Miss Mistletoe by Erin Knightley

Author:Erin Knightley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2012-11-05T22:00:00+00:00

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It was the oddest and most wonderful statement anyone had ever said to her. Cece rolled her eyes at his overly dramatic words, but turned back to the plans with delight. If she could do anything she wanted? No consulting with Papa, no listening patiently to what the owner desired, but instead free reign to make the space exactly what she wished it to be? The possibilities were endless.

For the next few hours, she poured over all of her choices, cutting up bits of paper and marking them with the initials of all the plants she would have in her perfect space. She moved them this way and that on the paper, explaining the virtues of each species to Finn, and how much light, humidity, and water it preferred.

In the center, she drew a huge water feature, only a foot deep but which would serve as the perfect home for the Nymphaeaceaes she had always loved. Most women thought of frogs or stagnant ponds when they thought of water lilies—she was always put to mind of the magic of their ingenious root system, and the glorious flowers of the giant Amazon variety.

The paths she drew extended like spokes from the center fountain, and were connected with two concentric circular paths. She organized the plantings by color, bloom time, and size, so that no matter where one stood, they would observe a plethora of colors, heights, leaf size, and origins.

Finn never left her side, asking questions, pointing out sections he particularly liked, and letting her have her fun. When she had tweaked and fine-tuned the plant positions until they were exactly where she wanted, she carefully transcribed the little slips of paper onto the final drawing, numbering each and writing out a legend on a separate piece of foolscap. It was tedious work, but she couldn’t remember ever enjoying herself more, particularly with Finn’s easy presence beside her.

Finally, hours after they had begun, Cece leaned back and smiled. “I do believe we have my perfect conservatory.”

Finn stood and came behind her, leaning over her shoulder to see the drawing from her perspective. She went very still, shocked at his closeness. The subtle scent of his warm skin seemed to wrap around her, filling her senses and making her mouth go dry.

For several moments, he didn’t say anything. He studied the page as if it held the secret to life, and she sat frozen, unable to pull herself away from his spell.

“Phenomenal,” he breathed, the hint of reverence in his voice warming her from the inside out. He turned his head toward her, meeting her gaze at a distance far too close for her mind to properly function. “It is an absolute work of art . . . just like you.”

Heavens above, did he truly mean it? Is that what he thought of her? Her heart pounded in her ears as she struggled to think, to find something to say, even as her eyes slowly dropped to his lips. He

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