Chapter 8 #2
“Oh, no,” Matteo said as he shook his head. “It’s not just two streets with a few houses. It’s a full blown neighborhood complete with a community center and a farm where they raise their own food. It’s fucking crazy!”
“Says the man who lives in a high-rise across the hall from his brother and has access to some of the best shops and restaurants by just getting onto an elevator.”
“Anyway,” Matteo interrupted his dad. “You’ll see it when we go for dinner on Sunday. They do that just like we always have.”
Stamp was still smiling when he said, “Sunday dinners are the best. I can’t wait to meet the rest of your family.”
“They’re nothing like all the Kings and Knights you’ve met,” Matteo assured him.
“None of our dads are bikers,” Jaxon explained.
“No, Dad. I’m saying they’re nothing like the people you’ve met so far.”
“Okay.” Stamp shrugged and looked at Matteo in confusion. “Is that a problem?”
“Yes, they’re crazier.”
Matteo was so earnest in trying to warn his father that I couldn’t help but laugh. Everyone else thought it was funny, too, because he wasn’t wrong.
“See what I mean? They don’t just embrace it; they celebrate it!”
“All the best people do.”
◆◆◆
CORA DEAN
I pulled into the lot, but instead of parking in front of the office and going inside, I found a spot on the south side, closer to the fields and tunnels I wanted to explore.
I’d spent a lot of time out here since Zoey started her business and was lucky to have become friends with many of the women Zoey referred to as her “delicate flowers.”
But I didn’t come to visit any of them today. I came to walk through rows and rows of gorgeous flowers while I let my mind wander so I could form a plan of exactly what I’d do when it was time to cut and arrange them for my friend’s wedding next week.
Bella Conner’s wedding to Matteo was the biggest job I’d ever taken on. I had been stressing about it since she approached me and Zoey months ago about growing and arranging the flowers for the big event.
It was going to be huge. I had no idea how many guests were expected to attend.
I couldn’t possibly count the number of friends Bella had here in Rojo, and her family easily doubled that number.
That left her fiancé’s family and friends, who were flying in from all over.
The Airbnbs that my brothers owned were all booked and had been since Bella told them about the people who would be flying in.
There was even an entire floor of the hotel reserved for their guests.
It was wild, crazy, extravagant, and completely over the top . . . just like Bella herself.
It was going to be the biggest event my company’s name had ever been affiliated with, which meant that this could make or break me - literally and figuratively.
I could end up with a ton of new business, especially since there would be pictures of the wedding party and their bouquets and boutonnieres in the extensive magazine spread.
And since Matteo was famous, or infamous, depending on who you talked to, their wedding would be widely announced. If the flowers were terrible, then that was going to tell the world that I sucked and my company sucked and probably put me out of business.
“You’re doing it again,” I mumbled to myself as I got out of the truck and took a deep breath of fresh air. “Think happy thoughts or some shit, Cora! There’s no reason to lose your shit this early in the game when there will be plenty of opportunities during the next week.”
“Oh, great! You brought an imaginary friend! Do I need to grab another bottle of water?” I frowned at Moe, whom I’d instantly clicked with, and walked her way. She laughed before she asked, “What’s got you plotting murder?”
“I wasn’t plotting anything. I came to check on the flowers and see what I’ll be working with.”
“Well, they’ve still got a little more than a week before we harvest them, so it may be a little early to start that.”
“I can’t think about anything else. I’m also hoping there are some gorgeous flowers blooming now that I can take to the cooler to use later.”
“Is that even possible?” Serana asked as I turned the corner with Moe to walk into the high tunnel.
“The miracle and wonder of science make it possible. There are potions and powders out there that can keep pretty much anything alive, at least for a little while.”
“Really?” Moe asked. “What about zinnias?”
“Two weeks, if they’re harvested at the right time.”
Moe gasped before she looked at Serana with wide eyes and said, “The east garden.”
“We were just saying how we wished they’d waited to bloom for just a few more days because they would’ve been perfect for Bella’s wedding!” Serana exclaimed.
“I brought some buckets and my supplies in case I needed them,” I said before I spun around to go back to my truck, excited now rather than terrified, although I knew that anxious rush would come in waves until the wedding was over. “I’ll be right back!”
When I returned with my things for harvesting, Moe and Serana were waiting for me next to the tall spigot that was strategically placed between the rows, ready to help me fill the buckets, small and large, that I’d brought with me.
As always, listening to the two women talk was wonderful entertainment.
I left them chattering away as I went to explore.
I had always loved flowers and knew that my fascination started with the bouquets my fathers would buy Mom.
Often, they weren’t even for any specific reason, although the arrangements were definitely more elaborate when one or both of them was in hot water for whatever reason.
And there was almost always a vase of flowers on the island in the kitchen.
From a young age, one of my chores was to help Mom tend to them with fresh water and whatever pruning they needed to extend their life.
That chore extended to the small backyard garden she cultivated for vegetables and herbs.
Since Mom was a vegetarian and had been my entire life, fresh produce was important to her.
It didn’t get much fresher than walking out your back door to grab the food you’re eating for dinner.
It was the same at my grandparents’ but on a much larger scale.
My namesake, the original Cora Dean, had a green thumb that just wouldn’t quit.
Gamgam could grow anything, and one of my grandfathers, Lawty, insisted that all the plants leaned closer to her as she walked down the rows of the garden just to feel her magic.
Of course, Gamgam’s response to that was hilarious.
She really was one of the funniest people I knew.
She said her garden did so well because Lawty and Jojo, our other grandpa, were so full of manure.
My mom and I agreed that their bullshit probably kept her garden well fertilized.
I got to the row of dahlias I’d been watching like a hawk and saw that dozens of them should be in bloom in time for the wedding.
I then walked a few rows over and found the zinnias I had been banking on.
Luckily, my hope wasn’t dashed. There were hundreds of flowers in full bloom and hundreds more ready to explode any day now.
I must have shouted my surprise because Moe and Serana ran up behind me.
“What do you think?” Moe asked.
“I think we hit the jackpot, ladies. I don’t know what kind of magic y’all are stirring up, but don’t change the recipe. Florists from all over are going to be breaking down your door any day now, but I want first dibs - or first cuts, as the case may be.”
“You know Zoey will keep you at the top of the list regardless,” Serana assured me.
She looked so hopeful when she asked, “Did we do okay with the timing of the planting? We’ve got four more rows planted in succession, so there are more to choose from, but these are the ones we specifically grew in Bella’s wedding colors. ”
I breathed a sigh of relief before I said, “It’s even better than I imagined, and when Bella gets a load of this, she’s gonna lose her shit in the best way.
We need to get her here all dolled up in her wedding dress before we do any harvesting.
Can you imagine the pictures this would make - her in her long white dress with flowers everywhere? ”
“Seriously,” Serana whispered in awe.
“Let me call Holly and Bernadette so they can make this happen.”
“We should do it near the end of the day when the sun is over that horizon,” Moe said, looking at the view.
I hugged both women before I exclaimed, “The two of you are lifesavers!”
I could tell by the looks on their faces that they weren’t expecting such praise, but if they worked as hard on everything else as they had on this wedding, they’d be getting plenty more.
This was perfect!