Elly steered her Tercel into the parking garage at Store B. Parking was a nightmare—it was either heart attack-inducing parallel parking, a paid meter, or braving the corporate parking garage. Taking one last glance in the rearview mirror—okay, maybe it wasn’t so bad—Elly gave a sigh. Tonight was the opening of Store B, a private party for friends, family, and loyal clients of Posies and their new neighbors in the office building. Though they weren’t opening until after the BlissBride wedding, they wanted to give people just a small taste of Store B to get everyone excited about its future. This was a big deal—and all Elly wanted to do was crawl under her comforter and never come out.
To get to her new store, Elly had to take two separate elevators up to the lobby level. She rode quietly with three men wearing new suits, all talking about stock market fluctuations. If Snarky Teenager were here, she thought, she would be chatting with all three of them, and talking up their new venture. Instead, Elly stared miserably at her distorted reflection in the gold metal. With her head down, she walked through the busy lobby, past the gurgling fountain, and through the wide open doors.
Snarky Teenager was there already, wiping the cooler doors down with Windex. “Hey,” she said, “you look like hell.”
Elly gave her a dirty look. “Well, I feel like hell. Excuse me if I don’t look like a supermodel.”
“Or any model, really.” Snarky Teenager patted her shoulder with a sarcastic smile. Her words were harsh, but there was a sympathy in her eyes that was unexpected and welcome.
Elly dropped her bag behind the thick, dark mahogany desk. “It looks nice in here. I think we are ready, once we get all the arrangements done.” The store did look incredible. Huge, warm cream lanterns circled overhead, rotating in the air conditioning. The bright-lime walls shimmered in the moving light. The modern steel around the room and the pipes on the ceiling added to the chic feeling of the room. Snarky Teenager’s stupid gold Buddha sat in the corner. She had covered it with pink dahlias. A large slate fountain bubbled in the corner, where fresh lotus (so expensive!) mingled with floating candles. And in the middle of the room sat the large mahogany desk, the desk that Elly loved, the desk that Keith had moved in. Elly felt tears well up in her eyes and she turned away from Snarky Teenager. “Did you double-check this morning with the caterer?”
“Yes. They are bringing everything at five. Sushi, edamame, dim sum, and petite lemon cakes with crisp rice topping.”
“Sounds fabulous. And all the arrangements are ready?”
Snarky Teenager gave her an annoyed face. “Yes. Have you looked in the cooler?”
Elly walked over. The cooler was bursting with color—bright, contemporary arrangements of protea, ti leaves, orchids, and anthurium, in a variety of wooden boxes, twisty glass vases, and hollow rocks. “Looks great.”
“That’s it, that’s all you are going to say?”
“What? It looks great. Good job.”
Snarky Teenager clicked her tongue as she walked over to the stereo. “Don’t ruin this whole night because of your dumb decision.”
Elly wheeled on her heel. “What did you say?”
“I said, don’t ruin this because of your horrible mood.”
“You didn’t say that. You have no right to talk to me that way,” snapped Elly. “I am your boss.”
“Yes. But you are in a horrible mood and yes, I think you made a dumb decision. Keith is a solid guy, and you just let him get away.” She tossed her long blond ponytail away from her face.
Elly had the sudden urge to yank it. Hard. “I’m not going to talk about this with you. You don’t know any of the details to make that call. Please. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s fine, because I just want you to pretend tonight. Can you just pretend that you are happy tonight? I have worked my butt off trying to get this place ready. I’m really, really proud of what I’ve done, what you’ve done, and even if you aren’t, you could maybe just pretend. For me.”
Elly walked over and rested her hands on the desk and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry if I haven’t told you. I am very proud of what you have done, despite my terrible attitude.”
Snarky Teenager gave an eye roll. “If you are so proud, make me the manager.”
Elly rubbed her eyelids. “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about how this opening is going to go down. You can greet. I’ll mingle and give people the lay of the land, and Anthony can give them their arrangement on their way out.”
Snarky Teenager popped out her hip and reapplied some lipstick. It looked perfect. Of course. “I was kind of hoping … that I could give the tour and mingle, and you could greet?”
Elly made a face. “These will be lots of older people, business people.”
“Yes, and I’m the one who had knocked on every door in this giant building inviting people to our open house and handing out cards. I can handle this, Elly. Trust me. Plus, do you really want to talk to a bunch of people who will ask you about Keith, or if you are single?”
I would rather be quartered and hung, thought Elly. She surrendered with an uneasy sigh. “Okay.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Snarky Teenager bounced happily across the room. “What are you wearing?”
Elly smiled. “This.” She gestured to her Crocs and shorts. Snarky Teenager looked like she might vomit. “I’m kidding, kidding. I have a pretty dress. I even have heels. They are in my backpack.”
“Thank God. Can I at least do your makeup and hair?”