Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Athena
“Are you making that bouquet for the Queen of England?” Leanna squeezes my shoulder as she passes behind me. “It’s taking you forever. It was perfect twenty minutes after you started.”
I take a step back and survey the finished product. “Does it look like sunshine to you?”
“That face looks like sunshine to me.” She circles a finger in front of me. “You’ve been grinning since I got here. What’s that about?”
I point at the screen of the laptop Leanna set up on the corner of the table that we use as a workstation. The wooden table may be old, and the baby blue paint is chipping off of it, but it works for us. It belonged to the previous owner of the shop, so I’ve always considered it a good luck charm.
“Online orders have been coming in all day.” I wink at her. “Why wouldn’t I be grinning from ear-to-ear?”
Sliding her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose, she studies the screen of the laptop. “These orders are all from today?”
Nodding, I carefully place the vase containing the bouquet for Liam’s mom into the cooler. I make a note of the order number on a piece of cardstock before tucking it between two yellow roses.
“They all came in since this morning.” I stand next to her. “It’s all thanks to you.”
She tucks a lock of her black hair behind her ear. “I can’t take credit for that. You need to thank Al. He’s the one who came up with the design for that online ad.”
My marketing efforts have been hit or miss. Jeremy Weston, my oldest brother, is always pitching new ideas to me. Most of them are fantastic, but some are better suited to selling vodka, not flowers.
Jeremy owns Rizon Vodka.
He understands that market. I have a pulse on this one. Together, we’re learning what does and doesn’t work when it comes to finding our niche in the oversaturated Manhattan florist scene.
When Al came to me with an idea for an online ad, I was skeptical, but once I saw the design and listened to Leanna’s thoughts on our target market, it all made sense.
The steady stream of orders coming in today is proof of that.
“I’ll take this one.” Leanna taps her fingernail on the screen. “You’re the daisy whisperer so that one is yours.”
I toss my head back in laughter. “What does that even mean?”
“It means daisies aren’t my favorite.” She rolls her eyes. “Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed.”
“What did daisies ever do to you?”
“Al’s second wife loved them,” she scoffs. “He brought me a bouquet on our first date and told me as much.”
Biting back a smile, I shake my head. “Bad Al.”
“He’s damn lucky I let that slide.” She jerks a thumb over her shoulder toward the cooler. “You’re on daisy duty. Hop to it, Boss Lady. These orders won’t fill themselves.”
Hours later, I finally set myself down on a wooden stool.
This is the first day in months that I haven’t taken a lunch break. I made time for two bites of an apple. I kept hydrated with small sips from my water bottle every hour, but almost all of my focus was on flowers.
Leanna offered to stay past three, but I practically pushed her out the door.
Her mom lives in same building as she does, but I could tell that she was anxious to get home in time to greet her kids at the crosswalk in front of their school.
The ring of the bell over the shop door pulls me back to my feet.
I smooth my hand over my hair. I bunched it into a topknot mid-afternoon. No one who comes into Wild Lilac is focused on how I look. I don’t want them to be. The flowers are the stars of the show.
“Hello again.”
I turn at the sound of that voice. It’s so deep and melodic.
Locking eyes with Liam Wolf, I smile. “Hi.”
He traded in the jeans and T-shirt he was wearing earlier for a pair of charcoal gray pants and a black sweater.
Anything looks good on him.
The man is a sight for my very tired eyes.
He’s invaded my thoughts throughout the day.
I stole a glance at my phone from time-to-time waiting for a text from Liam to let me know when he’d stop by to pick up the bouquet he ordered.
The two texts he sent me early this morning were straightforward.
He apologized for unwittingly thrusting me into the middle of what he called ‘an uncomfortable situation.’
With a shake of my head, I snap back to the reality that I’m staring at a guy who had his heart crushed less than twenty-four hours ago.
“How did you make out with the sunshine bouquet?” His gaze trails over my shoulder to the coolers. “Tell me that’s not the arrangement you made for my mom.”
Without needing a peek, I know exactly what arrangement he’s talking about. It’s Leanna’s handiwork. She prepared the centerpiece for a sunset wedding tomorrow. Al agreed to deliver it to the venue after he drops his wife off at work in the morning.
“You told me to dial it back.” I laugh. “I listened.”
I turn and walk toward the cooler. Sliding open one of the glass doors, I reach in and retrieve the small bouquet from the vase.
When I spin back around, Liam is right behind me. He’s so close that the flowers brush against him.
“I’m sorry,” I say, swatting a hand over his sweater even though the flowers didn’t leave a trace of anything behind when they touched him. “I didn’t know you were there.”
His gaze drops to the bouquet in my hands. “That’s for my mom?”
I hold it up proudly. “It’s sunshine, right?”
He studies my face as a slow smile crawls over his lips. “I agree. It’s pure sunshine.”
Suddenly feeling as though I need air, I sidestep him. “I’ll wrap these up.”
I tug at the paper roll that’s positioned at the end of the table. I chose a light purple paper for the shop. It fits the theme of the store.
Moving to the other side of the table, he crosses his arms. “How long have you been doing this?”
“I took over the store last year,” I say. “But I’ve always loved floral design.”
“You don’t need me to tell you that you have talent.” He laughs.
I’ll take the compliment even if it’s twisted in its wording. “Talent and training go a long way in this industry.”
I’ll never discount the training I’ve received over the years. I took night classes in floral design while I was earning a degree in business. My years spent working in flower shops gave me the foundation I needed to build a career of my own.
I point at the front counter. “You can fill out a card over there if you’d like. You’ll find envelopes there too.”
His gaze doesn’t leave my face. “I’m good. There’s no need for that.”
I wrap the bouquet carefully before giving it to him. “We can settle up at the counter.”
I hear his footsteps behind me as we make our way across the store.
Before I have a chance to show him the invoice, his credit card is in front of me. I run it through the register and hand it back to him. “Don’t forget it this time.”
He scoops up the card and shoves it in his pocket. “It looks like I’m all set.”
I watch as he gingerly cradles the bouquet in his hand. For such a large man, I can tell he has a tender touch.
I dip my head down when I think of his hands on my skin.
I can’t let my thoughts go there. He’s a customer. His girlfriend just dumped him.
“Thanks again, Athena.”
I glance up to find him looking at me. “It’s my pleasure.”
“Take care,” he says in a low tone. “If I ever need flowers, I know just where to come.”
I hope he needs flowers tomorrow, or the day after that.
As he exits the shop, I laugh off my eagerness to see him again.
This city is full of gorgeous men. I meet at least a few every week. I never think about them when they walk out of my store, but I know this time will be different.
Liam Wolf won’t be as easy to forget.