Page 131 of All Too Well
“You think Ainsley will like it?”
She nods. “Or that one! She likes pink.” Then she walks to the other side of the store. “Oh, I like this one too!”
So far there hasn’t been a bouquet that Rose hasn’t liked for Ainsley. “We’re going to need to narrow it down, Rosebud.”
Janelle puts the last bouquet down and comes to stand beside me as Rose continues her quest. “I could help her find one if you could give me a little about what you’re looking for.”
“Flowers.”
She smiles. “You’re in the right spot for that, but I think flowers are really about an occasion or the person who is receiving them. There’s an art to selection, and I happen to be a professional in this area.”
I clear my throat. “Right, well, I need flowers for a girl.”
“For Ainsley?”
“Yes, she’s a friend, who is not a girlfriend or anything. She’s writing an article about me. That’s what brought her here, at least. She’s not just a journalist, though, because we grew uptogether, and, you know, we’ve ... got a complicated relationship.”
Janelle nods slowly. “I see, so she’s not a girlfriend, but she’s notnota girlfriend?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, how much of the not not is she?”
“Well, she’s not a not because I really care about her.”
“Hmm, that does make it difficult,” Janelle says as she looks around.
“Yeah, it’s very difficult.”
Mostly because I’m in love with her, and in a few days she’s going to leave, and I’m going to have to let her.
No matter what she says, I’ve seen what happens to women who give up their dreams. I’ve watched it eat someone away until they had nothing left and just gave up. It’s why when Claire said she didn’t want to keep Rose, I was willing to take the pain of giving up mine and living a new dream.
One where I can show Rose what it looks like to always have someone there to put you first.
“Might I suggest that you look around and just select a flower. One that makes you think of her the second you see it. It can be color that draws you or just the way you feel. We’ll start with that and build off it.”
“I’m not really . . .”
“Just humor me, Lachlan.” Janelle nudges me to do as she asks. “Rose, would you be able to help me with an order? I’m all alone today, and it would just be the best day if you could.”
Rose appears within seconds. “I can help!”
“Great.” She turns to me. “Go for your walk and we’ll be in the back.”
Unable to tell her no, I start to walk around. Nothing jumps out at me. Nothing feels special or close to Ainsley. Some are too delicate, which is definitely not like her. She’s strong, beautiful, and soft in certain ways, but still able to stand her ground and hold up against the storms.
This is stupid. It’s a damn flower. What the hell am I supposed to see in it that reminds me of ...
Just as I was about to curse Janelle for making me walk around, I see one.
It’s different from anything I’ve seen in the store. It’s beautiful, but more than that, it’s tightly wound, yet the outside layers look as though they’re open and welcoming.
The petals are delicate, but not as though they can’t handle whatever comes their way. It’s truly stunning.
“Ahh, the Juliet rose,” Janelle says softly behind me. “I just got those in today. They’re very rare, but I have a bride who read about them and asked me to get some to see it in person. They took ten years to get to be this way.”
“It doesn’t look like a rose,” I say.
