Chapter 25
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE LAUNCH EVENT FOR
Eufloria
@Eufloria.Florals
FESTIVE COCKTAIL ATTIRE
RSVP REQUIRED
Anne stared down at the invite on her phone, then back at her full-length mirror, narrowing her eyes.
She had loved this dress in the fitting room of the store, and even now she marveled at the way the deep-green satin fabric draped over her body and around her neck to create a halter, highlighting her shoulders.
The color even matched her mother’s emerald drop earrings that she liked to wear on special occasions.
Is it festive cocktail attire, though?
Considering how much she spent on the dress, it better be, Anne thought. Besides, it was too late to change now. The party was starting in a matter of moments.
She gave herself one more once-over, then grabbed her coat, all while completely ignoring her shaking hands.
What was wrong with her? She’d attended her fair share of parties in the past. Between premiere events for Divorce Divas to her father’s lavish soirees to celebrate a new season (or even just a Tuesday), she had gotten good at pretending to enjoy herself in a crowd.
Maybe that was why her heart was racing right now. Tonight’s party wasn’t to celebrate someone else’s project or achievement, it was about Eufloria, of which—as of two days ago—she was the co-owner.
Anne had called Sophie to accept her offer as soon as she got home from her meeting with Theo. Once her friend was done screaming, she told Anne that she had been over at the shop since dawn, getting everything ready, so Anne threw on her coat and joined her.
The next forty-eight hours had been a blur.
As promised, Sophie already had the partnership agreement ready, and Anne had pored over it, trying to imbibe all the details and marking up her questions while they ordered pizza and put the finishing touches on the shop.
By the time Tuesday arrived, Eufloria was ready and Anne was a co-owner.
Her hands hadn’t stopped shaking since.
So she did what she did best: stayed in motion.
She sent a quick text to her friends in the building, inviting them to the launch party—James and Ellis.
Cricket and Bev. She didn’t really expect them to show up, but she needed to ask, if only to let them know that while she had been working so hard to support them, she had been doing something in the background that was worth celebrating, too.
Then she went shopping for a dress, making sure to stay deep in the sale section, and even found a pair of heels in her budget, too.
By the time she got home and started to get ready, she had expected to feel panicked.
Even scared. But instead, she was giddy.
God, when was the last time she’d felt giddy?
It was ridiculous, but at the same time, she felt alive.
There was still an incredible amount of work to do, of course: She and Sophie still had a number of agreements to negotiate with vendors, talk to their landlord about upgrading the plumbing in the back workspace, not to mention going over the receipts for the very party she was about to attend, and then—
She shook the thought loose. All those plans could wait for tonight. Right now, she wanted to hold on to giddy for as long as she could.
Because yes, there was a good chance she would fall on her face, fail in the most public way possible, but that was still better than doing anything else.
She just hoped Freddie showed up so she could tell him.
The snow had already begun falling when Anne arrived at Eufloria, leaving a soft dusting over the sidewalks and streets.
The storefront glowed against the darkness, and she paused across the street to take in the full effect of the entrance.
It looked perfect. Tucked between the asphalt and the subway grates, the small floral shop burst with color and life.
Uplights illuminated the ivy and evergreen branches that surrounded the entrance, and tall potted plants flanked an attendant who stood by the door to welcome guests.
Through the tall front window, she could see there was already a crowd inside. She took a deep breath, watching it curl in the air before her like a cloud, then she stepped forward toward the front door.
The soft, humid air of the shop enveloped her as she entered, and as the attendant took her coat and hung it up on the rack with a few others, Anne’s breath caught in her throat.
It was better than she could have imagined.
Lush foliage, broad green leaves, and pink and yellow blooms crawled along the raw brick from the lines of pipes running up the walls.
The cement floors had been polished, and a long, gnarled piece of varnished olive wood ran across the perimeter, then cut into the center of the room.
The register sat at one end, and on the other was a small bar set up for the party.
Sophie was there, directing the catering staff in a burgundy pantsuit with her hair pulled up in a twist, a serious look on her face.
When she saw Anne approaching, she broke out into a smile and ran over to give her a hug.
“It’s so beautiful, Soph,” Anne said.
“It better be, given how much work we did,” she said with a laugh. “Now I just need to keep drinking these super-strong negronis to chill out or I think I might have a panic attack.”
She picked up one of the dark red drinks lined up on the counter and took a swig.
Anne grabbed one, too, and did the same. She regretted it immediately.
“You okay?” Sophie asked, watching Anne’s pained expression.
“Yeah.” Anne coughed. “Just nervous.”
“Okay, now listen. Everything is perfect. You’re perfect. This is the most perfect flower shop launch party in the entire world.”
Anne paused. “Have you ever been to a launch party for a flower shop?”
“No, but…” Sophie’s voice faded as her eyes locked on the front door again.
“Holy shit, it’s Eloise from the Style section of the Times.
And she brought Rachel from DesignLife.” Sophie squealed as she put her negroni down on a passing tray.
“I knew this party was a good idea. This will be all over TikTok tomorrow. Come on. Let’s go mingle. ”
The crowd grew, and Sophie circled the room, introducing Anne to potential clients, friends, and press.
Hors d’oeuvres were passed on trays as smartly dressed waiters made sure everyone had a drink.
The music faded behind a wall of conversation, dozens of people admiring the space, complimenting Anne and Sophie’s work.
Still, Anne’s eyes kept darting to the door, looking for a familiar face.
Then someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Her heart tripped as she turned around. James and Ellis stood behind her, each with a glass in their hand.
“You came,” Anne said as she released a breath she hadn’t even realized she was keeping in.
“Of course we came,” Ellis said, embracing her.
“This place is incredible, and I’m so mad at you for not telling us about it sooner,” James said, looking mildly put out, even as he leaned over to give her a hug as well.
Anne laughed. “If it makes you feel better, this place has only been half-mine for two days.”
James seemed to think about it. “It does. A little.”
“Being a business owner suits you,” Ellis said. He was smiling so broadly, Anne actually believed it. “You look gorgeous.”
“It’s either that, or some tall drink of water has swept you off your feet,” James said in agreement, waving a hand in front of her face. “You’re all flushed and bubbly.”
Anne rolled her eyes, working hard not to check the doors again. “It’s probably because I had a sip of whatever that drink is that they’re passing around and nothing to eat today.”
James sighed. “That’s my favorite diet.”
“ANNE!” a voice rang out from the crowd.
They all turned just as Cricket emerged from the crowd.
Her long curly hair was piled onto the top of her head, and she was wearing a gauzy lace dress that almost looked like a negligee with a faux fur coat over her shoulders.
She was waving her arms so frantically that Anne almost missed Bev behind her, wearing cargo pants and a wool sweater, and looking around at the painfully stylish crowd with disgust.
“We made it!” Cricket announced when she finally arrived at the trio. “Bev said we would be late, but I told her it’s okay because we had to make a fashionable entrance.”
“This place got firebombed in the seventies,” Bev added, still looking around the space.
“Cricket, what the hell are you wearing?” Ellis asked, looking down at his sister’s almost-transparent dress.
“What?” Cricket looked down, too, concerned. Then her attention went to the coat and her lip curled. “It’s not real fur, Ellis.”
Anne smiled, her chest filled with so much joy she didn’t know what to do with it. She had spent so much time showing up for everyone else, she never considered how much it would mean when they showed up for her, too. “This is amazing. I can’t believe you all came.”
Bev looked over at her like she had lost her mind. “Why the hell wouldn’t we come?”
“Oh! Tax fraud,” Cricket replied. “That’s why Glen isn’t here. One of his clients did some embezzling or something?”
Anne opened her mouth to ask one of the numerous follow-up questions she had, but was cut off by Bev, who was now waving down a passing waiter with a tray of the hors d’oeuvres.
“Are those crab cakes?” she yelled.
“Hey!” Sophie’s pink hair popped into the group, her smile wide. “Sorry, I have to steal my partner for a sec!”
Sophie pulled Anne from her friends to introduce her to the other guests.
They talked about their business plan and hopes for the future, posed for photos with the flowers and other patrons.
It was dizzying, and Anne was about to excuse herself to get a few moments alone in the back, when she turned around and froze.