Burning Flowers Read Online Free PDF Page B

so he could lock up when he was done. Watching him get
dirty wasn’t at all what she had imagined. “So, why the rush?” he
asked, stopping to look up at her as she huffed out a sigh.
    “Excuse me?” she asked, feeling even more
annoyed that he suddenly wanted to talk to her.
    “Is there some rule about not talking to
each other?” he asked, chuckling a bit. He was having way too much
fun for someone who was cleaning up after a fire. “I mean, since
you insist on being here while I work, it means we’re going to
spend a lot of time together. We might as well get to know each
other.” He shrugged and went back to work like it didn’t faze him
one way or the other.
    “I guess….” Clarke trailed off, not knowing
what else to say. She didn’t make it a habit of getting personal
with people, especially guys. So, she wasn’t about to tell him it
was all about her mother. “I just don’t want to lose any business.
It’s time for Easter and prom, and wedding season’s coming up
quick. So, it’s important I get open.” She nodded like a period at
the end of the sentence; satisfied with her explanation.
    “Mmhmm, well, I’m sure you can still meet
with clients elsewhere. I sense something else is going on.” She
shot him a look, and he put his hands up in surrender, not saying
anything else.
    “So, what about you, why don’t you have any
licenses or work for a real company like your cousin?” she shot
back, anxious to get the focus off of herself. But she was
revealing more about herself with her disposition than she could
have ever realized.
    If the question offended him, he didn’t show
it. Instead, he answered right away. “Because I like the adventure
of getting to do something different every day, and I like being my
own boss, essentially. It also means I don’t have to cheat people
out of a lot of money for a crappy repair job like my cousin does.
It also keeps me open to any opportunity that comes along; frees me
up.”
    His answer baffled her as she wondered how
anyone could live that way, not necessarily knowing what was next.
She would lose her mind. “Isn’t that a little unstable?”
    “Ah, I guess it depends,” he began, wiping
sweat from his brow. She could see the beads of moisture forming on
his red tendrils. There was something so normal about him, so
comfortable. It was something she could never pull off herself.
“I’d imagine if I had a family to provide for that it might prove a
little difficult, but that’s just part of the adventure. And I
don’t have that. It’s just me. You’d be surprised how uncomplicated
my life is because of it. Whereas someone like you is reliant on
this place which has now failed you for the time being.” He
motioned around him to the damaged shop.
    Clarke narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not
liking what he had to say. “My shop has not failed. It just needs
to be repaired, which is what I’m paying you for. And just because
I’m driven and organized doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy anything. I
enjoy knowing what’s going to happen next. That’s stability and
success like I’ve always wanted.”
    “Measuring success based on knowing what
comes next isn’t smart because you can never know what’s next. Take
this fire, for instance. You couldn’t foresee or control it. By
your standards, that means you failed. Life doesn’t always go off
your plans, so I find it better not to plan. That way, it’s all a
surprise without disappointments.” He gave another dimply
smile.
    Clarke shook her head, unable to handle
anymore. She pulled the key out of her purse and placed it on the
counter. “Please lock up when you leave. I’m going home for now,
but I’ll be coming by to check the progress first thing in the
morning.” She marched out of the shop as he waved mockingly at
her.

Chapter Nine
    Clarke blew into the flower shop at around eight the next morning
with her cup of coffee in her right hand. She had pulled her hair
back into a short,