Page 3

Marcus

Patting down the soil around the potted orchid, Marcus put an ice cube on top of it.

The ice cubes were his favorite method for watering the orchids.

He could control exactly how much water they got without having to measure out every drop.

Plus, that way, the water slowly dripped down to the roots rather than flooding the soil.

Tending to the plants in his nursery always made him feel better.

Ten years ago, he would have never guessed he was a plant person, but his heart attack had changed his life completely.

When he was recovering, taking care of a potted geranium an old co-worker had brought him as a get-well-soon present had been soothing, but it had also given him purpose.

Purpose he’d lost when Eden left him.

It seemed strange that caring for a plant had done that, but it was true.

He’d ended up going to get the geranium, which he’d named Gerry, a friend at the store, so Gerry wouldn’t be lonely when Marcus couldn’t be home with him.

Then he’d added another, and another, filling the balcony of his apartment with greenery, which had soothed something inside him.

That was where he went to meditate. He also had an indoor room for the winter where he could keep the less hardy plants during the cold months, though he had to be careful to make sure there was space for them…

which could be difficult because as soon as he saw another place where a plant could fit, his impulse was to fill it.

Investing his savings in the nursery had been risky, but it had not only paid off, it allowed him to be constantly surrounded by plants.

Caring for them and finding good homes for them made him happy.

He could always recognize another plant person, often dragging their resigned partner through the store while their face lit up with every plant they added to their cart.

Working a job that not only paid the bills but gave him true personal satisfaction had been a revelation.

Even with the stresses of being the owner of the nursery, he was far less stressed than he had been before.

His doctor had been a little worried when he’d first decided to purchase the space, but now, he was fully on board with the changes it had wrought in Marcus.

It was true flower power.

His phone chimed with a text message.

By the time he’d reached his hand into his pocket, it had chimed again. And again.

Concerned, he frowned as he unlocked the screen to see what was going on.

Multiple texts from both Owen and Andres, with almost identical messages.

You’re trying to get back together with Eden?

Well, it looked like Eden had gone running right to her friends.

He probably should have expected that, but back when they’d divorced, she hadn’t gone to talk to her friends about it.

Of course, all her friends had also been in some way involved with him and his job.

She’d probably talked to some of her friends at work about it, but none of the people they’d hung out with…

because all their non-work time had been about making work connections for him.

That wasn’t who she was anymore, so he probably should have expected that this go around would be different, and she wouldn’t be keeping everything to herself.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to talk to his friends or keep it a secret.

He’d just figured he’d let her decide whether she wanted the others to know.

Especially since she’d been so quiet to their social circle about their divorce. Different circumstances, obviously, but he’d wanted the ball in her court. For some reason, he really hadn’t thought she’d go running right out to tell everyone, though. He thought he’d have some time to prepare.

Oh, well.

As always with Eden, he should probably expect the unexpected.

Both of them had texted him individually, but he moved to the group chat to answer them rather than having to reply twice.

Marcus: I saw her this morning to tell her that I want to try again. I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure if she’d want everyone knowing her business.

That was short, succinct, and hopefully would clear everything up.

Owen: Good luck with that, man. Bree says she’s not interested.

Andres: Rita says she doesn’t want to be interested, but she is.

Marcus liked Rita’s interpretation better, so he’d go with that one. The one that gave him hope.

Maybe he should let Eden know he wasn’t going to give up that easily.

Marcus: Where are they?

Owen and Andres answered at the same time, and the responses made him grin.

The House of Starrett was just down the street from his nursery.

It was also one of his favorite places to go because he, Andres, and Owen were all pretty good friends with the owner, Saul.

Which meant it was the last place he would have expected her to go.

Sneaky, sneaky Eden.

He realized he was grinning. She was going to keep him on his toes, that was for sure.

“Hey Judy, I’m going to take a walk. Shouldn’t take me long.”

“Okay, boss.” Judy was thirty years older than him and thoroughly enjoyed teasing him by calling him boss when, really, she did as much work as he did running the store.

Eventually, she would want to retire, and it was going to be a bitch replacing her when she did.

Giving him a salute, she sashayed away to check on something in another aisle.

Chuckling, Marcus headed out to the street, turning in the direction of the restaurant. It was a nice day out, a good one for a walk. What he was going to do when he got there, he wasn’t sure, but he wanted Eden to know both of them could use their friends to their advantage.

Plus, he wanted to see what she would do when she saw him.

He was in luck. Just as he walked up to the door, Eden, Rita, and Bree all spilled out from the exit, laughing, until Eden spotted him and came up short.

“Afternoon, ladies,” he said with an easy smile, his gaze flicking over each of them before landing on Eden and not moving away.

“Hi, Marcus!”

“Hello!”

Rita and Bree looked at Eden to see what she was going to do. Tipping her nose up in the air, Eden turned toward her friends.

“I’ll see y’all later.” She opened her arm for a hug.

“Ah, good. I see I’ve already gotten to you,” Marcus said.

Eden whirled around to glare at him before remembering herself and turning back to give Bree the hug she’d started.

“If you’re trying to convince me you don’t care at all about me, the fact you feel the need to put up a barrier isn’t going to do it, sweetheart.

” He drawled the words, knowing she’d hear the challenge in them, knowing his easygoing and relaxed mocking tone would spark even more anger from her, which was what he wanted.

Old Eden had been endlessly patient. She’d gritted her teeth when she was annoyed.

Tamped down her reactions when her emotions were running high.

Not so new Eden. He was pretty sure he could use that to his advantage right now.

Was he entirely sure where he was going with this?

Nope. But he felt calm. In control. Like the universe was taking him where he needed to go.

“Oh?” Eden turned around to face him, planting her hands on her hips. Her glare would have set fire to his hair, if he had any. “So, what will convince you that I don’t care about you at all?”

“Scene with me.” The words popped out of his mouth without thinking, but as soon as he heard them, he knew they were right.

Behind Eden, Bree and Rita’s mouths dropped open in twin expressions of shock.

“What?” Eden practically screeched.

Marcus shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned at her.

“Scene with me. If you really don’t care about me at all, if you’re not worried about having lingering feelings for me, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right?”

“I only scene with men I’m attracted to.” Eden sniffed, lifting her chin defiantly.

Oh, hell no. Though her feelings might be ambivalent, the chemistry between them was undeniable, and he wasn’t going to let her get away with that.

He stepped toward her, into her space, the same way he’d done this morning, but this time she didn’t have a door she could put between them.

And with her friends there, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of making her back up with witnesses—especially since that would be proving his point.

“Well, then, that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?

” he asked, raising one eyebrow. Placing two fingers under her chin, he used them to tilt her head back, as if he was going to kiss her.

Her breathing stuttered, pupils dilating, and her lips parted automatically.

“Attraction was never the issue between us.”

The air between them sizzled. It took an immense amount of willpower to step away, letting his hand drop. Willpower and control. He liked touching her again—far too much.

“So? Scene with me next Saturday at the Outlands?”

“Fine.” The expression on her face as she bit out the word revealed she wasn’t nearly as sure of herself as she wanted to seem.

He wasn’t sure that was what she’d actually meant to say, but she had said it and in front of her friends.

There would be no backing out now, unless she was willing to swallow her pride.

Marcus was betting she wouldn’t. “But afterward, when it’s clear I don’t have any feelings left for you, you agree to leave me alone. ”

“It’s a deal.”

It was a risk, but one he was willing to take. Now, all he had to do was prove to her that she still had feelings for him and convince her that it was worth admitting it.