“So, are you a bride too?”
Delaney looked up, more at the sound of a deep, plainly-spoken voice, rather than the presumption that the question was directed at her. Lifting her head, she came face to face with… well, calling this man good-looking would be like calling Adele ‘an alright singer’ or Nora Ephron ‘decent at making romantic comedies’. He had wavy brown hair, pushed back from his face in a way that suggested he spent a lot of time running his hands through it before, presumably, running into the ocean Baywatch-style to save someone’s life, or helping an old lady cross the street. Really just any number of the heroic tasks that his physique suggested he carried out on a daily basis. And, for some reason, he seemed to be talking to Delaney.
“What?” she asked, as politely as she could. She couldn’t quite remember what his question was.
He laughed, even though she hadn’t been trying to be funny, revealing a row of perfectly straight white teeth. Delaney waited patiently for his laughter to subside, eyes darting around the store for her co-workers to see if they were seeing this. Kim was deep in conversation with one of their brides and Ash was… oh, probably off brooding somewhere. She turned her attention back to the man in front of her. He was still smiling at her and, gosh, it was a nice smile, she supposed.
“I said, are you a bride too?” he repeated, gesturing around the shop to emphasise his point.
“Oh!” Delaney said, shaking her head. Her voice was chirpy, pride painfully apparent when she clarified, “No, I work here!”
The man nodded, looking like he was turning her answer over in his head in a way that was so deliberate and put-upon, she really shouldn’t have found it that attractive. As it was… she was just a girl! And her sister was surrounded by good-looking men all of the time. She’d maybe been hoping to emulate Lily-Rose’s confidence a little, and perhaps this was her opportunity.
“Interesting,” he said, before sticking his hand out for her to shake. “I’m Greg. Not a groom. I just wanted to clarify that. I’m here with my sister.” Delaney slipped her smaller hand into his as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the girl talking to Kim. At that moment, the pretty-looking woman called Greg’s name, beckoning him over for an opinion.
“Duty calls,” Greg said, walking backwards with a wink as he left.
As soon as his back was turned, Delaney let out a long, deep breath. Her heart was racing in a way her medical team would probably be concerned about under literally any other circumstances. As it was, the blush on her cheeks and giddy grin she wore suggested she was only in danger of being diagnosed with a bad case of being absolutely, undeniably twitterpated.
Oh my gosh, she mouthed to herself, her stomach still feeling fizzy with excitement. She turned around, ready to force herself to get back to her flower arrangements when she realised Ash was standing there watching her. She jumped a little, guilty like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“What?” she asked, pouting a little at the look on his face.