Wildflower by Michele Kimbrough Page A

“It’ll be pretty simple. I just need you to help Pru finalize the minor details of her engagement party. She’ll be pretty busy with her job so you’ll have to take the lead.”
    Iris saw Idris listening — well, not really. He was watching, looking at Jess.
    “Okay.  I’m only doing this while you’re away, right? I’m not into these last minute planning crunches anymore. I gave that up when I divorced Peter.”
    “I know. It’s just until I get back and, like I said, Pru needs all the help she can get. Her father keeps her busy at work and she hardly has a moment to plan anything.”
    “Fine.  Is that all?  I have more wallowing to do.”
    “Girl, go get that man.  Stop playing around before you lose him for real.”
    “That’s what I told her,” Idris said, “but she won’t listen.”
    “See, even your brother agrees. Sometimes we’re forced in directions we ought to have found for ourselves.”
    “Well, my
brother
has a lot of nerve, considering he’s the one who created this mess.”
    “Me? How?”
    “You let Peter in.”
    “I did no such thing. Where’d you get that crazy idea?”
    “All I know is Peter said you let him in.  Why? You knew I had company.”
    “Yes, I did. Which is why I didn’t let him in. I told him you had company and that he needed to call you. I never let him in.”
    “Then how’d he get the key?”
    “I didn’t give him the key.” Then he thought about it. “The spare… He found the spare over the door frame.”
    “He left the key on the counter. I put it in the key tray.”
    “Your ex-husband is a slick one,” Jess said. “Call me if you have questions about the checklist.” She kissed Iris on the cheek.
    “I’ll walk you to the door,” Idris volunteered.
    Jess smiled and winked at Iris.
    Iris rolled her eyes.
    “You’re so transparent, Jess,” Iris said as they walked by.

20

Day five and still nothing from Preston. Damn him. Why was he being so obstinate? She scrolled through her call list and hovered over his number.  She was going to break the silence once and for all.
    But what if he meant it? What if he was the kind of guy who said goodbye and meant it the first time he said it? What if it really was over? Her heart pounded in her throat at the thought of it.
    Her phone lit up. It was a 713 area code. She knew it wasn’t Cam.  Unless Sara had a new number, it wasn’t her.  Then it occurred to her that she deleted Peter from her contact list. It was probably Peter. But she’d told him not to call. He wouldn’t be so foolish as to ignore her demand.
    She pressed ‘answer’.
    “Iris, we need to talk,” Peter said.
    “We already talked. What else is there to say?”
    “Meet me. Have some lunch with me. That’s it. I’ll send a car to pick you up.”
    ***
    Peter arrived first. He was closer to the location than she. He was anxious to talk to her.  He needed to tell her — she deserved to know about Sara and the baby.  He had no idea how to do it, though.  He’d rehearsed the words over and over in his head and none seemed quite right.  None seemed to convey the complexity of what he had to tell her.  But he knew it was time to do so.
    He was surprised by the way it felt to see Iris again.  Not just because she looked good — which she did.  He was stunned by her — and by the fact that his feelings for her hadn’t changed.
    He also liked looking at her. One of the reasons why he had arrived early was so he could watch her walk in.  She was a sight to see, breathtaking.
    He ordered two coffees. He picked the table by a window in the front of the restaurant, mainly so that she’d see him when she walked in.
    ***
    Iris arrived at Yolk.  When she pulled the door open, she saw Peter sitting by the window. She moved toward the table.
    “Thanks for the coffee,” she said, noticing he’d already ordered for her. She could smell him over the aroma of the coffee — he smelled good.
    “Wow, you look ravishing. New