Page 97 of Love Unavoidable
I find parking outside the flower shop and head in. The girl at the counter gives me a look-over combined with a big smile. “How can I help you?” She leans over the counter showcasing her ample cleavage. I barely give it a glance, focusing instead on the mass number of flower options in the shop. As someone who hasn’t bought a girl first-date flowers since a wrist corsage at for high school prom, I’m unsure what to choose.
“I’m looking for first-date flowers,” I tell her. “Nothing too serious, but nothing too whimsical either, if that makes sense.”
“It does,” she says coming around the side of the counter and gesturing toward a display case along the wall. “What about a bouquet of daisies?” She points to a bouquet of little white flowers with yellow centers. I frown and shake my head.
“Are those daisies too?” I point to a bunch that look similar to the white ones, only bigger. With brightly colored petals.”
“They are, those are Gerbera Daisies. They symbolize cheerfulness and—”
“I’ll take those.”
“Okay, how many and would you like a pre-arranged bouquet or single stems?”
“I don’t know.”
Shit. How do I not know these things?
I hold up a finger to the flower girl asking her to wait a moment, then grab my phone and call Brad.
“Thought you had a date,” he answers.
“I do. Is Kat there?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I talk to her?”
“Why didn’t you just call her phone?”
“‘Cause I have you on speed dial.”
“But not her?”
“No.”
“Hang on.” I hear a commotion in the background before Kat speaks.
“Hey, how come I’m not in your speed dial list?” she asks first thing.
“I don’t know. Brad is the only one who is.”
“Brad is your only speed dial?” She sounds surprised.
“Yeah, why, how many do you have?”
The flower girl shifts her weight to the side and bumps her hip out, then sighs.
“Actually,” I say to Kat. “Never mind. I don’t care. Listen, I’m at the flower shop and I want to get Sadie some flowers. I decided on . . .” I look to the flower girl for guidance, having already forgotten the name.
“Gerbera Daisies,” she says. I nod, then say into the phone, “Gerbera Daisies.”
“Oh, good choice,” Kat says. “Which colors?”
“Well, it depends. And that’s kind of why I’m calling. Do I want a bouquet or single stems?”
“Hmmm, how do the bouquets look? How much money do you want to spend?”
“I don’t know. They look like bunches of flowers. And what is reasonable?”
