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He just gives ht to him and nuzzles the top of her head "Happily"

"I'htly apologetic about the haot a lot on her plate right

now and doesn't need your type of complication"

Well, hellthat makes me feel like shit I start to ask what exactly Olivia has on her plate that can't besex, but then Olivia is stepping back up to our circle Looking directly at Sutton, she says, "I was able to get that early- to have to head out"

Sutton gives her a tiny s passes between thereat h"

I reach out almost stupidly to take her hand, and I relish briefly its war you too"

"Come on," Sutton says as she steps forward and drapes her arm companionably around Olivia's shoulders "I'll walk you to your car"

I watch as the two cousins walk back up toward the house, their heads bent in toward each other as Sutton squeezes Olivia gently Then they're gone and my mind drifts back to the dirty joke I wanted to tell Alex

Chapter 2

Olivia

My mind was all muddled as the call I had just received caused both anxiety and relief to flood through me I et an early start in the , but because I suddenly felt out offlirty s in my world

The phone call was a brutal re in my world

So I gave Sutton a long hug goodbye, tried to avert aze from her worried eyes, and drove off I didn't have any intention of going home and instead headed h the shop had closed o, I knew Stevie would be there, working to get a head start on the next day's orders I needed to talk to hi thata beautiful flower arrangement

Fleurish is in a trendy little area of Chapel Hill, tucked between an upscale woliano, who also happens to be o, and it's one of the most popular floral shops in the area I parallel-park ht purple walls and distressed wooden sign above the door that bears the name of the shop with a brass fleur-de-lis in the corner The lights are off, but I can see a glow frolass front door and peer in

After unlocking the door and swinging it open, I immediately call out so as not to freak Stevie out over my sudden presence

"It's just me," I yell, as I quickly turn to punch in the code to deactivate the alarm

"I'm back here," he calls out, and duh, of course, I kneas back there

Captain Obvious

Stevie is all kinds of silly, but he is about the e, but the only acknowledgives to his roots is soold jewelry and calls me paisano sometimes Past that, he's one hundred percent certifiably and fla spikes all over his head, bleached platinum blond, but with the tips done in a brilliant hot pink Or orange Or blue Depending on his lues tiny rhinestone designs at the corners of his eyes I relock the door froh the front of the store that is filled with spectacular displays of silk floral arrangements and novelty itelass coolers that contain dozens of preements

The back design area is partitioned off with a wall that runs behind the checkout counter but holds a large glass , so we can see out to the store area if we are in the back working on arrangee basket of peonies, alstroemeria, and Asiatic lilies As always, his work is artistically beautiful

"Hey," I say as I set my purse and keys down on the back counter

Stevie lifts his head and giveshere, kiddo?"

I snickerthat Stevie would call rand total of five years older than I, but at thirty, he does seem a lot wiser to the world, and I lean on hi for hi e at the University of North Carolina When I graduated with a degree in business, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, so my part-time job to make some extra cash turned into a full-tiather dust, though, because while n, Stevie has had me step in to help with other aspects of the business, such as inventory, bookkeeping, and

It's a peaceful existence for h money to rent a cute little apartner shoes Past thato hoo out with Stevie when he wants to bring o over to Uncle Ji out with thelass of ith Sutton But otherwisemy life is without complications or relationships outside of my family and Stevie Quiet and melloould describe my existence

Orat least it did

Now I think it's getting ready to be all kinds of crazy, scary