Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
H annah
After parking the car, I walked up to the shop and smiled, staring at the Blooming Beauty sign that hung above. I was at the shop by eight a.m., making sure everything was perfect before I opened the doors at ten. Mary showed up around nine o’clock with two coffees in her hand.
“You are a Godsend. Thank you.” I smiled.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for hiring me.”
“I think we’ll make a great team,” I said, hooking my arm around her. Another shipment of flowers is arriving today, so when they arrive, we’ll need to sort them and put them into the coolers.”
“Are you planning on hiring more people?” Mary asked.
“Yeah. That’s why I’m leaving the help wanted sign in the window.”
Residents were lined up in front of the shop, waiting for the doors to open. When ten o’clock hit, I walked over, unlocked the door, and let everyone inside.
“Welcome to Blooming Beauty.” I smiled.
“Look at this place. It’s beautiful, darling.” Luis hugged me.
“Ah, I love flowers.” Alfred smiled, hugging me.
“Thank you for coming in.”
I kept watching the door, waiting for Alex. I figured he would have stopped by already. I was behind the counter helping Mary when I heard the bell above the door. Looking up, Adalyn walked in.
“AH! I love this.” She grinned, walked over, and hugged me. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you first opened. I couldn’t leave the toilet. This little one is killing me with morning sickness.”
“It’s okay.” I hugged her tight. “Don’t forget about tonight. You have to try on your dress, and we must go over the wedding flowers. We’re running out of time.”
“I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be there. I’m so excited to see what you’ve done.”
“I will say that it’s some of my best work.” I smiled.
After Adalyn, Alfred, and Luis left, I continued to help the customers who filtered into the shop. Glancing at my watch, it was already noon, and Alex hadn’t bothered stopping in yet. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t disappointed because I was.
It was three-thirty when I heard the bell ding. Glancing over, I saw Alex and Lucy.
“It looks great in here.” Alex smiled.
“Hi. Hi, Lucy.”
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to stop in earlier. It’s been a crazy day,” he said.
“I hadn’t even noticed. It’s been really busy since I opened the doors.”
“That’s good. The residents love having a florist back in town.”
“Can we go, Dad?” Lucy asked.
“Why don’t you go and pick out a bouquet of flowers for Mara?” he said.
“Okay.” She ran to the coolers.
“It really looks great in here, Hannah. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Alex.” I softly smiled.
“I like this one, Dad.” Lucy walked over with a bouquet of mixed flowers.
“They’re beautiful. Mara will love them.”
I took them to the register, rang them up, wrapped them, and handed the bouquet to Lucy.
“Can we go now?” Lucy looked at Alex.
“You bet. I’ll talk to you later, Hannah. Again, congratulations.”
“Thank you, Alex. Bye, Lucy.”
She walked out of the store without saying a word. Sighing, I looked at Mary.
“At least he stopped in,” she said.
“Yeah, at least he did.” I turned and grabbed some flowers from the cooler for an arrangement.
Something was off with him. I noticed it the second he walked into the shop.
I closed up the shop at six o’clock and headed home. Adalyn was coming over at seven, giving me enough time to go over the dress before she arrived. There was a knock at the door, and I knew it wasn’t Adalyn yet. She had just texted me to say she was on her way. Opening the door, Lucy stood there staring at me.
“Mara wants to know if you have any milk. She’s making something and doesn’t have enough.”
“I do. Come on in.”
As I went to the kitchen, Lucy stopped in front of Adalyn’s wedding dress and stared at it.
“You made this?” she asked.
“I did.” I smiled. “What do you think?” I asked, not knowing if I wanted an answer.
“It’s beautiful. I didn’t know you made dresses.”
“I was a fashion designer in New York before I moved here.”
“Oh. That’s kind of cool.”
“Here’s the milk.” I handed her the plastic container.
“Thanks.”
“Is your dad home?” I asked her before she walked out the door.
“Yeah. He’s working, though, and said he’s not to be disturbed.” She shut the door.
A few minutes after Lucy left, the front door opened, and Adalyn walked in.
“STOP!” I shouted. “Close your eyes and don’t take another step.” I walked over, grabbed her hand, and led her to her dress.
“Open your eyes.”
She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth when she saw her finished wedding dress.
“Hannah, it’s gorgeous.” She threw her arms around me.
“Let’s take it upstairs and try it on.” I smiled.
One Week Later
I ’d barely seen Alex all week. He didn’t call, text, or come over. When I saw him casually on the patio or in the driveway, it was nothing more than a quick hi. I knew he was busy with his company in Chicago and now the town, and I was busy with the shop, but I had a gut feeling something more was going on.
Our last night together was before I opened the shop, and I kept replaying that night repeatedly, trying to think if I’d said or done something. His behavior the past week didn’t make sense to me.
The shop door opened, and Mara and Lucy stepped inside.
“Hey, you two.” I smiled.
“Hannah, my sister has taken a turn for the worse, and I have to get to the airport. Alex is in Charleston and won’t be home until later tonight. Can you please keep an eye on Lucy?”
Shit. Here we go again.
“Of course, Mara. I’m sorry about your sister.” I hugged her.
“Thank you. Lucy, be good for Hannah, and I’ll see you when I get back.”
“How long do I have to stay here?” Lucy asked me.
“Until I close.”
“That’s another three hours!” she whined.
“There’s nothing I can do about that. I have a business to run.”
“What am I supposed to do here?”
“You can help me make three arrangements for Mrs. Winters. She’s coming in before I close to pick them up.”
“I don’t know how.”
“I’ll teach you.” I smiled.
We worked side by side. I taught her the different flowers and showed her how to arrange them.
“You like to paint, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve seen a couple of your paintings. You have a creative eye. I bet you could make an arrangement on your own.”
“You think so?”
“I do. You can use any flowers you want, and when you’re done, you can take it home.”
“Wow. Really?” Her eyes lit up.
“Yep. Go on. Create away.” I smiled.
While Lucy was making her own floral arrangement, I finished mine and helped the customers who came into the shop.
“I’m done, Hannah.”
Turning around, I smiled as I stared at her arrangement. “It’s beautiful, Lucy. I knew you’d be good at this.”
“Thanks. That was fun. Can I do it again sometime?”
“Of course.”
After closing the shop, we stopped at the Seaside, picked up a carry-out, and headed home.
“How do the flowers look here?” Lucy asked, setting her arrangement in the center of the island.
“They look beautiful there.”
We sat on the stools while we ate, and I used the opportunity to try and clear the air with her.
“Did you have fun today at the shop?” I asked.
“Yeah. It was pretty cool.”
“Maybe I’m not so bad after all? I get the feeling sometimes, all the time, that you don’t like me.”
She lowered her fork, picked up her glass, and sipped her water.
“It’s okay, Lucy. You can tell me.”
“It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s just—” She looked down.
“Just what?”
“I don’t want you to take my dad away from me.”
“I would never take your dad away from you. Why do you think that?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s been just him and me since my mom died.”
“Ah, and three’s a crowd, right?”
She slowly nodded her head.
“Your dad loves you more than anything, Lucy. Nothing or no one could ever take him away from you.”
“He likes you, you know.” She glanced at me.
“And I like him.” I smiled. “We’ve both had big changes in our lives, and it’s not easy adjusting to change.”
“Why did you give up your job in New York and move here?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure if telling her the real reason was right, but I didn’t want to lie to her.
“No BS?” I arched my brow with a smirk.
“No BS.” She smiled.
“I was dating a man, and he wasn’t who I thought he was.”
“Did he break your heart?”
“Yeah. He did. But it was time for a change. Sometimes, life gives you a little nudge to make you see things more clearly. Matthew was my nudge.”
“I’m sorry he broke your heart.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. But I’m not. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because his actions brought me here to Harbor Falls so I could meet you.” A smile crossed my lips.
“I’m sorry, Hannah.”
“For what?”
“I’m really sorry for lying about you and trying to cause problems between you and my dad.”
“Come here,” I said, wrapping my arms around her as the front door opened. “Your dad is home.”
Lucy jumped off the stool and ran to greet her father.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I heard him say from the foyer.
“Dad, come look at what Hannah let me make.”
I turned around and saw Lucy dragging Alex behind her.
“You made that by yourself?”
“Yep. Hannah was busy helping customers.”
“It’s beautiful, kiddo. You have a real talent with flowers.” A handsome smile crossed his lips.
“That’s what Hannah said. We had fun! Thanks for dinner, Hannah. I’m going up to take a bath.”
“You’re welcome, Lucy.”