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    A Lily's Garden
    A Lily's Garden
    A Lily's Garden
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    A Lily's Garden

    By Ellie Forsythe

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    About this ebook

    Lily's life is full of all of her favorite, comfortable things, like her shop and her garden. But when one persistent customer asks her to try something new, she isn't sure she's ready to make the necessary changes.

    Third story in the Flower Mystery series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBlack Shire Publishing
    Release dateFeb 12, 2014
    ISBN9781311483713
    A Lily's Garden
    Author

    Ellie Forsythe

    Hi! I'm Ellie Forsythe and I'm a chicklit writer. I found the genre in an airport on a trip and fell in love. I could hardly think of writing anything else and I love to base my books in Scotland.

    Read more from Ellie Forsythe

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      Book preview

      A Lily's Garden - Ellie Forsythe

      A Lily’s Garden

      By Ellie Forsythe

      Copyright 2014 Abigail Fero

      Published by Black Shire Publishing

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover image by filitova

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      Chapter 1

      Lily watched him out of the corner of her eye as he walked around the shop. It seemed to be his ritual, though why, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t been in before. He’d come in every day for the last three weeks.

      The only reason she knew that was because Georgia hadn’t been able to stop gushing about him. And the reason for his daily visit had become the favorite topic of speculation. Lily usually tried to stay out of it, and she usually managed, as the boss, but she still had to sit through some of it.

      And now she had to be part of it. She tried to look as though she wasn’t watching him but she struggled. Tuesday wasn’t a particularly busy day at the flower shop, especially not during the lunch hour. Most people were out eating, not out buying flowers. But not him. The odd thing was they never knew when he’d show up. It wasn’t always at lunch time and sometimes it was minutes before the shop was about to close.

      He turned away from the central displays, his eyes catching hers. Lily felt herself flush and she looked down at the vase in her hands. She was working on a themed display. Lily liked to change the shop interior often, hoping to keep the repeat business flourishing and to entice new customers in.

      I love your displays, he said to her. It wasn’t the first time they’d spoken, but it was the first time they’d ever been alone in the shop.

      Lily was short-staffed that day. She didn’t normally have a problem with staffing on a Tuesday but Georgia called in sick, sounding contagious enough that Lily didn’t even want to see her. And it was Daniel’s lunch break, leaving her in the shop by herself.

      Thank you, she said, her voice almost so quiet that even she couldn’t hear it. Hating herself, she cleared her throat and tried again, her eyes glued to the flowers laid out before her. She was far too shy to be in customer service.

      I can see why any other flower shop would find difficulty moving in, he said.

      That brought Lily’s head up. Another flower shop? She was horrified at the idea. A few years ago, someone else had tried and it almost ended her business. The town was too small for two flower shops. Far too small.

      He put up his hands, his brown eyes large in his face. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anyone was trying to. I was just thinking, you’d be a hard shop to compete with.

      Lily tried to calm her heart beats, pushing a hand against her breastbone.

      I’m so sorry, he said.

      She smiled at the guilt on his face. That’s ok, she said. It’s just a constant worry. Not everyone is doing so well these days and… Well, I worry. It was the most she’d ever said to a stranger, though oddly he didn’t feel like a stranger. She thought it must be because she’d seen him so often now.

      I’m sure it’s very hard to own a business, he said earnestly, tucking his hands into his pockets as he stood in the center of the shop.

      Worry was nothing new to Lily, whether or not she actually had something to worry about. But she felt her face flush at revealing any of her emotions to a veritable stranger. She shrugged, trying to regain her equilibrium, wishing she was better at talking to people.

      Surely not any harder than any other job, she said, her voice soft.

      Lily couldn’t believe she was still talking to him. Her hands plucked idly at the flowers laid out before her, their ends all neatly snipped, dripping water as they waited for her to place them in the vase she’d chosen, mostly because of its color.

      He laughed. I don’t know about that.

      She wasn’t sure how to respond.

      Was there anything you needed help with? Lily asked, turning the conversation away from her and back to the flowers. She’d heard about his buying patterns and how they seemed to change every few days. She tried to remember what he’d bought that Monday.

      Glancing back down at the arrangement that waited for her, she waited for his answer. While he thought about it, she trimmed the green foam and tucked it into the vase. Next, she started with the daisies, using them as the basis for the arrangement. She wanted something summery, even though it was only early spring.

      What would you recommend? he asked.

      Lily looked up, having almost forgotten he was there in the space of time it took him to answer. He’d moved closer to the counter and was watching her intently. Looking away, Lily stared at the window in front of her. She had an excellent view of the alley that ran between her and the bakery next door. The large windows on the side of the bakery even let her see in if she leaned forward enough.

      What’s the occasion? Lily asked.

      No special occasion, he said.

      Do you want a bouquet or an arrangement? Are they for you or for someone else?

      Lily wasn’t even sure why she asked that last question. Men didn’t go to flower shops to buy flowers for themselves. She just didn’t know how else to ask who they were for. But if he said for a girlfriend, she’d be able to put an end to the rampant interest the shop girls had in him. She grinned at the thought.

      Lily missed his answer, only hearing his voice trail off. She shook herself and turned to look at him, a daisy dripping water on her arm.

      I’m sorry, she said. Can you repeat that?

      He grinned. Mind somewhere else? I can’t blame you. It’s a gorgeous day out today.

      It was. Lily couldn’t wait to close up the shop and go home to her garden. The evening would be just cool enough that she wouldn’t have to worry about the sun and the sweat, but it would be warm enough that she could work in just a t-shirt and shorts. And she knew the weather wouldn’t last forever. They surely had a few cold days left in April.

      I was looking for an arrangement, he said.

      She almost missed him say it too. Scolding herself mentally, she tucked the daisy into place and turned to give him her full attention. Lily stripped off her gloves and wiped her hands on her apron.

      Ok. Delivery? Often he asked for delivery. Always to the same address.

      He shook his head, his brown hair flopping across his forehead. He absently reached up to brush it away. There was no ring, but Lily already noticed that.

      I’ll buy it now and come back for it at the end of the day, if that’s ok.

      Lily nodded. That’s fine. I can make one up for you if you don’t see anything you like, she told him, sweeping her hand to gesture to the shop. Any particular flower you like?

      He turned to look at the shop, his eyes assessing each arrangement. There were quite a few in the fridges but he’d seen those. He’d been in the shop nearly twenty minutes, just looking around. If something had caught his fancy, he shouldn’t have had to look very hard to

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