Bringing the hand he’d been holding to his mouth, he brushed his lips over her knuckles and her ni**les hardened. She only barely held back a whimper.

“Marc, you’re wasting your time,” she whispered. “Don’t do this to me. Please. You and I both know you don’t do women for longer than what, a week or two?

You’re only interested in me because it’s a novelty for you to be turned down.”

“I’m genuine here, Liv. I thought so at first too. The novelty thing I mean. But I know different and so will you.” He took a step backwards. “I’ll see you Wednesday morning then. Have a good night.”

She tried to speak but he shook his head and she sighed, moving up the walk to her front door. “See you Wednesday. Thanks for walking me home,” she called out.

“My pleasure.” He waved and sauntered back the way they’d come. Man, if he wasn’t kidding she was in big trouble. Fear crouched low for a moment and was gone.

* * *

He wasn’t kidding. Damned Marc Chase! She frowned as she looked at the pretty bouquet of French lavender sitting on her desk. His note said that he hoped the scent would help bring her calm in a stressful time at work. Two days before it had been a raisin muffin from The Honey Bear. A healthy treat. Thoughtful and she loved raisins too.

He’d jogged up to her house with it fresh, still warm from the oven. Heaving a sigh, she sat down and tried to do her work but the scent of lavender wafted around her as she did.

“Pretty flowers. New admirer?” Maggie grinned at her. “Aren’t you done yet? You can tell me who sent these on the way to get Cassie.”

“I…uh.” She sighed. Liv hadn’t told Maggie, or anyone else for that matter, about Marc’s declaration of wooage just yet. She didn’t know what to think much less how to describe it. She shook her head as she shut her computer down and turned to get out of her chair.

“I’m going to run home first, take these there. I don’t want them here over the weekend where they’ll just die.” Liv grabbed the flowers. “I’ll meet you at The Pumphouse.”

They walked out together and Maggie headed one way while Liv headed home. Once there, she put the lavender on her kitchen table and headed to her room to change her clothes and touch up her makeup.

She looked in the mirror as she freshened her lipstick. Not bad for a woman who’d be thirty-five in six weeks. She probably should have stayed out of the sun more. Wore sunscreen. God, how was she supposed to know it was bad to cook herself every summer until she got a good base tan? Everyone knew you had to get a few good burns before your skin got nice and dark. She sighed. And now it caused cancer.

“Stop it now before you turn into one of those crazy cat ladies, Olivia Jean,” she admonished herself in the mirror.

At The Pumphouse, Cassie and Maggie were already waiting. It was a bit lonelier without Dee there but Dee would be spending less and less time in Petal now that she and Arthur had moved to Atlanta and their house had just sold.

“Scooch over, hot stuff,” Liv said to Cassie. She tried not to look toward the back where the pool tables were. If Marc was there she’d end up staring at him all night.

“So, flowers huh? Who?” Cassie poured Liv a beer and pushed the glass toward her.

“Did y’all order the chili cheese fries yet? I ran an extra mile this morning and I’m starving.” Liv busied herself looking through her purse.

“Hoo boy! This is good. You won’t even look me in the eye. It’s Roger Petrie isn’t it? You’ve decided you can overcome his, erm, intense love of his animals.”

Maggie laughed.

Roger Petrie was one of the oddest citizens in town. Well known for his predilection for keeping his animals in bed with him.

Liv stopped rustling around and looked up at her friends. Cassie snickered and Liv just shook her head. “You’re totally insane. No. That’s not it. You’re jealous. Ha! Roger is all mine, baby. Between me and his goat, there’s no room left in his bed.”

Maggie tossed her head back and laughed until her eyes teared up.

“If you must know, it’s Marc.”

Maggie stopped laughing and looked over at Liv, mouth open in shock. “Marc Chase sent you flowers? Why?”

“He tells me he’s wooing me.”

“Oh the woo.” Cassie blew out a breath. “They’re awfully good at the woo, those boys.”

“No shit. Kyle wooed my panties right off. Wooed ice cream in my belly button at three in the morning.” Maggie sighed. “Damn good woo. I’m betting they got it from Edward. It’s always the quiet ones. But why is he wooing you?”

“What? You don’t think I’m worthy of woo?”

“Say that five times fast.” Cassie laughed. “No, cupcake. I think Maggie is asking why a man with a revolving door in his bedroom is wooing a woman who’s declared she’s looking for more than a few nights’ entertainment. Has something happened?”

“Yeah. What she said. Of course you’re worthy of woo. Dumbass.”

“You’re very cranky now that you’re knocked up.” Liv couldn’t help but turn, and damn if her eyes didn’t move straight to Marc’s ass. “Boy howdy the man has an ass on him.”

The other two women craned their necks to look. “Oh yeah. The nicest of the bunch ass–wise, I’d wager. Back to you telling us what’s going on,” Cassie said. Reluctantly, Liv turned back to her friends and told them the whole story. Including the night of the Founder’s Day picnic up until the flowers he’d had delivered that morning.