Page 7 of Silver Sanctuary (The Silver Springs #3)

Lily stood up from behind her desk. “She’s in with a client right now for a session, but I put my arrangement in Sage’s playroom. Do you want to see it?”

Lily had gotten an arrangement from Nash, too? He was getting them for all the women in his life. Her heart warmed at how unbelievably precious that was.

Lily opened the door next to her desk and waved to Lacy. “The purple and pink flowers this week just screamed ‘princess’ so I had to put them in here. She loved smelling them with me when Nash dropped them off earlier.”

“He buys them for all of you?” she whispered.

“All of us?”

“I thought Nash bought them just for Mae. I thought that meant they were… But he gets them for all of you.”

“Yeah, isn’t that adorable? He has such a big heart.” Lily sighed. “All the guys do, honestly. But the flowers are such a sweet thing to do for us, although I’m convinced it’s more about the fact that he knows he’s going to see the florist at Petals each week that has him still doing it.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I didn’t know. I think I just made a big scene over nothing… ”

“Hmm… so maybe he hasn’t been the only one pining all this time?”

“Have you seen him?” Lacy hissed, her hand resting over her heart. “He’s like the most handsome man I’ve ever met. And he’s so sweet. I don’t understand why he’d be interested in me.”

“Oh, Lacy.” Lily laughed. “As someone who fought against her attraction to her husband for far too long, here’s my advice: Let yourself enjoy the attention.

Flirt. Kiss… a lot… and as hard as it may be, let him have a piece of your heart.

Because he will take such good care of you, and Embrie.

I bet, when we turn around, we’ll see him staring this way with hearts in his eyes. ”

“I don’t think?—”

Lily hooked her arm though Lacy’s and turned them both around. Sure enough, her silver fox was looking right at her, eyes wide enough to tell her he knew he’d been caught.

“Oh.” She giggled.

“Thanks for showing her the flowers, Lily,” Nash said as he closed the distance between them. “Now, I’m going to make sure this pretty lady makes it back safe and sound to her shop.”

While the spot where Lily’s arm had just been grew cold in the absence of her friend, Lacy’s hand buzzed as Nash threaded his fingers once again through hers.

“Tell the good doc we said hi, and bye,” Nash said over his shoulder as they walked out of the building.

Lacy’s heart took off like she was running a marathon, knowing she needed to apologize to Nash for jumping to conclusions.

But before she could even blink, he was pulling her into the alley.

Her back rested against the brick and her breath caught in her throat at the way his eyes flared with something she couldn’t quite place.

Not dangerous—no. She never felt unsafe around Nash .

Her stomach quivered as he dropped his mouth close to her ear. “Now, do you understand? I’m not buying flowers for Mae. I buy them so I can spend time with the woman I can’t stop thinking about.”

“Y-yes, I understand now.” That answer had come out barely better than a moan and Lacy’s face burned as she reached out to steady herself on his shoulders.

“I want to take you out. I’ve been going slow because of Embrie, but I don’t think I can wait any more, Lace. Will you say yes? Let me take you out.”

“Nash… I don’t know.”

“Do you want to?”

“Yes.”

“What’s holding you back?” he asked as he pushed one of her curls behind her ear.

“I’d have to find someone to watch Embrie. She has a sitter I use when I work late sometimes, but she isn’t the nicest woman and is a pain if it’s off her normal schedule…” She cut off her rambling with a sigh, biting at her bottom lip to stop herself from carrying on.

“I wasn’t going to ask you to leave Brie behind. I think we could have a great time—the three of us—if you’re comfortable with that.”

“You’d plan something where we could take Embrie?”

“Of course. I want her to come along. She’s a part of you, Lacy. I like spending time with her, too.”

Her hands tightened on his shoulders as his words washed over her. “Okay,” she whispered.

Nash’s smile sent her stomach tumbling. “Okay?”

“Yeah—Yes… I mean. I’d like that.”

“Good. How does Friday night sound?”

“At the end of the week?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, Lace. I wanted to ask what you were up to tonight, but I know Embrie probably has homework and a bedtime she has to hit on a school night.”

Was this real life? She needed to pinch herself because surely she was in a dream. “Friday is good.”

“Good. Come on.” Nash slipped his hand over hers again and pulled her out of the alley. “Just so we’re clear, I really wanted to kiss you back there, but I want to make sure I impress you before I do.”

“I think you can check that requirement off your list there, soldier.”

“Lace, I was a sailor, not a soldier.”

“Hmm.” She shrugged. “I think maybe a ‘yes, ma’am’ would have been the right response. Do I get to tell you to drop and give me twenty now?”

Nash stopped, his eyes bouncing between hers as his mouth popped slightly open. “Careful, woman. Ask me to get on my knees for you again, and I won’t hesitate to complete your orders.”

She giggled, the heat from his words scorching a trail across her body. “I think I’m in a little over my head.”

Nash laughed. “Is there anything I should know for Friday night? Maybe your favorite food? Or anything Brie doesn’t like to eat?”

“We aren’t picky, I promise. I have an unfortunate allergy to sesame…”

He stopped walking. “You do? Shit! I should have asked before.”

“Why?”

“Because I almost kissed you, and I don’t know all the ingredients in everything I’ve had today.”

Lacy patted his chest, overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness. “I can always take a rain check.”

“This is the one and only. I’m cleaning out the office, my apartment, hell, I’m even going to tell Dolly to make sure there is safe stuff for us to eat there.”

“No, that’s so extreme. I know what to stay away from.”

Nash squeezed her hand. “How bad of an allergy are we talking? Lip injections from Hollywood’s finest plastic surgeon?”

She couldn’t hold back her smile. “I wish.”

“That bad?”

“It’s not great. My mom was never careful, so I was in the ER as a kid a couple times for it. Not enough to trigger child services to look into it, but enough to know I needed to learn what sesame was and watch my food for it.”

“Okay. I’ll figure out some options for Friday… You have an EpiPen in case I epically mess up, right?”

“You won’t mess up.” Lacy’s eyes dropped to the sidewalk, hoping Nash wouldn't press the issue.

But the second she heard him groan, she knew he was going to fuss about it. “You don’t have medicine? Lacy, your life could be at risk!”

“Have you seen the price of those things? I’d rather make sure I can pay you back for Embrie’s gear.”

“You’re not paying for her gear.” His tone was sharp. Clearly, there was no room for arguing any more.

“I didn’t mean to make you mad. I just don’t want you to think I expect a handout,” she confessed.

“Why would I think that?”

“Doesn’t everyone think that about me? Isn’t that why no one helped me before?”

He stood, eyes moving back and forth between hers again, as if he could pull out every story she buried deep inside her while standing out on the sidewalk.

“I’m not letting that go—I hope you know that.

Because the woman standing in front of me?

The woman I’m so obsessed over that my friends have been calling me Mr. Botanical because I keep buying flowers…

flowers , Lace…. That woman? She deserves the fucking world.

I don’t know the whole story, and it’s yours to tell me when you feel comfortable, but I want to know it.

I want to know so I can prove to you that all those people who never stepped up for you were wrong. So fucking wrong.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.

He smiled. “You don’t have to say anything. Just… Friday night, yeah?”

“Yeah. Friday night.”