Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
I’m immediately drawn to the orchids, one of my favorite flowers. Orchids are a finicky flower, so getting one to bloom made me just about the proudest I have ever been as a florist.
Here at the greenhouse, they have a whole selection of them: moth, boat, Singapore, dendrobium, dancing-lady, Venus slipper – so many different orchids to look at. I cannot believe my eyes. This is for sure a new part of the exhibit because I would have been here every week had I known this existed.
“Oh my goodness.” I want to touch them so bad, but I have too much reverence for flowers to be so disrespectful. Even with gloves on, I'd be too nervous. I settle on inhaling their delicious scent as deeply as possible.
“I should get myself a couple,” I whisper. I haven’t taken care of an orchid since university because they require a lot of care and attention. I thought it might be nice to buy one when I get my own place. Then the two of us could grow together. A dumb metaphor, maybe, but it feels right.
I leave the orchids to see what other new exhibits are around. Maybe I’ll circle back to the orchids later. I want to give myself enough time to marvel at everything else in the greenhouse. They don’t have only flowers, but all kinds of plants. Trees, bushes, vines. This greenhouse is very comprehensive.
I’m just wandering, lost in the feeling of being here. I can’t hear any of the noise outside, and I start to forget the whole reason for me being here. I’m immersed in this moment of resting my mind. It’s the first time I’ve felt calm since the whole kerfuffle with Brick. I know that once I leave the greenhouse, it’ll all come rushing back to me, but for now, it’s just me and the flowers.
Whenever it is just me and some plants, I always find solace.
I turn the corner, fully ready to bask in the glory of even more flora, but stop dead in my tracks when I realize I am not alone in here.
“Brick,” I breathe, staring at him, my mind hyper-focused. He’s standing there, his hands in his pants pockets, looking as if we’re just having a casual meeting between acquaintances.
“Tammy, hi,” he smirks. His smile is so beautiful. I want to run my finger along his bottom lip, push it into his mouth, and let him suck on it.
Dear God! I’m losing my mind. My heart starts racing so hard I’m worried it’s going to burst out of my chest. He’s so fucking gorgeous. I don’t understand how someone like him even exists. It’s ridiculous that he’s so good looking.
I don’t know what to say, and he grins at my speechlessness. Of course, he organized this whole thing. He probably had this planned from the very beginning, from the second he offered to get me some private time in the greenhouse.
Brick Barrister is a calculated man.
I need to say something instead of standing here like a complete idiot. If I want Brick to respect me, then I've got to show him that I can go toe-to-toe with whatever he has in store. I can stand up for myself.
“I see you've found somewhere we can talk in private.” I try to say this like I’m a powerful, confident lady, but I just sound stupid. I have already set a bad tone, and Brick is here masterminding this whole interaction.
Of course he brought me here to discuss the elephant in the room. I guess trying to have this conversation outside in front of everyone at the barbecue wouldn’t have worked out very well. Someone was bound to have overheard us there, and people are always coming up to Brick, trying to get his attention. He’s clearly superior at this type of situation. God, why am I so bad at it?
“That's one way to put it,” he responds, taking a step closer to me. Instinctually, I want to step back, but I can't let him know I'm intimidated by him, so I hold my ground.
“Then I'm assuming you want to talk. What is it?” I hold my head up, pointing my chin at him. I’m going to make him show his hand first. That’s some business acumen I picked up over the years. Don’t show your position too early on.
“I want to strike a deal with you.”
A deal? What does that mean? Does he want me to negotiate for the tape? Is that what this has come to?
What could Brick possibly want from me? He has money and power and influence; I’m just a lowly worker in a flower shop with too much student debt and a bunch of dreams.
I can’t figure out what he could possibly want from me. Either way, I didn’t come here to mince words. Brick is in the business of making deals. If I play his game, then I’m definitely going to come out on bottom.