Page 34 of Smoldering Nights
He started the truck and made a silent vow to find out who did this.Who was doing this to Izzy?Then he'd like to have a real relationship with Ms.Izzy Payton.That is, if she's interested too.
Chapter16
After fixing the funeral flowers, Izzy came back to the shop.Her fingers shook as she leaned her hands against the scarred wooden counter she used as a checkout point.Her father had used that counter for years, and she hated to give it up.Plus, it gave the shop that old-fashioned feel.She took a deep breath, pushed away from the counter, and pulled up her orders on her computer.A birthday arrangement for a sixtieth birthday.Reds and silvers.That would be a huge contrast to the all-white funeral flowers.She'd do that one next.
She went to the cooler and pulled out some of the red flowers and set them on the worktable.Ms.Jillie stepped in from the greenhouse carrying a coral arrangement.
"That's pretty, Ms.Jillie."
"Thank you, dear.I did this one for the anniversary party tonight.I made three of them.I think they turned out lovely."
Izzy smiled and nodded."That's an understatement."
Ms.Jillie took a deep breath."Is everything alright at the funeral home?"
“Yes, it's all taken care of."
"I'm really sorry about all of that.I don't know what happened."
"I know Ms.Jillie.It isn't anything you did.Mitch is investigating it right now."
"Oh, he's such a nice man.Handsome too."
Izzy chuckled."Yes, he's certainly handsome."
Ms.Jillie grinned and took her beautiful arrangement and set it in the cooler to display it to customers.
The bell above the shop door jingled, and Izzy glanced up from her worktable, her fingers still sticky with floral tape.Sadie stepped inside, the sunlight glinting off her sunglasses as she pulled them off and tucked them into the neck of her tank top.
“Hey,” Sadie said casually, brushing her hands down the front of her shorts.“Thought I’d stop in, see how things are going.”
Izzy forced a smile, trying not to stiffen.“Hey.Thanks for coming by.”
Sadie’s gaze darted around the shop.“Looks like things are finally back to normal.You and Ms.Jillie handled the funeral arrangements?”
Izzy hesitated, the words catching for half a second before she nodded.“We did.Although someone tampered with them after delivery.”
Sadie blinked.“Wait, what?Are you serious?”
“I wish I wasn’t.Someone entered Harper’s and ruined them.Wilted flowers, torn ribbons, you name it.I had to remake them all at the funeral home.The wilted flowers had been heated with something, like a heat gun or something.”
“Jeez,” Sadie muttered.“That’s awful.”
“It is,” Izzy said, the words sharper than she intended.“And it’s not the first thing that’s happened lately.”
Sadie tilted her head.“You think it’s the same person behind everything?”
“I don’t know,” Izzy said carefully.She didn’t want to bring Travis into it, not without proof, but she couldn’t pretend everything was fine anymore.She took a deep breath and said, "Someone close to me has too much information to even know that I created those funeral arrangements."
Sadie tilted her head.“Do you have any idea who that might be?"
Izzy stopped working and wiped her sticky fingers on the damp cloth sitting on the worktable."No.There are suspects.Mitch is looking into it."
Sadie's lips pursed together."You’ve been quiet around me lately.Is there something I should know?”
Izzy hesitated.“Things have been...off.I’m trying to figure out who might be behind everything.”
Sadie’s brows furrowed.“What do you mean?Like the fire?The flowers?”
