Chapter 31
Quincy
I might still be a mess, but I was maybe a little less of one today than the past two days.
Maybe.
I pulled my car into the back of the lot behind the flower shop, cut the engine, and climbed out later than planned.
The sky was heavy with winter clouds, and it was close to dusk even though it wasn’t five p.m. yet. Ignoring the back door of the shop, knowing it was locked during business hours, I went down the narrow alley beside our building, passed the stairs to our apartment, and went inside Oopsie Daisies.
“There she is,” Piper called out from the sales counter in the back of the room.
“It’s about time,” Jewel said.
Their cousin Taylor was there too, smiling quietly, standing stiffly in front of the counter. She waved briefly. We’d all made plans for a quiet movie night at home tonight.
“I’m here, impatient wenches. Hi, Taylor,” I added since we weren’t close enough for me to lovingly refer to her as a wench. I pushed the door closed to shut out the cold. “This place looks fantastic as always.”
Though most of the stores on the square were closed or closing soon for Thanksgiving Eve, Oopsie Daisies was lit with a warm, welcoming glow.
The showroom was stuffed with its usual assortment of pretty things, plus an abundance of stunning Thanksgiving centerpieces.
They were Piper’s newest brainchild, and she’d outdone herself.
There were all sizes, from simple candles in wide hurricane vases with acorns, mini pinecones, and twig accents, to three-piece sets that would span a long table, overflowing with pumpkins, squash, greenery, candles, and hand-painted signs saying “Grateful,” “Give Thanks,” and “Family.”
“You still have stock,” I said as I made my way to the sales counter. Jewel was sitting on top of the work counter behind it, and Piper was futzing with an arrangement next to her.
“She’s still churning them out,” Jewel said. “Not because she needs them but because—”
“She can’t be idle,” I said along with Jewel. We shared an amused look.
Taylor laughed. “Some things never change.”
“We’ve had a lot of walk-ins for the centerpieces,” Piper said, ignoring our teasing. “And we still have eleven orders to be picked up.”
“They’re incredible, Pipes.” I stopped at a display to look more closely at a piece with gnomes peeking out from among pumpkins and vines, making a point of not touching it. I didn’t want to break it.
“We’ve been worried about you,” Jewel said.
My eyes teared up out of nowhere, and I swore as I wiped them. “I’m fine,” I said, smiling to show it. “I mean, still messy, but I’m doing a little better.”
“We filled Taylor in on what happened…” Piper said.
“Because you’re afraid I’m a walking disaster and might lose it at any second?” I asked, grinning.
“Something like that,” Jewel answered dryly.
As I reached for a pumpkin decoration, I bumped a basket of decorative apples and they spilled all over the floor. “Something else that never changes,” I said to Taylor, rolling my eyes at myself.
“I’m sorry about Knox,” Taylor said as she pushed back a strand of her dark red hair that had escaped her ponytail.
“Thanks,” was all I could say, pausing from picking up the fake apples that had rolled everywhere to grasp her wrist for a second.
I’d left Knox’s house Monday, made a beeline to my apartment, and been relieved to find it empty.
After sinking into my own bed, which wasn’t nearly as comforting and familiar as it’d been just a month before, I’d cried myself into a long, fitful sleep, feeling the heavy weight of sadness smothering me every time I turned over.
My roomies hadn’t realized I was there until evening, after both of them had finished work for the day and heard me sneak to the bathroom.
With the three of us piled onto my bed, I’d poured out the story, cried another ocean’s worth of tears, then agreed to a movie-sized box of Milk Duds for my dinner.
Yesterday hadn’t been much different as I slept and grieved and made a point of responding to texts from Piper and Jewel so they wouldn’t come home from work just to check on me.
I wasn’t proud of losing two full days to tears, but let’s be real; it wasn’t like I had anything else I needed to do now that Knox had cut me off from my job. Both my jobs if you counted Henry’s.
Jewel hopped down, came around the counter, and hugged me. Then Piper joined us.
“I was medium okay until these wenches had to hug me,” I said to Taylor over Jewel’s shoulder, trying to laugh as my eyes leaked anew. “Love you weirdos.”
“We love you,” Piper said.
“Now tell us about your day.” Jewel squeezed my hand.
“It was…okay,” I said as I blew out my breath, making the wisps of my hair fly outward. “I wouldn’t say good but…helpful.”
The bells on the door jingled behind me, and Rosy McNamara glided in. “Hello, beautiful girls.” We all greeted her. “I’ve heard about these centerpieces from everyone,” Rosy said. “Stars above, these are gorgeous, Piper. I need one.”
Piper laughed. “We’ve got you covered. What are you looking for as far as size and style?”
Rosy glanced around, her eyes sparkling as they darted from one arrangement to the next.
“All the boys will be here for dinner tomorrow, so nothing small. For style, they won’t give a hoot, so I’ll go with what I like.
” She sized up some of the options. “That one. You’ve outdone yourself, darling girl. ”
Piper rang up the centerpiece with sunflowers, dahlias, eucalyptus, apples, and more, then packed it in a box.
“The apples are genius,” Rosy said. “Everyone else will have pumpkins.” She affected a smug expression. “We’ll have apples.”
“Local ones from Appleberry Farm,” Piper told her.
“I don’t imagine it’s a hardship to do business with Luke Durham,” Rosy said as she took out her wallet from her oversized purse. “Still a hottie.”
“He’s great but not my type,” Piper said. “Even if I was attracted to him, the instant parenthood thing is a turn-off for me, you know?”
Jewel’s gaze swung to me, and she frowned sympathetically.
“That’s just me though,” Piper added quickly, as if remembering I was the exact opposite.
“Are you doing all the cooking tomorrow?” I asked Rosy, hoping she didn’t catch on to my friends’ meaning.
“You bet I am. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal to cook,” Rosy said with her usual hippie-tinged sparkle.
Minutes later, the door closed after her, leaving the four of us alone again.
“You were telling us about your day,” Jewel said impatiently, leaning against Piper’s work counter, watching me. I still stood near Taylor on the customer side, nervous energy pumping through me at the same time I was bone-tired.
Piper came around the counter to rearrange merchandise, filling the space from Rosy’s centerpiece. “Yeah, how was your trip to campus?”
I glanced out the windows, checking that no one was heading toward the store.
“We’re alone for now.” Piper came up beside me, leaned against the main counter, and wove her arm through mine. “Tell us about it.” To Taylor, she said, “She insisted on going to Nashville alone.”
“To think,” I explained.
“I get that,” Taylor said with a sympathetic smile. “Believe me. Although lately I’ve maybe overdosed on alone time.”
“Which is why we wouldn’t have taken no for an answer tonight,” Piper said.
Taylor expelled a breath. “Yeah. Thank you for including me. Most of the time I’m okay, but holidays…and being in that house…”
“You’re welcome to join us anytime,” Jewel said. “We’ve told you that.”
“Maybe we should set her up with someone too.” Piper was eyeing her as if she was getting ideas.
“No,” Taylor said emphatically. She smiled though, as if this wasn’t the first time Piper had brought it up. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind having a boyfriend, but a setup sounds terrifying.”
“If you start coming out with us, we’ll introduce you to single guys,” Jewel said. “If that’s what you want.”
“You know a lot of the guys around here anyway.” Piper wiped some dust off the counter. “Or you could take a page from Quincy and try the older set. She says they know how to please a lady.”
“I’m good,” Taylor said. “It’s getting a little easier. Quincy was going to tell us about her day.”
“Pour me a drink, and I’ll talk,” I said.
“Sold!” Jewel headed into the back room.
“Brilliant idea,” Piper said.
“Red or white?” Jewel called out.
Piper looked to me.
“Red.” No question.
It went without saying that red wine was for butt-hard emotional times.
A soft, sympathetic sound came from Piper, and she put an arm around me and squeezed. Yet again, my burning eyes filled.
A cork popped from the back room, Jewel swore, and Piper, Taylor, and I laughed, me through tears. Even though Jewel was a bar manager, she hated opening anything with a cork.
“Scares her every time,” Piper said quietly.
“Even though she’s expecting it,” I added, grinning.
“Suck it,” Jewel said as she rejoined us, carrying the bottle and three wineglasses.
Once we’d split the bottle into our glasses—hand-painted by Piper in a fall motif—I took a healthy swallow or five, appreciating the warmth as it went down.
As Jewel retook her place on the work counter, I leaned against the checkout area next to Taylor, facing Jewel. Piper tidied the top surface, straightening the hand-painted gift cards, the daisy keychains, the flower-shaped votives.
“Let’s hear it,” Piper said.
“So I walked around the campus,” I started.
“A lot of it was closed for the holiday, and most of the buildings were locked, so I spent most of my time by this quiet pond behind the dorms. It was peaceful. Mostly deserted. I found a bench and just sat there, trying to shut down all my thoughts and listen to my heart. To figure out whether school’s the right thing. ”
“What did your heart say?” Piper asked.
I pressed my lips together, waited for any misgivings to arise. None did. “I’m not going.”
There was silence for two full seconds. Then Piper said, “Okay then. Decision made.”