Burning Flowers
Page 4
Clarke sat down cautiously across from him, her leg shaking and jiggling a little. She was anxious to do something, but she knew there was really nothing she could do other than wait for him to be done and watch him work again. Deep down she knew she should just let him do his job until it was ready to reopen, but she wasn’t good at relinquishing control at all.
“So, why a flower shop?” he asked after a few moments. She looked at him almost surprised at the question.
“I guess because there’s a lot of opportunity there. You can do a lot with flowers. I thought it was a good investment.” Once she said it out loud, Clarke realized how pitiful that was, and he probably thought the same thing.
“Uh huh,” he nodded. “So, other than sell flowers, what do you do?”
“Well, I help make plans for events like birthday parties and weddings. I meet with clients a lot.”
He started laughing; practically squirting coffee out of his nose, and Clarke wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did she have a bug on her face or something? “No, I meant what do you do outside of work for fun?” he clarified, still choking on some coffee.
It was another tough question because her work was her life. “I don’t know. I guess I read sometimes or look for ways to make my business better.” She shrugged and looked out the window, not wanting to make eye contact and see what he was thinking about her. That’s why she didn’t really have any friends. There was nothing to talk about with them.
“It sounds like you are in desperate need of a hobby,” he said, flatly.
“Well, what do you do for fun?” she asked defensively.
“Well, I go fishin and shoot some pool sometimes. Oh, and I just love playing horseshoes at my brother’s trailer park.” He faked a really bad red neck accent and then let out a snort. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. That’s just usually what people assume when they look at me. Really, I like to learn new things. Sometimes I read or I just go out for a walk and talk to people or look at things. I take martial arts classes sometimes; nothing major. I don’t know, I’m just one of those people that enjoys everything.”
Clarke was taken aback by the answer he gave. How could someone like everything or find time to do so much? They were clearly at the opposite ends of the spectrum. In fact, they’d probably never talk again after he was done with the shop. But she found it surprisingly interesting to learn about how someone else lived. “That certainly isn’t what I expected from you, but it’s interesting. I just don’t have the time for hobbies. That’s the trade off of having a career.”
He took another sip of his coffee and looked her up and down like he was studying her. She began to feel a little uncomfortable. “What?” she finally asked.
“I’m just trying to understand why you feel that you’re so imperfect; that everything you do is so imperfect.” She blushed, wondering how he could guess such a thing about her when he didn’t even know her.
“What makes you think that’s how I feel?”
“Because that’s why you always work and do nothing else. It’s like you think you don’t deserve to do anything else and that if you don’t keep working on it, you’ll be criticized. Otherwise, you’d be at home right now instead of micromanaging the cleanup of your closed shop.” He winked at her and stood up, throwing his paper cup into the trash before heading out the door.
“You coming?” he asked, holding the door open for her. She shook her head as if coming out of a trance and followed him out the door.
Chapter Ten
Clarke looked around as Vince flipped on all the lights in the shop. It had been less than a week since he started working on it, and it looked great; ready to open. He’d gotten an inspector in over the weekend to make sure everything was safe, and they gave the go ahead. All she needed now was to get in the new shipments of flowers. “I can’t believe what a great job you did,” she told Vince, reaching for her phone. “I was so scared that this place would never be the same.”
She walked into the office, which still needed some work done to it. The desk had been warped and melted, and there were still a few chunks out of the wall. But the burning smell was gone which was a blessing in and of itself. She dialed Katie’s number and got her on the second ring.
“Hey, Katie, is there any chance I could get you to come in today? We have to start ordering flowers again and restocking. It might take a few hours.”
“You mean the shop’s alright?” Katie asked in a cheery voice. Clarke hated to admit it, but she’d missed that voice. “That’s so great. I was so worried.”
“Yeah, I found a guy that could fix it up real quick, and it’s been inspected. There are still a few minor things, but it’s safe to be in.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you as soon as I drop the kids off at daycare, boss. Do you want me to call in anyone else to help out?” Katie asked. Clarke knew she was trying to help their employees get some hours and get paid since they’d been out of work for several days, but Clarke was being more practical about things.
“Let’s see how it goes and then call someone if we need them, okay?”
“Alright,” Katie said with a sigh before hanging up the phone.
Clarke grabbed the business binder containing all the numbers of her contacts where she might be able to order stock quickly and began to go through them, calling each number one by one to see what they had that they could spare for the day. She had to fight tooth and nail to find anyone who was willing to work with her on it.
She heard the door to the shop open and peeped her head out of the office after slamming her phone down on the desk in frustration. Vince had let Katie in the door. “Hey boss, how’s it hanging?” Katie asked with her usual wide smile. How she was always so positive Clarke did not know, but she filed it in the back of her mind to ask her what exercise she was doing or what pill she was taking so she could jump on the bandwagon.
“Well, it could be going better, but I’m sure now that you’re here you’ll help me figure this out,” Clarke said hopeful, walking all the way into the room. She caught Vince glancing at them from out of the corner of her eye and cleared her throat.
“Sure I will. What do you need me to do?”
“Maybe we can split up the numbers of contacts to call and see if we can replenish our stock fast and to the best of our ability for now. We need some basic sells and something for seasonal and something to show for prom at least. I’ve already got some roses and carnations on the way. But that’s not going to cut it.” Clarke was speaking fast, running away with her stressed thoughts. Katie walked up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder.
Katie looked to Vince who was whistling yet again, which just made Clarke feel worse. “Has she been like this the whole time?”
Vince looked up, seemingly surprised that anyone was trying to talk to him before nodding. “Oh, yes. In fact, she’s been worse at times.”
Clarke shot him one of those killing looks before looking to Katie and pouting silently. Katie led Clarke back into the office and sat her down, showing her how to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth. “So, Clarke, instead of stressing over this for just a moment, how about you tell me who that hottie is out there,” Katie said in a whisper.
Clarke looked up in shock. “You’re married, Katie!”
“Yes, I am, but you aren’t.”
“He’s just fixing up the place for a really good price. He’ll be out of my life in a few days.” And he’d be better for it, but Clarke didn’t bother adding that part.
“Mmhmm, okay. I’ll take your word for it for now. But let’s get to these phone calls, shall we?” Katie pulled out her cell phone and began where Clarke left off, calling every other number. Katie frowned as the first two numbers she called turned out to be closed, and Clarke found herself arguing with yet another person on the phone. Just when she was ready to give up, she heard Katie actually talking to someone. With that great attitude of hers she was sure to convince someone to help them out.
Katie went back to the phone as the music stopped and introduced Clarke, knowing Clarke would have specifics. Katie headed up front as Clarke heard someone knocking, probably for that first order, and Vince came to the back to begin his work there. Clarke smiled at him and stood up to move out of his way.
Clarke finished up the order and went to the front to help out when she heard a grating voice following behind the man carrying flowers into the shop. “Well, well, what’s going on here?” her mother asked, as Clarke felt panic rising in her. This was not the best time for her mother to show up at the shop. The back was still clearly damaged, and there were no flowers; just empty displays. She had to make up something and fast.
“I’m just rebranding for some larger clients. I just got a big contract with a woman who lives in that gated community on Prairiedog,” she said, wringing her hands nervously. Only her mother had the power to turn her into a shaking, drooling idiot like that.
“Mmhmm, is that so?” her mother asked, walking around with her scrutinizing eyes. Clarke got the feeling her mother didn’t believe her. Of course, her daughter would never be good enough to land a client who was too high society, even for her. How a lawyer got in with the rich and famous crowd still baffled Clarke.
Clarke was about to say something when Vince came into the room. His mouth was open like he was about to tell Clarke something, but Clarke discreetly shook her head at him as her mother walked towards him, circling him like a hawk. “Who in Heaven’s name is this?” her mother asked with narrowed eyes. Vince was wearing torn jeans again and a tee shirt that probably smelled like sweat and cleaning supplies. Clarke fidgeted in place, wondering what to tell her mother. “Well, I’m waiting. Why is he here? He surely doesn’t look like the type to work selling flowers,” Mrs. Bennett commented with a cruel chuckle.
Clarke walked over to Vince and squeezed his arm, saying the first thing that came through her mind. “Vince and I are sort of seeing each other. He just came over here for a quick visit and to have lunch with me.” She felt Vince stiffen up and said a silent prayer that even if it was just for the next 60 seconds he would go along with what she said.
Clarke tried to smile genuinely as Vince surprisingly put his arm around her. It almost took her aback to the point of her giving things away. “I’m Vince. It’s umm, nice to meet you Mrs….” He trailed off with the question and held out his hand to shake.
Clarke’s mother slowly extended her own hand. Clarke watched, wondering when shit was going to hit the fan. “It’s Bennett, and it’s Miss, actually,” she corrected, flaunting her single status. Clarke’s mother still hadn’t remarried and couldn’t keep more than a fling going, but that was probably because under all the designer clothes and fancy wine parties was a bitter old woman who resented having a child with whoever Clarke’s father was.
They shook hands for only a second, and Clarke caught that glint in her mother’s eye that meant she was up to something. “Well, it’s nice to see that Clarke is finally seeing someone, even if it is so…casual.” She looked Vince up and down like she was referring to him more than to the relationship.
Vince’s jaw got tight like he could sense what she might have meant too. This was getting way too personal way too quickly. People didn’t really know about her mommy issues, and Vince was not who she wanted to start with on letting people in on them. But it looked like it was way too late for that thanks to her big and fast mouth and slow brain.
“You know, I’m going to a dinner party on Friday evening. I was going to have you be there because the Colemans said their son is coming with them, but it couldn’t hurt to give him a taste of what he’s missing, right? Why don’t you come and bring Vince with you? I’d just love to get to know him better.” Clarke couldn’t tell if she was being conniving or if she was actually flirting with Vince, but either way it made her stomach churn. She needed to put a stop to this now before Vince felt the need to go jump in front of a bus for ever meeting her.
“You know, Mother, I don’t think Vince is really into that sort of thing.” Vince put out his hand to stop her.
“You know what? I think maybe it’s a good idea. It’s about time I get to know more about Clarke and her family.” Vince let his dimples indent in a half smile, and Clarke fought the urge to put her head in her hands and scream. Now she was just being ganged up on.
“Well, great then. See you there.” Her mother waved like she was Miss America and then left the shop, leaving Clarke feeling even less confident about her shop and her life for that matter than she already did.
“So, she seems pleasant,” Vince commented, leaning against the counter.
“You’re kidding me, right?” Clarke busted out, distressed. “She is the least pleasant person on the planet.”
“I was being sarcastic, Clarke. Now I know where a lot of your issues stem from. It must have been tough, growing up with her,” he said softly, working his way closer to her.
She sighed, and looked up from under hooded eyes at him. “You don’t have to go. In fact, you don’t have to go along with this at all. It was just the first thing that came to mind. I didn’t want her to know about what happened to the shop. She doesn’t believe in it.” Clarke looked at the ground, and Vince approached, daring to pull her chin up with one finger.
“Look, I know you’re not that into me or whatever you girls say, but I can see you really struggle with her. I’d be happy to help you out for a little bit. Besides, you could always pay me for it and then I don’t have to go look for another job,” he joked, causing her to smile just a little.
“Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Eleven
Clarke crossed her arms and stood back, looking around at her shop. It was a bit of de ja vu considering about a week or so earlier she was doing the exact same thing before everything happened. Over the period of the last two days, they’d managed to get in enough flowers so that the place didn’t look empty. There wasn’t an Easter section any longer, but she had the Easter look book on display at the front counter for ordering purposes. They had plenty ready on back log that Katie had set up for about a week or two out.
The prom section was back and in some ways better than before, and there was a wide array of simple roses as well as bright spring colors in the right hand corner that were really good for making Clarke feel better.
“It looks pretty good,” Vince commented, coming in from the office. He’d been finishing the back part of the shop up so that everything would be ready for their reopening on Thursday.
Clarke looked at him nervously, thinking about their date later. It really wasn’t a date, but just in case her mother showed up again they were being careful to stick with the plan, and she had told him she needed to talk with him about what to expect. That dinner was going to be a lot of pressure on the both of them, and he needed to be prepared.
“It does look nice,” she agreed with a sigh. “I’m just afraid it’s never going to be perfect again.”
“Clarke, nothing is ever going to be perfect for you. Just enjoy the fact that our shop is back up and running,” scolded Katie as she came in from the back as well. She had been calling the other staff members to let them know when they would be reopening so that they could come back to work. Vince chuckled, and Clarke shot him a look, so he stopped.
Katie glanced between them suspiciously and walked over to Clarke, giving her a side hug. Clarke quickly pulled away. “Why don’t you go ahead and take a load off. It’s been a rough week for you. I can handle everything. It’s not l
ike we’re open yet anyway,” Katie offered. Normally Clarke wouldn’t go for such an offer, but she was really anxious to get things over with Vince.
Clarke nodded and looked to Vince. “I think I’ll head over and get a coffee and a sandwich maybe. I’ll see you Thursday, Katie.” Katie nodded with a surprised smile. She was probably freaked out that Clarke finally too her advice to leave the shop; something she’d never done before. Clarke walked into the office to get her small black clutch and caught herself looking in the small mirror and fixing her hair. This was the one time she didn’t want to care how she looked. Vince was just some guy who was pretending to date her so that her mother would leave her alone about the shop. She didn’t even like him that much as a person; he was annoying. All that whistling gave her the creeps. But she still needed to look her best if she was going out in public.
She sighed at her blonde curls and tucked them behind her ear before picking off some eyeliner that had gone astray. Smoothing down her grey half sleeve sweater and navy pleated skirt, she stepped back out into the shop and kept her head down as she headed over to the coffee shop.
When she went to pull open the door, she found it to be way too easy. Clarke looked behind her and jumped as she realized Vince was already there behind her, reaching above her to hold open the door. He gave her a crooked smile. “After you,” he said with his eyebrow raised before she turned her head back around and headed inside.
Yet again, she let him pick the seat and was surprised as he came up behind her and pulled out her chair for her. Did this guy step out of some novel? “What would you like?” Vince asked nodding over to the counter.
“Oh, I can get it myself. You don’t need to do that,” Clarke insisted, trying to scoot her chair out so she could go up there herself, but Vince stood his ground. She slinked back down in her chair. “I guess I’ll take a soy chai latte and a turkey panini,” she said quietly. He nodded down at her with a smile and headed towards the counter.