That’s true, Elly thought. Kim didn’t really fit in. She was dressed like a hippie – wearing a light blue dress that really seemed to have the stitches on the outside, an expensive-looking turquoise necklace, and black and white espadrilles. It was quite urban for this posh suburb. Still, Elly knew that people beautiful like Kim seemed to fit in everywhere - it came as naturally as smiling. Even now, she could feel men’s eyes on their table. A handsome yet chubby man wearing an apron had been staring at their table since they sat down, unsuccessfully hiding behind his newspaper.
“What would I do here? Honestly, I probably need to go home…beg for my job back,” The thought of facing her boss, who would offer unsolicited advice, tell her that she was a nice “lady friend” and give her a gift card for Macy’s, sent a pang of nausea through her stomach. Kim frowned at her and looked directly into her eyes.
“Why would you do that? You left for a reason. You haven’t have driven two days straight just to turn around. Whatever you left behind, it hasn’t changed just because you’re gone. If you go crawling back, you’ll end up where you were before.” She paused. “I would know. I’ve left many men and gone back again, only to find myself in the exact same moment, leaving again. The wasted time that I will never get back is depressing to think about, especially now that I’m married to someone wonderful.” Kim was now on a roll and getting louder by the minute. Her hands flailed around wildly. Elly wanted to shrink in her chair.
“Elly, your heart is broken. I can see it on your face and hear it in your voice, and I know that I don’t know you, but I feel like you’re meant to be here…here, in this ridiculous coffee shop.” She giggled and then grew suddenly serious. “I woke up today and felt that something important was going to happen. I saw you snapping at the barista and I felt like I knew that you were going to be a part of my life. It’s the oddest feeling. I’m not a person who usually believes in signs, but I can’t shake this feeling that my reason for being here this morning is you.” Kim paused and reached for her hand. “I think you should stay”.
Elly was overwhelmed by exhaustion and the emotion of the moment. She blinked back tears as she lifted her head to look past Kim, to see the sun streaming in through the windows. Suddenly she was back in her car, the sun rising, sitting in front of her house, trying to breathe. She was walking down the stairs in her house, hearing two voices, muffled through the door…
She wouldn’t go back. She couldn’t go back. Not yet. And maybe, if she waited long enough, he would come for her. By then, she would surely be mended.
“So…where are we again?”
“Clayton. Missouri. St. Louis.”
Elly smiled and repeated the name to herself. “Clayton. Okay.”
And so she had decided to stay. And it was almost two years to the day.
Elly snapped her mind back to the present in Ada’s Coffee. She grabbed her drink with her free hand, gave the barista a smile and headed back to Posies. As she stuck her old fashioned gold key into the large brass lock and opened the door, the bell chimed and Cadbury, her English Sheepdog, trotted down from upstairs. He nuzzled her feet as she closed the door with her hip and pushed play on the stereo. Cadbury emitted a high pitched whine as she ignored him to set her drink down.
“That’s enough. I’m right here. It’s not like we didn’t spend the last eight hours together. Remember? When you kicked my stomach?” Cadbury licked her elbow. “Oh love,” she said scratching behind his ears, “you are the worst dog in the world.”
“Good morning!” chimed a voice from somewhere in back. Elly set her hot chocolate down mid grin. Her loyal staff was already here, hard at work for tomorrow’s wedding. She headed for the back room, where dozens of buckets held flowers that were being processed. Elly stepped over a mound of dried leaves and twigs and looked over at her assistant manager.
“This one’s a no-greenery. No surprise there.” Kim stood, arm half-way down an Ambience rose stem, its dewy cream petals blushing to a bright pink tissue at the tip. “What? You know she is.”
Elly sighed. “You think everyone is a no-greenery bride. You have a low tolerance for needy women.”
“Why am I friends with you then? I’m just saying, she emailed me twice this morning to ask about whether her roses were really blown open or just blown open, that put her into the no-greenery bride category,” Kim retorted. Elly grunted. She was probably right.
There were two types of brides that came to Posies, their high-end flower studio. Greenery brides were easy-going, laid-back, daisy kind of girls. No-greenery brides were anti-chrysanthemum, anti-foliage, anti-everything.
Kim continued her ranting. “If they had their way, we would all be carrying white rose bouquets with pearl flower accents, a white wrap and NO greenery to enhance the bouquet whatsoever.” They also called eight times everyday to have lengthy conversations about the boutonnieres, thought Elly. They were a handful, but Elly loved them anyway. Most of them. She paused. Okay, some of them.
With a triumphant flourish, Kim finished stripping the flower and plopped it into the bucket. “You deal with her then!” She looked over at Elly. “Wow, you’re really sweaty.”