“Hot? Really?Tellme!”
“No, Naomi—I mean,yes, he’s definitely hot. Hello, all those years in the NFL. But that’s not the point.”
“I don’t understand.” She was looking at me like I’d lost my mind. “If the point isn’t about him being hot and nice and finally showing up to help us at work, then… whatisthe point? What else is there?”
I gave a wry smile. If only things were that simple. If only our biggest concern was still whether or not Brady would show up to work, or whether he was nice, or hot.
“He’s gonna sell the place, Naomi. He’s talking to those corporate guys from New York who kept trying to get Henry to become a franchisee.”
“What? No… what?” Naomi shook her head and furrowed her brow. “That can’t be right. Are you sure? How do you know?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Hetoldme. Straight from his lips to my ear, just like it was no big deal. Andthen, like, right after that, mymomcame in and invited him to dinner!”
“Oh my God. Are you serious? That’s… really messed up.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tell me about it. She’s giving him hugs and telling him how much we miss Henry and making a damn lasagna for him. Meanwhile, he’s planning on selling the place right out from under us.”
“Okay, wait. Hold on.” Naomi put her hands up in a mock surrender. “This is too much. So, he’s for sure gonna sell the flower shop, and now your mom is like… besties with him? Am I getting it right so far?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
I still couldn’t believe it. It all sounded almost comical when she said it out loud—especially with Naomi’s spin on things—but there was really nothing funny about any of it.
The momentary relief I’d felt getting everything off my chest ended just as quickly as it had come, with the feelings of hopelessness and desperation coming back full force.
And even thoughIwas usually the one with all the answers, I was counting on Naomi to come through for me this time.
She was unusually silent, though, and the crease in her forehead—a sure sign that she was concerned and upset—had only deepened as I spoke.
“So… what are we gonna do? What are you thinking right now?” I asked, trying and failing to judge which emotion—concern or anger—her expression indicated. “Are you as pissed as I am? Please don’t start crying, because I definitely won’t be able to hold it together.”
Naomi might not have eaten, slept and breathed flowers like I did, but there was no doubt in my mind that the news would come as a surprise.
And shehadbeen showing an interest in more than just making deliveries lately. I had been teaching her the basics of flower arranging, and Henry had started letting her donate some of the excess stock from the shop to the nursing home where her grandma lived.
I assumed therehadto be an emotional connection there, even though Naomi—by her very nature—usually tried to keep things light and breezy, tried to make it sound like she wasn’t too attached.
“No,” Naomi shook her head. “I’m not gonna cry. I’m just… surprised. Shocked, really. But there’s not much I can do. I’ll just keep on keepin’ on and show up to work until someone tells me I don’t have a job anymore, I guess.” She shrugged. “What areyougonna do? Are you still gonna try to move out of your mom’s place soon? I know it was only gonna be a temporary thing when you moved back in with her, but…”
“Yeah, it wassupposedto only be temporary. I mean, it still is. But maybe a little longer, now? I just don’t know how I can realistically think about moving out now that I don’t know what’s going to happen at work.”
“I guess we could apply at Simply Flowers if we had to…” Naomi’s tone—and the fact that she didn’t even make eye contact with me as she spoke—made it apparent that it was a half-hearted suggestion, at best.
We’d both commented over the years about how miserable it would be to work for our local competitor, with out-of-state owners and a shop that had none of the personal touches of Patty’s Petals.
“Maybe… but I don’t even think that’ll be an option. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than a couple of cars in their parking lot at a time. They probably couldn’t even afford to take both of us on, even if wewantedto go there.” I grimaced at the thought. “And even though it probably goes without saying, I’ll go ahead and say it anyway—I don’twannawork there.”
If it came down to it, I would suck it up and do what I had to do. But even if I did hold my nose and submit an application to Simply Flowers, it would probably mean not only a pay cut I couldn’t afford, but another demoralizing setback. One of what had become a string of recent failures in my life.
“You know you could always come stay with me for a while if things get too rough at home,” Naomi said, smiling. “It might be fun to be roommates for a while.”
I grinned. “Itwouldbe fun. And I do appreciate the offer. But it’s not reallybadat home. Mom and I usually get along really well, actually. Tonight was just too much, with Brady and everything. Plus, when Idofinally move out, I want it to be a long-term thing. I want to sign a lease in my own name again, you know?” I sighed. “Or be able to answer the phone without wondering if it’s a bill collector on the other end of the line. I’m slowly paying down all the past-due bills that Kevin left me with, plus the eviction settlement but… it all takes time. And money. And now—just when I’m starting to make progress in putting all that shit behind me—everything is up in the air again.AndI’m sure I pissed Brady off at dinner, so that’ll make things really fun tomorrow at work.”
I slumped back against the couch cushions, exhausted from the day’s events and the mental energy it took just to stay on top of everything else. I didn’t normally let my precarious financial state get the best of me—it was my own poor judgment in trusting my ex that had gotten me into the predicament, after all.
But today, it was all just… a lot.
There was never agoodtime to hear that the job I loved, the place I felt safe and happy, was getting sold and would likely change beyond all recognition. But coming on the heels of me having the first twinge of maybe-possibly liking a guy for the first time in a while? The considerate way Brady had brought me coffee just that morning, the cute blushing, the hot looks Ithoughtwe’d exchanged…