“Oh my God, you’re right. What was I thinking?! What have I done? We can’t do this. Maybe Clayton Flowers could, but we can’t. We don’t have the resources. You are right. No way.”
Kim put down her arrangement and handed Elly a water bottle. Elly drank noisily; she was getting all worked up.
“I’ll just have to call her back. The mom. Sunny…” Elly trailed off.
Snarky Teenager snorted. “Her name is Sunny?”
Elly shot her a look. “Don’t be mean. She was very nice. You guys are right. It’s too big.” She gave a sigh. “The great thing is, it was enough to pay off my apartment and refurnish the store. That would be amazing.” Elly turned back to the front, her head hanging. There was a beat of silence, then Kim and Snarky Teenager clamored after her.
“We can do it! We can! It’s going to a nightmare…”
“TOTAL NIGHTMARE,” echoed Snarky Teenager.
Kim pulled her around to face her. “Forget our MANY doubts - we can try anyway! If this stupid wedding can pay off that little apartment of yours, then let’s do it. We’ll either be the best florist in town or go down in flames. Large, fiery flames.”
Elly threw her arms around Kim. Cadbury barked joyfully, caught up in the excitement. “I can do this,” said Elly into Kim’s hair. “Posies can do this.” She was caught up in the moment and pulled Snarky Teenager into a group hug. Elly could feel the girl’s body go rigid, as though she thought she would die of lameness.
They heard the front bell and all looked up, still wrapped around each other. A handsome older black man in his early fifties had entered the shop. He had white hair and slick glasses, and was wearing the heck out of some khaki linen pants and a pink silk shirt.
“Er, Hello. I’m Anthony. I’m here to apply for the designer position.”
Elly straightened up, her arms still around Snarky Teenager’s shoulders.
“Have you ever slapped someone with a broom?” she demanded.
Anthony looked appalled. “What? Oh, my heavens, no! Why would I do that?”
“Great,” said Elly, “You’re hired.”
CHAPTER
SEVEN
The next two weeks dragged on seemingly forever as Elly waited to hear from Isaac. Luckily, she was distracted at work by Anthony, who had been thrown into training, a true baptism by fire. Elly’s instinctual call had been spot-on, much to her delight. Anthony was upbeat, responsible and above all, dependable. He also was a quick learner and had already started making daily arrangements, as Kim trained him on wedding design. Having a man at the store felt strange, but it also had breathed new life into all the workers there. Anthony fit right in, and Elly’s afternoons were filled with the shrieks of hysterical laughter as he regaled the girls with stories of his past adventures. There was a buzz at Posies, and Elly fell in love with her store and her workers all over again.
When Elly arrived home on Friday night, after a beautiful Victorianthemed wedding, her feet were tired but her heart light. She padded up the stairs, groceries in hand and shrieked out loud. There was a familiar red-inked note on the door. She had a hard time lifting her arm out to reach the note while holding the grocery bags, so she dropped them by her feet (forgetting about her eggs) and tore the envelope open.
Elly, it read in his signature sexy scrawl, Some friends of mine are playing at a jazz club tomorrow night. Will you be my date? Wear something beautiful. Isaac.
Elly felt the stairway spin around her, every inch of her skin tingling. Date. He said date. Not friendly gathering, not hanging out, not occupying the same space, A DATE. She laughed and unlocked the door, where Cadbury greeted her with a wet tongue over her flip flops. Elly practically leapt for the phone.
That night, as Elly sipped white zinfandel on her rooftop patio, she stared up at the inky black sky and considered what this meant. She really liked Isaac. She didn’t know him very well, granted, but the spark was there. She could do this, right? Elly hadn’t been in a relationship since Aaron. After he had shattered her heart into a million tiny pieces, she couldn’t bear the thought of anyone touching her. Love was out of the question – a vague and painful idea made of broken illusions. The things that Elly had held so dear were made a mockery, and she was sure she would never again be at the beginning of something so magical. Elly hadn’t been sure who she was without Aaron. But she knew now. And when Isaac had smiled down at her from her doorway, she felt her heart unfolding, layer by layer, at the idea of him.
Elly finished her glass and leaned back on the soft weathered fabric. She let the cool breeze circle around her bare arms and watched her wine swirl around the glass. A date, she mused, her hand lingering on Cadbury’s soft fur. She hadn’t been on a date in about five years. Even then, she had very little dating experience. Aaron hadn’t courted her – no, he swept her off her feet and claimed her as his own. There had been very few dates to speak of.