All of Me

  ***

  Logan stepped out of the florist’s store with the bridal bouquet clutched in his hands. He felt like an idiot, probably looked like one too. When he saw Dylan walking toward him, he knew he was in trouble.

  “Something you forgot to tell me?” Dylan had the same serious expression on his face that he normally wore. But this time his mouth almost tilted into a smile.

  “It’s not mine.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that. So what’s a single male doing holding a bunch of flowers that belong on a bride?”

  “It’s an emergency. Tess’ bride’s mom isn’t well. They’ve brought the wedding forward to this evening. I’m doing a few things for them.”

  “Looks like it.”

  “What are you doing in town? I thought you were playing nanny.”

  Dylan didn’t look the least bit offended. “Justin’s signed, sealed and delivered to his dad. What else do you need to do in the name of love?”

  “I don’t love Tess. I’m doing this for the bride.”

  Dylan looked at him as if he’d lost his marbles. “I didn’t mean, Tess. What’s going on?”

  Logan looked down at the flowers. “There’s three more bouquets in the florist’s store.”

  “And you expect me to bring them out here?”

  “You scared of real work?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Man, you need to get out more. Carrying flowers to your truck is not real work.”

  “It beats babysitting.”

  “Tell me that next time you have to sit next to a hyperactive eight-year-old for over four hours.”

  Logan walked toward his truck. “My heart bleeds for you. If you want to make yourself useful, you can get my keys out of my jacket pocket and unlock the cab.”

  Dylan grumbled some more about real work before unlocking the cab. “I’ll help you with the flowers, but only because I feel sorry for you.”

  Logan left the bouquet on the back seat. “We’d better hurry. I’m not sure how fast these things wilt.”

  “And we can’t have droopy flowers,” Dylan muttered. “So what’s up with your girlfriend?”

  Logan locked the truck and headed across the sidewalk. “I’m not falling for your sick jokes again.”

  “I’d say Tess deserves a purple heart for putting up with your sorry ass.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.” Logan opened the florist’s door. The sales assistant handed him a box with two bouquets sitting inside. He nodded toward Dylan. “He’s helping with the other bouquet. Don’t worry about a box.”

  The sales assistant smiled at Dylan. Her grin grew even wider when she saw the blush creeping up his neck.

  “I’d appreciate a box.” Dylan waited while the assistant hunted for something to put the bouquet of roses in.

  Logan left his flowers in the truck, then came into the store to see what the hold-up was. “A box won’t protect the macho image you’ve cultivated.”

  Dylan snorted. “You say that now because you got caught with a bridal bouquet in your hands. Forward planning will keep my reputation intact for another day.” The sales assistant passed him the box and he smiled. “See. Not one flower in sight.”

  Logan followed him out to the truck and supervised where he put the box. “I’ve got to get these across to Emily’s boutique. You want to come?”

  “I suppose I’d better. No one will think you’re single and available if you wander into a women’s fashion boutique carrying flowers. But if there’s two of us, they might overlook what we’re holding and focus on us.”

  Logan shook his head. “Your new job’s warping your brain.”

  “It’s not the job, believe me. I’m parked around the corner. Just give me a few minutes to catch up.” Dylan jogged across the road and disappeared down another street.

  Logan checked his cell phone before he started his truck. Tess had sent him a text about another job that needed doing. It was just as well he could put his time down to the follow-up story. He had flexible hours, but his boss might have other ideas if he knew he’d been collecting wedding bouquets.

  A big, black beast of a truck pulled up behind Logan and flashed its lights. Dylan might have a few issues to sort out, but he had good taste in vehicles.

  As he pulled out into the traffic, Logan thought about Tess’ text. Picking up a cake from Angel Wings Café wasn’t a hardship. Especially if he could convince Dylan to stop for coffee.

  They needed to talk and it needed to be today.