Page 5 of Falling Again For My Best Friend's Brother

His words hit me like a physical blow. Petals & Blooms was more than just a business to me. It was my passion, my life's work. My home. The thought of losing it...

"There has to be something I can do." I hated the desperation in my voice. "Some way to turn things around."

"Short of a miracle, I don't see how. I'm sorry, Amelia. I truly am."

As the call ended, I stood numb, the phone slipping from my fingers to land with a soft thud on the grass. Around me, the tattered remains of my garden seemed to mock me, a cruel reminder of all that I stood to lose.

A truck horn jolted me out of my thoughts, making me jump like a startled rabbit. Addy. In the morning's chaos, I'd completely forgotten she was coming to help at the shop. I forced a smile onto my face, hoping it didn't look as fake as it felt. The last thing I wanted was for Addy to see how upset I was. She was only nine, and I didn't want to burden her with my adult-sized problems.

Addy bounded out of the truck, her face alight with excitement. Kevin gave a quick wave before driving off. We walked around to the back, and her steps faltered, her eyes widening as she took in the state of the garden.

"Auntie Amelia, what happened to your pretty flowers?" Her voice was full of concern, her brow furrowed in confusion.

I knelt down to her level, trying to keep my tone light. "Well, sweetie, you remember Susan's brother, Trevor? He moved into the upstairs apartment. His dog Hero thought my garden was an excellent place to... practice his excavation skills."

Her mouth formed a small 'o' of understanding. "So, the doggy destroyed your flowers?"

I nodded, patting her head gently. "Yes, but don't worry," I added quickly, catching the worried look in her eyes, "Trevor and I will fix it up again. It'll be even prettier than before. We're going to turn this disaster into a gardening adventure!"

Addy's face lit up with an idea. "Can I get to meet Hero and Trevor today?"

"Of course you can, sweet pea. But first, why don't we head inside and start on those logo cards we discussed? We can tackle the garden of doom a little later."

Once inside the shop, I set Addy up at the counter with her new stamps and a stack of blank cards. Her eyes lit up as she carefully selected a purple ink pad and a swirly flower design.

As she happily stamped away, creating a purple flower apocalypse on the cards, I stepped into the back room to make a call. With each ring of the phone, my anxiety grew. Please, please let them have the flowers I need...

"Green Thumb Nursery, how may I help you?" The cheerful voice on the other end was so peppy it made my teeth ache.

I took a deep breath. "Hi, this is Amelia from Petals & Blooms. I need to order roses as soon as possible. I need twelve of the following varieties: Nostalgia, Sugar Moon, and Juliets. It's a bit of an emergency."

There was a pause and the sound of shuffling papers. "I'm sorry, Amelia, but we're completely out of stock on rare flowers. There's been a huge demand lately, and our suppliers are having trouble keeping up."

My heart sank faster than a lead balloon in quicksand. "When do you think you might have more available?"

Another pause. "It could be weeks, maybe even a month or two. I'm afraid there's not much we can do."

I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. First, the garden turned into ground zero, and now this flower famine...it felt like everything was falling apart faster than a sandcastle in a tsunami.

"I understand. Thanks anyway." I hung up the phone, feeling more lost than a GPS in a black hole.

How was I going to fix the garden without the right flowers? And what about the shop? How would I stay afloat if I couldn't get the supplies I needed? Maybe I could start a new trend—bouquets of weeds and good intentions.

I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my breathing. I had to stay strong, for Addy's sake, if nothing else. But inside, I felt like I was crumbling faster than an over-baked cookie.

A sudden crash from the front of the shop jolted me out of my thoughts. Oh no, what now?

I rushed out to find Addy standing over a pile of scattered cards, her eyes wide with shock. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to knock them over!"

Despite everything, I couldn't help but laugh. It was either that or cry, and I was all out of tissues. "It's okay, sweet pea. Accidents happen. Besides, maybe we've just invented a new game—52 Card Pick-Up, Floral Edition."

As we worked to corral the runaway cards, Addy chattered away about her latest art project at school and an upcoming field trip to the zoo. I smiled and nodded, trying to focus on her excitement rather than the storm cloud of problems hanging over my head.

Maybe I would have to settle for some other flowers. I would call around and find the best deal. I didn't know how I was going to fix it all, but I knew I had to try. For Addy, for myself, and for the future of Petals & Blooms.

Chapter four

Trevor

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