Page 58 of Bloom

I took the phone, trying not to smile. “Hello?”

“My god, Keats. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for. Neither does Cory. It’s fine. It’s kinda sweet, actually.”

“Can you not say that to him, please,” Linden said. “Be mad at him. Like I am.”

I chuckled. “It’s fine, honestly. Are you outside somewhere?” It sounded like he was near traffic.

“Yes, I’m in line at Hermès. I have an appointment, which they’re late for. It’s why I couldn’t run down to your shop and kill Cory in person.”

“Oh, an appointment? Is everything okay?” I wasn’t sure who or what Hermès was.

He chuckled. “Yes, it’s a store.”

A store. “And you have an appointment? For a store?”

“Yes. You know how they have lines of people waiting outside the ultra-exclusive retail stores?”

I didn’t know that. “Uh, sure?”

“You need to make an appointment to buy a ten-thousand-dollar Birkin handbag from Hermès and still have to wait outside for an hour, and I can tell you my clients won’t be doing that. They pay me to hold the appointment and make the purchase on their behalf.”

“Ten thousand dollars for a handbag?”

He laughed quietly. “Oh, yes. That’s nothing. Anyway, I won’t keep you. Please tell Cory he’s in so much trouble and that I’ll deal with him later.”

“I will.”

“And you can ignore the frantic voicemails I left on your phone.”

I grinned. “I will.”

“Ooh, I’m being let in. Gotta go.”

The line went dead in my ear, so I slid my phone into my apron pocket and smiled at Cory, holding out my hand. “Keats. Nice to meet you.”

His grin widened as he shook my hand. “Cory. No hard feelings, I hope.”

“None.”

“I had to meet you, and I wanted it to be when he wasn’t around so I could see the real you and not you on your best behaviour in front of him.”

I nodded. “I can appreciate that.” Then I held my breath. “And did I pass?”

He narrowed his eyes. “So far. TheGodfatherreference was a strong start.” He scrutinised me for a long moment. “And you’re making him another paper flower?”

“I am. Well, I was going to.” I cleared my throat. “It probably seems childish, but it means more than anything I could give him from my shop. And he seems to like them.”

“He loves them. Because it does mean more than anything you could give him from here.” He looked around at the displays. “So I suppose you pass, though the test is ongoing.”

“I would hope it to be so,” I replied with a smile.

He smirked at me, and although he tried to be a hard-arse, I knew he liked me.

“Just so you know,” he added. “Linden has had terrible luck with men. He’s too nice, too forgiving, and he often gets walked all over because of that.” He put his hand to his chest. “I am neither nice nor forgiving.”

I tried to stop from smiling. “Message received and understood.”