Elly cringed. “That, and we have to scrub the floor today, as well as stock the new blue vases. You know, a new store is sounding better and better. If we’re only twirling a piece of grass in a glass tube, that will take a lot less cleaning.”
Anthony wiped his forehead. “You don’t have to sell me on it. I know you’ll hate me for saying this, but I think you should give her a chance at running the store. I know she’s is only a senior in high school, but she’s more competent than you give her credit for. And trends are changing. You saw the cover of last month’s Floral Trends.”
Elly began gathering a handful of white veronicas and tiny blue bachelor buttons to put into a moss-filled cylinder. She had seen it—a twisted root, a single orchid, a small puddle of water, and the headline, “Floral Design Sees a Hot New Trend.” One by one, she draped the flowers over the container lid. “We’ll see how the TV interview goes. Honestly, Anthony, we probably won’t get on BlissBride and this conversation will all be for nothing.”
Anthony shook his head. “You never know what life will bring your way, Elly Jordan.” He straightened up and wiped his hands on a towel. “Well, time to go get my sandwich from Keith.”
Elly smiled. “Give him my….”
Anthony looked over at her, a smile stretched across his friendly face. “Give him your … love?”
Elly bit her lip and looked away uncomfortably. “Just tell him I said hi.”
Chapter Seven
A week passed, and before Elly could even breathe, the heavy smell of roses seeped out of Posies and onto Wydown Boulevard, leading passersby to sniff the air with curiosity. Elly watched out the front windows as a construction worker took off his hard hat, stuck his nose in the air, and smiled at the mysterious scent. “I’m glad that everyone else seems to be enjoying this.” She looked at her feet with a sigh.
Kim glanced up from the consultation table and burst into loud laughter. “Oh my gosh, what did you do?”
Snarky Teenager, who was still not really talking to Elly after their argument about the new store, walked out of the back room and gave a satisfied snicker. At least she had come in. Elly’s tone of voice had made that clear that it wasn’t a choice. When she used her “owner voice,” people usually listened.
Elly sighed and pushed a pink rose petal with her toe. It was the day of the BlissBride interview, a few days after she and Anthony had sketched out a very specific plan to wow Ms. Gemma Reynolds. No one had ever come for the backpack, which remained behind the door. So far, the ‘walking on rose petals’ theme was not going great. De-petaling one thousand two hundred and fifty roses—an intricate process in which one clutched a rose head, twisted firmly but gently at the same time, and then filtered the petals into a bucket—had been exhausting. Elly, Snarky Teenager, and Anthony had been left with numb hands and tired eyes. They had started scattering the petals two hours ago, and it seemed to get more challenging with each additional layer. Elly, exasperated, had instructed Anthony and Snarky Teenager to set up the table I while she had focused on covering the floor with pink rose petals. It wasn’t going well. Her back was writhing with sharp, jabbing muscle pains, and somehow she had literally petaled herself into a corner. Elly leaned against the wall and gave a sigh, her black bucket dropping to the ground.
The floor was finally perfect, a sea of soft pinks the colors of a flushed baby cheek. Anna, Blushing Akito, Charming Unique, and Titanic roses all contributed to the dewy pink floor. The layers gave the experience of walking on a bubble gum cloud. Elly looked up, hopeless, at Kim, who was lighting votive candles on the table, as her staff continued to laugh at her.
“How am I going to get from here to there without ruining everything? Arrrgh … this day sucks!” Elly took her shoes off and began slowly moving the petals out of the way and then slowly replacing them as she inched forward.
“It’s not rocket science!” screeched Snarky Teenager from the back.
Elly looked at Kim, exasperated.
“She’s been like this all day.” Kim shrugged. “She’s still mad. She’ll get over it.”
Moving her feet very slowly, Elly shuffled backwards over to the table, leaving a marked trail in her wake.
Elly made her way to the table, letting a soft smile play across her lips. “This looks incredible. Like something out of a dream,” she said as she reached out and gently touched a cream ranunculus, its green eye bursting from the center. “It really looks beautiful.”
Low, square dark glass vases overflowed with romantic cream and pink flowers. The glistening votives cast light over the water, sending sparkling particles of light across the navy table linens dotted with minimal white beading. It was lovely and modern—sparse and chic in just the right way. But the table paled in comparison to the floor, which was covered with the pink petals—a floral frosting that was impossible to look away from.
Kim glanced at her watch. “I think it’s time to get you ready.”