Page 5 of Must Love Lavender and Little Lies
“Back meadow behind Elder Thornberry’s bloomberry vines. Wild violet orb lavender. Haven’t seen it since I was a boy, but it looks like it grows wild where the fairies roam. There were quite a few plants, but remember to ask permission from the good neighbors and take a gift.”
“I will. Thank you very much.”
Not long after Mister Windsong departed, our friend Narrow appeared. The half-giant set down two barrels of ale he’d been carrying on his shoulder, exchanged a bit of coin with Grella, then poured himself a tankard and joined Juniper and me.
“Ah, the amazing duo,” he said, sliding in beside Juniper. “Good evening, Miss Merrifrost,” he said, giving her a warm smile—a very warm smile. He was always doing that. Why was he always doing that? It was annoying.
“Hello, Narrow. Merry met.”
“And to you,” he told her, then turned to me. “To you as well, you green lug,” he told me with a laugh. “Larkflower shandy? I can smell the notes from here. Very nice.”
“What did you bring?” Juniper asked, gesturing to the barrels.
“I’ve been working on a brew with orange blossom and honey for the Greening. Grella will crack them open tomorrow.”
“We’ll have to come back to try it,” Juniper replied.
“I believe you’ll like it. Sweet and floral, a bit like you, Juniper.”
Juniper giggled.
I frowned at Narrow, who merely winked at me.
“Well, I’m off. You two will linger in this spot all night, and I have things to do. See you around, Granik,” he said, patting my shoulder. “Miss Merrifrost,” he said, giving her a polite bow before he headed off once more.
“Confirmed flirt,” Juniper said, rolling her eyes.
“He’s my friend, but he is annoying,” I said with a laugh. Suddenly feeling hungry again, I dug through our shared basket and took the last pretzel stick. I offered it to Juniper, but she waved it away. As I ate, I thought over the exchange, finally asking, “Good-looking, chap though. What do you think, Junie? Your type?”
She shrugged. “He’s a friend. I never noticed anything past that.”
“Hmm,” I mused simply, for some reason feeling glad of her answer. I then crammed the rest of the pretzel into my mouth, a grin on my face.
Juniper and I finished our drinks, then settled with Ginny before heading out once more. The moment we stepped outside, Juniper shivered. “Still a taste of winter in the air.”
I took her sweater, gave it a shake, then held it out for her to slip on. The blue knit sweater was soft and smelled faintly of the meadow flower perfume that always clung to Juniper’s hair.
“Thank you,” she said, sliding into the sweater.
I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Here, stay close to me. I’ll keep you warm.”
She merely nodded, her warm body sliding perfectly into the space at my side. We headed off once more, stopping by the shop for Pip, before making our way back to Juniper’s small cottage.
“So, I’ll be by tomorrow to help with the seedlings,” she told me. “I’m all settled at the apothecary.”
“Are you bringing scones?”
“Yes, I’ll bring scones,” she said with a laugh. “It’s tradition.”
I grinned. Planting season with Juniper was always fun. We’d start with scones and a hearty breakfast, then begin work. I looked forward to it every year.
“But,” she said in all seriousness, “you need to get those goats settled before I get there. Some calming chamomile flowers should do the trick. That and a heavy lock.”
“All right,” I said, chuckling as we reached Juniper’s cottage door.
“Want tea or anything?” Juniper asked as she set her hand on the door handle, gesturing inside.
For a brief moment, I envisioned Juniper asking me in, her eyes heavy with a different kind of invitation, her cheeks red with anticipation, her breath quick. I envisioned her leading me to her bedroom, her hand trembling with excitement as she slowly undid the buttons on her dress to reveal… To my embarrassment, my groin groaned to life. The realization stopped my fantasy in its tracks. Where in the hell had that come from? This was Juniper. Juniper!
