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Together, we get the last of the reception stuff, and then he helps me unload the rest and walk it to where the ceremony will be held. He enlists the help of a few other groomsmen, whose names I didn’t catch, and within five minutes, everything is unloaded and ready for me to get to work.
I organize all the pieces, setting the flower bundles I’d made last night aside, getting the ribbon ready to tie to the chairs. I let myself slide into the zone, trying to ignore the distracting attraction I felt toward Andrew. I don’t even notice him behind me until he speaks.
“Where do you need me, boss?”
“Hmm?” I ask, a little startled. I wave him off. “I’m good, like I said, I just needed help unloading. I can handle it from here. You go do your thing.”
“Now, Josie...” he drawls, tsking and wagging a finger at me. “I was given a job to do. So tell me. What can I do for you?”
I scoff, my stomach fluttering with butterflies at his insistence. “Fine. You can take the bundles of flowers, and tie them to the chairs. The bows are already done, so you just need to use the little metal ties to anchor them to the chair. Got it?”
“You got it, boss.” He winks, then gets to work right away, picking up one of the completed bundles and works on attaching it to the white chair. I inspect his first one to make sure it looks okay, before nodding my approval. He grins, triumphant, before starting on the next. I turn away and take a second to ground myself, and focus on the job at hand. There’s no use in getting all flustered over a man I’m sure I’ll never see again. I continue my own work, tying the bows and making sure everything is perfect. When I’m done, I help Andrew finish attaching the pieces to the chairs.
After, I move to the next step of getting flowers up onto the beautiful wooden arch. I look around my stuff, searching for my step ladder. Shit. “Hey, Andrew?” I call, spinning around. “Did you see a step stool anywhere?”
He glances around my things, shaking his head. “Not that I can remember. I don’t think I even saw one in your car.”
“Shit,” I murmur. “Okay, I need your help then.” I wave him over, and grab a chair from the front row. I kick off my shoes, leaving me in just my socks. I set the chair up in front of the arch, and turn. Andrew is right behind me.
“Okay, you’re going to hold these while I climb up.” I set the flowers gently into his waiting hands, and make sure I have my wire cutters, and extra wire in my pockets. “Then, you’re going to spot me.”
“Should I go get you a ladder?” Andrew asks, raising his brow. “This doesn’t exactly seem safe…”
I wave him off. “It’s fine. We’re running short on time anyway. You need to get ready for photos, and I need to get the bouquets ready.”
I climb up onto the chair, and get myself in the right spot. Once steady, I turn, holding out my hands for the flowers. He doesn’t notice right away that I’m waiting, but I watch him take a big sniff of one of the bigger roses, then lift his head, quirking his brow as if he didn’t expect it to smell good. I smirk at him, giving him a moment. He’s so adorable.
When he realizes I’m ready, he carefully transfers it to me, and I get to work. Only, I’m shocked when a pair of warm hands settle on my waist. “Uh, whatcha doin there?” I ask. My arms raise with goosebumps at the casual touch, and it’s like his hands send a shock to my core, increasing my heart rate and blood flow.
“Spotting you,” Andrew replies. I can’t really turn and look at him to see his expression, so I keep working.
“I didn’t mean that you have to hold me, just… you know, be there in case I fall,” I say with a shrug, thankful that he can’t see my face, which is sure to be burning up right now. It’s been a long time since a man has touched me, and though Andrew does it so casually, it manages to light a fire in me. My ex never lit a fire within me, that’s for sure.
“Well, if it’s all the same, I’d like to keep a hold on you. Can’t have the florist take a tumble on my watch.” I can hear the grin in his voice, but the message behind his words is surprisingly sincere. I can tell that he actually doesn’t want me to eat shit.
“Alright,” I answer. I give myself one more second before turning my attention back to the flowers.
After a few minutes—though it feels like an hour with his hands on my hips—I’m done with the arrangement. “Okay, I’m coming down.” I drop the wire cutters and extra wire to the ground before I bend, expecting Andrew to drop his hold from my hips, but he doesn’t. His hands move with me, and when my shirt rises, his fingertips brush the skin on my back and hips, jolting me with awareness at his proximity.
Shocked, I stumble the last bit, falling backward into his chest. “Oh no,” I screech, my arms flailing, trying to grasp onto something, anything.
“I’ve got you,” Andrew murmurs into my ear, the hands that were on my waist now wrapped around my body. He holds me close to his chest, and I breathe heavily. “See, that’s why I wanted to keep a hold on you.”
“Makes sense.” My heart thumps, a giddy feeling rising in my chest. This man has me all sorts of flustered. I feel my feet hit solid ground, and I start to pull away from him. I need to get away from his touch before I do something stupid, like fall onto his lips. “Sorry about that. Maybe I should have let you get a step ladder.”
He’s hesitant to let go of me, probably afraid I’ll trip or something, but after a long moment, he does. He shakes his head when I turn to face him. “I guess next time you’ll know to listen to me.” His brown eyes crinkle at the edges as he winks. This man is turning me to putty with every wink, every glance in my direction.
I nod, trying to hide the smile on my face. I put the chair back in its spot, then take a few steps back to admire my work. I snap a few photos of the arch and the chairs for my social media, before gathering the rest of my supplies and buckets, bringing them back to my car. Andrew is behind me, carrying a few things as well.
“Thanks for all your help,” I say as I close my trunk. I don’t think I could have done it without you.” And I really mean it. There’s no way I could have gotten everything done so efficiently this morning without him. I make a mental note to look at my business budget and calculate the cost of hiring an assistant if I’m going to continue into the wedding industry.
“Not a problem, I enjoyed it.”
I raise my brow, not believing him for a second. “Sure,” I tease. “I bet you would have much rather spent the morning with the guys having drinks and talking football.”
Andrew shrugs. “I was happy to help, Josie. Hug it out? I’m a hugger.”
“Umm,” I pause, a little unsure. “Sure?” Before I can even open my arms to accept his hug, he has his thick arms wrapped around my shoulders, squeezing me tight into his chest. His arms aren’t the hard rocks of muscle I’d anticipated. He’s muscular, don’t get me wrong, but his chest is warm and inviting with soft edges. I’m unable to reciprocate, as my arms are pinned to my sides. It’s hard to breathe when he’s squeezing me so tight, but somehow, I manage to get a whiff of his cologne; a crisp scent that reminds me of a rainy day.
