants. Dad and I had words over it, and I suppose I regret them now.”
“You shouldn’t. You have to live your own life, Wyatt. Besides, you had no idea how things would go. Your dad was young. Who knew?”
“True. It’s just…well…I always thought there would be time later on down the road, to mend fences. Since I’m the oldest, Dad was counting on me to set the stage. I guess Reese stepped neatly into those shoes. I have to give him props—he really knows his stuff.”
“But now you’re back. Why?”
“Both Reese and Mom can coax a rock to grow, but their business sense stops about two yards from the vault. Neither cares to crunch numbers or keep a record of anything beyond what fertilizer is used when and where and why—that type of thing. Dad always took care of the books.”
“I see, so you balance the scales.” Kami tapped fingernails along the thigh of her jeans. “That’s important.”
“Doesn’t matter. Dad’s not here anymore. He’ll never know. And, Mom’s worked her fingers to the bone, trying to hold on to things. It worries me.”
“I get that. My dad’s in the same boat. Since Mom died, all he wants to do is hole up at the restaurant. He’d keep it open twenty-four hours a day if he could. He doesn’t sleep anymore, says he only dreams of Mom and it hurts too much. It’s wearing on his health.”
“Your dad…my mom. It’s a mess, isn’t it?”
“The fact that you came home—it matters to your mom—and to Reese, I’m sure.” Kami leaned toward the open window, biting her lower lip as the breeze tickled her cheek. “Even so, you’re not happy to be back.”
“I had a lot going on in New York.” Wyatt switched off the ignition. “It’s hard to let go of it.”
“You left behind a girlfriend?”
“No, not that.” He shook his head and the door latch popped as he released it. “Who had time? It was my job that kept me busy…a good one with decent pay—more than decent pay—and a future.”
Kami rolled her eyes. “Sounds pretty safe and extremely monotonous—not at all like the Wyatt Cutler I remember.”
“Is that so?” His gaze skimmed over her. “And how do you remember me?”
“Brooding, a thinker. But a bit reckless, as well. Do you still have that motorcycle you used to love?”
“Sold it last year.”
“That’s a shame. You’ve become so…careful.”
“Boy, that’s interesting coming from the mouth of a woman who slings plates in a restaurant day in and day out.”
“Cutler nursery is your parents’ legacy, Wyatt, just like Pappy’s Pizzeria is mine. I’d be more than sad if I ever had to leave Clover Cove. I love it here. Don’t you want to raise a family here?”
“Is that an invitation?” His gaze zeroed in on her. “Or maybe you’re just releasing an all-points bulletin.”
“What? You’re thinking me…you?” Kami’s cheeks flamed as she puffed out a breath. “I hardly think we’d make it out of the starting gate.”
“Really? Why?” He peeled his gaze from her long enough to glance into the side mirror. “Am I that…unappealing?”
“No. You’re fairly easy on the eyes.” As a matter of fact, he was more appealing to her than she’d like to admit, but there was no point letting on. Kami scrambled for words. “We’re just too different. New York, Clover Cove…” She lifted one upturned palm, then the other, as if weighing the options. “You’re desperate to leave, and I’m scrambling to stay. Need I say more?”
“You never know what sort of surprises tomorrow might bring.”
“Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?”
“I suppose both of us.”
“Maybe you haven’t given Clover Cove—and Cutler Nursery—a chance. Your dad loved it, and your mom still does. Maybe you’ll acquire a fondness, as well. After all, you can’t beat the location. Pappy’s Pizzeria draws a crowd like honey draws flies. Folks are bound to notice the nursery when they stop in for a bite to eat.”
“Now you’re being facetious.”
“Nope, just offering a reality check. It’s possible to build a future here, you know—one that doesn’t include groveling to the higher-ups.”
“Groveling? I hardly think working hard to climb the proverbial career ladder includes groveling.”
“No? Then why does the suggestion launch daggers from your eyes?”
“You have a way with words that’s slightly…unsettling.” Wyatt draped one hand over the steering wheel and leaned toward her. His breath whispered along her cheek. “But the reality is this: I prefer not to pursue a future that’s elbow deep in mulch. The only reason I came home was to work the books, and I haven’t even seen the inside of the office yet—not that there’s much to see in that department. Reese has all these ideas, and no concept of the money it will take to pursue them. While he buys overstock in rose bushes the parking lot washes away and greenhouses topple around him.”
“Maybe he’s got a long-term vision for the nursery.”
“Yeah, I have one, too—only at the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s called a date with bankruptcy court.”
“Bite your tongue, Wyatt Cutler.” Kami jabbed a finger into his ribs. She found solid muscle, and lots of it. She pulled back, folded her hands in her lap. It was much safer that way. “How can you even utter such words?”
“Because, without the help of fervent prayer, losing the nursery is a very strong possibility.”
“Well, then we’d all better start praying, because relinquishing Cutler Nursery would destroy your mom just as much as losing the pizzeria would crush my dad. We can’t let either happen.”
“You don’t need to waste time worrying over me or my family.” Wyatt waved her off. “I can manage things.”
“I’m sure you can. But I care about your mom. Worrying is what friends do when they care about someone staring into a serious hurt. You used to know that, Wyatt.”
“I still know it. And you’ve got enough on your plate. Your dad—”
“Has taught me that money isn’t everything while family
is
.” Kami slipped from the passenger seat and followed him around to the front of the truck. “Losing someone you dearly love ought to drive that point home. If anything happens to Dad—”
“Nothing’s going to happen to him.”
“You, better than anyone, should know there’s absolutely no guarantee about what may or may not happen tomorrow—or even this afternoon, for that matter.”
“But I do know what’s going to happen here, now.” He smoothed a finger along her jaw, sending a flash of warmth up the length of her spine. Suddenly, she could barely manage to breathe. Wyatt leaned in and his breath whispered across her brow. “Do you…know what’s about to happen?”
Her traitorous pulse skipped into a double-time cadence as his scent, a battle of hard work and clean soap, settled over her. “I’m not…sure.”
“Then I’ll fill you in.” He lifted her chin with the flick of his finger so their gazes locked. His dark eyes held a hint of challenge. “You’re going to tell me where you want all this stuff, and I’m going to haul it for you while you brew me a cup of coffee.”
“Oh, right.” Kami eased back and smoothed a hand over her rumpled blouse. “Of course.”
“Is there anything else…you want?”
“And if I did…?”
“Hmm.” His grin, a hint of mystery fused with a heady challenge, swept her as he asked, “For now, I suppose that will have to do. Unless…”
“I think you’ve said enough.” She shook her head slightly, brushing strands of hair from the cheek that his breath had caressed. “Yes, more than enough.”
“In that case, you do own a coffeemaker, don’t you?”
She crossed her arms. “Yes. But I can haul my own stuff.” It would do her well to remember that he was the leaving kind. No point in allowing herself to dive into that pool. As appealing as the water might be, there was nowhere to swim. “I manage all the time just fine.”
“With those willowy arms of yours?” To drive the point home, he wrapped his fingers around her bicep. “You might break.”
“I carry armloads of platters that weigh more than those plants, thank-you-very-much.” She shrugged from his grasp, wishing her breathing would return to normal. But now her temper was spiked. How dare he insinuate she couldn’t manage on her own? She’d managed just fine while he’d been holed up in New York. She leaned into the passenger window of the truck and grabbed her purse, then turned on her heel toward the front door of her house. “But if it’s coffee you want, I’ll make it. Maybe a cup or two will turn you human.”
****
Wyatt’s heart flickered with an unfamiliar palpitation. Good grief, could it be a nip of desire—for the scrawny Kami Moretto? OK, face it…she was no longer scrawny, but gently curved in all the right places. He hoped she couldn’t hear the thump of his pulse as he pulled a ball cap from his back pocket and tugged it tight over his scalp. His voice was a little too raw for his own good—or hers. As she retreated toward the front door, he called after her. “So tell me, boss, where should I dump this stuff?”
“You’re the expert. Lob me some ideas.”
“I’ll need some caffeine first.”
“Yes, I got that memo. I’m on it. Be right back. In the meantime, just pile—oops, I mean place—the potting soil over there beside the garage. And the hanging baskets can go on those hooks. And—”
“Coffee, I’m begging you.”
“Right. Yeah.” Kami tossed him a look as she headed up the walk. “Begging will get you places. It’s coming right up.”