Sabrina

 

There is no way life could get any crazier . . . or more wonderful.

Six months ago, I had just busted out of a bathroom window, run away from my wedding day, and become a reluctant YouTube phenomenon.

And now look at me! The runaway bride turned happiest woman in the world.

So much has happened in the past few months, I’m still trying to make sense of it all.

When Addi decided to stay in San Francisco, I knew I wanted to work with her. We renamed the shop here in San Francisco The Flower Girls. Addi really had done an amazing job while I was in Orlando, despite the issues with the Thornhill wedding, and up until a few weeks ago, Mrs. Thornhill was still refusing to do any business with us.

And now? Let’s just say that all changed when I got my mother involved. Prickle and I had reached an understanding, and she’d gone out of her way to convince Mrs. Thornhill to bring her business back to The Flower Girls. I wasn’t exactly sure what my mother had said, but it worked.

Of course, Mrs. Thornhill still called both Addi and me “Sabrina,” but we had to take it one step at a time.

Blooms on Valencia is now called The Flower Girls-East. Isabella was thrilled when Addi asked her to manage it, and she has done an amazing job. Addi and I alternate traveling to Orlando once a month to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Addi even made a special trip to talk to Mrs. Watson about the changes. Obviously, she didn’t get the email about what was happening, since she still believed “computers were the devil.” She agreed to continue doing business with The Flower Girls-East, as long as she didn’t have to meet with me.

I’m pretty sure she’s got a voodoo doll with my name on it.

I still haven’t met Faye Stanley, and now I’m wondering if she even exists, or if she was just some figment of Mrs. Watson’s overactive imagination. Isabella says Faye actually placed an online order but sent someone else to pick it up.

Leonardo was upset with me for a minute because I didn’t ask him to be partners. I reminded him that his social life and pedicure appointments wouldn’t allow him to devote the time needed to run a business. Once he heard that, he agreed.

Addi and Leonardo had gotten to be really close friends, and I knew he’d made her transition to this city much easier. For that I would always be in his debt.

And the Gay Man’s Choir turned out to be an actual choir, and Leonardo is one of its divas. Naturally. Addi, Todd, Ethan, and I went to see them sing Christmas carols recently, and they were very good—even Marco, the florist who refused to help Addi and Leonardo with white roses for the Thornhill wedding, although we would never tell him that.

Speaking of friends, after my Orlando adventure, I learned Naomi wasn’t exactly a real friend at all. Apparently, she had been trying to convince Todd that Addi was stealing from The Flower Girl while I was away. It turns out Naomi had been secretly in love with him for years.

We ended up having a huge falling out, after which I told her Addi was staying and we were going into business together. In the heat of her anger she told me “she would have never abandoned a man like Todd on his wedding day” and that I was “a horrible person for tossing him aside to some random girl.”

That was the end of our friendship.

Poor Addi had to break Geoff’s heart all over again. I could see how hard it was for her, but if there is one thing I know, you have to follow your heart.

And her heart belonged to Todd.

Todd and Addi are going strong, and I have never seen a couple more meant for one another. Many people have asked if their relationship is weird for me, and I can honestly say it isn’t. I want Todd to be happy, and Addi gives that to him.

Todd’s started up an art supplies business, having finally admitted to himself that he’s an artist at heart. His family took a while to come around to the idea, but his company got off to an awesome start, and he’s doing what he loves.

Todd’s mother, Bitsy, took an immediate liking to Addi, which was a very good thing, although I’m not sure why, exactly. Maybe it was her New Zealand accent? Whatever it was, if she was good enough for Bitsy Blakely, she would be just fine in this city.

My mother was shocked when she first heard about Todd and Addi, but that all changed when she met Ethan. I actually think Prickle developed a bit of a crush on Ethan. Not that I could blame her. Ethan is amazing.

Ethan is still commuting to Seattle, and things are great between us. I’m looking forward to spending the holidays with his family, including Jackie. Well, maybe not “looking forward” to spending time with her exactly, but I hoped we could put our differences behind us and move forward.

Fuchsia Flowers and Gifts is no longer in business. Apparently, Jackie felt like she was in the wrong field, so she changed it to Fuchsia Yoga and Zen. According to Ethan’s brother, it’s really mellowed her out. She even sent me a message telling me she was excited to see me over the holidays. I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I lied and told her I was, too.

Addi and I work really well together, and our new business venture has allowed us each to have more time for ourselves. Of course, we’ve become super close, and I couldn’t ask for a better friend. I look forward to what this new partnership will bring.

Life is good. Every day I’m reminded of how grateful I am that Addi talked to that distraught girl she saw running through the airport in her wedding dress.

And I know, if we had to do it all again, we would switch lives with one another in a heartbeat.

 

THE END