“Mr. Adams, you’ll have to talk to Isabella and Laura about that,” the server said with a polite smile. “We’re just employees, we don’t really get a say. Please enjoy your treats.” She turned and walked away, leaving Ethan at his table.
A few minutes later, Laura came out from the pastry kitchen. She didn’t go over to greet Ethan. Instead, she settled back at the cash register where her laptop was still open, her latest chapter stuck at only a few hundred words. The shop was quiet. Aside from the occasional customer, there wasn’t much for her to do, so she took the chance to get some writing done.
By the time she hit her two-thousand-word goal, Jesse came in, pushing open the glass door with a bouquet of roses in his arms. He visited every single day, and each time, he brought her fresh flowers. He never said anything overly sweet, just showed up, steady and caring, always there for her in his own quiet way.
Jesse didn’t seem surprised to see Ethan. He gave him a friendly nod, then walked straight over to the counter and handed Laura the bouquet. His gaze was soft, full of affection, like she was the only person in the room. To Jesse, Laura was even more beautiful than the roses he brought her. He could look at her forever and never get bored.
“You’re done for the day,” Laura said as she took the flowers, leaning down to breathe in their scent. “These smell extra fresh.”
Jesse smiled. “The florist said they just arrived. I watched her wrap them up myself. They’re definitely fresh.”
“I got off work early, but I had a dinner with a client. Couldn’t get out of it, or I would’ve come by sooner.”
If those business dinners went on too long, Jesse usually tried to skip them or had Melissa handle things. He’d turned down a lot of evening events lately, unless Laura wanted to go with him. He’d really cut back on work, just so he could spend more time with her. Even his family was cheering him on.
“Work comes first. Nothing much happens here anyway,” Laura said. She took the old bouquet out of the vase and looked it over. “This one’s still pretty fresh. You had it delivered this morning. It feels like such a waste to throw them out, but I can’t fit all these flowers in here.”

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