Page 31 of Must Love Flowers
“Have you got a name for him yet?”
“Not yet. Joan is giving it serious thought. For now, we’re calling him No Name.”
“Clever,” Leanne teased, and rolled her eyes.
“She’ll settle on one soon.” Maggie smiled, remembering how Joan had gone online for the list of the most popular dog names and hadn’t found even one that caught her fancy.
The construction crew stopped off shortly before six. Maggie lowered her gaze when Einstein walked toward the counter.
“Morning.”
Maggie blushed and Einstein grinned. “Morning,” she returned.
“You look happy this morning.”
She blushed. “That’s because I am. Now, what can I get you?” He was a charmer. She nearly melted when he smiled, which he seemed to do often. “Do you want your usual?” she asked again when he didn’t immediately reply.
This guy definitely made her heart beat faster, and that smile of his was her kryptonite.
“Sure.” He leaned closer to the cash register.
Building up her courage, she asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Distracting herself from looking at him, she wrote out his order on the cup and handed it to Ashley, who elbowed Maggie in her side. The entire morning crew knew she was attracted to him.
“Not at all,” he returned with a sly grin, as though approving of her interest.
“Is your actual name Einstein?”
He snickered and rolled his eyes.
“Nah, it’s a nickname because he’s got a head for trivia,” his friend offered. “This guy is good. We’re on a team together, and he’s our secret weapon.”
Einstein thrust his hands up as if awaiting her applause, which made Maggie laugh out loud.
Kurt nudged his buddy and leaned toward the counter. “But he can be a real idiot when it comes to asking out a woman he’s attracted to.”
Einstein glared at his friend.
In an effort to get back to business, Maggie turned her attention to Kurt. “What can I get you?” she asked.
“My usual, same as Einstein here,” Kurt said, as if testing her to see if she remembered his order the way she had his friend’s. Her mind was whirling, and she had trouble concentrating. Kurt seemed to suggest that Einstein wanted to ask her out. She would enjoy that more than she was willing to admit.
“Did you really pawn that puppy off on your mother?” Kurt asked as they moved forward, waiting to collect their orders.
“I didn’t have a choice. No one else wanted to take him in, and I couldn’t continue to leave him all day and not expect to come home to a few messes.”
“And she bought that this was just a generous gift?” Kurt shook his head.
Einstein sighed. “I left before she could say anything.”
Maggie’s gaze shot back to the two men. Joan had mentioned her son Nick worked in construction. She also knew Nick had dropped off the puppy, not giving his mother a chance to refuse. Could it possibly be that Einstein was Nick Sample? Her breath froze in her lungs. Could it be that this guy she’d found so attractive was Joan’s son? It seemed too much of a coincidence that he not be. With her mind spinning, she tried to think of what would happen if Einstein was Nick Sample. He was bound to be furious once he learned she was living in his old bedroom.
She avoided eye contact and focused her attention on the next woman in line placing her order.
Maybe she should ask him. She quickly decided against that.What a mess. It was just her luck to find herself attracted to Joan’s son, if indeed Einstein was her son, but it seemed highly likely that he was. Furthermore, this puppy wasn’t the thoughtful gift she’d assumed.
The two men collected their orders and left. No sooner had Nick walked out the door when he returned. He got at the end of the line, as if he wanted to place another order.
When he approached the cash register, she asked, “Was there something else?”
