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Chapter 7
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2021-10-03 18:34:46
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Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 8
My hand was shaking when I unlocked my door. Would he try to kiss me? Sleep with me? I barely stopped myself from laughing hysterically. But beyond some flirting, he hadn’t expressed any other kind of interest. Shouldn’t he, I don’t know, ask me on a date first?“Home sweet home,” I croaked, flipping on the kitchen light. Kevin ambled up to me, his tail high and proud, until he saw Jacob. Instantly, he flattened his ears and hissed before darting into my bedroom.“Um, sorry. Kevin isn’t so great with strangers,” I explained.“Your cat’s name is Kevin? And was he missing a leg?”“Yes, and yes. He also has only one eye.” I laughed at Jacob’s expression. “He had a tough life on the streets before he was rescued and I adopted him.”Jacob gave me an odd look, and I wondered if I’d said anything stupid. Feeling flustered, I blurted, “You want anything to drink?”“I’m fine.” Jacob went to my living room window, which faced south toward downtown, the Space Needle visible to t
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 9
Mari held up a pink peony and a white one. “Which do you like better?”“What is this for again?” I said.Mari sighed. “For my bouquet. Pink or white? My dress is white so I thought pink, but I kind of like the idea of having all the flowers be white, too.”A few days after that mind-blowing kiss with Jacob, Mari invited me to her place to help her with wedding planning. Kate had joined us as well, although she was busy studying for an exam. I didn’t know how she managed to concentrate while Mari and I talked bouquets, but Kate had always had a remarkable ability to retain information with little effort. I was surprised she was even studying at all.“Neither,” I said finally. I began to sketch a bouquet in pencil. “Since your bridesmaids are wearing pink, it’ll be pink overload if your bouquets are pink, too.”Mari nibbled her bottom lip. “That’s true.”I glanced at the color selection that Mari had chosen, my brain putting together arrangements and discarding them just as q
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 10
The second time I fell in love with Jacob, I was thirteen.That isn’t to say I’d fallenoutof love with him at any point between five and thirteen. It was just that he gave me another reason to love him. It was like he kept adding dandelions to my pile of love for him and then metaphorically making me tons of flower crowns with them.By eighth grade, Jacob was the golden boy of our junior high. He was, literally, golden: golden hair, golden skin. Every time he smiled, his teeth sparkled like out of some toothpaste commercial. I swear a theme song played in my head anytime he walked past me—that theme song being the saxophone solo from “Careless Whisper.” Every. Damn. Time. I heard that stupid saxophone in my brain when I saw Jacob.“Do you think he ever smells bad?” I asked Anna.It was two days before Valentine’s Day, aka the worst day ever when you didn’t have a boyfriend. Which was me. I had no boyfriend. Not even Tommy would date somebody like me, and that was saying
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 11
I hadn’t been able to figure out my own dilemma by the time I joined Anna that evening, a week after that kiss with Jacob. She had the rare night off, and we went to a fancy new bar only a few blocks from her apartment. During the day it was a coffee house that served deconstructed lattes (because of course it did), but at night it turned into a fancy cocktail restaurant that served things like deconstructed avocado toast. It was just an avocado that you had to peel yourself and a piece of bread on a wooden cutting board that cost $20.I was well into my third cocktail, feeling the delicious buzz of alcohol, when I bemoaned, “I’m a mess, Anna.”“We all are. But don’t blame yourself because Jacob left you high and dry. Well, not really. He left you wet and cockblocked.” She snickered.“I’m never going to get a guy to pop my cherry at this rate.” I stared at my martini, mostly hypnotized by the preserved lemon curl floating in the liquid. I wondered if I could eat it. Pulling it out o
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 12
Normally I enjoyed driving to Vancouver, but today had not been enjoyable. Not only had I gotten stuck in traffic on I-5, which doubled my travel time, but I realized after a half hour that I’d forgotten the box of brochures for Buds and Blossoms that I’d needed to bring.I’d told Judith and Will, our other employee, that I needed everything put together that afternoon, but Will had been out with the flu and Judith had been frazzled and distracted, so all my plans and instructions had gone to hell with alarming speed.By the time I crossed the border and got to the hotel, I was starving, sweaty from stress, and exhausted. I wanted to order room service, take a hot bath, and call it a night so I could function like a human being tomorrow.When I entered the hotel lobby and saw the wide shoulders, the golden hair, the tight ass, I didn’t need to wonder who it was. I wasn’t remotely surprised that Jacob was here. I’d often attended conventions like this with my dad, and the Wests w
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 13
I’d long since realized that plant people were all, collectively, a little strange. At conventions like this one, it was as if their strangeness was amplified tenfold. Suddenly it was perfectly socially acceptable to thrust a sample of soil macrobiotics in someone’s face, or wax poetic on the best kinds of rakes or shovels.I had a small booth where I was selling a variety of flower bulbs that we grew in our greenhouse: tulip, dahlia, and peony bulbs. Although we didn’t have a huge selection, people recognized our store and knew that our bulbs were some of the best in the state. I wondered if I was going to sell out before the convention was even over, which would be great, but also a little awkward since there was still one more day after this one.I was glad of the distraction of people wearing shirts that said things like I’m so excited I wet my plants as they asked me all sorts of questions about our bulbs. It allowed me to forget about that strange conversation with Jacob last n
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 14
After the convention was over for the day, I returned to my room and waited for Jacob. I planned to ask him if he wanted to go to dinner with me again. My heart fluttered, thinking about what could happen after dinner, if I just had the balls to grab the metaphorical bull by the horns.But time kept passing, and Jacob didn’t show. Twisted up inside while so hungry, I was basically hangry at this point. I went downstairs to get some food from the hotel restaurant. I had just sat down at the bar since the restaurant was full and saw Jacob at a booth with some other people. I watched him tip his head back and laugh at something the guy next to him said.Suddenly, my appetite disappeared. “Keep the change,” I said to the bartender, bile rising in my throat. I hurried upstairs before Jacob could spot me.I didn’t understand him one bit. I wasn’t stupid: he’d been flirting with me throughout this trip. He’d kissed me twice already.First comes kissing, then comes oral, then comes fucking
Last Updated : 2021-10-03Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 15
I fell in love with Jacob a third time when I was seventeen. I also felloutof love with him at seventeen.Yes, this is the prom story.In April of my senior year of high school, Anna came skipping up to me at lunch, her face flushed. She proceeded to tell me that Sam from band had asked her to prom, despite our pact that we wouldn’t attend because prom was dumb.“You know it’s going to be too many people packed into the Country Lodge, with the deer heads on the walls, and everyone’s going to be drunk and sweaty,” I said. “And Sam is probably going to try to grope you in the back of his pickup afterward. Wow, sounds fun.”“Now you’re just being a jerk.” Anna grabbed her lunch and stood up. “And Sam doesn’t drive a pickup. He drives his mom’s minivan.”With that parting shot, Anna left me to sit at lunch alone. She was always my lunch buddy—my only one. If either of us was sick, the days were long and lonely without each other. Guilt sat in my stomach like lead. I was ab
Last Updated : 2021-10-03
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Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters About the Author
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Also by Iris Morland
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseOopsie DaisyHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotPetal PluckerWar of the RosesincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
The moment I woke up after my best friend’s raucous bachelorette party in Las Vegas, I realized two things in quick succession:To my horror, the man had his arm slung across me, and it weighed at least a thousand pounds, I was sure. My bladder yelled profanities at me as I pushed at the ridiculously heavy arm trapping me against the bed.Finally, he turned over, taking his arm with him. I shuffled to the bathroom and didn’t feel the panic hit me until after I’d peed and saw the ring on my left hand.Ring. Left hand. I didn’t wear a ring there anymore since I’d caught my ex-fiancé cheating on me. I’d thrown the ring David had bought me in his face.This ring wasn’t that diamond David had gotten me. I peered more closely at it. It was—plastic? Was it from a ring pop?Did I call the police? No, that was stupid. 911, I got married last night to a stranger. Yeah, that’d go over well. I was sure the Vegas police would just laugh and tell us to get a lawyer.I heard movement in the roo
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Epilogue
When I moved back to Seattle six months ago, I never expected that I’d be moving into a condo with the girl who’d been my childhood friend years ago and who turned out to be my soulmate, or that her evil cat would decide that he actually loved me, or that we’d be in the process of merging our stores together, despite the many protests of our parents.But life has a way of making the unexpected exactly what you needed. And somehow the universe had known I needed Dandelion Wright, and I’d somehow managed to get a second (or really, third) chance with her.“Kevin, look at your new window!” Dani lifted her ridiculously mangy cat up to show him the view of Lake Union. “You’ll be able to watch all the birds.”Kevin yawned, already bored. He wiggled to get down and proceeded to get into one of the many empty boxes to take a nap. I took the opportunity to watch Dani bend over one of the boxes she’d been unpacking, admiring the round curve of her ass through her skinny jeans.The only reaso
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 23
The following Monday, I went to the cafe two blocks from Buds and Blossoms to get my usual latte. I had about an hour before I needed to open the store, but I hadn’t slept well and I thought I could get a jump-start on all the work I needed to get done.“Dani? Is that you?”I turned to see Tiffany McClain, now in line for coffee. She was dressed in scrubs, and she even looked tired, although she still managed to be beautiful despite the bags under her eyes.“How’s Kevin?” she asked.Taking Kevin into the emergency vet felt like it had happened a million years ago, instead of just two months ago. “He’s good. No more lily incidents.”“Oh, Dani, I’d love for you to meet my fiancée.” A woman with dark brown skin and hair as dark as midnight approached. “Lola, this is Dani. We went to school together as kids.”I shook hands with Lola, wondering if their combined beauty would melt my eyeballs. It was like staring into the sun.Lola, Tiffany, and I chatted for a few minutes until every
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 22
After I got home from Los Angeles, I avoided going to my parents’ house for dinner for two weeks in a row. The first week, I said I was too tired and wanted to stay home. The second week, I lied and said I had too much work to do. By the third, my mom pretty much came to my apartment and dragged me to dinner.“You can’t sit in your apartment and wallow forever,” she said. “You got second place, sweetheart. That’s nothing to sneeze at.”I hadn’t felt all that inclined to tell her I wasn’t wallowing because of my loss. That was a very tiny part of this shit situation I’d found myself in. Losing fair and square would be one thing: I’d lost before, and although it sucked, it was the nature of the game.Losing because the guy who I’d fallen in love with had won by being a sneaky cheating asshole?That was something else entirely.I hadn’t told anyone what had happened down in LA, not even Anna. I preferred to believe it had never happened. If I brushed it under the rug, then it didn’t
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 21
I woke up the next morning with a giant headache like I was hung over. I’d barely slept, and I’d stopped myself from going back to Jacob’s room, banging on the door, and demanding to know what the hell his problem was.Except that meant having to hear the words I didn’t want to hear: I don’t love you. Sorry, Dani. This has just been a fling. You knew that, right?I forced my mind away from Jacob and his bullshit. Today was the competition. The judges would choose the winners midmorning. I was so close to that prize money and contract that I could smell it. I was immensely proud of my arrangement, despite my dad not being a fan of it. Even if the judges didn’t like it, at least I was proud of myself and my hard work.I left the hotel and walked to the convention center that was a block away. Since it was still early in the morning, it wasn’t packed, but it would be pretty soon. I grabbed coffee and began to wander through the gardens that had been created inside the convention center
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 20
The next few days were a whirlwind of preparation, not just for the competition, but with creating bouquets for a wedding for that Sunday. Judith had worked with me on tons of weddings, but she’d never gone to one on her own. I wanted to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible while I was gone.“It’ll be fine,” said Judith for the thousandth time. “You aren’t going to the moon. I can call you if I need to.”“I know. I trust you and Will.” I forced a smile onto my face. “I’m just nervous. Sorry if I’m taking it out on you.”Judith told me that I could buy her a drink when I got back, to which I agreed readily. I’d probably need a drink or five once this competition was over. Not only did I need to make sure Buds and Blossoms was running during my absence, but my dad had come by that morning to see my arrangement. He’d been decidedly unenthusiastic with my design.“Honey, you’re so talented, but I thought you wanted to win,” he’d said. He’d sounded genuinely flummoxed. “Thi
Petal Plucker: The Flower Shop Sisters Chapter 19
It was hard to concentrate when your brain was reminding you that you’d had sex last night. And that you’d had sex this morning. And that it would very much like you to have more sex.Sex sex sex sex sex sex SEXXXXXXX went my brain that Saturday morning. It was pretty much an endless stream of porno, except it was featuring me and Jacob.When my first customer came in, she wanted to buy some peonies. Except my brain heard penis, and then my brain thought, I LOVE PENISES! And for a moment my body got very excited, too. Until my customer looked at me strangely, as if she knew my mind was a nonstop loop of Pornhub, and I realized that I hadn’t said a word to her.Like I said: way harder to concentrate than I would’ve expected.During a lull, I checked my phone and saw that Anna had texted me a bunch of times last night, but my phone had been on silent so I hadn’t heard them.7:05 PM: Want to get drinks tonight?7:30 PM: Where are you? You better not be dead.8:16 PM: WHY ARE YOU IG
