Greer swallowed her disappointment. She had so wanted Daniel to win his trophy, but she understood the competition better than he did. Every float was so beautiful that the judges had a hard time choosing. She knew Logan was probably seriously disappointed, as well. Now the two of them would have to work out their wager.
As she sat down, she pulled out her notebook. An idea for a new float had been germinating in her mind since Daniel had taken her to Griffith Park to show her the night sky. She’d done a few preliminary sketches, but the last part suddenly fell into place, the idea finally emerging in its entirety. She sketched quickly, her pencil moving across the drawing pad with precision as she focused on a float made up of a constellation of stars against a blanket of deep purple. She penciled in colors as her mind revealed them. Suddenly she realized the parade had ended and the crowds were breaking up.
“Do you think they were seriously disappointed?” Greer’s mother asked. Virginia sat on a cushion, her coat tight around her. Next to her, her father shaded his face with a hand as he watched the street.
“I’m sure Daniel was. I don’t know about Logan...yet.” She’d probably find out. Neither of them winning the bet was probably a first and a humbling experience for Logan. She felt a little sorry for him anyway.
“Daniel wants to sponsor a float next year, too,” Virginia continued. “He asked me a couple of days ago. And Logan called and decided you need to design his float for next year. Apparently Brian wasn’t very easy to work with.”
“We’ll work it out.” Greer closed her notebook. The design she’d finished was for Daniel only because he was the man she’d come to love. Logan would get her best effort, but her passion would be for Daniel alone.
She smiled as she stood and worked her way toward the steps. She would meet Daniel at the float.
A few rows down, Greer saw Daniel’s parents sitting with several men who looked enough like Daniel to be his brothers. His sisters, Nina and Lola, he’d told her, had decided to watch the parade on television rather than face the crowds. She waved and they all waved back. Two of the young men studied her thoroughly, their gazes so piercing she wanted to run away from them.
* * *
Daniel watched Greer as she pushed through the crowds mobbing the line of floats. The parade had been the best time he’d ever had, but seeing Greer reminded him that he’d discovered more than just the thrill of the parade. He’d found Greer, and his heart swelled with love for her. She was so beautiful, so poised, so talented. He was so deeply in love with her.
She stopped to speak to Rod Ortega. A little girl Daniel assumed was his daughter jumped up and down.
“Daniel,” Cecile Holloway said. “I want to thank you for this gift.”
He turned to her. “Thank you for being my partner.”
Cecile smiled, her features lighting up with pleasure and showing a hint of the young woman she’d once been. She was still beautiful, but age had added a glow to her. “My husband’s here. We’ve been married for fifty-five years.”
An elderly man approached. He bent down to kiss Cecile’s cheek. “The limo is just over a block away.”
“Thank you, Frank,” Cecile said, stroking his cheek. She turned back to Daniel. “You need to tell her.”
He glanced away from Greer to Cecile.
“Tell her you love her, young man,” Cecile said gently. “I’ve been watching the two of you, and if you don’t, you’re going to let the best thing that ever happened to you get away.”
“I...” He stopped, not certain what to say.
“She loves you, too.” Cecile pushed him. “Now go get her. Give the tabloids something new to gossip about. They love weddings.”
As he walked toward Greer, he thought about their night watching the stars, the day they’d decorated her house, their dinner with his parents. As each scene replayed itself in his mind, he knew that he’d finally found the woman he would love the rest of his life.
Greer turned to him as he approached. He grabbed her hands and saw the look of passion deep in her eyes. Without preamble, he kissed her and said, “I love you.”
Greer went still, her gaze searching his face. “Really? Even though you didn’t win your trophy?”
He held her tight against him. “I love you.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “I love you, too.”
* * *
After the parade, the floats were lined up along Sierra Madre Avenue, where they’d be for the next week for people to view. Greer stood to one side while Daniel’s cameraman shouldered the camera for a panoramic view of the line of floats. Crowds drifted down the street and sidewalk. Many of the people took photos. So few knew what really went into the procedure of creating a float, and Greer would never say anything. Let them all believe in the magic.
Her gaze slid back to Daniel. He made her feel safe and warm within the cocoon of his love. She felt like the butterflies on his float, stretching and changing from the lowly caterpillar to the majestic monarch butterfly.
“That was an experience,” Daniel said. He kissed her, and she grinned at him. He’d just finished a segment for his next show detailing his parade experience, his disappointment over the lack of a trophy and his hopes and dreams for next year. He and Logan had decided they would each donate the maximum amount to their favorite charities.
“What happens to the floats now?” he asked.
“At the end of the week,” Greer answered, “we’ll take them all back to the warehouse, break them down and throw away what can’t be salvaged and recycled for next year.”
“And the cycle starts again.”
“Yes, isn’t it exciting?” And every year she would work from concept to finished float and then watch the parade again. She could hardly wait. The difference was that now Daniel would be at her side.
“What’s the theme for next year?” Daniel asked.
“The Hope of the Future.” The theme had been announced just hours ago, and she already knew how the float she’d designed for him for next year would be reworked. She needed to make a few adjustments, but she saw the future in the stars. The meaning would be personal for both of them.
“How do you feel about getting married on next year’s float?” she asked.
“Are you proposing to me?”
“Yes. Yes, I am.” She felt a silly grin spread across her face. More adjustments to the float would be needed, but she do could them in her sleep.
Joy lit his face. “Then I accept. Yes. Yes, let’s get married on next year’s float.”
“I can’t promise a trophy, but I can promise a moment that will stay with us for a lifetime.”
“Logan and I amended our contest. Next year it will just be any trophy.”
Greer simply laughed, ideas spinning through her as she mentally calculated distribution and weight. “Are you sorry about not winning?”
Daniel slid his arm around her and pulled her to him. “Winning a trophy wasn’t as important as winning you.”
She leaned against him with a sigh as he kissed her.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488003707
Blossoms of Love
Copyright © 2016 by Miriam A. Pace and Jacqueline S. Hamilton
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Blossoms of Love Page 17