She checked her phone one more time to see if the framer had messaged her back.

  Nothing.

  The project was at a standstill until that guy got his butt back to the shop to finish the job. She locked the door and set off for home. Serena and Freddie may have had a romantic dinner date ahead of them, but she had a night of planning, running numbers, and trying to figure out how to make herself a website. And she couldn’t have been happier.

  Four

  Even though the spring temperatures had been colder than usual, the hops he had planted were going crazy. Charlie surveyed his plants from his kitchen window, feeling like a proud father. He dropped the curtain, a tea towel from the bar, over the window. He stretched his arms over his head, his fingers grazing the ceiling of the loft in his tiny home, then headed outside.

  The morning dew was cool on his bare feet as he made his way through the meadow and into the trees. He had an outdoor shower rigged up at the tiny home but found the morning river dips more rejuvenating. He took a couple of deep breaths and then plunged into the glacier water feet first, proud that he could now do it without screaming. His skin tingled as he toweled himself off along the bank of the river.

  This was his home. This was his way of living. It wasn’t for everyone or really anyone, he thought – but it sure worked for him. He got dressed in jeans, his favorite plaid shirt, and his trademark suspenders, and headed into town on his Santa Cruz full-suspension mountain bike. He hadn’t built the laneway to his property yet, and there was no way a regular bicycle could’ve navigated through the ruts and gnarled roots that made up his driveway.

  At the brewpub, he often chose hand tools over high-powered drills and saws when he could, but that day he opted for the loud power tools. His grand opening deadline was looming, and he needed to get as much done as fast as possible. He had done most of the construction himself, working from dawn until he had to open up the Last Chance Tavern, and then bartended at the seedy bar until the last drunk, usually one of his friends, was kicked to the curb.

  Throughout the day, in between saw cuts and the staccato bursts from the air nailer, he noticed that the project next door was silent. He shrugged and continued to work all day, pausing only to run across the street to the Sugar Peaks Café to grab a croissant and an espresso. As he locked the doors for the evening, he noticed that there was no action at all in the flower shop. That’s odd. He thought to himself, and then threw his leg over his bike and headed to the Last Chance for his shift.

  Luckily, the weekday crowd was pretty tame, and Charlie polished the last glass and closed up the tavern at midnight. He had to pass by the construction site on his way home, and as he pedaled by, he noticed that the front door to the flower shop was open.

  He continued pedaling, but then hung his head. The neighborly, small-town thing to do would be to check and make sure that everything was okay. He had done his best to avoid talking to the flower shop girl, Emma, hoping that he could figure out who the hell she was before he stuck his foot in his mouth.

  He sighed, then performed a quick U-turn and set his bike against one of the iron lampposts that ran along Main Street. He poked his head in the door of the flower shop. “Hello?” his voice echoed in the empty space. Temporary lighting was strung throughout, illuminating their shared exposed brick wall. “Hello?” he repeated a little louder.

  He heard what sounded like a struggle, some grunting, and then a loud clatter. He rushed into the building. “Flower girl?” he yelled. From the town chatter, he knew her name was Emma, but they hadn’t been formally introduced. What if someone was robbing her? He looked around, there wasn’t much to steal.

  “Can you help me?” a strained voice called out.

  Charlie jogged to the backroom to find Emma struggling to hold up a very poorly made wall. “Sheesh,” he stepped behind her and grabbed the top of the structure. “I’ve got it,” he said. “Where do you want this?”

  “Over there,” Emma pointed with her work gloved hand.

  Charlie easily lifted the piece of wall and set it against the actual wall.

  “Thanks.” She was breathless.

  “What are you doing? It’s past midnight.” He looked at his watch.

  “I have to get this done.” She pointed to the wall, which was now tilted to the left. “It’s not supposed to do that, is it?” she asked.

  Her shoulders slumped and Charlie could see the defeat in her blue eyes. “Ah, no. Unless you’re going for, what do they call it, the modern look?”

  She smiled meekly. “Not exactly.”

  “Didn’t you hire someone to do all this for you?” Just as Charlie gestured to her wall, it heaved and then collapsed to the ground in a heap. The two of them jumped away from the cloud of dust as the board clattered to the floor.

  “I did, but he’s not calling me back. This display nook needs to get done before Freddie can come back and finish the wiring, and Freddie needs to finish the wiring so the drywaller can come in, and…” her voice was starting to race.

  “I get the gist.” Charlie put up his hand. “By any chance. is it Andrew that you hired to do the framing?”

  “How did you know?” Her eyes met his for the first time, and he felt a jolt of energy pass through his body. He had never seen eyes that color before, the icy blue of the glacier crevasses he used to climb. There’s no way he had ever seen eyes like hers before. He would’ve remembered something so beautiful, so sparkly. He breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way, no matter how frat-party drunk he’d been, that’d he slept with this woman. He felt like he could relax a little, now that he’d put the idea that he somehow knew Emma to rest.

  “He’s pretty much the only guy in town and he’s away backcountry camping.”

  Emma’s entire body seemed to deflate. “For how long?” Those glacier ice eyes were wide, and he thought he saw a slight quiver in her lips.

  “I’m not sure.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but Charlie knew that Andrew liked to disappear into the woods for weeks at a time.

  “Dammit.” Emma kicked at the pile of two by fours on the floor.

  Charlie pulled his hair back and held it at the back of his neck while he surveyed the disaster. “What were you trying to, um, build?”

  Emma walked to the counter, unrolled her plans, and pointed to the paper, “A display nook.”

  Charlie followed behind, but not too closely. Something was happening to him, something that he hadn’t felt in years. Not just lust, but a genuine attraction to Emma. She was somehow sweet and determined at the same time. He had heard nothing but good things about her around town, yes, he was an unwilling part of the Chance Rapids rumor mill – he was the main bartender in town. He leaned on his elbow and traced the lines on the drawing with his finger. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.” Emma put her hands on her hips.

  Charlie turned to face the pile of lumber on the floor and pointed. “And that…” he turned to press his finger into the paper, “was this?”

  “Yes,” Emma smiled, and her apple cheeks bloomed pink, and was that, a dimple?

  Charlie cleared his throat and leaned in to look closer at the drawing. Emma pointed to the markings that Charlie recognized as Freddie’s electrical notes. Goosebumps prickled the back of his neck as she took a step closer and he couldn’t help but get a whiff of her hair, a citrusy vanilla. If he shifted a little to his right, either his forearm would brush hers, or his hip would meet her body. He gulped and then leaned away from Emma. His breathing had grown shallow and he tried to take an undetectable deep breath. Something about her was drawing him to her, an unconscious force pulling him to her like a magnet.

  “This won’t take too long.” Charlie rolled up his sleeves. He surveyed the room and saw her lone hammer and pitiful tiny hand saw. “Let me go get my tools.”

  “No, you don’t have to help.” She put her hand on his forearm.

  He glanced down, her touch temporarily paralyzing him. Her light pink manicured fingertips rested lightly on his arm for a little longer than he was ready for. He looked at her and her eyes met his. “Oh,” she said at the same time she pulled her hand away from him. “It’s late.”

  Charlie pointed to her attempted wall. “I can’t let the general public be exposed to that kind of shoddy workmanship.” He tried to diffuse the tension in the air with a little humor. Could she feel it too? He shifted, willing his body to calm down, he could already feel the pressure in his boxers, his desire for this woman pressing against the zipper in his jeans. “I’ll be right back. We can whip this off and then Freddie can do his thing.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  Pausing, Charlie wondered if he would do this for someone who didn’t make his heart skip a beat? Of course, he would. That’s what small-town life is all about. “We’re going to be neighbors; I can’t have your place falling into mine.”

  She laughed a little. “Okay but let me help you.”

  “Deal.”

  Charlie hustled next door and tossed all the tools he would need onto a dolly and then wheeled it into the flower shop.

  “Isn’t that going to be too noisy?” she pointed to the air nailer and compressor.

  “Yeah,” Charlie said. “But there’s nobody around to complain.” Charlie plugged everything in and set to work dismantling Emma’s attempt at construction. He consulted the drawing and had her hold the end of the measuring tape, even though he could’ve done it himself.

  She was a great helper and stronger than she looked. He wondered what she did to keep in shape, her body was tight in all the right places, and when she stretched to help him raise the walls, he caught a glimpse of a six-pack – not the hard bodybuilder kind, hers was softer, the kind formed by being active, like the abs on the rock climbers in town.

  It was three-thirty in the morning when he clapped his hands together. “That should do it.”

  They stepped back from the display, it was solid, and followed the plans to a tee.

  “Oh, thank you. I’m Emma, by the way.”

  “Charlie.” He stuck out his hand.

  “Emma,” she replied. But instead of shaking his hand, Emma threw her arms around Charlie’s shoulders and squeezed him tightly then stepped back and marveled at their very basic construction. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

  Charlie’s heart thumped against his chest, but with it came disappointment - he had been hugged like that before - by friends. Was he imagining the electricity in the air between them? “No problem, neighbor.” He heaved the compressor onto the dolly. “Is it alright if I leave this stuff here tonight and get it tomorrow? It won’t be in Freddie’s way if he comes in.”

  “Of course.” Emma was still staring at the display space. “It’s going to be perfect,” she whispered under her breath. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes wide with excitement.

  Charlie knew the look on her face well, it was one he’d worn himself. “Starting your own business is exciting, isn’t it?” He asked, somewhat rhetorically.

  “And scary,” she replied.

  “I hear you. When are you opening your doors?”

  “Good question.” She smiled and pulled a light army green jacket over her t-shirt. “As soon as this is done. If it all goes to plan, I’m hoping to have the open sign up in two weeks.”

  “Perfect timing,” Charlie said. “I’m going to be about a week behind you. Maybe you can do some, what do you call them, arrangements? For my grand opening?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Charlie neatly coiled the hoses for the air nailer and set them on the dolly. He put on his grey wool hat and zipped up his red hooded sweatshirt. “Well, I should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow to get all of this out of your way.”

  “Hey, Charlie,” Emma said as he started to walk to the door.

  “Yeah,” he turned. Damn, the woman was gorgeous. The temporary lighting made most people look zombie-ish, but under the halo of her white-blond hair, she looked angelic.

  “The arrangements, they’re on the house,” she smiled and pointed to the display space. “To repay you for this.”

  “I can’t accept that. You’re starting a new business.”

  “One that wouldn’t be open if you hadn’t saved my ass. Don’t fight me on this one.” She made a playful stomp on the floor with her construction boots. “And…” she put her finger on her lip and tilted her head. “You’re a tough one…”

  He had no idea what she was talking about. She kept tapping her lip. “Daisies. Local ones. Unpretentious, yet a little whimsical.”

  He smiled. Was that how she saw him?

  “Did I get it right?” her eyes sparkled. “Are they your favorite?”

  Charlie laughed. “I hadn’t thought about it until this moment. You know, the whole favorite flower thing, but daisies sound nice.”

  Emma jogged to catch up to him. “Are you expecting snow?” she playfully tapped him on the hat.

  “It still gets chilly at night.” He adjusted the hat.

  “Mmhmm,” she smiled at him. “Hipster.”

  “Oh, you take that back.” He had been called a hipster before – and he didn’t like it. “I started this look.”

  They stepped into the quiet of the street. The windows of the downtown storefronts were dark, and the streetlights glowed in the mist. “Where did you park? I’ll walk you to your car.” Chance Rapids was one of the safest places in the world as far as Charlie was concerned, but he told himself that accompanying her to her car was necessary for her safety. Truthfully, he just didn’t want to leave her side.

  “I walked. See you tomorrow.” She started across the empty street.

  “Emma, wait,” Charlie shouted. “Let me walk you home.”

  She turned. “It’s not far. I can walk from here,” she said while walking backward.

  He grabbed the handlebars of his bike and caught up with her. “It’s late, just let me walk you to your street.” He realized that she might think he was trying to weasel his way into her house in the middle of the night.

  “I’m a big girl, Charlie. You go home and get some rest. Nobody is going to bug me tonight.”

  The gentleman in him just couldn’t let it go. “That’s true. No person is going to give you a hard time. But…” he paused dramatically.

  She stopped. “But what?”

  “What about the bears?”

  Her eyes widened. “In town?”

  “Of course, that’s where the best garbage is kept. Why do you think I carry this with me?” He zipped open his backpack and showed her his canister of bear spray. “Why don’t you just take this.” He handed her the spray. He wasn’t going to force the issue. If he were a gentleman in the true sense of the word, he would listen to the lady. She accepted the canister, her eyes tracking over the instructions. “See you tomorrow.” He threw his leg over his bike and put the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.

  “What are you going to do if you see a bear?”

  “Oh, I’ll yodel all the way home. That scares them off,” he laughed.

  Emma pursed her lips and handed him the canister. “I live just around the corner.”

  Charlie nodded, accepted the spray, and slipped it into his backpack. “Lead the way,” he got off his bike and walked beside Emma, keeping a respectful distance.

  “This is me,” Emma said as they reached a little bungalow with a red door.

  “Is this Jimmy’s house?” Charlie asked.

  “It is,” Emma smiled. “I’m renting it while he’s in Alaska.”

  “And then what?” Charlie furrowed his brow.

  “I haven’t thought that far ahead.” She laughed lightly and unlocked the door. “Good night, Hipster Charlie.” She turned and leaned against the door. Her hands were behind her and her head was angled up towards his. He could’ve sworn she had just adopted the ‘are you going to kiss me’ pose.

  Charlie wanted to. He wanted to scoop Emma up in his arms and kiss her all the way to her bedroom. Instead, he did the dorkiest thing he’d ever done in his life. He saluted.

  “Good night, flower girl.”

  Five

  As she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, Emma tried to keep thoughts about Charlie out of her mind. All day, Emma’s eyes had darted to the front door every time it opened, her heart rate surging off the charts for no reason at all, as Charlie wasn’t the one walking through it. Freddie had come and gone, and she had done everything on her to-do list. She offered to help the drywallers, but they had sent her home and now for the first time since she moved to Chance Rapids, Emma found herself with time on her hands.

  She toweled off her hair and got dressed in her coziest sweatpants. One thing she hadn’t been prepared for was the chilly evening temperatures of late spring. In the city, she still would’ve had the air conditioning maxed out at this time of year. She shivered and shifted the temperature lever on the furnace up a touch and then opened the fridge, scanning for something quick and comforting to eat, her eyes resting on the strawberries she had picked.

  “Shootskidarny,” she muttered to herself. With everything going on, she had lost track of the days. The last thing she felt like doing was socializing. She wanted to eat and sleep - basically become a bear. She panicked slightly and pulled the bowl of berries from the fridge. She was supposed to be heading to a BBQ, not lounging on her couch in her sweatpants.

  Holding the basket in her hand, and standing in the light of the refrigerator, she contemplated skipping the whole thing, questioning whether or not making friends was important to her. “Darn it all.” She shut the fridge door and rifled through Jimmy’s cupboards, hoping that he had a cake pan suitable for shortcake.

  Two hours later, the whipping cream was whipped, the strawberries placed perfectly, and she had even clipped some lupines from Jimmy’s garden for a bouquet. She checked the address that Serena had sent, stepped into her bright pink Hunter boots, and strode out into the gray dusk toward Bristlecombe street.