Chapter 9
Mae
“Call me if you need anything, okay?” Aunt Francesca says, pulling me in for a hug.
“I will,” I mutter into her shirt, trying to ignore the cold sweat breaking out over my skin.
“You’re sure about this?” Uncle Leo asks again. He’s been mad at Aunt Francesca because he thinks she trapped me, and he’s not entirely wrong.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I tell him, with as much fake confidence as I can muster.
“Alright, honey, and you know where the shotgun is if you need it?” he asks.
“Yes, and I still know how to use it.”
He nods stiffly. “Good, but if you need something, call the Hayes or the Montgomerys, or the Wests. They’ll help you out.”
I give him a thumbs up, though I don’t know who they are except for June Hayes. I met her the other day.
“We’ll call you when we get there!” Aunt Francesca says, waving me off and gliding over to the truck.
Uncle Leo takes one last long look at me and heads down the stairs.
I grab my cup of coffee and wave to them as they pull out of the driveway. The cool mountain air fills my lungs and I sit on the porch swing. My boss didn’t seem to care where I was in the world as long as I did my job, and my parents reassured me they had everything covered.
So now it’s me, myself and I on this land, with a business I have no idea how to run.
***
It’s been one week since my aunt and uncle left. They’ve called to check in, but I haven’t been entirely honest with them. I’m floundering, but they don’t need to know that. I’m going to figure this out.
I finished one of my accounting projects and had plenty of time today to organize future projections for the flower shop.
Something I do know how to do. But the reality is bleak.
Aunt Francesca had some good years, but recently business has slowed.
I don’t know why. It could simply be economical, or it could be competition.
She said a lot of business comes from funerals, but my mind keeps going to the wedding industry.
There are a couple of venues here in Paxton that people come from all over to use.
There’s no way one company two hours away can monopolize all of those weddings. There has to be a need for us here because it could mean the difference between not lasting the year or having the best year the Paxton Flower Shop has ever had.
I click through my projections based on the past few years; changes have to be made, and I’ll have to learn to sell.
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2 comes on, I smile to myself. Every time I hear this song, it’s like a nostalgic movie in my head. As strange as it is, it always gives me a sense of hope. Even if I haven’t found what I’ve been looking for — I still might.
Moving to the coolers, I gather the blooms to build more bouquets.
My idea is to place them in the windows and change the displays, hoping it will grab attention.
Though I don’t enjoy social media, the flower shop doesn’t have a social media presence, so I figured I’d give that a shot.
I can keep it simple, but it could help and I need to do anything to get more money in the door.
I nod my head to the music and stick a few more daisies in a vase when the bell rings. I turn from my work table and June Hayes saunters in.
“Hey girl!” she hollers.
I smile and turn the music down.
“Eighties girl, I like it,” she says with a smile.
I shrug and pick at the bouquet I came up with, complete with yellow daisies, yellow roses, and some sprigs of eucalyptus. “I grew up listening to it and haven’t stopped since, I guess,” I tell her.
“That’s me and 90s country. Something about it is too romantic to let go.”
I chuckle and put the bouquet in the fridge. “Because Chattahoochee is super romantic.”
She snorts and shakes her head. “I wanted to drop by and see how you were doing, Ms. Sassy Pants. I heard Francesca and Leo left.”
“Yeah, it’s just me now.”
June leans against the counter. “So, how are you doing?” she asks.
I glance at her from gathering the ends of stems, almost hesitating to answer. I’m slow to trust people anymore, but June hasn’t given me any reason to think I can’t.
“I’m working through it, but maybe a little overwhelmed.”
“Have you ever run a business before?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“Ah, it’s not easy. I get it.”
“What do you do?” I ask her, realizing I never thought to.
She smiles and checks her phone. “I’m basically a traveling vet.”
“Wow, that’s cool.” I go back behind the register and lean against the counter.
June shrugs with a humble smile. “I love animals. But my point was, if you need anything, just ask. I’m happy to help.”
I jerk back. “But you don’t know me,” I state.
June laughs and shakes her head before adjusting her cowboy hat. “Girl, I don’t know where you’re from, but around here we help each other.”
“Oh, I … thank you,” I tell her.
“No problem. Did you have a good time at the Wooden Cowboy? I know it was a week ago, but we haven’t talked and I wanted to ask since you slipped out so quick.”
“I had a good time. The bar scene is very different out here.”
June laughs and sits on the edge of the counter. “I never thought about that, especially since we all know each other.”
“At least you know what to expect. Back home in Colorado, my friends and I went out a little too much. But even if we go to the same club every week, it’s always different.”
“Is that a bad thing?” she asks.
I shrug and brush nonexistent lint off my apron because I don’t want to mention my real reasons. “It gets old fast.”
“Now that I can understand. When I was gone for college and vet school, it made me want to come back to Paxton more. Sometimes simple is better.”
“Where is Gracie?” I ask her.
June smiles sadly. “She had to do a set of shows. Hopefully, she’ll be back in a few months.”
“It was fun hanging out with both of you. Thanks for inviting me.”
June laughs. “We are a little wild, I probably should’ve warned you.”
“It was nice to have fun with the girls,” I tell her.
June tilts her head and looks at me as if she’s hearing more than I actually said.
I snap my mouth shut. I don’t want to talk about anything in Colorado. Things might be tough right now, but it’s also giving me a reprieve from dead ends and disappointments.
We’re both silent for a moment, and June hops off the counter. “Alrighty, well, next time I’ll bring lunch. You have my number, right?” she asks.
I nod once.
June smiles. “You’re a quiet one, aren’t you?” she asks.
“I’m a background girl.”
June’s eyebrow lifts. “Nah, I thoroughly doubt that.”
“And how would you know?” I ask her.
“I have a way with people, Mae. I just know things,” she says with a grin.
“Text me later, we can do something!” she says as she struts out the door.
Okay, so maybe I’m not totally on my own.
***
I’ve managed to get quite a few orders that I’ve organized to deliver before, during, or after today.
I planned my route, and if all goes well, I’ll make a profit this week.
Aunt Francesca let her delivery guy go a while ago because she couldn’t afford him anymore.
So she had people pick them up. But I figured out if I offer delivery and upcharge it, people are willing to pay the additional price, and it makes my margin higher. A win win.
I put a handful of bouquets together today to keep things fresh. The bouquets last a couple of days to be considered fresh, but after about three, they inevitably start to wilt, and no one wants slightly wilted flowers.
It breaks my heart when I have to toss them, so I’ve been bringing the un-purchased blooms home with me, and now the house is smells like stale flowers. I know I won’t sell everything every day, but it hurts to toss them.
The bell dings and I come around to the front to find the cowboy who was here more than a week ago, with a little girl’s hand in his. Cooper.
He glances at me and smiles widely.
My stomach drops. He has a child.
He’s married.
I mentally scream and plaster a smile on my face. At least the little girl is adorable. Her father … not so much. He was blatantly flirting with me despite being married with a child. Who does that? How far do you have to sink?
I watch them talk and point at the cooler with buckets full of flowers. Then her attention shifts to the larger arrangements I created for today.
She excitedly points to the larger arrangements and tugs on his hand. “Really? They’re huge.”
“But I think they’d like them,” she says.
He sighs and opens the cooler. “Hold the door for me, sweetheart.”
I know I should help him, but I’m too busy fuming.
She dutifully holds the door as he grabs two of the same arrangements. They’re full of purple and creamy white flowers. I thought it would be a pretty combination.
My heart lifts as she looks up at him with a smile.
He looks at her the way a father adores his daughter. I hate that I love how adorable they are together. I need to be mad at her piece of crap father.
But yet again, this confirms I need to take a major step away from the dating world. I didn’t see a ring because I wasn’t even looking. This is on me.
“Are you sure?” Cooper asks her, looking between the large vases.
She gives him a firm yes, and Cooper chuckles, carrying them to the counter. Despite the unfortunate situation, I’m excited. In my head, I jump up and down and dance around. Someone wants my bouquet!
Cooper watches his little girl bounce to the register, and I smile as she approaches the counter.
“Hello, Ms. Mae,” he says in that sexy, gravelly voice that I want to slap out of his mouth.
I ignore him and look at the adorable girl. “Hi there, how are you?” I ask her.
Her cheeks go rosy and she drops her eyes from mine.
I was like her as a kid, shy around people I don’t know. Hell, I still kind of am.
“You can say hello, Naomi, don’t be rude,” Cooper says.
Naomi lifts her head. “Hello,” she squeaks.
I glance at Cooper, and he chuckles. “Usually she’s not this shy.”
I shrug. “That’s okay, she’s a smart girl to be wary of strangers,” I tell him.
His smile drops, and I ring up the bouquets.
“One hundred and two, and twenty cents,” I tell him.
He hands me a credit card, and I swipe it.
The receipt prints painfully slow and I rip it, handing it to him to sign.
Cooper grabs a pen from the mug, and I reach behind me, plucking a leftover rose off the counter and give it to Naomi.
“This is for you,” I tell her.
She takes it out of my hand and glances at her father. He smiles at her, and she looks at me with curious eyes. “Every girl deserves flowers,” I tell her.
“These are for my grandmas. We already have some, but I guess we need more,” she says.
“Oh?” I ask her.
She nods excitedly. “I wanted them both to have something for a really late Mother’s Day since they’re both mama’s.”
My heart lifts. “That’s so thoughtful, Naomi,” I tell her.
She dips her nose into the red bloom and breathes it in. “These smell good.”
I laugh. “It’s good to stop and smell the flowers sometimes.”
She glances at Cooper, not sure how to respond to that.
“Okey-dokey, princess, we need to get back to the house and get ready for Grandma.”
She gasps. “We’re going to be late!”
He grins and picks up the vases.
“It was nice to see you again,” he says.
I force a smile, and something flickers in his eyes.
Yeah, buddy, I know what you’re about.
“Thank you!” Naomi yells and starts for the door.
I wave, and his little girl tugs on his belt loop, clearly ready to go. He glances at her and then back at me with a wide smile that sparkles.
“I’ll be seein’ you, Ms. Mae,” he says.
I ignore him and wave to Naomi.
“Off we go, sweetheart,” he says to Naomi as he holds the door for her and carries the bouquets in the other hand. She skips out the door with her very handsome father following behind.
The door closes and I drop my head back on a groan. Of course he’s married. Why do I bother thinking about any apparently single man I interact with as a potential man who wants me?