Page 25 of Under an Endless Moon

She was in her sixties and had retired from her job at the bank. She’d said she needed something to keep her hands busy so she didn’t go stir crazy.

“Angel?” I would have waved her off if my arms weren’t loaded down with blooming stems. “Ha, you should have seen what I was wearing last weekend at Kane’s.”

I waggled my brows at her.

Her chuckle was low. “Oh, I can only imagine. I bet you were knocking them boys off their feet.”

Too bad there was only oneboythat I wanted there.

Still, I played it up. “You should have seen it…men just falling all over the dance floor. Boom, boom, boom. One right after another. On their hands and knees as they crawled to me.”

She laughed outright. “Now that is a picture I would pay to see.”

I giggled. “All right, I need to get these over to the café so I can go home to get ready. Let me know if you have any issues today.”

“I’ll be just fine. You go on and have yourself some fun.”

“I plan to.” I gave her a little curtsy before I turned and started through my shop.

Happiness brimmed in my heart.

My store was adorable. Total country chic with a dash of whimsy. The floors were rustic wood, the same as the reclaimed countertops.

The middle was filled with two rows of every sort of fresh-cut flower, buckets holding each variety slotted into custom wooden frames that Otto had built for me.

Running the sides were refrigerated cases where we kept the premade bouquets, and the front was spinning card displays and a few racks for special gifts that sat in front of the windows that overlooked 9thStreet.

Pride swelled. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe that I’d brought it to fruition.

It’d always been a dream, and for once, I’d gone for it.

Made something my own.

My spirit flailed and expanded, a need lighting inside me to finally claim that for other aspects in my life,too.

It was time.

I pushed open the glass door framed in white wood, and I crossed to the edge of the sidewalk. I glanced both ways before I darted across the street.

A brand-new café had opened directly on the other side, and they’d contracted with me to bring them fresh flowers to decorate their tables with every day.

I loved that a bit of Moonflower was getting splashed all over this town.

I whipped the door open to Sunrise to Sunset Café.

Inside, it was posh and trendy while somehow still managing to be comfy. The walls were done in rustic red bricks, and the floors were a dark-stained concrete. Booths that looked more like leather couches ran the length of the front windows and the back wall. Tables fronted them and regular chairs sat on the opposite side.

In the middle of the restaurant were high-top tables surrounded by stools.

A long counter ran the right side, and the kitchen was to the back.

I headed for the counter, grinning wide when I saw Sienna working the espresso machine with her back to me.

“Um, excuse me, can someone get a little service around here?” I had to lift my voice over the whirring of the machine, my words fully a tease, though she whipped around like she thought someone was actually complaining.

The irritation drained when she saw it was me, and she wadded up a hand towel and threw it at me.

I laughed as I dodged it.

---