Screams brought Charlotte and Hoyt running in from the back to see what was wrong.
Darci pranced around the room, lifting her knees as she pumped her arms toward the ceiling. She kept saying things like “Woo hoo”, “Oh yeah”, and “Hot diggity damn”.
“Are you having some kind of fit,” Charlotte asked, shooting her a skeptical grin, “or did Happy Hour come early today?”
Darci felt as giddy as a five-year-old set loose in a candy shop. She danced around them, pausing twice to ‘raise the roof’.
“We did it! We showed a profit, oh yes we did. I met my goal in spite of all the setbacks.” Darci performed her own unique version of the Cabbage Patch. “Petal Pushers officially gets to stay open. Woo hoo!”
Hoyt turned on the radio, then he and Charlotte joined in the celebration.
“Did you ever really doubt you’d make it?” Charlotte asked Darci as Hoyt dipped her backwards. “You always do whatever you set your mind to.”
“Not really. Remember the whole diet thing, my plan to lose twenty pounds before last summer? Didn’t happen. Please note,” Darci said, sweeping her hands down her torso like a game show model showcasing a shiny new dishwasher. Then she turned around and shook her rear end in Charlotte’s direction.
“Oh, you know you look just fine the way you are,” Charlotte chided. “And with this shop being so important, I never doubted you for a second.”
“Congratulations, Boss Lady. I always kinda knew you’d come through, too.”
Flo Rida probably never envisioned the bizarre do-si-do they danced to his music.
“Oh, I had plenty of doubts,” Darci confessed. “Doubts with cold chills each time we lost money, waking up from nightmares of Scrooge coming to throw me and poor little Daisy out in the snow as he foreclosed on the shop. Yep, plenty of doubts, but now that’s over, thank God.”
Darci pulled a couple bills from the cash register. “We need to celebrate. Hoyt, my dear boy, would you be so kind as to run down to Krispy Kreme and pick up two dozen donuts? Assorted ones, and don’t you dare skimp on the chocolate and goo.”
Hoyt took the money and headed for the door, pausing to take his jacket from the coat rack.
“I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee,” Charlotte offered.
“Good idea. We’ll eat our fill, then put the rest out for the customers. It’s a shame I didn’t have a chance to advertise the freebies.”
During their celebratory donut fest, they discussed the year’s highs and lows, and some of their favorite customers. An idea popped into Darci’s head.
“I think I’m going to throw a party. A one-year customer appreciation bash. We’ll have it here on New Year’s Eve, in the afternoon, of course, so it doesn’t interfere with all the other shindigs going on that night.”
“Cool. But I think the theme should be focused more toward you and your awesome success.” Hoyt bit into a chocolate-iced custard donut, then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Oh man, now I see why you’re so into the whole Krispy Kreme thing. These things are off the hook.”
“It’s kind of like how rock stars thank their fans when they accept awards. Without the fans, who’d listen to their music? For us, we owe the gratitude to the customers. Think about it. They’re the ones who keep Petal Pushers in business.”
“Good point, Darce.” Charlotte reached out to smack Hoyt’s hand away from the last custard donut. “Hey, I called dibs on that. Here, you try this one. It’s shaped like Frosty the Snowman.”
“Vicious.” Hoyt rubbed his hand, grinned, and then bit the head off the snowman donut. “Sure do wish Frosty had custard guts.”
After she filled the latest orders for holiday wreathes, Darci sat down at the computer to design an invitation style flier. The more she thought about the party, the more excited she got.
She wiped her eyes with a tissue. This was a time for celebration, not crying, even though these were tears of joy. She couldn’t believe she’d actually done it. Scrimping and saving, she took the money she earned working a retail job she hated and invested every dime, along with the money from her business loan, into Petal Pushers. The total she read on the ledger today still seemed like a dream, a very happy one she didn’t want to wake up from. Not only were they in the black, she showed a profit! The loan would still take a few more years to pay off, but that was fine. Even with the setbacks, like the van repairs and those damn Dutch bulbs, Petal Pushers consistently brought in more money than expenses.
Never again would she worry about going through the same struggles her mother went through, working overtime at two jobs just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table after Darci’s father died. She reached for another Kleenex. This time she let the tears of relief wash down her face before she mopped them away.
Thanks to an active lifestyle and good genes, Wade’s health was pretty much perfect, which gave Darci no logical reason to worry about him. Unless some psychopath decided to use him for target practice, that is. Her fingers found the small scar on her forehead, then she put the whole shooting incident out of her mind.
Now she’d proven she could, in fact, support her son, should tragedy ever strike her family. She could stop waking up in a cold sweat from nightmares of herself and Paxton in line at the soup kitchen, barefoot and coatless in the falling snow.
She arrived at Petal Pushers bright and early on New Year’s Eve to decorate and make last minute preparations. During lunch with Charlotte, Darci floated on cloud nine.
“Today I feel like I’ve come full circle. We opened on New Year’s Day and here it is, the last day of the year, and we’re celebrating our success.”
“I think it’s cute how you keep saying ‘we’ instead of ‘I’,” Charlotte said. “Hoyt and me are just your little peons, you know. All the success is due to you, the sole proprietor of this joint.”
“Well, I couldn’t have stayed in business by myself.” Darci shook her head. “You worked as hard as I did, and had a baby to boot. Hoyt made deliveries and stuff, Wade did all the repairs, and little Paxton helped with the watering, even if he was kind of overenthusiastic about it.”
“And Daisy added ambiance with her chirping, if you want to dig that far.” Charlotte rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, and don’t forget Miss Addie,” Darci added, not catching Charlotte’s sarcasm. “She did her part by saving the sick plants. You-”
The jingling bells ended their lunch and signaled the arrival of a steady stream of guests.
By one-thirty, Petal Pushers was packed with people. Donovan and his life partner Bradley talked about fly fishing with Wade and Jimbo. Pauline Maldonado cooed to Cole while he sucked down a bottle in Charlotte’s arms. Ashley Rosales and her mother stood in front of one end of the display table, loaded down today with finger sandwiches and an array of refreshments instead of flower arrangements. Mabel and Bernice struck up a conversation with Darci’s mom and Grandma Odette while Vera Tompkins chatted with Mae Roberts about an event scheduled at the retirement home. Hattie and Gene stood by the porthole telling Laura DeMoss all about her grandmother’s African violets and orchids. Paxton played catch with his friend Jake out in the backyard, though their winter coats and scarves made them a little less dexterous than usual.
Max joined the party late, and gave Darci a peck on the cheek after he waved to his wife across the room. “Congrats on your first year in the floral business, even though I still wish you’d let me deputize you.”
“Thanks Max, but I don’t think you’d want my clumsy fingers wrapped around a thirty-eight special,” Darci said, smiling up at him.
“I’d be willing to take my chances. Anybody with the talent to make real flowers bloom outside, in Kentucky, in January, has my vote of confidence.”
As Max strolled away, Darci couldn’t figure out what the hell he was talking about. She’d brought in the ferns from the porch two months ago. Not much of anything could grow outside here this time of year.
Curious, she made
her way to the porthole to look for whatever Max thought he’d seen. Maybe he had some New Year’s hootch before he came over, though she doubted he’d get tipsy during the day, especially not on duty.
“Oh my God.” Darci couldn’t believe her eyes.
Snow was starting to fall, bits of white fluff sticking to the crunchy brown grass on the lawn. Along the side of the shop, exactly where Hattie had mentioned two months before, stood a row of daisies, fresh blooms atop crisp green stems. Snowflakes settled on their leaves, but they didn’t show any signs of wilting under the cold. This was simply not possible, though she was looking right at it. The sound of Daisy chirping echoed in her ears, and her shoulders chilled, as if some unseen arm was hugging her.
She desperately hoped Charlotte brought some booze.
“They’re beautiful, Miss Addie. Thank you so much.”
Bless your heart, Darci, I’m tickled you like ‘em. Just like my Hattie said, daisies have always been my favorite. It took some doin’ and purt near wore me out, but this is my way of sayin’ thank you for everything you’ve done. My home is beautiful again and brimmin’ with flowers, thanks to you, but most of all, I hope you know how much that clock you made out of Mama’s plate means to me. I know you cain’t hear me, but I think you feel my gratitude.
Folks would be plum stupid not to do business with you, ‘specially after they see our daisies a sproutin' up through the snow. I’ve been remembering a few things here lately, bad things that need to be set right. There’s plenty for me to attend to, but I’ll make it a point not to get too busy to help you keep things up around here. I cain’t wait to see what we accomplish this year.
A crowd of people milled through the shop. Darci didn’t know all their names, but she had a ball listening to them talk about all the ways Petal Pushers had touched their lives. Now she stood behind the counter and took a second to look around her, overwhelmed by the room full of love and friendship.
Her eyes turned to the clock she made from Miss Addie’s plate. She couldn’t fight the urge to let her fingers trace the mosaic. Darci hoped Petal Pushers would be as timeless, her legacy to pass down to Paxton one day, and him to his children, the way most families pass an heirloom down from one generation to the next.
“Happy New Year, everybody!” Darci beamed at the room full of people she’d come to call friends over the past twelve months. She felt good things on the horizon and looked forward to another great year. “Thanks for making Petal Pushers a success.”
Under her breath, in a barely audible whisper, she said, “Happy New Year, Miss Addie.” Cool air settled around her like a chilly embrace.
Daisy chirped and bobbled her head.
Petal Pushers’ Plant of the Month for December is
African Violet
Saintpaulia hybrids
Perennial houseplant
Brief description: African violets are at the top of the list for popular houseplants. They’re relatively easy to care for, have beautiful flowers and fuzzy green foliage, and they bloom year round, even now, with the December snow falling outside. They come in so many colors, sizes, and bloom styles, it’s no wonder people love to collect them.
Symbolism: modesty, virtue, and affection.
Trivia: The African violet can give you more bang for your buck, if you like free plants. It’s so easy to propagate them from leaf cuttings, just snip off a healthy leaf and stick it in water or damp soil until roots form. Then pot it and voila, a new free plant. Simple as that.
Growing instructions: These plants need bright sunlight, but not intense direct sun, so an east-facing window would be perfect. Keep the soil moist, but avoid getting the leaves wet or they’ll turn brown. Remove wilted blooms and brown leaves to encourage new growth.
Uses: Pot African violets in pretty containers, or even in china teacups, and set them on your windowsill. Which reminds me, I’m looking for some teacups in the Belleek Nautilus pattern. If you run across any at a flea market, bring ‘em in and I’ll trade you for one plant or arrangement of your choice.
Tools & Tips: If your green thumbs are fretting because they’re stuck in wool mittens instead of garden soil, I know just the thing for you. Now’s the time to cuddle up with your colorful plant catalogs and magazines and start planning next year’s garden projects. Cut out pictures of new flowers you want to grow, order up some seeds, and sketch out ideas for that bare spot in the backyard.
Don’t worry! Spring will be here before you know it.
About the Author
Tina DC Hayes writes cozy mystery novels and gritty romantic suspense. She lives in western Kentucky with her husband and three children. A few very pampered Boston Terriers, German Shepherds, one goofy Yorkie, and two parrots keep her busy, but guard against writer’s block. Tina’s hobbies include reading, genealogy, dog training, gardening, knitting, and playing the guitar.
Visit her online at http://tinadchayes.wordpress.com or tweet her at @Tina_DC_Hayes.
Poison, Perennials, and a Poltergeist (The Petal Pushers Mystery Series) Page 19