“That’ssucha good idea! You’d be amazing at that,” Emma gushed. “Ooh, we’ll have to start planning thecolor schemes, and of course you’ll want to think about branding. And a name. But this is so cool! We’ve needed something like that in town for a while now and—”
April stared, baffled, when Emma kept going, spit balling ideas and things April would need to consider, as if this was all a done deal. “You actually think this is a good idea?” Any relaxation she’d found was wasted as tension crept in once more. Had Noah put them up to this? Or her mom, maybe?
Izzy frowned. “You don’t? April, some girls are horse girls, some girls are make-up girls;youhave always been a plant girl. Do you remember that flower arrangement you made for my mom when she got remarried? You used all her favorite flowers and my step-mom’s favorite colors; it was nicer than the florist they’d paid to do the actual decorations. Not to mention the number of guests who asked about the arrangement and where they could get a business card.” Izzy folded her arms across her chest and leveled April with a look. “You’re talented, you have a good head on your shoulders, and if this is something you want then you should do it. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Emma showed Rachel something on her phone, and her eyes went wide. “Oh wow, that’s beautiful! I think your friends might be right,” Rachel said warmly.
Emma tilted the phone so April could see. It was a picture of the flower arrangement Izzy was talking about and April smiled at the bright colors on thescreen. She could still remember creating that piece. It was the biggest one she’d ever attempted and she’d lost herself in the design process. It had come out perfectly, and seeing Izzy’s moms’ faces light up when they were given the gift had been priceless. In fact, April wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so proud about any other accomplishment as she had about that.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said eventually.
“Darn right, I am.” Izzy looked to Emma, who nodded in agreement.
By the time Rachel had finished with their manicures, the majority of the sour-candy bag had been demolished and Emma had coerced them into taking two dozen photos with their fresh nails. To be fair, Rachel had done a phenomenal job. April’s nails were delicate and pretty, a shimmery pale pink that felt very refined while still beingher.
While the girls helped Rachel clean up and paid her, April set about making iced tea. It was the perfect refreshing recipe for sunny days like today and had become a summer staple for their little group. Breaking it out so early in the spring was a rare treat, and as April mixed together the magnolia tea with raspberry hibiscus and a dash of local honey, pouring the combination into a cool jug full of ice, fruit, and fresh petals, she realized she’d never once made this recipe in New York. It was sacred to Magnolia Springs.
They walked Rachel out, leaving the tea to cool further inside the fridge, and once they stepped outsideApril knew she’d made the right decision to break the drink out early. The sunshine had persisted and it was unseasonably warm. A loud hum carried to them where they stood on the porch, enjoying the breeze, and cut off for a second only to start up again a moment later. The lone sound was the only disruptor of the quiet, aside from the birdsong—April made a note to buy a new bird feeder for the front yard. The only thing she enjoyed more than people-watching was nature-watching, especially birds.
“Ho-ly shit,” Emma whisper-shouted, green eyes wide. “Nobody move.”
“Why?” Izzy looked at April, amusement making the lines around her eyes deepen as she glanced up from admiring her polka-dot nails.
“Because if I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up.” Emma bit her lip as she continued to stare. “God damn. That should be illegal.”
Reluctantly, April turned to see where her friend was looking and felt her stomach bottom out.
Long, lean arms, shoulders corded with muscle, and a white tee that clung in all the right places as Luke Pointer sweated under the afternoon sun, pushing a mower back and forth across his parents’ lawn. Each stride highlighted the power of his thighs in his jeans, tightening the muscles in his ass, and April couldn’t look away. Not when she knew exactly how those muscular legs felt underneath her and how good those hands felt roaming her body like he owned it. Thesudden and strong urge for a long, cold shower was nearly overwhelming.
Luke looked up, spotting them gawping from her porch, and heat flushed her face when he grinned. “Afternoon, ladies.”
“Look what you’ve done with your staring,” April muttered, giving Emma the stink-eye. “He’s going to be insufferable now. Not like his ego needed any further inflating.”
Emma was too busy waving back at Luke to pay April any attention. “Gosh, is it that late already? You must have been at it for a while.” Somehow she made the words sound dirty. “You should come in for a cold drink. April just made iced tea—it’s to die for.”
What the hell was she doing?
Emma nudged April and she jolted, looking over at Luke and then quickly away when their eyes caught and held. “Um, yeah. I have … tea.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be over in a sec.” He grinned again, the smile undoubtedly smug as he lifted his tee up and over his head, dabbing at the sweat glistening on his hairline and then farther down across his chest. Someone whimpered, and April couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t her.
Luke disappeared inside and Emma fanned herself while even Izzy looked a little dazed.
“I mean, I knew he was hot. But I didn’t know he washot.”
April rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breathabout how ridiculous it was for him to remove his shirt. “It’s not eventhatwarm out,” she muttered and Emma smirked.
“I think the lady doth protest a little too much,” she said in an over-the-top British accent. “Wouldn’t you say, Lady Izzy?”
“Quite, quite,” Izzy replied before they dissolved into laughter while April scowled.
“Did I miss the joke?” The voice sounded far too close to April and she narrowed her eyes as she turned to find Luke a few steps away. Still shirtless. She kept her eyes on his, determined not to let them fall below his shoulders, but the heat in his gaze said he knew how good he lookedandhe knew that she knew it too.
“Where’s your shirt?” she ground out and Luke blinked slowly.
“Inside,” he said, nodding back toward the house across the street. “It was a little … wet.” Was he doing this deliberately? Baiting her with double entendres, throwing their kiss in her face because she’d told him to pretend it hadn’t happened? “I didn’t think it would be a problem,” he murmured, voice pitched low enough that only she could hear him.
“No shirt, no service,” she snapped, and her scowl only deepened when Emma rolled her eyes and slid her arm through Luke’s, directing him into the house.