Defy the World Tomatoes (13 page)

“I’d like to discuss handling the floral work with my partner before I give you a definite answer, but I’ll get back to you before the end of the week. The yard will be no problem at all to transform, but I’ll not promise anything I can’t deliver.”

“I wish bakers were as honorable,” Charlotte replied. “We’ve yet to find one who’ll prepare the wedding cake we envision for less than a thousand dollars.”

Christy Joy baked delicious pastries, but Darcy didn’t think her partner would want to attempt a wedding cake without a great deal of practice, and neither of them had any time to devote to their culinary skills.

“Sorry, we can’t help you there,” Darcy replied. “I’ll prepare a formal estimate and bring it by for your approval tomorrow afternoon.”

As she left the Peavey residence, Darcy couldn’t resist driving on up the hill to cruise by Griffin’s. As she rounded the curve, a silver BMW turned into his driveway and, appalled, she did a quick U-turn and headed back to Defy the World.

Apparently Ms. Randall didn’t give up as easily as Griffin had expected. It was a quality any client would admire in an agent, and Darcy couldn’t discount it in a rival. She absolutely hated feeling jealous. It was petty and mean-spirited, but jealous she was, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

Early Wednesday morning, Darcy joined Christy Joy and Twink on Jeremy Linden’s sport fishing boat, the
Great Escape
. Christy Joy had brought hot chocolate and sticky buns, which they ate as Jeremy steered the powerful boat out of the harbor into the open sea. The sky was overcast, but just as the sun broke through the thick marine layer, they spotted a pod of California gray whales making their way south to Mexico.

“You brought us luck, Twink!” Jeremy shouted, and the little girl squealed with delight. He handed over the wheel to one of his crew and came to stand beside Christy Joy while he provided Twink with some fascinating facts about the whales.

Darcy hung on to the rail and observed the whales with equal wonder. She knew quite a bit about the marine mammals, but she was still impressed by the care Jeremy took to help Twink appreciate them. She also noticed how often Jeremy’s gaze strayed to Christy Joy. It was clear the captain was more keenly aware of her than the whales, which made Darcy feel doubly alone.

They returned to the docks within the hour, finished up the hot chocolate and sweet rolls, and then Christy Joy took Twink to preschool. The brief cruise had been an exhilarating adventure for the little girl, and she skipped down the street at her mother’s side.

Darcy thanked Jeremy again. She hesitated briefly, tempted to encourage him to pursue Christy Joy, but then thought better of offering the shy captain advice on his love life. She settled for a friendly wave as she reached the end of the dock, then walked along the Embarcadero to Defy the World.

It was still early, and she went into her office to straighten up before opening the nursery. Christy Joy had been eager to accept the challenge of creating the bouquets and floral arrangements for Michelle Peavey’s wedding. Wanting to know the latest fashion in flowers, Darcy had bought a copy of a bridal magazine for inspiration.

George, however, took one look at the magazine lying on Darcy’s desk, shoved back his hat and chuckled. “If you don’t mind my saying so, it might be too soon to begin planning your wedding.”

“It’s not my wedding I’m helping to plan, George, so erase the smirk.”

“Well, just who is getting married, then? Anyone I know?”

Darcy told him about the Peaveys’ request and shrugged. “I’d like to do the flowers for the whole event, but this is probably a poor time to begin taking on new challenges.”

“You have to take them when they come,” George advised. “You can’t just prepare yourself and expect one to fall into your lap.”

“That’s a good point.”

“But on the other hand,” George cautioned, “the flower shops in town might not appreciate your encroaching on their territory.”

“Don’t you think Mrs. Peavey has the right to hire whomever she chooses?”

“Sure, as long as Defy the World Tomatoes understands the risk.”

“It’s only one wedding. We don’t plan to become full-time florists, so I doubt anyone will toss a flowerpot through our front window.”

George nodded thoughtfully. “Just remember, problems have a way of snowballing.”

Darcy just shook her head. She loved flowers, but wiring and wrapping their stems with florist’s tape wasn’t her idea of fun. “Thanks for your opinion, George. I haven’t really made up my mind.”

Griffin approached in time to hear that last remark. “Not about me, I hope.”

Darcy hadn’t expected to see him so early. He was dressed in gray slacks, a navy blue blazer and a white oxford cloth shirt with a narrow blue stripe. The tip of a blue tie with tiny red accents peeked out of his jacket pocket.

She hadn’t even brushed her hair since leaving the
Great Escape
at the dock and quickly combed her bangs with her fingertips. “While this may be an enormous shock, Mr. Moore, not all of our conversations here revolve around you.”

George tipped his hat and scooted out of Griffin’s way. “I’ll see to the watering.”

“Thanks, George.” Darcy stood, but didn’t think it was a good idea to kiss Griffin when anyone might walk by and glance into her office. “How did the practice go?” she asked instead.

“Pretty well, but I still had time to have a key made.” He handed it to her attached to a key chain with a smiling plastic daisy.

“This is awfully cute, but I’ll return the key just as soon as you get home.”

“Whenever,” Griffin replied. He pulled a small velvet box from his pants pocket and placed it in her hand. “This I want you to keep.”

It was slightly larger than a box for a ring, but Darcy was still afraid to open it. She slid his key into her bib pocket, but then just held the gift in an awkward grasp. “What’s the occasion?” she asked.

“Does there have to be one?” Griffin leaned against the doorjamb and folded his arms across his chest. “Go on, open it. I can only stay a minute, and I want to know what you think.”

Darcy made the mistake of looking up at him, and he wore such an inviting smile that she couldn’t think at all. “You’ll only be gone a few days,” she argued. “I don’t need a present to remind me of you.”

“Open it, or I’ll open it for you,” Griffin responded.

Pressured, Darcy took a single peek, saw the flash of diamonds, and slammed the lid shut. “Griffin!”

He laughed, cradled her hands with his and opened the box to show off a gold quarter note accented with pavé diamonds suspended from a fine gold chain. “I saw this a couple of years ago in Vienna, but I haven’t had anyone I cared to give it to until now.”

It was a stunning gift and, even knowing it was probably a mere trifle to such a wealthy man, Darcy’s eyes flooded with tears. “If it came from Austria, I don’t suppose you can take it back,” she murmured.

He slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp. “It was meant for you, Darcy, please don’t cry.”

She wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you will do for now. If you’re inspired to be any more appreciative, it will have to wait until I get home.”

“I really wish you’d been there to see the whales this morning. I missed you.”

Griffin gathered her into a fierce hug. “Believe me, if I’d been there, it wouldn’t have been pretty.”

Darcy relaxed against him and hoped he wouldn’t feel her heart doing flip-flops. Then she remembered she hadn’t put on any pumpkin pie spice and feared after being out on a fishing boat, she might smell like a seagull. When he stepped back much too soon, she was sure she must.

“I’ll be back Sunday afternoon, and I’ll miss you too.”

“Will you call me Saturday night? I want to know how the concert went. It’s sure to go well, but I’d still like to hear the audience reaction to your composition.”

“It might be awfully late by the time the applause stops,” Griffin teased.

“Oh, I don’t plan to stay up,” Darcy assured him, “but my phone will wake me.”

“I’ll call,” Griffin promised, and he gave her a good-bye kiss meant to linger in her memory the whole time he was away.

Once Griffin reached Seattle, he waited until most of the other passengers had left the plane before he rose from his seat. He yawned sleepily, grabbed his carry-on bag and tuxedo which had been hanging in the luggage alcove near the hatch. He made his way along the narrow ramp to the arrival area where families were hugging their loved ones and friends were being joyfully reunited.

Off to one side, a silver-haired limousine driver held a small placard with his name. Recognizing him instantly, Griffin walked over to him, and the driver took his bag.

“Good afternoon, sir. How was your flight?”

“I can’t say. I slept through it,” Griffin confessed and raised his hand to suppress a wide yawn.

“Then it was a good one.” The driver kept up the friendly patter until Griffin was safely seated in the back of his limousine. As they began to weave their way through the airport traffic toward the hotel, however, the chauffeur dropped his jovial manner and became Griffin’s Interpol link.

“The concert is sold out,” he disclosed. “If your reviews are decent, Vaughn should appear soon.”

Griffin responded with a succinct obscenity. “The critics love me, but Vaughn might be content to stay home, wherever that is, and listen to my latest CD rather than risk arrest at a public concert.”

“You underestimate the man’s arrogance,” the driver warned, “probably because you share the same flaw. Are things still placid in Monotony Bay?”

Rather than react to the insult, Griffin glanced out at the passing traffic. “I’m seeing an unusually perceptive young woman who believes I’m tracking more than fan interest on my computers.”

“You are. Dump her before she gets any smarter.”

“Not an option.”

The chauffeur stared at Griffin in his rearview mirror. “Keep your focus until Lyman Vaughn is no longer a threat.”

“I agreed to do all that I could, but I’ll not sacrifice my heart and soul in the process.”

The driver responded with a mirthless laugh. “Forgive me if your budding romance just doesn’t compare to the need to apprehend an arms dealer who may soon hold a garage sale to unload nuclear weapons.”

“Spare me the gruesome threats. I’ll do all I can to trap the conscienceless freak, but my personal life will remain off limits to your manipulations.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Moore, whatever you say, sir.” The driver’s voice dripped with a venomous disgust. “Just be on the alert for Vaughn. He could turn up Saturday night as easily as he could in Budapest.”

“You needn’t worry. I already see and hear far more than I wish to. Pick me up at ten o’clock Sunday morning.”

“Ten it is. You know how to reach me, should the need arise.”

Griffin nodded and carried his own luggage into the exclusive hotel which catered to the few who could afford its luxurious accommodations and exquisite service. The drive there had left him tense and angry, but after an hour in the gym filled with the latest in exercise equipment, he had relaxed enough to play the Steinway thoughtfully placed in his suite. It was his own composition he rehearsed, however, rather than those planned for yet another sold-out concert.

Thursday and Friday, Griffin’s rehearsals with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra went well, and Saturday night’s concert was extraordinarily fine. In response to the crowd’s enthusiastic pleas for an encore, Griffin made a brief announcement that he would be delighted to play one of his own compositions for them. He then gave such a spellbinding performance that at first he was greeted with a stunned silence; then the audience flew into frenzied applause that went on and on as they begged for still more. Griffin knew the value of a timely departure, however, and he bowed, gestured toward the orchestra and conductor, then left the stage to call Darcy.

“It went surprisingly well,” he confided nonchalantly.

“That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry not to have time to say more, but I have to attend a private reception for major donors. Without you, it will be no fun at all.”

The longing in his voice filled Darcy with guilt. “Let’s have our own party when you get home. Have a safe trip.”

Darcy hadn’t been able to sleep before he’d called, and as soon as he’d wished her a good night, she punched her pillow. She couldn’t help but wonder how many beautiful women in designer gowns would slither up to him at the reception. She could picture them so easily. They would be very blonde, or auburn-haired, supremely confident and so rich they would never have to leave a lover’s bed to dash to work on time.

It was after four o’clock Sunday afternoon when Griffin walked into the Defy the World nursery. Darcy had just rung up a sale of half a dozen cacti when she looked up and saw him moving down the crowded walkways with a long, masterful stride that sent astonished shoppers scurrying out of his way.