Chapter 5
Mae
“Are you ready to go?” Aunt Francesca asks.
I’ve been fully focused on my project that’s due tomorrow, and the internet keeps cutting out.
“Almost, I would be if the internet worked,” I say, and glance over my shoulder.
She shrugs. “I don’t know what you want from me. We’re in Paxton, darling. This isn’t the city where you get all the internet everywhere,” she says, gesturing widely.
I chuckle and shake my head, closing my laptop.
“I might have better luck in town, anyway.”
“Yes, of course,” she says, and flits away.
“Come on! We’re burning daylight!” she yells from the kitchen.
I smile to myself and follow her out the door.
When we get to the Paxton Flower Shop, I smile at the old sign. It looks exactly like it did last time I was here.
Auntie parks on a side road, and I follow her into the shop. “Shouldn’t you be open right now?” I ask her.
She sighs. “Yes, I should, but I need to do some cleaning before the fresh harvest comes in.”
She leads the way back to the office, flips on the light, and my jaw drops. Stacks of papers, boxes, buckets, binders, and ledgers are all around. Little notes posted everywhere, and packaging haphazardly tossed on top.
“Auntie…” I trail off.
“I know, I know. It’s bad. It got away from me. I wasn’t sure where to start, and then I never did, and it kept getting worse.”
“Is this why you need help with the books? You just … let it go? Did you even pay your taxes?” I ask her, overwhelmed.
“Oh yes, darling, I paid taxes … at least I’m pretty sure I did,” she says.
“Lovely,” I mutter.
“See? This is why I need your help.”
“Do you at least have your tax documents together?” I ask her.
She points to a box full of papers stacked up, with no apparent organizing method, and my stomach sinks.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
“I’ll get to it, and at the very least, make sure you've paid your taxes.”
“Thank you, I’ll be out front if you need me,” she says, and kisses my cheek.
I want to scream because this isn’t going to take me a couple days. This could take me weeks.
***
“I don’t know how you did it, but it looks like your taxes were paid for last year, and somehow in the correct amount,” I holler, still looking at my paper, checking the math in my head even though I checked it with the software.
I come around the corner to the front room, and she doesn’t answer, and I look up to find my aunt and uncle staring at me.
“What?”
She’s grinning wildly and Uncle Leo has a funny look on his face.
“She clearly didn’t tell you,” he grumbles.
I frown and look at my aunt. “What didn’t he tell me, Auntie?” I ask her, stomach churning.
She pushes a small stack of papers across the counter and taps it.
“What’s this?” I ask them.
“I can’t do this anymore. I’m too old, and your uncle has retired. It’s time. It’s yours, my darling, well … it will be after a year,” she says.
“What’s mine? What are you talking about?” I ask her, shrilly.
“The flower shop. I know you’ve loved it since you were a child, and you know my son wants nothing to do with it or Paxton, for that matter.
But I want you to have it, and so does your uncle.
The house and land are paid off, and so is this building.
The house is yours to stay in as long as you’d like.
But the shop is totally yours, on one condition. ”
Speechless is not the right word. But my brain isn’t exactly functioning; confusion is probably a better description, yet I understand every word they’ve said.
“I need you to run the flower shop now for a year. Your uncle and I are moving to Florida. We figured it’s time to see the sun every day. After the year is up, the shop is yours to do with as you please — sell it, rent it, keep it running, whatever,” Aunt Francesca says.
My jaw hangs open and words still won’t come.
“Close your mouth, darling, you look silly like that.”
I snap my mouth shut and take a deep breath. I never asked for this. I don’t want it.
Do I?
“What do you think?” Uncle Leo asks.
“I—”
“See, Francesca? I told you, you should have told her from the get-go. Now you’ve caught her off-guard, she doesn’t want this.
We need to sell it. We’ll delay moving and sell the place.
I knew this was a bad idea. And I should have known you were going to pull a humdinger like this,” Uncle Leo says.
I glance at my aunt, and she’s frowning, eyes glittering with tears. “I thought she would be happy, Leo,” she whispers. “I thought it would be something she’d enjoy, and I talked…” she trails off and wipes her face quickly.
He frowns, likely mad at himself because he made his wife cry, as he rubs his hand up and down her back.
“Look, Mae, you don’t have to do any of this. The financials are not great, but we can manage. You don’t need to take the shop. We will figure something out. She made it seem like it was something you would want,” Uncle Leo says.
I peek at my aunt again, and she won’t look at me.
This is a bad idea, Mae. What are you doing? She’s family, that’s why. You do whatever your family needs. They’ve done their time. It’s time for them to enjoy life. Say yes.
“I’m … stunned, but yes, of course, I’ll do it,” I tell them and force a smile.
Aunt Francesca’s eyes whip to mine, and she smiles so widely my heart hurts. “Really?” she says, her voice hopeful.
Yeah, I can’t say no to that.
“Really, Auntie, thank you for thinking of me. I love flowers, and I love you both. Thank you,” I tell her and walk around the counter, pulling her into a hug.
I peer up at my uncle, and he has an ‘I’m not convinced’ look on his face, and he gives me a ‘are you sure’ stare, and I wink at him.
The corner of his mouth tips up, and he smooths his large hand over my head.
“I’m so excited for you. I can’t wait to see what you come up with,” Aunt Francesca says.
“So it’s mine for a year and I can decide what to do with it from there?” I ask her.
“Yes, that’s the deal,” she says.
“Okay, wow, okay. And you’re going to teach me the ins and outs and all of that.”
Auntie’s gaze drops from mine, and Uncle Leo groans.
“Francesca, I swear…” he trails off.
“Auntie?”
“Well, darling, we leave the day after tomorrow. So, we have a day.”
“A day!” I shriek.
“Oh, you’re a smart girl you’ll figure it out,” she says like it’s no big deal that I’m taking over an entire business in a matter of hours, and I have to keep it running for at least a year and not go insane in the process. Oh wait, and move my entire life to a town I thought I was here to visit.
Wait, Mom. Oh no.
I grit my teeth and force my lips into a smile. That probably makes me look insane, but Aunt Francesca seems to buy it, or she looks past it.
“This is going to be wonderful for you, Mae. I just know it.”
***
My aunt and uncle are in the back talking because I know Uncle Leo is pissed that she didn’t tell me the real reason she wanted me here.
He feels like they're trapping me … they kind of are. But I need to talk to my parents. I said yes because I’m doing this for her, but not at the expense of my mother.
I want my aunt and uncle to live happy, sunny lives in Florida, but I feel like I’m being pulled in five different directions.
The upside to all this is that I work from home. I don’t have an office to report to.
I pull out my phone and call my parents. Dad answers on the second ring, and I don’t wait for the hello. I tell them what’s going on.
Mom hums. “Do you think you can do it?” she asks.
“What do you mean? I can’t be gone from home for months.”
“Why not?” she asks.
“You need me,” I tell her.
“Sweetheart, you’re right. I love you, I do need you, but I told you we’ll be alright.”
“But I—”
“Mae, listen to your mother, help your aunt, and try to enjoy yourself. We’ll keep you updated, and if something goes wrong, we’ll call you. How about that?” Dad says.
I nibble my lip, not sure I like that, but also somewhat liking the idea of doing something new, yet feeling totally guilty because I shouldn’t feel that way about not having to take care of my mom for a bit.
The planner, the organizer, the analytical side of me says this is a terrible idea. But that part of me I don’t use because I never find a place for it. That part of me that wants to let herself go, be free of all the rules of life. That part of me says to let go and dive in headfirst.
I can figure this out. I know how a business is run from a numbers perspective, and I love flowers, always have. Auntie can teach me a few things, and I can go from there.
This is possible, and it will make my family happy. Which is worth it. Always will be.
“You have to promise me that if anything, and I mean anything, changes or you need help, you’ll call me, and I’ll come home.”
“We promise,” they say at the same time.
“Okay,” I rasp. “Okay.”
The doorbell dings. “Oh, thank God you’re open. I wasn’t sure when I came by earlier this morning,” a woman says.
“I’ll talk to you later, someone just walked in,” I mumble.
“We love you!” Mom yells before Dad hangs up.
The woman who walked in has pretty, long, dark brown hair, with a black cowboy hat sitting on top of her head.
She’s toned, with a few scars up and down her sleeveless arms, and taller than me.
I glance at the black snip-toe cowboy boots she’s wearing with black jeans slighting bunched around her ankles and a red tank top that says "Cowboy Pillows" across the front in white.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
I shake myself out of staring and nod. Wow, Mae, please be more rude.
“Um okay. I was hoping to buy a couple of bouquets, but if, uh…” she trails off and looks in the coolers. There’s not much there.
“Yeah, uh, we’re waiting for a shipment so we don’t have much,” I tell her.
The door dings again.
“Did you find any?” Another beautiful woman says walking into the store. She looks fairly familiar, wearing jeans with a shiny belt buckle and a t-shirt tucked in the front.
“Hey,” she says.
I wave, not entirely sure what to do.
“No, I didn’t. There are a few things in here. Maybe we can make our own,” she says and glances at me.
“I think we can do—”
“Is that June Hayes I hear?” Aunt Francesca says, coming to the front door.
June smiles. “Auntie Francesca, I was wondering where you were,” she says.
My aunt hugs each of the girls and spins around. “Were you helping them?”
“Trying. We don’t have much, so they were going to build their own.”
“Ooo that sounds fun! What’s the occasion, girls?” she asks.
“Wait … Auntie F, is this your niece?” June asks my aunt.
Aunt Francesca’s smile widens, and she grabs my arm, pulling me from behind the protective counter. These girls have a wild energy about them. I was not prepared to face today.
“Yes, and she’s taking over the shop!” she says excitedly.
The girls smile and clap. “That’s wonderful Francesca, what are you doing?” The other woman asks.
“Well, Ms. Gracie, Leo and I are retiring. We’re moving to Florida. We’ll be back periodically to visit, but it’s time for us to be old people for once.”
June scoffs. “Auntie F, you don’t look a day over thirty-five.”
My aunt throws her head back and laughs. “You’re just buttering me up. Build whatever you want, on the house,” she says and hugs Gracie and June.
“Mae can help you!” she says and goes back to the back.
Too stunned to talk and not sure that giving away free flowers was a good business decision, I smile because I think that’s my only option.
Gracie smiles and June chuckles. “Your aunt is a character.”
“That she is. Let me know if you need anything,” I tell them.
They mosey to the coolers, picking out the flowers they want out of the ones we do have, which are mostly roses, baby's breath, some marigolds, and other random flowers.
When they’re done, they come to the counter. “Can we grab some ribbon?” June asks.
I hand them the spool and some scissors.
“Hey, so Gracie and I and some other people are going out tonight. Do you want to come?” June asks.
I stare at her. I’m overwhelmed to the point of being nearly frozen.
“Honey, you’ve got that deer in the headlights look about you, which tells me you’re deeply overwhelmed or you’re not sure what to do about the fact Grace Goodwin is staring at you,” June says.
I gasp. “That’s how I recognize you.” She’s a major country star.
She smiles shyly and lifts a shoulder. “Here I’m simply Gracie Goodwin, June Bug’s best friend.”
“So, what do you say? Want to come? Let loose a little?” she asks.
“We’re a lot of fun,” Gracie says.
I snort and my eyes widen.
They both giggle.
“No pressure. We’ll be at the Wooden Cowboy at 8. Dancing usually kicks up right around then, okay?”
“Uh, yeah, okay,” I tell them.
“Really?” June says with a wide grin.
I don’t know why I agree, but why not?
“A drink sounds great. I just found out I’ll be living here for at least a year. I’d like to make some friends.”
“Awesome! We’ll see you then! And don’t worry about drinking too much. We can have one of the boys bring you home. Everyone knows where the Crawfords live,” June says.
“Sounds good, but I’m not much of a drinker.”
Gracie and June look at each other. “I have a feeling we’re going to have a Coyote Ugly kind of night,” Gracie says.
June chuckles. “Yeah, I can see it.”
“What should I wear?” I ask them.
“Girl, wear whatever you want. I hope you’re single because the boys will come running to the new girl in town.”
I giggle and shake my head. “I definitely am, and I don’t know about that.”
They give each other a look and grab their bouquets, flouncing out the door. “See you at eight!” June yells.
I take a deep breath, smiling. Maybe moving to Paxton won’t be so bad after all.
I know I was supposed to be taking a break from going out.
But since I’m going to be living here, I’d like to have some friends, and Gracie and June seem like a blast. Not like my friends back in Colorado.
These girls seem like the real deal, and maybe a little wild. But maybe a little wild is what I need.