Dear Joe,
I shouldn’t have lost my temper yesterday. I apologize for that and for kicking you out of my shop. You’re welcome to come back anytime.
Sophie
Joe grinned. They’d had the same idea, only she’d had the courage to go through with it. He put the card on top of the envelope, parked his car in the garage, closed the door, and went inside.
He walked through the small alcove that housed his laundry room, ignoring the pile of towels on top of the dryer that needed to be folded, and went to the kitchen. He set the mail on the counter and glanced at Sophie’s note. Then he looked around the house. The only sound was the buzz of the refrigerator. No one was there to welcome him home, or to eat dinner with, or to talk to about his day.
In the past he’d been too busy to notice. Or he’d ignored the loneliness. Probably some of both. But lately he couldn’t ignore the fact that he hadn’t expected to be single and without a family of his own at thirty-five. When he married Jenna, he’d intended to be married to her for the rest of his life. Look how that turned out.
He picked up the note card again and reread it. She didn’t need to apologize to him, since he was the one in the wrong. Not only did she say she was sorry, but she’d also invited him back to the store. Okay, invite was a strong word, but still—maybe he was getting a second chance with her.
A feeling that had long lay dormant traveled through him. Attraction. Anticipation.
Joe tapped the card against his lips, then set it down, the courage he’d been searching for all day appearing full force. He grinned. Sophie Morgan had opened the door for him, and he was going to walk through.
Chapter 4
By four o’clock the next day, Sophie was exhausted. The flow of customers in her shop had been nonstop, and she’d fretted all night about the note she left in Joe’s mailbox.
After leaving April’s she had gone home, fully intending to spend the rest of the evening watching TV and forgetting that Joe Johnson existed. Instead, she went straight to her junk drawer, pulled out the pack of note cards she’d tossed in three months ago, and wrote him a quick apology note. Before she lost her nerve, she searched for his address in the church directory, then drove over and dropped off the note. She assumed he wasn’t home because there was mail still in the box, but she sped off just in case.
When she got back to her apartment, she took a long, soothing bath, which normally helped her sleep. It hadn’t worked last night. Why didn’t she just write “I’m sorry”? Why did she have to add the part about him being welcome in her store? He wasn’t, of course, but what if he took her seriously instead of realizing she was just being polite?
Fortunately, there hadn’t been much time to ponder that during the workday. Hayley and MacKenzie were busy in the back filling a last-minute order for one of their best customers who would be picking it up first thing in the morning. She leaned against the counter, glad that for at least a few minutes the shop was empty. She was thankful for the brisk business, of course, but right now she wanted to sit down and put up her aching feet.
The phone rang, and she let out a big yawn as she picked up the receiver. “Petals and Posies. How may I help you?”
“Hi, Sophie.”
A tiny thrill traveled through her. “Hi, Landon,” she said, unable to keep the surprise out of her tone.
“I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight?” he asked.
Inexplicably, she paused. She hadn’t expected him to extend the invitation again so soon. Actually, she hadn’t expected him to ask her out again at all. It struck her as strange that he was expecting her to be able to drop whatever she was doing at a moment’s notice. Then again, her social calendar wasn’t exactly full, either.
“I’m trying to stop you from making a terrible mistake.”
Joe’s words came to her mind unbidden. Great, he was interrupting her thoughts now. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why he thought her going out with Landon was a mistake. Did he know something about Landon that she didn’t?
“Sophie?” Landon said, impatience in his tone. “Are you there?”
The chime above the front door rang, and she looked up to see Joe walking into her store. Unbelievable. How could this happen twice? Then again, it was her fault. She shouldn’t have been so polite.
“Sophie, I’m waiting for your answer.”
Landon sounded even more impatient now. When Joe reached the counter, she said, “Yes. What time do you want to meet?”
“I’ll pick you up at five.” The charming tone was back. “At the shop.”
She tried to smile but couldn’t with Joe staring at her. She met his gaze, surprised that he was back so soon. When her eyes locked with his, she froze. Had she ever noticed the gold flecks in his hazel eyes? Had she ever noticed he had hazel eyes? Gorgeous eyes, now that she was paying attention. And there was something in his gaze that made her mouth go dry. Oh my.
“Is that all right?” Landon’s voice sounded in her ear.
“What?”
“Five o’clock. Does that time work for you?”
“Yeah. Sure.” She blinked, and whatever trance had held her disappeared. “I mean, yes. I’ll be here.”
“See you then. And Sophie?”
She turned away from Joe. “Yes?”
“I can’t wait to see you.”
Click. She looked at the phone receiver for a minute. Shouldn’t his words excite her? A handsome, successful man was asking her out. She couldn’t ask for a more perfect launch back into the swing of dating. Instead, she felt a tiny bit uneasy.
“Hey, Sophie.”
She hung up the phone and turned to Joe, her guard back up. Thankfully when she looked at him this time, she felt nothing but annoyance. “Joe.”
His slightly crooked grin vanished. “Uh, I got your note.”
“Good.” She crossed her arms.
“You didn’t have to apologize.”
“I know.” She wasn’t going to give an inch with him. Just because her good Southern manners forced her to apologize didn’t mean she trusted him. Or even liked him. Then what was that feeling a few seconds ago?
“I need to apologize, though. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have butted into your business like that. You were right to be upset.”
Her tense shoulders relaxed a little. “Apology accepted,” she said, her tone less sharp.
“I liked the note card.” He touched the brim of his baseball cap, then thrust his hands behind his back again and started rocking on his heels. “What kind of flower was that?”
“A gerbera daisy.”
“Are they all red?”
She was surprised he was asking questions about flowers. Then again, he was probably making small talk, which she didn’t have time for. Because I have a date. She had a date! She glanced down at her work uniform, which consisted of her usual denim shirt, this time with a navy blue T-shirt underneath. She couldn’t go out with Landon looking like this.
“Did you want to buy something?” Sophie asked, the words shooting out in a rush as she tried to calm her nerves. Did she have time to run home and change? She glanced at the clock. If she left in five minutes, she’d be back just in time for Landon’s arrival. “If not, you can show yourself out.”