This Summer Will Be Different(46)

“Is that okay?”

Normal, I told myself. Be normal.

“Of course, yes. Come in.” I waved an arm behind me.

I completely redecorated after I took over from my aunt. I was going for urban farmhouse—shiplap walls painted Cloud White, matte black fixtures, the oversize oak table near the back. I displayed the flowers in galvanized steel sap buckets, arranged by color on the wall opposite the front door so customers were greeted with a rainbow of flora as soon as they stepped inside. On a sunny day, light would stream through the windows, and I thought there was no prettier space in all of Toronto. But it was even more incredible when the sky was gray and the city felt dingy.

“So this is it.” Felix surveyed the space, turning in a slow circle. “It’s beautiful, Lucy. It’s like stepping into spring.”

It was one of the loveliest compliments I’d received, but all I could think to say in response was, “Thanks.”

“Did you do these?” He was standing by the bucket of bouquets. There were two left. The flowers got an update when In Bloom became mine, too. Stacy preferred dense, dramatic arrangements. If there was a calla lily in sight, my aunt had it in a vase. She was the showstopping Butchart Gardens, but I was a rambling English flower bed—unfussy and romantic.

“This one,” I said, pointing to the bundle of pale yellow and peach ranunculus and roses.

“How much?”

“Oh.” I was already blushing. “I’ve already shut down the cash, but it’s all yours. Consider it a ‘welcome to Toronto’ gift.”

“Deal,” he said. “Dinner’s on me, then.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. Unless you have plans?”

I did. And she was staring at us through the shop window, eyebrows raised. I waved at Stacy, gesturing for her to come in. She still had a set of keys. I watched Felix take in my aunt. She wore her salt-and-pepper hair cropped short, her lips painted crimson. Stacy was my mom’s older sister by five years and had the same cheekbones we did. She was dressed in head-to-toe red—trousers, cashmere turtleneck, wool coat all in the same shade of scarlet. She was striking, and I could see from Felix’s expression that he thought so, too.

“Darling,” she said, giving me a kiss on each cheek, her hazel eyes on Felix. “What have I interrupted?”

“Stacy, this is Felix, Bridget’s brother. Stacy is my aunt,” I told Felix.

“Oh, how fun.” She kissed the air beside his face. “Your sister is my surrogate niece. I love that girl. Foul mouth, but what a spark.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “Lucy was giving me the tour. It’s incredible.”

Stacy assessed him. “It is,” she agreed. “Though I can’t take credit for it. This is all Lucy.”

He nodded. “It feels like Lucy.”

Her eyes narrowed, a sly smile playing on her full lips. “Hmm.”

I felt a pronouncement coming, possibly a dangerous one. “Felix, my aunt and I had dinner plans tonight, but you’re welcome to join us.” I cast Stacy a look that I hoped conveyed that I needed her to be on her best behavior.

Stacy glanced between Felix and me. “You two go enjoy yourselves without me tagging along.”

“We don’t mind,” I said. “Do we?”

“Not at all,” Felix said. “Lucy talks about you all the time.”

I tilted my head. He’d noticed that?

“Hmm.” My aunt’s lips were curled in mischief. “Very tempting, but not tonight. Lucy, I’ll see you and Bridget for dinner this Sunday. I’ve ordered a lasagna.”

I nodded. “We’ll be there.”

“It was lovely to meet you,” she said to Felix. She turned to me. “Darling, walk me out.”

“He’s edible,” she said once we were outside. If Felix hadn’t been watching us through the window, I think she would have been rubbing her hands together and licking her lips.

“He is.” It was an undeniable fact.

“You’ve slept together.”

I flushed immediately. It wasn’t a question. She knew.

“I haven’t told Bridget.”

Her grin fell. “You must.”

“It wasn’t serious, and it’s over. There’s no point upsetting her.”

“Lucy, I very much doubt that it’s over. There was enough tension between the two of you to bounce a coin off. That gorgeous creature is smitten, and from the way you’re blushing, I’d say you’re also taken with him.”

“It is over. He was just a lover, as you would say. Nothing more. I don’t understand why you’re making a big deal out of this. You’ve been so opposed to me seeing Carter.”

Stacy sighed. “I’m worried I’ve rubbed off on you so much that you can’t see what you really want. I’ve lived my life for myself. I love my independence. I don’t believe in one true love. For me. We have so much in common, but I don’t think we’re the same this way. You crave people, taking care of others, and being taken care of.”

“That doesn’t mean I need a man.”

“Of course not.” She thought for a moment before she spoke. “I think you’d like having a partner. But you’ve chosen to date someone you’ll never fall in love with. Carter is a waste of your time.”