Page 6 of Fumbling in the Dark

The commotion between Ed and Millie fills my ears the moment I walk over the threshold. “Another order? What type of flower this time?” Ed asks me as soon as he sees me walk into the back room.

Ed and Millie are the best. They’re an elderly couple who have been married for thirty years, though they started the florist shop only fifteen years ago. When I came to them looking for an internship to help fulfill the credit for my horticultural class, they were the only ones who gave me a chance and I’ve been grateful ever since.

“Yep. I’m just trying to figure out if the flowers are for his wife, or girlfriend,” I answer him as I walk into the refrigerator, grabbing the daisies before heading back out to the arrangement table. “This time I got the customer to buy the daisies,” I inform both of them as I hold up a few of the flowers.

I kneel down to the shelf under the table and grab one of our basic glass vases. Pulling it back out, I begin to make the arrangement for the man out front. This is what I love. Idon’t really care for all the customer service this job requires. What I really want to do is just stay in the back room making arrangements. People make everything worse where flowers make everything better.

“I bet it’s his girlfriend. If he’s okay with daisies instead of pushing for a more prestigious flower, then he just cares that he hassomethingin hand,” Ed chimes in and as soon as the words come out of his mouth, Millie smacks him on the shoulder.

“It doesn’t matter who the flowers are for, we are here to create beautiful arrangements for them.” Millie points her finger at each of us. Then she turns on me. “And I’ve told you over and over again not to encourage him, Jay.”

“Sorry, Millie. It was just a bit of fun,” I mutter, continuing on and finishing up the arrangement.

Ed and Millie continue trimming flowers, bantering back and forth, but I tune them out. Minutes later, I take the vase and head back to the front of the store. “Here you go, one vase full of daisies,” I say putting it down on the counter, then I type the amount into the cash register. “That will be forty dollars.”

The man gasps. “Forty dollars? That is a rip off, they’re just flowers.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but it’s still forty dollars,” I tell him, putting my hand out and waiting for payment.

He continues to mutter under his breath about it not being worth it, but the man still pays and that’s all that matters. As soon as he’s done, just like clockwork, another person walks into the shop,alsolooking for flowers.

Hours go by before the shop, even somewhat calms down. This is why I hate Valentine’s Day. I glance at my phone. “Shit. I’m late.”

Right then, Ed comes out. “Late for what, Jay?”

Gathering all of my stuff together, I mutter, “I’m supposed to meet Sam and a guy tonight.”

“Ooh, you have a date?”

“No. Sam just thinks I need to get out more,” I tell him.

“Well, she’s right,” Millie chimes in behind her husband. “All you ever do is work. Here, let me help you,” she says as she hands me my jacket. “Now, go have some fun.”

“I won’t have fun, but I’m going,” I say as I rush out the door. Pulling my phone out, I send Sam a message.

Me: Sorry I’m late. Got caught up at the shop. Be there soon.

Sam: Okay. See you when you get here.

I shove my phone back into my purse as I reach my car. Starting up the car, I reverse out of my parking spot and head to Moe’s. The whole time I’m driving, I just pray this guy isn’t a total douche. It’s hard to know when it comes to Sam and her taste in men.

Chapter five

Shane

“She just texted and said she’ll be here soon,” Sam, a girl that Kade just introduced me to, says about her friend.

“Okay,” I mutter focusing back on the TV hanging on the wall across from our booth. I could care less if this woman shows up. Sitting here watching the game until I can say, “I’m out,” sounds like a plan.

“No, really. She works at a flower shop and it probably got really busy considering it’s Valentine’s Day,” Sam insists, probably hoping that these excuses will help smooth things over for when she gets here, but I’m not sure it will.

I was already not feeling this whole plan that Kade came up with, having me meet a friend of the girl he’s been fucking, but now, I’m even more over this since she can’t even be here on time. Being late is a pet peeve of mine, and I can tell that this is probably going to be a thing for her, especially the way her friend keeps giving out excuses.

Thankfully, Kade takes Sam’s attention away from me as he kisses up and down her neck, making me a different kind of nauseous. This whole place is filled with couples so no matter where I look, I see people hugging and kissing. Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to come out on Valentine’s Day.

I try to keep from looking at them by taking a sip of my beer and keeping my eyes on the TV in front of me. But it’s so hard because they’re right in front of my eyes, sitting across from me in a booth. Honestly, it’s kind of rude.

Right then, I hear a feminine voice break through the commotion of the bar, “Sorry. Sorry.”

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