any longer – apparently something common among florists – but Christian could only hope that’d never happen to him. This smell meant Carla, and Carla meant love.
Looking up, Carla saw who it was and sent him a brilliant smile, heading around the counter and pushing her turquoise-rimmed reading glasses into the pile of hair on top of her head.
“Hi, bebé,” she said with an excited grin, laying one on him that made him wish that they were in a less public place than her flower shop, and then pulled back, looking concerned. “I didn’t realize you’d be coming over early. I don’t close for another 30 minutes.”
He shrugged. “I wanted to bring these to you now,” he held out the bag from the Muffin Man and she let out a squeal of delight, “and figured I could hang around until you close if you’re too busy to close up early. I have some exciting news I want to share.” He wiggled his eyebrows in what he could only hope was a mysterious way, and she laughed.
“Sadly, Mrs. Panuska is coming over with her daughter to approve the final design for the flowers for the wedding this weekend, so I can’t close up early. You could always tell me while we wait for them to show up.” She looked up at him hopefully as she peeled the paper off a muffin.
He shook his head, trying to look stern and failing in the face of such naked begging. “Nope. This is an ‘after the store closes’ kind of conversation.”
She looked at him, her mouth screwed up as she tried to decide what on earth the big news could be, when the doorbell jingled and in walked an overbearing woman practically towing a younger woman along behind her. This must be Mrs. Panuska and her daughter. Listening to the woman asking all of the questions, the bride-to-be mute as her mother decided on changes in style and colors, Christian decided the daughter was getting married simply and solely to get out from underneath her mother’s thumb.
Tyrannical didn’t begin to describe Mrs. Panuska.
Bored, Christian wandered into the back and into Autumn’s office. At least, it was what he assumed was her office. It had been the last ten times he’d been to the store. Today, however, it just looked like it was ground zero of some kind of fancy fabric explosion.
“Autumn?” he said hesitantly, not sure if she was even in the room. She pushed her way from behind some boxes, swearing as she went.
“Hey, Christian,” she said, pushing her curls out of her face. “Come to help me?”
“Uhhh…sure.” He had six sisters and a mom. He was used to being voluntold for all sorts of projects.
“Good. Mrs. Panuska will be here at least another 30 minutes, making sure that Carla has plenty of time to question her life choices. In the meanwhile, I need you to help me cut this tulle into 3-foot lengths.”
Tool, eh? It doesn’t look a damn thing like any tools I’ve ever used, but sure. Why not.
As they laid out and cut the tulle into 3-foot lengths, Autumn pattered on about her worthless boyfriend, Johnny, and how miserable he was lately, and how that was making her miserable, and life was too short to be miserable, and she sure wished he’d learn how not to be miserable, and Christian was just on the verge of asking Autumn why on earth she was still with this guy when Carla popped her head around the corner.
“I wondered if Autumn had put you to work,” she said with a grin. “Mrs. Panuska is gone and the front door is locked. You wanna go out for a drive? Or up to my place? Or out to yours…?”
“Let’s just head upstairs,” Christian said, not wanting to wait another moment to tell Carla the big news. Carla looked surprised for just a moment – she knew how bad his allergies could get if he spent too much time in her apartment, even after all of the allergy shots he’d endured so far – but then shrugged and smiled.
“Okay, but Autumn,” she turned to her friend, “if the bed starts a-rockin’—”
“Don’t come a-knockin’,” Autumn finished. “Do I look like I was born yesterday? I might just put in earbuds. If I ain’t getting any, I don’t want to hear anyone else getting any.”
As Carla and Christian climbed the stairs, Christian asked in a whisper, “Why is Autumn with Johnny?”
“That, bebé, is the $64,000 question,” Carla said,