"Cam, what's your favorite color?"
Cam glanced at Piper and noted the warmth in her brown eyes,
"Brown."
"Huh? But it's such a boring color."
"Not if it's a warm brown. It's the color of the earth in which I plant flowers; it gives life."
Piper pouted,
"Well, if you put it like that, I can't say a say anything else."
Piper wondered why Cam was blushing.
Today was her day off from the farm so Piper decided to visit Cam at his flower shop. Cam sighed sadly; he hadn't been getting many customers and he needed to sell all his flowers.
"You know, Cam, you need to practice customer service."
"Customer service?"
"Yeah, like greeting your customers and stuff? When I went to the mall in the city, the stores' associates always greeted me and asked if I needed help."
"O-oh."
"It's the thought of being helpful, available, and attentive. That's what keeps customers coming back. Look, there's even a hand bell; let's use it."
Cam cringed at the sound of the ringing bell; Piper ringing it a little too enthusiastically.
Cam struggled to speak over the ringing bell,
"I don't think this is going to work!"
Piper grinned,
"You'd be surprised!"
Sure enough, Rutger came out from the town hall and he walked over to the shop. Piper nudged Cam and he shifted nervously,
"Welcome..."
Rutger smiled brightly,
"Hello, Cam and Piper! What are you two up to today?"
Cam glanced back at Piper and she gave him an encouraging smile. Cam took a deep breath and reminded himself that customer service was important.
After a few words of persuasion, Rutger decided to buy a bouquet of roses for Rose. Eileen was the next customer and she asked for a yellow flower wreath. Laney and Georgia stopped by for perfume and Ash came to buy a bouquet for his mother. Before the day was over, Cam had sold all his flowers and he was able to close the shop before the sun set.
"Thanks, Piper. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Piper blushed at Cam's smile but she shrugged casually,
"It was a good excuse to be with you today."
Cam and Piper blushed at her words; did she really say that out loud? Cam cleared his throat and offered to walk Piper home.
They walked home in silence but it was oddly comfortable. Piper glanced down as Cam's hand brushed against hers, lingering for a moment before pulling away and repeating the motion.
"What did you study when you went to school?" Cam asked.
"Business administration. I wanted to work for a big corporation and make my way up the corporate ladder until I made it to the top."
"What kind of business?"
"Stocks."
Cam nodded in understanding; he didn't like dealing with numbers.
"So school must've been really expensive."
Piper nodded and she was disappointed when they reached her doorstep too soon. She looked up at Cam with a hopeful glow in her eyes,
"Do you want to come in?" She asked.
Cam hesitated. If he had his way, he'd spend the entire night with Piper; there was so much more that he wanted to learn about her and he was sure that she felt the same.
It was strange; he'd never felt so sure about something so foreign before.
With a sigh, Cam tucked Piper's hair behind her ear and he let his hand slip down to cup her cheek; her skin was warm and soft. Cam groaned mentally; even if he was introverted, he was still a man.
"It's best if I don't."
"Why?"
Despite his introverted conscience yelling at him and sending him red flags, Cam leaned in and kissed Piper but he pulled away before she could respond. He was blushing but he smiled at Piper's cute expression.
"By the way, my favorite color is brown because it's the color of your eyes. Good night."
"Y-yeah...good night."
Piper watched Cam walk away until he disappeared from sight. She happily twirled into the house and patted her cheeks to make sure it hadn't been a dream. Jerry and Knight stared at her quizzically.
"The best thing in the world just happened to me, guys!"
The dog and cat yawned and turned their attention elsewhere. Piper giggled and went over to the front door when she saw a letter sitting on the ground. She wondered why she didn't notice it before. She was surprised to see that it was from her father. Piper quickly opened it and read it:
"To Ms. Corvalis,
After reviewing your transcript, we are proud to offer you a full ride to Fair Dream University to pursue the degree of your choice. We look forward to having you as a part of our team."
Piper's eyes widened. She could go back to school?