“I do,” Jace said and then shook his head. “Addison will be saying those words soon. I do have an idea to make the proposal smoother, though.”
Stella smoothed her hands over her jeans as she took one last look around. This was the day she opened the nursery and garden center to the public. She’d invited local landscapers, builders, and real estate developers to have a first look from ten to twelve. Then she’d open the gates to the public at noon. Stella just hoped the public came.
“You look great,” Eden told her. “The garden center looks great. And here comes the first of your prospective clients.”
Stella took a deep breath and plastered on a nervous smile. “Thank you for taking the day off to help me. Is this one of your contacts?”
“It is. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
The hours flew by. Stella had researched local and national nurseries and garden centers for over a year before she decided what to stock, how to lay it out, and what was needed in the market. She had some of the basic contract-grade landscaping, but most was unique to the area. Trees, bushes, and flowers with color and texture that made you want to reach out and touch them.
The professional response had been very encouraging. Stella had a stack of orders to prove it. Enough orders were already placed that she could hire a full-time employee, which she desperately needed.
Stella was breathing easier as Eden went to re-open the gates to the public. Two of the kind of black SUVs with tinted windows that executives rode around in were the first to pull in followed by two regular SUVs.
The doors of the first executive SUV opened and people began to pour out. An older man in a suit and tie got out from behind the steering wheel. A woman who Stella guessed was his wife got out of the front passenger seat. She was dressed completely differently. She was in jeans and a Milo, Maine Three Rivers Community T-shirt. Behind them, two men and three women got out.
The other SUV stopped and a man with a more extravagant suit got out. Stella’s eyes went right to the sheathed sword at his side. That must be Draven. Stella had thought Colton and Jace had been teasing her about the sword. A woman with her hair swept up into a casual twist and wearing a skirt suit got out next and started pointing to some of the flowers Stella had lining the parking area. She must be the attorney.
Stella’s eyes were immediately drawn to the two men getting out of their own SUVs. She smiled and waved at Colton and Jace as they walked toward her. The other people fell in behind them.
“Holy smokes. Who are they?” Eden whispered. “I suddenly feel underdressed.”
“The man on the right is Dr. Jace Davies and on the left is Colton Davies, the firefighter. I don’t know the others.”
“That’s the doctor April insisted on going to?”
“Yup,” Stella said with a smile as April ran past Stella and her mother.
“Dr. Davies! Mr. Colton!”
Stella and Eden watched Dr. Davies bend down and open his arms as April hurled herself through the air and right onto him.
“Well,” Eden said, blinking in surprise, “what can I say? My daughter has good taste in men.”
Stella cracked up as the group of people joined them. April was excitedly telling Colton all about Jimmy’s latest adventure in the pond and telling Dr. Davies that her boo-boo didn’t hurt anymore.
“Hello, Miss Winters.” Stella might have swooned as Jace spoke. That deep Southern voice with a little twinkle in his eye as if they shared an inside joke had her melting. Apparently her sister-in-law, too, as Eden began to fan herself with the brochures.
“Dr. Davies, it’s so nice of you to come to my opening.”
“Please, call me Jace.”
“And I’m Stella.” Her heartbeat picked up as the smile on his handsome face widened. Eden’s fan smacked her arm and Stella was brought back to the present. “This is April’s mom, my sister-in-law, Eden Winters.”
“The real estate agent,” the older man in a suit didn’t ask but stated.
“Yes, that’s right,” Eden said, surprised. Eden was successful but she ran her own real estate company mostly by herself. She was selective about what she sold, which was why high-end builders liked to use her to sell their houses, condos, and expensive buildings.
“You sold some office buildings for me in the new complex downtown.”
“The law offices?”
“That’s right,” the man smiled.
“I sold those for Mr. McCloud.”
The man smiled, and goodness, he was a silver fox. His lightly tanned skin and dark eyes seemed to take in everything while they radiated quiet power and confidence. “Mr. McCloud works for me.”
“Oh. Then it’s very nice to meet you, Mr. . . .”
“Ali Rahman. Mo Ali Rahman. And this is my wife, Dani.” Mo turned behind him and the five adults stepped forward. They were all grinning and Stella couldn’t shake the feeling they were checking her out. “And these are our children. Our oldest, Zain, and his wife, Mila. Then Gabe and Sloane. If you can’t tell, Zain and Gabe are twins. Then this is our daughter, Ariana.”
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Your Highnesses,” Eden said, bowing her head respectfully to him beside her. What the heck? Highness? Like royalty? She’d known that some members of the royal family of some small country owned a horse farm nearby but she just assumed they were never there. It wasn’t like the Queen of England stayed in the United States when her horses were here.
“Please, don’t do that. Not here at home,” Mo said, smoothly taking Eden’s hand and helping her stand up straight.
Ariana stepped forward and held out her hand to Stella. “I’m Ari. This place is stunning. I just want to hug that miniature tree over there. It’s fuzzy.”
Stella laughed and nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Jace turned and waved the two people behind him forward. “These are our friends, Draven and Addison.”
Stella held out her hand and shook Addison’s first and then Draven’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Nice sword.”
“See,” Draven said to Addison. “I told you women love my sword.”
Addison rolled her eyes and Stella instantly liked the woman.
“Welcome to Keeneston, Stella,” Addison said as Mo, Dani, and Eden began to talk.
“Dr. Davies, I want to show you my favowite place,” April said, pointing off to where Stella had built an exhibit around part of the pond.
Jace set April down and took her hand in his. “I’d love to see it. Why is it your favorite?”
Eden turned and gave Stella a pointed look as a minivan tore up the drive and skidded to a halt. A little pixie of a woman jumped out, reached into the back, and pulled out a toddler.
She raced forward, stood on her tiptoes, and smacked the back of Colton’s head. “You seriously didn’t tell me,” she hissed. “I saw that bet you placed, and I will get you back.”
“A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do to win a bet.” Colton didn’t look ashamed at all as suddenly everyone there pulled out their cell phones. “Stella, this is my Aunt Tammy. Tammy, this is Stella Winters and her sister-in-law, Eden.”