Page 1 of Chasing Lyric
Chapter One
LYRIC
My tires squeal as I grind to a sudden stop, slamming on the brakes with such force I jar my damn chest and ribs against the seatbelt. The force is so brutal that I slide forward in my seat, causing my body to jolt with the strength of the movement.
“Good one, Lyri,” I murmur to myself as I turn off the ignition to my red 2017 Chevrolet Colorado pickup, wincing from the pain shooting through my torso.
This morning hasnotbeen good.
I should be back at the shop preparing our arrangements for the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach. But my business partner, who also happens to be my best friend since grade school, royally screwed us. So, I’m here, forty minutes away in Naples, purchasing the flowers we need for said arrangements. I had to acquire them from the only supplier in the area who I know has an excess stock,thank goodness, on the busiest day of the year for us.
I mean, for other florists, sure, Valentine’s Day is where it’s at. But when you’re the most popular florist in Laguna Beach and the Art Festival rolls into town, you better believe that I’m on my A-game and pull out the best floral arrangements money can buy.
Well, every year except this one, I do.
Our shop, Love and Lavender, obviously doesn’t conform to necessities like being ready for the busiest day of the year. We can handle Valentine’s Day, but being prepared for the influx of artists who critique every petal position and every leaf placement like it’s a piece manufactured by Picasso himself—yeah, today is damn important.
And we’re already off to a bad start!
Serves me right.If you want something done correctly, you’ve got to do it yourself.
Letting out a deep cleansing breath, I open my truck door, then hop out to find Gino waiting for me with a cheery expression on his round face. He’s exceptionally short, and with his beret on, he reminds me ofMariofrom the famous video game. It’s actually quite comical. He wears blue coveralls and everything.
“Bella!It’s good to see you again,” he calls.
Stepping out into the pitch black of the ridiculously early morning, I slam my door shut, then walk around to the back, opening the tailgate, the overhead streetlamp the only thing illuminating my surroundings. “Gino, I swear to God you’re an angel. A freaking heaven-sent, halo-wearing, feather-winged angel.”
He lets out his boisterous belly laugh, which finally sends my body into a more relaxed state. His men place bucket upon bucket filled to the brim with flowers onto the tray bed. Knowing we have these flowers to help us through the rush of the day back in Laguna Beach eases my anxiety somewhat.
“Oh,bella, you know I’d do anything for you, my sweet. We have plenty of spare stock. So, any time you need a refill, my door is always open for you.” Gino wraps his arm around my shoulders as he leads me toward the small coffee shop attached to his supply warehouse. I turn my head and watch his workers loading up my truck and know they will do a great job.
With a sigh, I completely relax knowing Gino has singlehandedly saved my ass after Rory’s epic failure. She’s a fabulous worker, but sometimes she’s off with the fairies. Love the girl, I wouldn’t ever fire her, not for something like this. I know it’s a blunder. Yeah, a big one, but for all her misgivings,she does a lot of good for the shop. So, I’ll let this slide. No matter how dire this situation might be right now.
Gino and I walk into the coffee shop. He takes me to the bakery section, and the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans wafts through the air. “You want something to eat? My treat.”
My stomach growls as I take in all the tasty delicacies in the glass-fronted cabinet, but I shake my head, knowing time is wasting. “No. I’d better pay my way and get these back. Plus, my ass is big enough without needing a croissant to add to the spread.”
Gino pulls his lips into a thin line. He knows by now I tend to just say whatever I’m thinking. I have no damn filter.
“But thank you for saving me…yet again.”
I hand him a wad of bills.
He dips his head, taking it from me. “Always a pleasure to see your beautiful face, Lyri. You come by any time, you hear?”
My lips turn up, and I’m finally feeling like I can get on with the busy-as-hell day back at the shop. Spinning on my heels, I head for my pickup. My feet crunch on the pebbled path as I rush, and once I reach the back of my truck, I quickly do a double-check and notice one overturned flower bucket. So, I yank it back up without giving it a second thought, then slam the tailgate shut in a mad dash.
I race to my truck, the engine rumbling beneath me as I head back to Laguna Beach, back to Love and Lavender, where the day is just waiting to hopefully explode into something unforgettable.
The entire drive back, I can’t help but think about how grateful I am for the life I’m living. Business is booming. I have the most fabulous, best friend in the world, when she isn’t annoying me by not doing her job. I have a great home and a wonderful family, even though I hardly see them.
When I think about my life, all I do is work, then go home to my double yellow-headed Amazon parrot named Polly Parton. When he was little, I thought he was a she, hence the female name, but alas, when I took him to the vet later in life, I found out that Polly was in fact a Peter.
Go figure.
Though by then, he was used to his name, so it stuck. He’s great company and all, but he’s also a reminder of my absent-for-most-of-my-life dad, whose attempts to be in my life in the past have failed miserably, especially when he bought me Polly for my twenty-fifth birthday, then took off yet again.
That was three years ago.
