"The pleasure is all mine," he said in the sexiest voice she'd ever heard.
"What kind of arrangements do you need?" she asked, finally managing to pull her hand free. She had to resist the urge to rub it against her leg.
"I'll leave that up to you. I have three orders I need sent to prospective investors and I want to send a huge one to my cousin's wife. She gave birth a while ago and I realized I never sent flowers. That kid is the cutest thing ever and she deserves the biggest arrangement you can possibly make," he said.
Trinity was surprised by his request. He'd gone all soft eyed talking about the baby. She had never taken him for the kind of guy to love babies, maybe she really didn't know him all that well, she conceded.
She walked back over to her cooler and started selecting different flowers. Drew followed her around and lifted the buckets for her, transporting them to her work station. She tried to shoo him away but he was determined, so she just let it go.
"I've been lifting these buckets just fine on my own," she said to him, with a little bit of exasperation.
"You need to take care of yourself," he said, while pointedly looking down at her stomach. She figured it was easier to let him help, verses continuing to argue with the man.
"How long have you had this place?" he asked her.
"I opened a couple of years ago. It was always my dream. I'd like to expand someday and have a larger shop, with gift items and live plants as well," she told him.
"Do you do well?" he asked.
"I'm doing a lot better than I thought I would. With the baby coming though, I'm going to have to hire some help and that will cut into the profits," she explained.
"I know it's really difficult for small businesses to succeed," he said.
"I'm doing better than some," she said. She tended to look at the positives of things verses the negatives if at all possible.
"Your work is beautiful. You have a real gift," he told her, as she worked on the bouquets. They were stunning. She had a real eye for the flowers she used and just the right amount of greens. He was thoroughly impressed.
"Thank you, I really enjoy doing it," she said. She loved the praise when someone appreciated her work. They continued to chat easily together as she finished with his order. A few customers came and went as he sat down on a stool and continued to visit with her. She was enjoying it far more than she should. She knew she should've asked him to leave but it was nice having him there. The time was passing quickly and they were getting along so well. She knew they should at least be friends because of the baby. If she could manage to tamper down on the hunger she felt every time she was around him that may be a possibility.
"I need to close down for a bit and make some deliveries," she finally told him. She normally did her deliveries at the end of her shift but there was a funeral she had to get her biggest order to.
"Why don't I do the deliveries for you so you can go ahead and stay open," he offered. She had been busy and it would be better to leave the shop open but she didn't want to feel like she'd owe him anything. "I don't mind really, I have some stops to make anyway," he finished.
"If you really don't mind," she finally caved in. He got the address information, loaded up her orders and took off. She was a bit sad to see him leave. She had to shake it off, refusing to get attached to him being around. The phone rang so she picked it up, grateful for the distraction.
Drew was gone for a few hours and the shop got really busy, occupying her wandering mind. By the time he walked in the door, holding a sack with delicious aromas coming out of it, she realized she was starving. He set the sack on the counter and she practically ripped it open, in her intensity to see what was inside. She pulled out a tray with her favorite pasta dish and could feel the saliva building up in her mouth.
She dove in with real enthusiasm. She didn't say anything to him until she was about halfway finished with the meal. When she finally looked up, he was staring at her with a huge smile on his face. She was slightly embarrassed at her own behavior.
"Sorry. Sometimes I get so busy I forget to eat and when I see food I go a little crazy," she said with embarrassment.
"You were like that on the island," he said as his eyes darkened. Her own body reacted to thoughts of the resort. It had been such a tropical paradise and she hadn't thought of anything but pleasure. The pleasure of the sun, the water, the food and most especially, the pleasure of her body when he was touching her.
"That was a million years ago Drew and I'm back in the real world now and have real world responsibilities. I do appreciate your help today and the lunch but we are over and you need to accept that," Trinity said. She was trying to convince herself of that fact as much as she was trying to convince him.