Chapter 47: Flowers and Fears
*If you want to fly, give up what weighs you down. – Buddha*
Monday morning Reese walked into the florist shop with the names of the flowers JD had given him. Well, most of them. Dean had said that they were hopeless since neither could figure what the star flower was.
Reese looked around the shop a little bit while the clerk finished up with the other patron. It was in a shopping center that he had recently bought. This would be his second shopping center. It was a huge loss in the beginning. The profit would be in the long game. But he was willing to wait.
He could afford to lose some money at the beginning of a project. And it gave others a chance to do just as he did. Start with a small business and let it grow. If he could say that he was part of the process of making someone’s dreams come true, he would consider himself a success.
The money was nice. Being able to spoil his family was great. Helping someone fulfill their lifelong dream was the best. Also high on the list, was revenge against the teacher who said that he would never make anything of his life. He sent Mrs. Prentice a Christmas card every year.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked, and he turned around.
“Sorry, I was in my own world.”
“Sometimes the best place to be.” She smiled easily. “Looking for something specific?”
“My girlfriend’s son gave me some flower names.” He pulled the paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “Do you have any of these?”
She took the paper and looked at it. “Star something lily? That’s probably the star gazer. I have those but not the others. I can probably have the others in the next few days.”
“Please. Can you keep them in stock?”
“Yes, sir. You two been together long?” she asked walking towards a cooler.
“Not as long as I’m hoping.” He admitted.
“If you can get out of the doghouse.” She said opening the door and grinning up at him. “It’s a hazard of the profession. I recognize the signs. Care for a little advice?”
“Sure.”
“The flowers are nice, and I sure as hell am not going to tell you not to get them. But this,” she touched his chest over his heart, “will get you further.”
“My daughter recently reminded me that I have two ears and only one mouth for a reason.” He winked at the woman. “She didn’t like my response of handles.”
The woman laughed. “My husband would love you. Do you have any kind of a vase in mind?”
“Pink? Maybe mermaid?”
“Oh! I have the perfect one. It’s kind of big and a little expensive. Let me get it and you can look at it.”
She pointed at some pink and purple lilies with white spots. “Those are the star gazers. Pick out a few others that you like, and I’ll be right back.”
He picked out a few flowers that he thought would go with the ones she had pointed out. Reese knew enough to know that some were roses. He was pretty sure that at least one was a tulip. But most of them just made him think of his mermaid.
“Those are lovely.” The woman said coming back in with a large pink crystal vase. It was smooth with an etching of a mermaid sunning on the rocks. On either side of the vase were handles in the shape of mermaids.
“That’s perfect.”
“OK, you’re looking at about three hundred dollars for the vase and flowers.”
“How soon can you deliver?”
“Probably in about an hour or two.”
“Great. Work me up ticket and I’ll give you the delivery address.”
“You’re not even going to ask how much?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Nope. Don’t care. I want my woman to feel special. To know that she’s special.”
“Darby.” She said holding out her hand. “I have a feeling we’re going to become very good friends.”
“Reese.” He said taking her hand. “Owen Reese, but most everybody just calls me Reese.”
“As in Reese Investments?” she squeaked, and he nodded. “You just bought this property.”
“I did. The whole complex. You should be getting information about a meeting, probably early December.”
“Are you really going to shut this place down?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Around late February to early March, two to three weeks. We’ll get the foundation and structure fixed and then go section by section to finish the revamp. Parking lot will be the last thing to be done, looking at July for that so we can be completely back up and running for back to school.”
“Are you doing food truck pavilions here, too?”
“They are really popular.”
“My nephew just opened a taco truck.”
Reese pulled out a card and handed it to her. “Tell him to call and talk to Willow. She’ll find a spot for him and tell her I gave him the Fresh Start.”
They finished up the transaction at the counter and Reese paid, leaving a nice tip for the delivery driver. Darby put together the arrangement and added the card that he personalized. When her assistant got in, she delivered the bouquet herself.
She had to see the woman who had the man spending five hundred dollars on flowers. Walking into the TRAAC office, she found a friendly woman who looked just as miserable as Reese had.
“Helen?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Helen smiled but her eyes did not reflect it.
“These are for you.” Darby placed the large bouquet on the counter.
The vase was eighteen inches high, and the flowers doubled the height. The ivy, carolily and string of pearl vines were artfully placed to hang around the etching and handles. Stargazer lilies were the most prominent in the bouquet followed by roses, tulips, peace lilies and carnations. Ferns, spider plants and baby’s breath added filler.
“For me?” she asked quietly as tears filled her eyes. Several clients in the waiting room gushed over the bouquet.
“Yes, ma’am.” Darby smiled. “I usually don’t do this, but you both look miserable. Whatever he did – he didn’t hit you or anything?”
“No.” She smiled as she stood up to look at the flowers. “Nothing like that.”
“Well, I would ask, is it worth being this miserable?” Darby gave her a sympathetic smile. “Guys are idiots. But some of them are idiots worth keeping.”
“Thanks.” Helen replied softly as the other woman rolled her delivery cart back to the elevator.
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