Chasing Happiness by Raine English Page A

tonight?”
    “Seven is good. I want to be here to let the caterers in.”
    “And make sure everything’s just perfect before the party starts.”
    “You know me well.” She laughed.
    “Not well enough.” He kissed her cheek, then handed her a piece of paper that he’d pulled out of his pocket. “I almost forgot to give you this.”
    Her gaze scanned over an order from Dan’s boss for two dozen flower arrangements. “Is this for Shelby’s baby shower?”
    “Yep.”
    “So you didn’t come here just to see me?”
    “Nope. But I’m serious about us—”
    “I’ll see you at seven,” she said, cutting him off before he could continue to pester her about moving in. “And thank you for this.” She waved the paper in the air. “Be sure to tell William how much I appreciate his business.” William Kelly owned Kelly Realty and knew practically everyone in town, so doing a great job on his daughter’s baby shower was important. She owed Dan in a big way. Just not the way he had in mind. After he left, she joined Katie and Ariana behind the counter.
    Katie pushed back her wispy bangs, then eyed her warily. “Uh-oh. I don’t like the look on your face. What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing really. Look, our first order.” She held up the paper for her friends to see.
    Ariana clasped her hands together. “What a fabulous way to start the day.”
    But Katie’s gaze was still fixed on Zoe. “There’s something you’re not telling us. Out with it! You know I won’t leave you alone until you fess up.”
    What Katie said was true. She wouldn’t stop her needling until she learned the cause of Zoe’s long face. “Okay. Okay. But promise if I tell you, neither one of you will bring it up again. I’m really getting sick and tired of the whole subject.”
    Katie and Ariana exchanged glances, shrugged, and then agreed.
    Zoe pressed her back against the counter and crossed her arms. “Dan wants me to move in with him.”
    Ariana took a quick sharp breath. “Oooh, that’s a problem.”
    “Yeah, and I was straightforward with him early on in our relationship. He knows darn well how strongly I feel about waiting until I’m married. I thought he was okay with that.”
    Katie scowled. “He shouldn’t be putting pressure on you. He should respect your wishes. Better yet, how about putting a ring on your finger.”
    She’d put a bug in Zoe’s ear a few months ago that if Dan didn’t pop the question soon, Zoe shouldn’t waste any more time on him. Katie’s philosophy was if you didn’t know after a few months if the person you were dating was “the one,” then you should move on. And Zoe agreed. That was the problem. She felt like Dan was “the one,” but maybe he wasn’t so sure that she was, and that was why he wanted to test the water first.
    That thought made her shudder, so to take her mind off it, she said, “Okay, you guys. Enough about my love life. We have work to do.” Zoe handed Ariana the paper for Shelby’s baby shower. “Would you order the flowers for this?” Next she turned to Katie. “Do you mind manning the front of the shop? I’m going to check in with the caterers and make sure they’re on track for tonight’s party.”
    “No problem, but I might get overwhelmed by all the customers coming in this morning,” Katie replied sarcastically.
    Zoe chuckled. “I have faith that you can handle just about anything.” She was glad their moods had improved. She didn’t want her friends worrying about her problems. She’d deal with Dan in her own way. Besides, this was their big day—their grand opening—and she didn’t want anything to spoil it.
     
    ****
     
    Katie watched Zoe walk toward the office, her long, fiery curls swinging with each step. When she closed the door, Katie lifted a brow at Ari, knowing that was Zoe’s way of shutting them out.
    “What do you think she’s going to do?” Ariana asked.
    “Well, I know one thing, she’s not going to back down. But it’s not