Page 9 of Somebody Else Will

My phone vibrated as I headed back to the room, surprisingly, with a response or what I thought would be a response, only to see a message asking for my email address again. She was deleting our threads. She could have easily scrolled up and got it. I sent it and decided to back off for a bit. That would only be for today though. After responding with my email address, I finished off my breakfast, then headed back upstairs to look over a script for a movie I would be auditioning for in a couple of weeks.

This role wasn’t the lead, but it was a supporting actor role. I would be the lead’s brother. I had yet to see myself in a leading role since the Hallmark movie I did a few years back. It seemed the supporting roles always fit me better. I knew one day, my dream role would slap me in the face, and I couldn’t wait. The years of preparation I’d endured to get to this point were worth every moment. Modeling, commercials, and even being an online trainer were all pivotal steps that helped me break into the industry. They were all stepping stones I didn’t realize I needed until after the fact.

Before really digging into the script, I checked to see if Denishia had sent an email, and she had. Once I opened the attachment and saw the three sketches, my mind was blown. They were all amazing, and my mama would love all of them. I didn’t know how she came up with them so fast, but I was grateful for her efficiency.

Instead of responding by email, I called her. She had to be in the office if she had time to do all this.

“Happily Ever After Floral. This is Jamia. How may I help you?”

“Hello, Miss Jamia. Is Miss Denishia Boswell available?”

“Let me check. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Yes. This is Ezekiel Wheeler.”

“Okay. Hold for a just a moment.”

I called the business line, because I felt like she wouldn’t have answered her cell phone. Since we were talking business and I knew she was in the office, I would be more professional and utilize that line.

“Hello, Mister Wheeler. How can I help you?”

I literally closed my eyes and licked my lips. Her voice drove me insane, and now that I knew what she looked like, it only made things worse for me. “How am I supposed to choose between the designs? They are all amazing, Miss Boswell.”

“Thank you. You don’t have a clue of which one she would like more?”

“No, but I’ll get a second opinion. I just wanted you to know that you are very good at what you do. How long before I have to make a decision?”

“Thank you, Mister Wheeler. Please let me know by tomorrow evening, if at all possible. I need to make sure I have everything I need to be able to pull off either design on next Saturday morning.”

“Okay. Umm… I would really like you and your staff to stay for the party. I already know that it will look beautiful. Maybe you can garner more business since you service the Houston area anyway.”

“Thank you for the invite. I’ll get back with you on that.”

“Okay. I appreciate you.”

She was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “I appreciate you too. I look forward to hearing from you soon… I mean… to know which design you will pick.”

“Mm-hmm. Talk to you soon.”

I wasn’t imagining or misconstruing a thing. She wanted me. She sounded so flustered just now. She wanted to play hard though. That was okay. I had experience with the chase. She was going to find out that I always captured my prey. Instead of calling her back tomorrow, I would let her know of my choice inperson. I called the floral shop again to talk to Jamia. I knew she would share whether Denishia would be in the office or not.

“Happily Ever After Floral. This is Jamia. How may I help you?”

“Jamia, this is Ezekiel again. I need a favor.”

“From me?”

“Yes, ma’am. Will Denishia be in the office tomorrow?”

“She will be tomorrow afternoon.”

“Perfect. What’s her favorite food and favorite flower?”

She was quiet for a moment. I didn’t know if she was thinking or if she was hesitant about telling me what I wanted to know. “She loves chicken and appreciates a good burger. She has one or the other nearly every day for lunch. She’s never really expressed a favorite food to me though. I think her favorite flower is the purple magnolia. When she gets them out of Houston for one of our customers, she stares at the bouquet for at least five minutes after she finishes with it.”

“Hmm. Do you know where she gets them from?”

“I’ll have to look up the invoice. I just know it’s in Houston. I know that could be so many places. Can I call you back in a few minutes?”

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