Friends to Lovers (30 page)

“Such a drama queen.” But her voice trembled beneath the sassy sneer. “You’re moving to England, not the moon. This doesn’t have to be the end.”

“Yes, it does.” Christ, she was going to make him hammer his point home with a bloody sledgehammer. “We both have demanding work schedules. You can’t skip a few weddings in order to visit your boyfriend, who lives a seven-hour flight away. And I’ve already been almost fired once. I’ll have to buckle down like never before, just to claw my back up to manager.”

Bounding off the stool, she paced between the cooler and her table. “There are such things as long-distance relationships.”

Gib wanted to agree. Wanted to cling to the solution she offered. Wanted to snatch at every precious moment she’d grant him. But that would be selfish. Daphne deserved more. She deserved every bit of happiness in the world. She deserved a man who would be her partner, at her side every day, building a life together. And if he had to hurt her a little today to ensure she could find a lifetime of true love, well, so be it. He just couldn’t tell her the whole of it. Divulging his newly discovered feelings would be nothing but cruel. Might even make her hang on out of sheer stubbornness, trying to find a way to make it work. Gib loved her enough to not let her put herself through that.

“Those are people fooling themselves. People who don’t have the courage to live the lives they deserve. A relationship is built on what we’re doing today. Waking up together. Venting to you, then sharing a dinner that erases all the madness of the day. Finding comfort in each other’s arms at night. You can’t video chat your way through a relationship.”

“That’s only one side of the possibility coin.” She threw her arms out to the sides, voice desperately rising. “You could get a job offer and be back here in a month.”

“Or not. Work visas don’t grow on trees. Much easier to renew than to get accepted for reapplication. Other companies might follow the example the Cavendish is setting. We have to face facts. I’m as good as gone.”

Tears trembled on her lashes. “Don’t force me to give up on you.”

He couldn’t take her tears. Wouldn’t be able to keep going if they trailed down her cheeks. Gib all but leaped for the tissue and gently blotted her eyes. “I don’t want you to. But we have to do this immediately. A surgical strike, to save ourselves from getting in any deeper. To stop the pain from getting any worse than it is right now.”

She snatched the tissue from him. Fisted her hands on her hips. “Is this all a ruse? Now that you’ve had me, you’re ready to dump me? Is this what you see as an easy way to let me down?”

Tempting to let her think that. To let her righteous anger burn away the hurt. But he couldn’t lie to her. Gib couldn’t let her think she was anything less than amazing. Wanted to tell her those three words engulfing his heart that changed everything. But that would be beyond cruel. A burden he alone would carry. “God, no. There’s nothing easy about this. Not spending every last second with you that I possibly can is impossibly hard.”

“Then why?” Daphne reached for him, but Gib sidestepped her hands. Much like her tears, the temptation of her touch might derail all his good intentions. “Why miss out on those moments? Embrace what little time we do have left.”

“Every touch, every smile, every kiss weaves us closer together. I can’t do that to you. Not when each extra second of goodness makes it exponentially more excruciating when I get on that plane.”

Those soft, pink lips hardened, and twisted downward. “Cutting me off is a favor?”

“It’s a kindness.” A kindness that was killing him with every word. “I’ll still come to your competition. I promise. I’ll watch you wipe the floor with Sheila Irwin’s hackneyed designs. Because you will. I’m so proud of you. For being talented enough to be offered this shot, and being brave enough to take it.”

“So this is it? We just go back to being friends? You’ll post pithy comments on my Facebook status updates? We’ll both pretend that’s a way to stay connected?”

“Something like that.” Except he wouldn’t. Gib couldn’t watch her post funny reviews of new restaurants without wishing he’d been there with her. He wouldn’t be able to abide, as the months went by, seeing her mention date nights—probably with that Adam fellow. They couldn’t be lovers anymore, but they probably couldn’t still be friends, either. He loved her too much to take that backward step. He loved her enough to let her go.

It had to start right now. Gib brushed a kiss on her cheek. Swallowed past the pain of a thousand nails flaying his heart to pieces. “Goodbye, Daphne.”

Chapter Seventeen

Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them

~
Chinese proverb

Daphne had done flowers in every five-star hotel ballroom in the city. Most of the four stars, too, and a good number of the three-star hotels. She’d lugged her dolly stacked with boxes of flowers in and out of service elevators. Crept in when the rooms were quiet and left as the catering staff rose to a harried din as they finished setting the tables for dinner. Put a centerpiece in each hand, and she felt as at home in any of Chicago’s famous hotels as a high-class call girl. But today was different. Today, she was the centerpiece.

The Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel had quite a history. Al Capone’s brother was reputed to have run a casino and speakeasy in the penthouse. It hosted the Republican National Convention when Nixon became the surprise pick for vice president. The Rolling Stones stayed there. None of these facts intimidated Daphne. Nor did the twenty-five-foot gilded ceiling to the Crystal Ballroom. Not even the illuminated and raised dance floor where she’d be waging war phased her. What scared the spit right out of her mouth were the ten cameras ringing the floor. Were they all going to be pointed right at her?

From beneath an archway outlined in gold paint, her dad raised a hand in greeting. Next to him Marge waved about a hundred times more exuberantly. “How are you doing?” Stuart kissed her on the cheek.

“Contemplating throwing up.” Daphne hugged both of them. “Although that would be a waste of the good-luck Belgian waffles Ivy made me.”

“You listen to that practical streak of yours,” said Marge. A tiny white rosebud nestled over her ear, almost hidden by the crimson tower of curls. “Puking makes you pale, too. Not worth it.”

“Thanks for the advice. And thanks for coming. It’ll help to have my own personal cheering section.”

“This place looks like it holds five hundred people. I’ll bet there will be lots of folks cheering for you.”

“Closer to seven-fifty,” Daphne murmured. She didn’t take any pride in knowing the seating capacity. It was just one of those things she learned by osmosis from sharing an office with Ivy. “The balconies hold a lot of people. Since the cameras take up so much space, they’re making the general ticket holders sit up there.”

Her dad brandished their tickets in his fist. “Good thing I’m related to one of the stars. Marge staked out our chairs already. We’re right in front of your station.”

The competing florists were set up in a straight line on the wide, white-paneled dance floor. They each got a worktable and a wire rack full of tools. And, in a bit of free publicity that would thrill her whole office to the core, a banner with the company logo draped across the front of the table.

“Great. If you see me freeze, will you do me a favor? Stick out your tongue. Make a funny face. Anything to break me out of my panic coma.”

Stuart patted Marge’s shoulder. “Marge, why don’t you go put your things down to hold seats for the others? Make sure you get enough for everybody.”

“Sure thing.” She kissed Daphne on the cheek, then scrubbed at the lipstick stain with a tissue she plucked out of her bra. “You’re gonna do great.”

Daphne watched her sashay the length of the room. “So you brought a date to my big day. Interesting. Did you have to promise Marge she’d get on television to get her to go out with you?”

“This isn’t our first date.” His always ruddy cheeks reddened to the color of a scarlet azalea blossom. “Just the first one you know about.”

“Oh.” So now Daphne’s sixty-year-old father was having more sex than her. Way to rub salt in the wound. Not that he knew about Gib. Easier to tell him after the competition, when she wasn’t using all of her willpower just to hold herself together. “Well, good for you. She’s always been like a surrogate aunt to me. You can’t do any better than Marge.”

He jammed his fingers through his wiry hair. “Can we not talk about my dating?”

Daphne knew that feeling. Her well-meaning friends had all pressed her for details about Gib. They all wanted to commiserate with her. Impossible to keep their three-day-old split a secret from them. Not when Milo lived with him and Mira was helping him organize his move.

Daphne appreciated their support. Knew she’d need it to make it through the next weeks and months without Gib. But right now, when it was still so raw, talking about him only burned like acid poured straight on her heart. She’d be happy to not discuss the love life of any member of the Lovell family for the foreseeable future. “Sure.”

“Actually, I want to talk about your mother.” Stuart dug in his pocket to produce a green velvet box. “You’ve got a lot of her jewelry. But there was one piece she wanted me to hold back. To give you on the most important day of your life. When we talked about it, she meant your wedding day.”

Another hit below the proverbial belt—even though her dad didn’t know it. “That’s going to be a pretty long wait.”

“Well, your mother and I didn’t sign a blood oath. I don’t think she’d mind my using my best judgment. I want you to have this today. To know that she’s with you. To make you feel as beautiful as I know you are. As all of America will see you.”

She took the box. When it hinged open with a click, Daphne immediately recognized the necklace. It was the one both her mother and grandmother wore in their wedding portraits. A cluster of garnets around a larger solitaire, reminiscent of a flower. Just holding it in her hand after all these years felt like a faint hug from her mother. Eyes welling with tears she refused to shed, Daphne threw her arms around her dad.

“It’s wonderful. I’m thrilled to be able to wear it today. Will you put it on for me?” It was easier for both of them in that emotionally charged moment to have him behind her, out of eyeshot.

“Standing up to that Sheila person takes real backbone. I’m very proud of you. No matter what happens today.”

“Thanks.” She patted the heavy weight of the pendant in the open neckline of her long-sleeved white polo. “But don’t worry too hard. I’ve got a good shot at winning.”

Gib hadn’t darkened her door—or even her Facebook page—since breaking her heart into a million agonizing shards. But he had given his competition preparation flash cards to Ivy. She’d worked with Daphne, putting her through her paces. Ben pitched in, filming her from every angle so she’d get used to the glare of a camera. Gib had also created a binder of recent work from each of the other competitors. It must’ve taken hours to pull the pictures from websites. Thanks to his hard work, she had a good sense for what design style they each favored. And knew how to turn that to her advantage.

Daphne had always been driven. One hundred and ten percent committed to creating the most beautiful, eye-catching arrangements in the entire city. With the love of her life soon to be an ocean away, she intended to throw herself even harder into her business. The best way to kick-start that new dedication would be to kick some serious butt tonight.

After another peck on the cheek, her dad wandered off. The room began to fill. Camera and sound techs in jeans and black tees put multiple layers of tape over all the cords snaking across the carpet. Four refrigerators were wheeled in and placed behind each station. They contained the assortment of flowers to be used tonight. Daphne couldn’t wait to get her first peek inside. The host and judges huddled in director’s chairs, receiving a final spritz of hair spray and powder. Audience members began to fill the seats. The level of energy, excitement and noise amped up with every passing minute. Her level of queasiness, however, remained pretty much the same.

Her friends pushed through the growing crowd to surround Daphne in a tight circle. “We just saw Luther McGraw from Southern Gardens. For a black man, he’s surprisingly pale. I think he’s nervous,” stated Milo. He’d clearly dressed for the minuscule chance a camera might pan his way. A ruffled ascot frilled out of the high neck of a lavender tailcoat. All he needed was a top hat to finish the look, and he could pass for the Mad Hatter.

“He’s not the only one,” Daphne muttered.

“I’ve got you covered. Drink this,” Ivy ordered. Obediently, Daphne sucked on the straw in front of her. The soothing tickle of ginger ale coated her throat and almost immediately settled her stomach. “You think I really let any of my brides drink champagne? Heck, no. When you’re nervous, ginger ale is the only way to go.”

“Just what I needed. Thanks.”

“If you promise not to upchuck—” palms up, Sam waited to continue until Daphne nodded, “—I’ll tell you that we’ve got a little celebration planned. My mom baked like crazy for you. There’s chocolate pecan pie, turtle brownies, amaretto cheesecake and about five kinds of cookies.”

The sweetness inherent in their gesture warmed her heart. That is, the teeny tiny speck of it that wasn’t a bloody husk from already missing Gib. A party was exactly what she didn’t want to do tonight. Daphne couldn’t possibly let them know that, though. “Sounds right up my alley. Do I still get the cheesecake if I come in second?”

“Cheesecake, sure.” Ben shook his finger at her. “But if you don’t walk out of here with the big-ass trophy, then I do get first dibs on the pecan pie.”

“Fair enough.”

“Especially because you’re going to win,” said Mira. She smoothed a hand over the top of the perfect, bouffant ponytail that had kept Daphne in a salon chair for more than an hour. “Don’t lose sight of that important detail.”

“If all it took was sheer faith, you guys would have already earned me the trophy. I’m so glad you’re all here.” Daphne meant every word. But she couldn’t help looking over their shoulders for one more person.

“Gib didn’t come with us,” Ivy said quietly. Her partner knew her so well. “We all met at the shop and drove over together. He said he’d be there. We waited as long as we could.”

Daphne shrugged. But inside she was screaming
he promised
over and over again. “Doesn’t matter. The guy’s got an entire life to pack up in a few days.”

“It does matter. And you matter to him. I’m sure he’s just running late. He promised he’d be here, Daphne. Don’t give up on him.”

She ground her teeth. Giving up on Gib was exactly what she’d been ordered to do. A detail she’d glossed over during her hiccupping, crying, snotty recitation to Ivy and Mira. She’d fallen apart for no more than ten minutes after he left her shop. Then a clarity descended. Daphne had focused on the competition. Locked away all her heartache and desperation into a thick vault in the deepest recesses of her mind. Once the competition was over, she’d give herself permission to fall to pieces. Even arranged for her part-time helper to come in and cover the shop for her two days next week. Daphne intended to spend both days nailed to the couch, sobbing until she literally ran out of tears. But tonight, she’d give this audience, and the entire nation, one hell of a show.

* * *

Daphne clasped her hands behind her back. That way she wouldn’t leave sweaty splotches on her lavender Aisle Bound apron. Oh, and the camera wouldn’t be able to catch the slight tremor in her fingers that developed the moment the buzzer indicated the end of the first round. Go big or go home. That’s what had run through her mind as she stared into the flower cooler. Their challenge for round one had been to make an arrangement that used fruits or vegetables along with flowers.

Easy. Do-it-hopping-on-one-leg easy. Many of her brides preferred a natural look. Daphne had made entire centerpieces out of herbs, or fruits. But this was a competition. Doing the expected just wouldn’t cut it. Certainly wouldn’t earn her the win. So she’d reached past the bucket of lemons and the adorable mini pepper plants for the less predictable. Now it was time to find out if she’d overreached.

Elegant and impeccable in a navy pantsuit, Sheila carried her centerpiece up to the judges. Halved lemons, cut side out, filled a square glass vase. Rising out of the center were branches of bright yellow forsythia. It was very precise. It also looked like two completely different things jammed together—about as cohesive as an alligator head on top of a lion’s mane.

Daphne bit her lip to conceal the smug smile threatening to erupt. Thanks to Gib’s research, she knew Sheila never used fruits and veggies. Lakeside Florist was known for their perfectly elegant designs. If you wanted an over-the-top, three-foot-high vase sprouting masses of lilies and roses, they’d do it up right. Perfectly classic. And, to Daphne’s mind, perfectly boring. Which was, after all, the seed which grew into their long-ago split.

After a cursory glance, the judges beckoned Luther forward. In contrast to Sheila, he’d dressed to actually work in jeans and a logo T-shirt from his shop. His creation bore a similarity to Sheila’s—but it was much better executed. A clear vase held whole carrots and skinny peppers in variegated colors. The brilliance to his design was that he’d left on all the leafiness. It frothed out the top of the vase, providing the greenery backdrop for the clutch of yellow-and-orange dahlias. Quirky, natural and fresh.

Maude went a different way, using ornamental cabbages to create a bouquet. They were pretty and looked like purple flowers, but didn’t really follow the directive to mix flowers with food. She’d probably be the first finalist sent packing. So Daphne was brimming with confidence when she stepped forward. Her bouquet had three giant, deep-purple artichokes. Despite her recent, self-imposed ban on all Christmasy flowers, she’d spiked evergreens in between them. It was bold and gorgeous.

The three judges put their heads together. Covered their mics. Pushed score sheets back and forth. Mario Ferrante, owner of the swankiest flower shop in Manhattan, clapped his hands to quiet the low buzz of the crowd.

“For this round, we’ll just do a best and worst. Best goes to Daphne Lovell’s innovative and, yes, audacious presentation.”

Applause swelled. The urge to let loose with a fist pump tensed all the muscles in her arm. Instead, Daphne let her smile break free to beam thanks at the judges. Good start. Nobody would question her last-minute inclusion in the final round now that she’d nailed the first design.