Sara

One Week Earlier

 

My day had started off well. I actually got up when my alarm went off. I was having a good hair day. My mood was anticipatory. Let’s just hope everything plays out the way I need it to.

I had a meeting with my bank to discuss a small business loan, my proposal all ready for them to review. Desperate for my life to start heading on the path to something good, I wished and prayed this appointment would turn in my favor.

I was ready to head out the door then realized I couldn’t find my damn keys.

 “Alexa!” I yelled, running around like a crazy woman.

“What the hell are you hollering for so early in the morning?” Alexa was like me in that she loved to sleep in until noon if the desire struck her. So for her, ten in the morning on a Saturday was still too early.

“Sorry, but I’m going to be late for my appointment and I can’t find my keys.”

“They’re on the kitchen table, you loon. I can see them from here,” she remarked as she leaned against her bedroom doorframe.

“Thanks, girl. I owe you one.”

“You can pick up some lunch on your way home. I’d like some Chinese food, please. You know what I like.” Once she barked out her order, she closed her door and most likely went back to sleep. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was going to the shop right after the bank. Oh, well, I’ll just text her later.

~~~~

A little over a year before, I’d moved to Seattle with my best friend, Alexa. I’d lucked out and landed a job at a cute little florist shop close to our apartment. I was thankful for the short commute because, out of the two of us, Alexa was the one who owned a car. She’d let me borrow it whenever necessary but otherwise, I walked wherever else I needed to go.

Every day that passed, I was eternally grateful to have her in my life. Alexa Bearnheart was the kind of person you definitely wanted in your corner. Two years my senior, we’d bonded quickly in high school. When I’d told her I wanted to get a fresh start and move somewhere I wasn’t constantly reminded of my past, she followed me, packing her bags and never looking back.

“How did it go at the bank, honey?” Lost in thought of my dear friend, I hadn’t seen Katherine approach as I walked through the front door of the shop. I’d become rather close to the old woman over the past year, her nurturing ways something I’d most definitely needed during the huge transition in my life.

She was a stout woman with a friendly face, her hair short and mostly white. She hadn’t bothered coloring it since she said she greyed way too fast the more the years ticked by. “A waste of money,” she would say.

“I think it went very well. Mr. Hemsworth took my proposal and said they would let me know for sure in a week if I was approved to take over this gem of a place.” I smiled, hoping I didn’t run into any complications. Katherine had told me she was ready to retire, offering me the chance to buy Full Bloom.

“I’m sure everything will work out for you, honey. For both of us.”

I really hoped so. I was in desperate need for a normal life after everything I’d been through.

I loved working for Katherine, but nothing would compare to actually owning the place. She had an excellent customer base, having been in business for over forty years. We’d seen it all, from women coming in to buy an arrangement for a special occasion to the men who’d messed up with their significant other, some coming in almost monthly to try and smooth things over.

Hello! Stop messing up!

Then again, that would hurt business, so…

Since I actually had to work, I walked toward the counter and placed my purse underneath, preparing for a hectic Saturday. Grabbing a stack of invoices, I settled in and got busy.

Normally, I’d pitch in and help make deliveries whenever we were shorthanded but both Matt and Pete were there. We also had a few part-timers coming in later to assist, as well.

Pete was Katherine’s cousin. He loved helping her out when he could, but he was also considering retiring.

Being the nice guy he was, he said he’d wait until the sale was final, giving me enough time to try and find someone else.

Matt was closer to my age and had been working for Katherine for about four years. He told me he adored flowers and loved working with them. Whenever he wasn’t in the best of moods, they would work their magic and lift his gloomy spirits.

We’d actually gone out a few times to eat, catch a movie or grab the occasional drink. Sometimes, Alexa would even come with us, hanging out until the early morning hours.

Initially, I had a small crush on Matt when I’d first met him. Who wouldn’t? He was quite the looker. At six-feet tall, he towered over my five-foot six-inch frame. He wasn’t gigantic by any means, but I did have to look up when I was standing next to him, especially without any heels on. Naturally wavy, dark blond hair adorned the top of his head, styled to perfection each and every time. His physique resembled one of a male model; he even had the wardrobe to boot. His eyes were a brilliant blue color, and he had one of the most genuine, endearing smiles I’d ever seen.

I was aware of the reaction he obtained from women when we went out together, but he never paid any attention to it. Sometimes, I thought I caught him sneaking a peek at other guys. Deep down, I knew he was attracted to men, but I never brought it up. If he wanted to tell me, then he would, in his own time. Needless to say, our relationship had never been anything more than a platonic friendship, which I was completely happy with, especially considering my little crush had dissolved and was replaced with genuine friendship.

I was in the front of the shop working on the computer, when Katherine’s voice startled me.

“Thank goodness you’re good with that computer, honey,” she said over my shoulder as she passed by with a huge display of beautiful white and pink lilies. Even though the particular display was more on the simple side, she really was an artist in her own right. A customer could point to a variety of different flowers and she would somehow know the right way to arrange them. What to put where, plucking out anything which didn’t belong. Every single arrangement she made was a pure masterpiece, which was probably why she did very well for herself.

I just hoped I could do my part to continue the legacy she’d spent forty-six years building.

Lost in thought, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone rang.

“Hello, thank you for calling Full Bloom. How may I help you today?” I went on autopilot taking all of the information for the order, from the date and time of delivery to the type of arrangement needed.

“Do you want the card to say anything in particular?” I asked the man on the other end of phone. “Okay, let me read that back to you. ‘Sorry for missing our anniversary last week. I love you. Tom.’”

 I shook my head and grinned. Typical. But it was good for business, so I couldn’t complain.

Once the order was complete, I put it in the pile for the following day’s deliveries, first giving Katherine a heads-up I needed a mixed dozen of red and white roses. Thankfully, it wasn’t for that day, because I didn’t think we would be able to accommodate on such short notice. Roses were a very popular go-to flower for a lot of people, and I thought I’d seen the last of them in the back room being wrapped up for one of the current orders.

For the next couple hours, I answered the phone, entered invoices and double-checked Katherine had all of the order slips so she could make sure she had the flowers to make up each and every presentation.

We didn’t typically get a ton of walk-ins. I deduced people preferred to look up our website, pick out what they wanted, and simply call it in. But I guessed it was the digital age, after all. One could simply give you their credit card information over the phone and get on with life.

I found it odd sometimes most people didn’t even want to write out their own cards, especially the really personal ones. Some of them were quite deplorable. One time, I had a guy tell me he wanted me to write, ‘Sorry I slept with your sister’.  I actually made him repeat himself to ensure I’d heard him right. Suffice it to say, he didn’t spend any unnecessary time on the phone with me.

I was in the middle of pounding away on the keyboard when I heard the bell above the door. Knowing most customers browsed the ready-made displays, I kept my head down and continued working.

All of a sudden, I felt a presence across the counter from me, instantly making me feel strange.

Then I heard his voice. Deep and gravelly. “Excuse me, Miss. Can you help me?” he serenely asked.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, goose bumps breaking out all over my body.

All of this and I still hadn’t even looked up yet.

Slowly raising my head, I prepared myself as best I could to see who was causing me to have such a reaction. When my eyes finally landed on his face, I actually felt myself wobble a bit, grabbing onto the edge of the counter to steady myself.

What the hell is happening to me?

He was the most stunning male specimen I’d ever had the pleasure of feasting my eyes on. He was almost too much; like looking directly at the sun. Fearing he was going to think I was rude or just plain weird, I tried not to stare for too long. Too bad my brain wasn’t communicating with my trembling body.

He had the most perfectly sculpted face, almost as if the gods used him as a blank canvas, gifting him the best attributes imaginable. But the one feature which really garnered my attention was his eyes. The most beautiful shade of dark green I’d ever seen. They seemed to hold the power to captivate with just one glance.

His hair was a very dark, ‘chocolate brown yet almost black’ shade of color. The freshly tousled style was a tad longer all around than I was typically attracted to. But it worked. On him.

He was wearing what looked to be a very expensive dark grey suit, the red tie giving it a small pop of color. I could tell he had broad shoulders, but because the suit covered everything else, I had to use my imagination as to what was underneath.

The guy looked like he had money and didn’t make any apologies for it. But he also appeared as someone who wasn’t conceited or purposefully showy; just knew what he had. How can I tell all this by simply looking at him? I guessed it was just a strong feeling.

I spoke only when I regained some of my composure, which in reality was only a few seconds from when I first saw him. “What can I do to you? Uh, for you? What can I do for you?”

That’s it, Sara. Emphasize the for you.

His reaction was one of amusement. “I’d like to purchase some flowers and have them delivered tomorrow. At one o’clock precisely.”

“Did you mess up with your wife or girlfriend?” I asked before I could stop myself.

What is wrong with me?

He smirked, cocked his head and explained, “They’re for a friend. She recently had surgery, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to help cheer her up.”

“Isn’t that a little misleading?” Seriously, what is wrong with me? Why was I being so blunt and forward with him? Probably because I couldn’t filter what I was thinking before it flew out of my stupid mouth.

He laughed and asked, “How so?”

“Never mind. I don’t know why I asked you that. It’s none of my business. I’m sorry.” I was sure my face was three shades of red, my embarrassment taking a fierce hold.

“Don’t apologize. It’s nice to have a conversation with someone when they actually say what they mean.” Taking a step back, his gaze never left my face. It must have been a good minute before he spoke again. “I have to tell you…I find you a bit intriguing.”

Me? Intriguing? I didn’t know about that, but I was sure my bluntness was a rarity for him. Something told me people yes’d him to death, telling him only what they thought he wanted to hear.

“Hey, Sara, did you see the order slip for the Canter Road delivery today? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find it.”

Matt came around the corner, looking like a madman searching for lost treasure. He appeared panicked until I handed him the slip over my shoulder, winking at him in the process.

“You are a lifesaver, girl. What would I ever do without you?” He gave me his thousand-watt smile and headed back toward the prep room, but not before giving me a big smooch on the cheek.

Normally, I wouldn’t have given his actions a second thought but considering I had an audience, I became a little flustered by the extra attention being thrown my way.

“Is he your boyfriend?” the gorgeous stranger asked, a blend of emotions evident in his tone. Is that curiosity mixed with annoyance? Now he was the one asking inappropriate questions. He was making me anxious, and I didn’t even fully understand why.

Since he flustered me, I didn’t know what to say except, “What?”

With a cocked eyebrow, he repeated more sternly, “Is he your boyfriend?” He leaned forward on the counter, his hands practically touching my own.

Whoa. Who did this guy think he was? His tone floored me. His face was the picture of composure, throwing me off because the two didn’t match up.

I wasn’t going to answer him. I really wasn’t, but something clicked inside me. The need to assure him Matt and I were not an item was simply too strong.

“No, Matt is just a very good friend of mine.”

“Uh-huh,” was all he mumbled, his bottom lip disappearing between his teeth. Normally, I would have rushed to get this cocky man out of the store, but I couldn’t force myself to want to part with his domineering presence.

After composing myself yet again, I attempted to continue with my normal line of questioning, making sure this time they were of the appropriate nature. “What kind of flowers would you like to send to this friend of yours?” I couldn’t help myself. “And what’s the address where they’re being delivered?”

“Why don’t you surprise me and put together something of your liking?”

Is he serious? Why would he want me to put together something out of the blue, without any input from him whatsoever? “I don’t know if that is such a good idea. I mean, I have no inkling as to what kind of flowers she likes, what color she prefers or anything like that.”

“I’m sure whatever you come up with will be perfect. I trust you.” He wrote down the delivery address, placed a wad of bills on the counter and turned around, walking out the door before I could even respond.