Chapter 5
FIVE
Saturn
Walking into the shop only a few minutes before the interview time, I ran into my office and hurriedly put my belongings away.
After grabbing a clean apron, I tied it around my back and headed to the front.
I was in the middle of opening the register when the sound of light knocks broke my concentration.
A smiling Sapphire stared back at me when I looked up.
I laid the ten-dollar bills in their rightful place before closing the drawer.
“Good morning, Miss Baker. Thank you again for doing the interview on such short notice,” Sapphire said as she stepped inside with a manila folder in hand.
I was happy that she put in real effort, showing me she wanted the job.
I assumed the folder held her resume, which wasn’t something I required but appreciated.
When I bumped into Sapphire yesterday, her jet-black hair was in a ponytail, exposing her entire face.
Today, her hair was straightened and hanging down her back.
The black blazer and matching slacks she wore made her look business savvy.
I could tell Sapphire wasn’t from here just by looking at her.
“No problem. Thank you for being here on such short notice. Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking? I was born and raised in Pleasant Springs, but your face doesn’t look familiar.”
This was the one quality about me that I couldn’t help. Of course, I didn’t know every person who lived in the city, but there were several families I was familiar with. When I couldn’t place a face with a family, my interest would pique.
“I’m from Orlando, Florida. I just moved here about six months ago,” she explained.
“Oh wow. Orlando is clear across the country. What made you move here of all places?” I questioned, hoping I wasn’t coming off as nosy.
“I lived in Florida my whole life. I wanted to experience something new and Pleasant Springs fit the description.”
“You mentioned Becka from the daycare was who recommended me. Is that where you currently work or you have a child in her care?”
“My daughter goes to the daycare. Becka has been the person informing me about everything there is to know. From which meat markets to go to down to who to call when I’m having plumbing issues” she said with a laugh.
Becka’s mother and mine had been close friends since I was in the third grade. There was no bad blood between me and Becka, but I felt like we weren’t as close as we should be.
“That sounds just like her. Becka is one of those people who is long winded. Once you get her going, she can go on and on. But come to my office so we can have a seat,” I stated as I led us to the back.
Once Sapphire was seated in the chair across from me, I got right down to business. The shop opened at ten and I needed to finish setting up.
“So why a flower shop? Have you ever worked in one before?”
“Yes, I have. It’s been a few years, but I’m familiar with all the basics. I haven’t had many jobs, but working in a flower shop was the job I enjoyed the most.”
“Oh wow,” I stated in shock.
If I were being honest, I hadn’t expected her to have any experience with flowers. I assumed she wanted the job to provide or have something to do to pass the time. Hiring someone who knew what they were dealing with would be a weight lifted off my shoulders.
“Yep. My freshman year of college I got a job at this shop right off campus. Miss Betty taught me everything I know. She even taught me how to make my own candles. I had that job until I graduated and moved back home. I got my degree in dental hygiene and worked as a hygienist for a while, but it wasn’t fulfilling.
It was customer service, but it didn’t feel impactful,” she vented.
“I can understand that. What type of hours are you looking for?”
“Full-time if you have it available. The daycare closes at six-thirty, so that should be just enough time for me to get over there.”
“Perfect. I’m assuming you have a driver’s license. Deliveries are a big part of the position I need filled.”
“Yes, ma’am. Can I ask what the hourly rate is?”
For another few minutes, Sapphire and I went back and forth about pay and her hours.
Once we came to an agreement, it was decided that she’d start on Monday.
After walking her to the front entrance, we said our parting words before I continued to open the shop.
Wednesdays were slow for me, so I planned to take advantage of my downtime.
Inventory and supply lists were my priority for today.
I was in the middle of rearranging incense when the bell chimed.
“Hey, sister,” Tiffany greeted as she walked behind the counter with her purse in hand.
“Hey, Tiff. Are you here to get flowers or something? I didn’t see any messages from you about stopping by,” I explained as I took my phone out of my pocket.
“I didn’t call. I only had one client today, so I figured I’d come down here to make sure you weren’t drowning in customers.”
With a hand over my heart, I playfully swooned at my sister with genuine appreciation. Whenever they could, my parents called or stopped by as well. They supported me and were proud that I kept the shop open, but they didn’t have much time to help operate it.
“Girl, don’t start. You know I help whenever I can. Anyway, have you talked to Aaron? He called me earlier, saying he was coming home soon.”
“I talked to him a few days ago, but he didn’t say anything about coming home,” I responded as I went back to separating incense.
Aaron was the oldest of us three. A week after he graduated high school, he informed my parents that he’d been accepted into the Navy and would be leaving before the summer was over.
I still remembered how hurt and upset my parents were.
They were disappointed that he hadn’t come to them about it and my mother had even spoken her piece about why she was against it.
Her feelings were valid, but that didn’t change anything.
Aaron lived in Arizona and hadn’t been home since my grandmother’s funeral.
“He said he’s been thinking about it for a while now.”
“Why does he need to think that hard about coming to visit? I’ve never understood that.”
“Because it won’t be to visit. He’s thinking about moving back. I guess shit didn’t work out between him and Dedra, so he’s thinking about coming back home.”
“I told him that shit wasn’t gonna work out anyway. She only wanted his money, but he didn’t see it,” I countered.
“He saw it. I think he just liked her a lot. But speaking of dating, Miss Kathy told me she saw you at Coffee King earlier with some man she’s never seen before.”
The candle I was holding slipped from my hand and fell to the floor at Tiffany’s statement.
“Shit,” I hissed before picking it up.
“Oh, this is serious,” Tiffany teased.
“It’s nothing serious. You just caught me off guard. And tell Miss Kathy to mind her business.”
“So, who is this man and how did you meet him? Last time I checked, your ass didn’t do shit outside of being in the shop. Don’t tell me the man came in to get his wife some flowers and asked you on a date.”
I would’ve taken offense to Tiffany’s statement if I wasn’t familiar with her sense of humor.
It was a joke and she knew damn well I’d never knowingly mess with a married man.
Deciding to come out with it, I gave my sister the scoop about Mccoy and me.
Our coffee date went smoother than expected and I was looking forward to seeing him tonight.
“At least he was thoughtful enough to come down here and apologize. Had he been a real asshole, I’m sure he wouldn’t have thought twice about the situation.
Just make sure he doesn’t have your log-in information after he installs the cameras.
He may seem nice, but you don’t know him.
Take things slow and see where it goes,” she advised.
Before I had a chance to respond, the bell chimed and customers started flowing in and out.
Thankfully, I was able to get the deliveries out and inventory ordered while Tiffany was here.
The shop was busier than I anticipated, which put me in an even better mood.
The chocolate festival had ended and business remained steady.
Now, it was a little after five-thirty and I was checking out the last customer.
After doing a walkthrough to make sure no one else was here, I locked the door and flipped the sign to closed.
Since there wasn’t much for me to do, I set the alarm and left the shop at six on the dot.
When I pulled in my driveway, I cut the car off and hurriedly grabbed my purse from the passenger seat.
I was in the middle of doing my last delivery when Mccoy called, asking different questions about what type of cameras I preferred.
As long as I could hear and see, I couldn’t care less about anything else.
He had my address and said he’d be here around seven fifteen.
My house wasn’t a mess but I wanted to make sure it was spotless since he’d be in the rooms to hook everything up.
Plus, I still needed to shower and find something to wear.
The smell of the lavender plug-in penetrated my nostrils when I stepped inside.
My home was my sanctuary and I treated it as such.
Outside of my parents and Tiffany, I rarely had people over.
I loved being alone and that was when I was the most at peace.
I shut the door and threw my purse on my cream-colored loveseat, walking further into my house.
I reached for the bun on top of my head and took out the scrunchie before shaking my curls free.
Once I made it to my en-suite bathroom, I cut the shower on and tested the water temperature until it was perfect.
Locating my Bluetooth speaker, I turned my favorite station on then got in the shower.
After my hygiene was taken care of, I settled on wearing a gray two-piece short set.
It was comfortable but still appropriate.
By the time I had the house cleaned and a lemon drop made, Mccoy was calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful. I just pulled into your driveway.”
Standing from the bar stool and setting my drink on the coaster, I walked to the front door and pulled it open.
Just as Mccoy said, he was in my driveway with his tall frame leaned against his pickup truck.
Unlike earlier, he was now dressed in a pair of black jogging pants with a black t-shirt to match.
His beautiful waves were tucked under a black durag and his feet were in a pair of Nikes.
“This is the second time today I made you smile,” Mccoy said as he approached me, pulling me from my thoughts.
“You’re keeping score?”
“Yeah. I figured I can take you out on a date for every smile.”
Blushing, I turned away with the shake of my head.
“Careful now. We’re up to three more dates now,” Mccoy teased.
I was caught off guard when he pulled me in for a hug I didn’t know I needed. Being in the arms of a man was a feeling I’d forgotten long ago. My head landed just below his neck and it took all my strength not to look up and kiss him.
“You look more beautiful every time I see you. Is that your real hair color?”
“Thank you. And yes, it is,” I answered honestly.
“I only asked because I noticed your eyebrows are the same color. I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”
Mccoy’s statement was one I’d been hearing since I was a little girl.
Out of all three of my parents’ children, I was the only one born with ginger hair and freckles.
It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned to love my unique features.
I knew I was pretty, but half the time I felt like a zoo animal from all the stares I got.
“The gene was passed down from my grandmother,” I admitted.
That was yet another thing that me and my Grandma May had in common. She understood my struggles of being the oddball. My parents always reminded me that I was pretty, but it was my grandma who taught me acceptance. I stepped aside and allowed Mccoy to open the front door for me.
“I got a camera for every room. The only places that won’t have cameras are the bathrooms. I got the best of the best. You need to be able to always see your home from all angles. Since there will be a camera at the front door, you’ll be able to see them before they even make it up your porch.”
“That sounds good. Thank you again for doing this for me. I never thought I needed security living here, but it’s good to be prepared.”
“No thanks needed. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t make sure you were straight?” he asked with a smile, causing me to do the same.
“We’re up to date four. Let me get everything from the truck and I’ll be back in.”
“Would you like anything to drink? Water, liquor?” I inquired.
“A bottle of water is good for right now. I’ll see what your liquor collection is looking like when we start dinner.”
I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves when Mccoy walked outside. I was doing cartwheels on the inside but trying hard to stay cool. No other man I’d entertained asked me about home security and they knew I lived alone. Mccoy was different and I hoped things only got better from here.