"What a couple of losers we are." She stood and grabbed her bag and drink.

He shook his head. "Depends on how you look at it. I just traded up from an old friend that probably has forgotten all about this to one really gorgeous woman. Not exactly loser in my book." He touched a hand to her back to guide her after their host. The slinky fabric against his fingers tingled. The citrusy scent on her skin did other things to him.

Chapter Four.

What is it about me that makes him feel comfortable telling me his girlfriend woes? Does that put me in the nice-to- talk-to-but-not-interested category? And why do all the good ones just see a buddy in me? Look at him, sitting there sipping his drink in his fancy clothes. He could model for GQ. Except for the fact most models were seriously lacking in personality and he had it in spades.

The waiter approached the table and asked for their order. She wasn't sure what to do.

Carter grinned and pointed at the parchment in front of her. "Go ahead."

She leaned forward and whispered, "But your friend will be here soon. Then what?"

He mirrored the move and lowered his voice. "Who cares? You snooze, you lose, right? Besides if-no, when-your date shows, you'll at least have your food on the way in case he turns out to be a real dork. Blind dates are awkward. This will just make it easier. And faster."

"Good point, but what if he's not a dork? What if he's awesome?"

"What if he has black teeth and hasn't taken a bath in days?"

Abby swallowed a giggle. "What if he has a six-pack to die for?"

"What if he looks like death, as in The Night Stalker or some other serial killer?"

"What if he has seriously killer bedroom eyes?"

"What if he has an STD?"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe he's a male model ... and he just says that to get rid of his annoying fans so we can be alone."

"Bedroom eyes. Male model. You like that kind of guy?"

"Hey, a successful model can make seriously big money and eat at places like this all the time."

"You're right-and give you fashion advice and shoe discounts. Maybe he'll date me instead."

She laughed, handed over the menu, and ordered. She knew she shouldn't say it, but- "I get the impression this breakup hasn't really torn you up much, has it?"

The drink he'd gulped spewed from his mouth. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know, you just don't seem all that sad, I guess."

His hair had a tendency to fall into his eyes and she squelched the urge to reach out and move the bangs so she could see them better. Only she was fairly sure direct contact with those eyes would be-yep, devastating. d.a.m.n. Whoever this girl was that ditched him, she was an idiot.

He shrugged. "Sadness is a waste of time. Who knows? Maybe I'll be seriously p.i.s.sed tomorrow. I mean, I've been busy running over people with a dog-and meeting the same at a fancy restaurant. I'll have time to think about it later." Something about his eyes told her there was sadness, maybe it just hadn't hit yet.

There wasn't a single person in this joint without a date, except them. She wondered if his friend had ditched and if the guy she was looking for had chosen not to come ... or was Carter her guy? No way. Not possible. No woman in her right mind would ditch this gorgeous piece of man. Dark, wispy hair that he obviously spent little time on, eyes that held a depth of intelligence, and the hint of dimples in his cheeks which alluded to a great laugh. No, Carter was a keeper. He couldn't possibly be the man she'd intended to meet. As if to confirm her speculation, her cell signaled a text message. She stuck her hand in her purse to check, then hesitated. Nope. Rude. Just go with it.

"Abs-"

"Abby." Not that she cared if he gave her a nickname. He could call her anything he wanted while he sat there looking all gorgeous and s.e.xy.

"Sorry, Abby. I doubt you run for a living, so what do you do? You work around here?"

Yeah, she still basked in the glow of new ownership, and she couldn't contain the grin. "I just opened a flower shop down by the police station. We open tomorrow. We've spent the past couple of weeks stocking up and taking orders."

"Really? I actually hate flowers-they bring back a lot of s.h.i.tty memories. Why a flower shop?"

He hates flowers? Who hates flowers? They smell wonderful, they're festive, they're great at attracting and keeping the right girl- "I don't know. I spent the past four years working in Corporate America. I just wanted to get away from all the B.S. and have more control over my future. I have a horticulture degree. I had three choices: golf course, landscaping, or this. The first two would have been okay, but this seemed way more creative. While I was in college I had a couple of part time jobs. I worked for another shop for a while and did an internship at a landscape business. Loved that, but flowers are celebrative. The best moments of people's lives happen over flowers. Or plants."

"Yeah, hospital visits and ... funerals."

"Okay, sadness too, but that's all part of life. What about weddings, dates, and anniversaries? I've been thinking about doing date packages too."

"Date packages? What does that mean? Here are your flowers and, oh, here's a date to go with it? Does that have anything to do with your interest in blind dates?" He had a mean little twinkle in his eye, which sent a jolt of nerves skittering down her spine.

She leaned over the table and slapped his arm. "Shut up. That would be an escort service and no, I'm not in that business. How many times does a guy want to take a girl somewhere really cool but doesn't have any idea where? Or maybe he just doesn't have the time to plan it all because he's busy. I think I could get some of the local businesses to give me discounted rates and I could include tickets and dinner with the flowers."

Their dinner arrived. There was still no sign of the people they were waiting on. She frowned at the door. "Your friend hasn't shown. You sure he had the right place and time?"

He picked up his knife and fork. "Your date appears to have blown you off too."

"Ouch."

He cut a piece of his steak, slipped it in his mouth, and closed his eyes. "Abby, if Jackson showed up right at this moment, I'd tell him to get lost. Why the h.e.l.l would I want to eat with him? Look at you-much better date. Much better. Whoever this blind date of yours was, he's an idiot. Don't give him a second chance."

"How long have you known this friend you're meeting? Is he, like, a bestie?"

"Yep. I've known him since we were kids. And tonight he is officially a no-show. Eat." Carter pointed a knife at her plate while he continued to chew.

To be honest, since she'd ordered the mojito, she hadn't bothered to search for the poor schmuck she'd texted earlier. It was probably mean to call him that. Abby speared a shrimp and lifted it to her lips. Still, his loss had prompted her to show up. She wasn't sure why-probably empathy. Regardless, she was eating this dinner and glad for it. To be honest, Carter was the kind of guy she could see herself doing this with on a frequent basis. If she could actually afford to eat at this place, which she couldn't. Her diminishing bank account tapped her shoulder but she ignored it. Abby popped the shrimp in and ... yum. Wow. She'd wait a bit longer to worry about how to pay for this amazing food, which had no prices on the menu.

"I like your date idea. I'd buy that."

She bet he would. If he came to places like this, he probably had a whole slew of women to buy date packages for. What girl wouldn't go for this kind of wining and dining? Nice.

The low lighting and s.e.xy jazz music was certainly conducive to a great date and romance. Which wasn't going to happen tonight-not for her, at least. This was simply a friendly dinner and she'd never been a one night stand in her life. Though she'd probably give it consideration if someone like him ever offered. Yikes, why did that thought surface? Ridiculous. Besides, he was practically inhaling that steak and she wondered if he was in a hurry to leave.

"Yeah, maybe you could use it to make up with your girlfriend."

He shook his head and grabbed his drink. With their eyes locked, he lifted it to his mouth and took a slow drink. "Why would I want to do that? She found someone else, remember? It's not like he just popped up before she told me either, she had to be lying about it for a while. Going behind my back, seeing this ... guy, and not saying a word. Jesus, there's nothing I hate worse than dishonesty. I can take a lot of other s.h.i.t but that's over the top. A deal-killer. Besides, I'm not that ... whipped. The only thing I'd buy her would be a breakup package. Have any of those at your shop?"

"No." She laughed and nervously twisted the straw in her drink. Had his eyes darkened while he spoke of the lies? Whoa, intense. What did that mean?

He plopped the gla.s.s to the tablecloth. "Now that's a good idea. A breakup package. You could put really nice flowers in it, making it look all gorgeous, then send it to her at work. Everyone would think someone was being really romantic and sweet. They'd all stand around while she checked it out. She'd think it came from the other guy, until she opens the note and reads it."

She raised a brow. Hmmm. This guy had a vengeful streak. That might scare her if it wasn't sort of funny. "What would the note say?"

"I don't know-maybe 'the best thing about dating you was saying good-bye with these'?"

She shook her head. "No. No." She held out a finger. "How about 'the best thing about dating you was getting a new phone'?"

He busted out laughing and clutched his stomach. "That's good! Yeah. I'd buy that. Maybe even throw in a few chocolates and add a note that says 'hope these go straight to your a.s.s.'"

Now that was funny. She couldn't help but laugh too. Maybe it was mean, but the woman cheated on him. He deserved to have a little tantrum. Only a little though.

"Okay, I'll do it." Abby's plate was empty. She had no idea how she'd plowed through the food so fast, but it was cleaned clear off.

He sobered. "What? I was just kidding."

"I wasn't." She pushed a paper drink napkin toward him. "I'll do it for free. Put her name and business address on that and we'll send it out tomorrow. I'll even deliver it myself and let you know how it goes." Obviously she'd drunk too much-enough to make her braver than normal at least. Or maybe she'd bonded with this jilted but gorgeous man in a strange, help-me-hate-her way. Was that a good thing?

He waved at the waiter to bring them more drinks; she wanted to decline more of the liquid courage but didn't. She'd made him nervous because he hesitated to answer. "Nah, that's okay. Just leave it alone. I don't want to make a scene."

Hmmm. He had a vengeful streak but he didn't act on it. That was ... good. Only she really wanted to see this girl now. What kind of woman would be stupid enough to ditch this guy?

"Come on. You'll feel better. Besides, it's not like you cheated on her. Right?" Or was that what started it? How long had he dated this woman? She didn't remember.

He frowned for a couple of seconds then relaxed. "Right. But sending flowers is kind of-"

"Mean?"

"Yeah."

"And cheating isn't?"

He scrubbed his chin for a second and glanced around the room as if seeking confirmation. "Okay. Let's do it."

Chapter Five.

Holy c.r.a.p, she was a good florist. Abby smiled at the gigantic bouquet of roses, daffodils, and daisies. A touch of lavender made it smell heavenly. Too bad her family couldn't appreciate her talent as much.

She'd come in early to put it together. If she hadn't, she might have lost her nerve. Besides, Carter was nice and fun, and he even paid. She owed him her best effort. Especially since he'd shared a cab with her and stood there at the door of her apartment talking and joking and, for a second, he leaned in as if intending to kiss her. She'd wanted it, too. She'd moved closer and waited, but then the cab honked and he bailed.

She headed up the elevator of the building his ex-girlfriend worked in. Ex-two-timing-with-another-guy-behind-his-back girlfriend. It was a beautiful arrangement with a well-crafted message. Surely she wouldn't get upset? In fact, she might even laugh. Or say something ugly. Or get mad. Abby could handle that-despite the revolting roll in her stomach. If the woman dared say anything, she'd give her a piece of her mind. Who did she think she was, anyway?

She was ready for it when the blonde bimbo walked up. Okay, she wasn't a bimbo-rather, an attorney, according to the names on the wall. She was smart, big deal. She was still slime. Legal and cheating slime. Abby's stomach somersaulted in preparation for the confrontation. The woman took the flowers eagerly antic.i.p.ating-something. A love note from her new guy maybe.

Only, the girl looked at the note and proceeded to ... cry?

Really? Oh, no. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. The girl was pretty. And shocked. And, dammit, Abby's forehead started to sweat. Then her palms joined in the perspiration and she rubbed them dry. She pretended ignorance.

This had sounded so much better right after she drank a gallon of mojitos. With him. Obviously she hadn't thought it through to this point.

The girl's hair was up in a fancy knot and her eyes were raining cats and dogs all over the lapels of her expensive suit. The note played through Abby's mind-they'd crafted each word together over lots of booze.

Dear Amanda, Thanks for letting me off the hook before the hook sunk in further. The good news? I have a new smartphone! Even better news? I won't waste another minute of its service talking to you AND I have season baseball tickets to share with someone who actually DOES want to go. Have a good life.

"What's wrong? You don't like them?" Her gut tied up in knots. It had been funny at the time. Now? I am such a b.i.t.c.h.

"No, it's not that. It's just-he's really a nice guy. I shouldn't have gotten involved." Her nose had started running and she was babbling, a bunch of undistinguished phrases salted heavily with tears and hiccups.

Abby panicked and grabbed some Kleenex from the reception desk. She shoved them at the woman, who sniffled and blew her nose. The tears continued. "I mean, how was I supposed to know they were friends? They were both soooo ... nice. I never thought. How can you help it?"

"Help what?" Abby had no idea where this was going, but at this point, whatever it was, she'd totally misjudged the ex. Or this woman had a stellar act going. The blubbering woman pushed the note toward Abby, who read it.

Should she mention that the woman reading the note had also been the woman writing the note? Devising every word in order to make a full impact. s.h.i.t. It worked. Her head ached.

"Falling in love with his best friend."

"What did you say?" Caroline was so engrossed in the story, she accidentally snipped the head of a rose rather than the stem. "d.a.m.n. Sorry."

Abby turned at the jingle of customers entering. "I wasn't sure what to say. I just stood there and patted her arm. I think I said something like, well, you can't really control who you fall in love with, can you. Maybe, I said he'll find someone else. I don't know. I panicked and ran."

"You ran away? Wow. You dropped that c.r.a.p on her then bolted. Nice."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side. How was I supposed to know? Besides, you're forgetting she was going out on him. With his best friend, no less. She's not exactly an angel."

When a couple walked to the desk and waited, she stopped speaking and smiled. Had they heard the story? G.o.d, she hoped not. It was way too much drama for a business. "Can I help you?"

Thirty minutes pa.s.sed before they'd selected their purchase and left. She was thankful to think about something other than Carter and his ex for a while. Still, she couldn't shake the s.h.i.tty feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Caroline waltzed up to her as soon as the door closed behind the couple. "You can't tell him."

"I said I would. I told him I'd tell him what happened when I delivered it."

"So, you guys are meeting again about the hate flowers? Geeze, what a screwed up way to date a guy. How's this going to happen? Another fancy dinner and more mojitos?"

"Um, well, I'm not sure because we didn't exchange numbers. He knows where I live and work, but I know nothing about him."

Caroline got in her face and dropped her hands to her hips. "You like this guy, right?"