Must Love Flowers(28)

The puppy whined, and, thinking he might need to do his business, she placed him on the freshly mowed lawn, where he smelled the grass and hopped—yes, hopped—like he was walking on hot coals, causing her to laugh. He raced back to her and stretched up, using her leg for balance.

Joan returned to the house and poured herself a cup of coffee, which she took to the front porch, taking No Name with her. With the sun on her face warming her, Joan sat on one of the Adirondack chairs Jared had purchased the year before his death.

She held No Name in her lap, and the puppy promptly fell asleep. For the first time she could remember in a long while, Joan felt perfectly content.





Chapter 13





Maggie checked in for the early shift at Starbucks and reached for her apron. She was scheduled to handle the cash register again this morning. The rush in the morning sometimes overwhelmed her as she did her best to keep up with the orders and keep the line moving. She looked forward to seeing the two guys from the construction crew who routinely stopped in before heading to the jobsite. The completion of the apartment complex was on schedule, if the chatter the men exchanged was anything to go by.

Einstein was a big tipper and had captured her attention. Because of work and school, Maggie didn’t have time for relationships. High school was the last time she’d been out on a real date. That didn’t mean she was blind to attractive men, though. It flustered her how much this one construction worker had taken hold of her imagination. She looked forward to seeing him, especially when they had the chance to exchange a few words. He’d flirted with her, and she’d flirted back. Today, working the register would give her the opportunity again. She could hardly wait.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Leanne said, as she put on the headset to take orders from the drive-through.

“I am,” Maggie concurred. Since moving in with Joan, everything was looking up. Living with the widow had worked out far better than she could have ever hoped. Although it had been less than a week since Maggie had moved in, Joan had quickly become a trusted friend, almost like a second mother.

“How’s the puppy?” Leanne asked.

The morning before, Maggie had arrived to work blurry-eyed because the dog had cried most of the night. She knew Joan had been up and down until dawn, caring for the distraught puppy.

“It was better last night.” Maggie sympathized with the sweet dog. He was miserable without his siblings and his mother. Joan was infinitely patient with him. She hadn’t asked for the dog and explained it was a gift from her son. Apparently, the puppy was Nick’s way of persuading her not to take in a boarder. Since he knew nothing about her living at the house, the puppy was supposed to help with Joan’s loneliness.

“Have you got a name for him yet?”

“Not yet. Joan is giving it serious thought. For now, we’re calling him No Name.”

“Clever,” Leanne teased, and rolled her eyes.

“She’ll settle on one soon.” Maggie smiled, remembering how Joan had gone online for the list of the most popular dog names and hadn’t found even one that caught her fancy.

The construction crew stopped off shortly before six. Maggie lowered her gaze when Einstein walked toward the counter.

“Morning.”

Maggie blushed and Einstein grinned. “Morning,” she returned.

“You look happy this morning.”

She blushed. “That’s because I am. Now, what can I get you?” He was a charmer. She nearly melted when he smiled, which he seemed to do often. “Do you want your usual?” she asked again when he didn’t immediately reply.

This guy definitely made her heart beat faster, and that smile of his was her kryptonite.

“Sure.” He leaned closer to the cash register.

Building up her courage, she asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Distracting herself from looking at him, she wrote out his order on the cup and handed it to Ashley, who elbowed Maggie in her side. The entire morning crew knew she was attracted to him.

“Not at all,” he returned with a sly grin, as though approving of her interest.

“Is your actual name Einstein?”

He snickered and rolled his eyes.

“Nah, it’s a nickname because he’s got a head for trivia,” his friend offered. “This guy is good. We’re on a team together, and he’s our secret weapon.”

Einstein thrust his hands up as if awaiting her applause, which made Maggie laugh out loud.

Kurt nudged his buddy and leaned toward the counter. “But he can be a real idiot when it comes to asking out a woman he’s attracted to.”

Einstein glared at his friend.

In an effort to get back to business, Maggie turned her attention to Kurt. “What can I get you?” she asked.

“My usual, same as Einstein here,” Kurt said, as if testing her to see if she remembered his order the way she had his friend’s. Her mind was whirling, and she had trouble concentrating. Kurt seemed to suggest that Einstein wanted to ask her out. She would enjoy that more than she was willing to admit.

“Did you really pawn that puppy off on your mother?” Kurt asked as they moved forward, waiting to collect their orders.

“I didn’t have a choice. No one else wanted to take him in, and I couldn’t continue to leave him all day and not expect to come home to a few messes.”