“And I’m glad you’re here now. When the guys told me they were getting married, I was afraid they’d end up making me do everything on my own.”

Ryann narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I see. You just want me for my labor.”

Maddie shrugged. “What else?”

She turned away to hide her disappointed shame. She’d thought they were back to flirting. She cleared her throat. “You know,” she said, “we could probably split up some of this work. We don’t both have to go to these appointments. I could borrow a car from someone, or maybe rent one.”

Maddie stared at her strangely, one eyebrow raised. “If that’s what you’d prefer, sure. I’ll let the guys know they can make some appointments when I’m busy.”

Maddie got out of the car, walking quickly to the door without waiting for her. She couldn’t help but think she’d made some kind of blunder—insulted her somehow. But how and why, she couldn’t imagine.

Despite its modest appearance outside, the flower shop was nicely appointed inside. There were various types of pretty, loose flowers in black buckets for sale, as well as premade bouquets, large and small. The air in here was humid, though cool, and everything seemed fresh and clean despite the somewhat-crowded aisles.

A middle-aged woman with long, graying, black hair appeared from the back, drying her hands with a towel. She wore a flowered apron over denim overalls and sandals with socks.

“Welcome to Blooms and Grooms, ladies. Are you my ten o’clock?” she asked.

“That’s us,” Maddie said. She grabbed Ryann’s hand, pulling her closer. “We’re so excited.”

The woman beamed. “I’m so happy you’ve chosen my shop for your wedding. My name is Brenda. Please,” she gestured, “follow me to the back. I’ll get you some cocoa and show you some samples to review.”

Brenda turned to lead them, and Maddie started to follow. Ryann pulled her back, whispering as loud as she dared.

“What are you doing?”

Maddie grinned. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

“But why?”

Maddie winked. “No reason. It’s just pretend.”

She let herself be led to the back office, still holding Maddie’s hand. Brenda gave them a warm, almost goofy smile, and she felt compelled to give her one in return, though still confused.

Maddie was giving her emotional whiplash. She had no idea what this was about, or why she was suddenly in the mood to play make-believe, when not five minutes before she’d basically shot Ryann down. Where was this coming from?

They were led to a windowless room with a small table and three chairs. Several binders lay on the table, along with some color swatches, each in various hues of the same relative color, a little like paint samples.

“Please, sit,” Brenda said. “I’ll be right back with some cocoa.”