Page 17 of Slide
Shit.
* * * * *
Bella locked the cash register and hung her smock on its designated hook. The hours after lunch dragged on. At one point, she’d been pretty convinced that closing time would never come.
Mrs. Cleary was gone by the time Bella returned from Travis’ garage but that hadn’t been surprising. She always left after lunch, leaving the afternoon work for Bella. Together they handled the most pressing orders in the mornings, and Bella did a lot of prep after lunch.
It was summertime and the majority of their work came from the endless weddings in and around town. There was a great deal of work that came from Knoxville society, too. Bella had no idea how Mrs. Cleary made those contacts, but she was impressed.
One last glance around the flower shop to ensure everything was in its place and that the lights were out. Mrs. Cleary liked things a certain way and Bella liked her job. She wanted to keep it, too. So, she did all she could to build trust.
Bella stepped outside into the blazing late afternoon sun. She was more than ready to see Travis again.
Hell, she was beyond ready to strip naked and fuck him. She was pretty sure naked wasn’t even necessary.
Seeing him in the middle of the day hadn’t been the plan. And she was well aware that it had been a bold move. In hindsight, maybe not the best one. Miles’ reception had been less than friendly, but she hadn’t expected any different. Not really.
She hadn’t wanted to make trouble for Travis. Still didn’t. But then, she’d walked into his garage, in front of his brother, pretty as she pleased with lunch for them all. Travis seemed both happy and uncertain about her showing up. Miles alternated between curiosity and looking as though he wanted to chew nails.
She’d never had much interaction with Miles before Artie’s mess and she hadn’t had any at all since. Until today.
Her apology had been sincere, same as it had been with everyone else she’d offered one too. She didn’t blame Miles for looking at her with derision, but she hoped that in time it would fade some. Making friends had proved difficult and when her little affair with Travis was over, she’d like to count him as a friend.
“I need some roses.”
Bella turned to find Mr. Martin lumbering toward her. He’d never liked her much. Less so after finding her with his nephew in the screwdriver section of his family’s hardware store.
She kept her gaze steady and hoped her voice matched. Mrs. Cleary wouldn’t approve of rudeness. “I’m sorry. We’re closed.”
“You’ll have to open up again. I need roses.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Martin. Mrs. Cleary’s orders. We close at five. If there are customers after that, they have to come back.” She pulled the key from the lock and turned around, looking for an escape or, at the very least, Travis’ truck.
“She’ll make an exception for me,” Mr. Martin countered.
Bella shifted. She didn’t like the look on his face, the bright-red coloring, the cold gray eyes. He wasn’t an attractive man and his bullying only made him less so. She didn’t know if Mrs. Cleary would’ve made an exception for Mr. Martin or not and she wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“Young woman, if you don’t open that door, I won’t be giving my business to this flower shop any longer. Loyalty may mean nothing to you and your brother, but Mrs. Cleary understands it. Now, I need roses for my wife’s birthday.”
She hated how he intimidated her. She glanced from him, then back at the door. She unlocked it even though she didn’t want to. She would’ve rather stuck her tongue out at the man and walked away. She hoped Mrs. Cleary would understand.
She gave Mr. Martin a timid smile. “Come on in.” His stunned look made her smile bigger and boosted her confidence. “What color roses would your wife like? We have some beautiful red ones, but those are so commonplace. Mrs. Martin deserves something a little more special, don’t you think?”
Bella kept up the one-sided conversation, her tone as light and bubbly as she could make it. She didn’t even check to see if Mr. Martin had, in fact, followed her. She set her purse on the counter and stood in front of the cases, gazing in at the variety of bright blooms.
“She doesn’t like red roses.”
“Smart woman. I don’t like red roses either.” She sent a wink in the now-uncomfortable man’s direction. He’d followed her in all right, but only just. “My favorites are coral ones. Between pink and orange. Gorgeous. Are roses her favorite?”
“I don’t know. I always get her roses for her birthday.”
“Let’s see if we can come up with something else. Tulips? Daisies?” At his shrug, Bella nodded. “Hmm. Well, I’ll work on it for a few minutes. Why don’t you pick out a card from the rack over there, while I see to the flowers.”
Bella considered the options in front of her. Various blooms in a rainbow of brilliant colors. Sometimes the fragrances and different hues of purples and pinks and yellows were enough to make her smile. Especially when dealing with surly customers.
“What’s your wife’s favorite color, Mr. Martin?” Bella asked, reaching for sprigs of baby’s breath.
“Purple. That woman loves purple.”
