Page 2 of Forever Love at Fleur's Flower Shop

Wrapping her hands around her coffee cup, Fleur shook her headfirmly. ‘No, the last thing I need is to startthinkinglike that. You know me, ifIdo then I’ll just be looking over myshoulderevery five seconds wondering if the love of my life is the guy putting bread in his basket at the grocery store or,Idon’t know, buying sweets at Sadie’s sweet shop. No, I’m not looking, and I don’t want to find love at the moment.Thistime is for me.’

‘That’s fine, but just so you know, you’reamazing and you will find someone, so don’t give up on the idea of love forever.’

‘Notforever, I won’t. But for now, I need a holiday from it.’ Fleur straightened her back. Now she’d voiced what she’d been thinking, she actually felt better. Stronger.

‘And Drew wasn’t right for you.’

‘I know.’ She nodded. He really hadn’t been. ‘I think I’d have had to invest in a good pair of earplugs if we’d stayed together any longer. That music he listened to....’ She shuddered just at the memory of the dreadful racket he’d insisted on playing every time they went out in his car.

‘Haha, exactly. And you don’t want to live your life with everything muffled.’ Bea laughed.

‘No, thank you.’ Fleur took a long sip of her sweet caramel latte. That was decided then. She wasn’t even going to entertain the idea of looking for true love. She was going to enjoy her life as it was. She had her flower shop which, for the last seven years she’d sunk her savings, life and her heart into and that was the only thing she wanted to fall in love with again - her passion for flowers and bringing a smile to her customers faces.

Chapter Two

‘... a

nd then, would you actually believe it? The guy practically climbs the shelves the get to the strawberry bonbons.’ Sadie threw her head back and laughed.

‘So you’re telling me this customer came into your sweet shop, took one look at the queue and decided to serve himself by scaling the shelves?’ Fleur grinned. This was just what she’d needed after her declaration of taking a break from love to Bea earlier, an evening out at Ruby’s restaurant with her friends, Bea, Sadie and Ruby. Even if Ruby was managing her time between dinner with them and running back and forth to the kitchen to check on things.

‘Yes! Exactly that. I just stoodthere with my mouth open until one of the customers queuing asked if everyone could help themselves.’ Sadie shook her head in disbelief.

‘What did you do,though?’ Bea leaned forward across the table, eager to discover how Sadie how dealt with such an impossible situation.

‘Oh,Ijust yelled at him to drop the jar of bonbons and get out of my shop.’ Sadie picked up her wineglass and took a sip as if it were just a normal everyday Thursday event at the sweet shop.

‘Wow, you’re brave. I think I’d have been too scared to call him out like that.’ Bea widened her eyes.

‘Nah, I had a shop full ofcustomers. What was he going to do?’ Sadie shook her head.

‘Whatdidhe do? After you’d told him to stop?’ Fleur took a sip of her wine, the fruity taste hitting the back of her throat.

‘He just kind of stoodtherewitha sullen look on his face before joining the queue as he clutched the bonbons.’

‘Seriously? He wasn’t like super embarrassed or anything?’ Fleur laughed.

‘Umm,Idon’t think so, no. I did have a word with him when he got to the front of thequeue,but I served him. I told him it wasunacceptableand if he climbed on my shelves again,he’dbe barred.’

‘Haha, I can just imagine you telling yourcustomersoff.’ Bea grinned and raised herglass. ‘Here’s to dealing with annoyingcustomers.’

‘I hear you there.’ Fleur joined in the toast.

‘How aboutyouthen? What’s been your most annoyingcustomerthis week?’ Sadie turned to Fleur before glancing across at Bea. ‘I know you love all your customers, so I’m guessing you’ve not had any annoying ones.’

‘Nope. All mine have been lovely.’ Bea smiled.

Fleur sighed as her two friends turned theirattentionback to her. ‘Umm, just the usual craziness as Valentine’s Daylooms, that’s all. I had one man who brought in a sample of thewallpaperhe’d just decorated his living room with and begged me to create a bouquet with the perfect colourpaletteto ‘really set it off’,’ she curled her fingersaroundthe last three words as shegrimacedat the memory. ‘I also had one who asked if I’d beableto provide one hundred rose petals so he could write the words, ‘Will you marry me?’ in petals across his carpet.’

‘Seriously? Aw, that’s soromantic.’ Bea held her hands against her chest as she swooned. ‘Are you going to?’

‘No.’ Fleur shook her head. ‘I told himIsold flowers, not loose petals. I’m notgoingto stand there for hours stripping poor roses of their petals just so he can woo his possible fiancée. I told him to use fake ones so that way they could both collect them up after his proposal, keep them and maybe use them as part of the table decorations for their wedding or something.’

‘Aw, now that is a sweet idea.’ Sadie nodded.

‘I thought so.’ Fleur shrugged. She’d only suggested it, so hehadn’tbegged her, but, yes, she had to admit that was one of her more romantic suggestions.

‘The wallpaper sample,though?’ Sadie raised her eyebrows. ‘The last thing I’d be thinking if someone ever gave me flowers would be if they complimented the wallpaper.’

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