I, Gracie - Sharon Sala Page 0,65

the marbles were in place, she filled the vase part way up with water, then began adding flowers, keeping all the stems the same height and mounding them like a formal wedding bouquet, then she added a collar of tree ferns in shorter length around them.

With her vision of a bridal bouquet in mind, she grabbed two spools of silver ribbon—one wide enough to make bows and the other narrower to make streamers.

She hadn't made bows in years, but the skill came back the moment she started working. And when she was finished, she fastened it to a green floral pick and inserted it in between the stems. Now the arrangement, which had been a full three-sixty design, had a front.

She stepped back again, eyed the arrangement and smiled. It looked like a bridal bouquet. A gorgeous, pink and mauve bridal bouquet, the perfect height for the four-tiered anniversary cake noted on the work order. At that point she totaled the cost and stopped.

"Okay, Reba. You can go get Donna," Gracie said.

Reba looked up, her eyes widening, and then headed down the hall.

Gracie knew they looked good, but without seeing the level of work coming out of here, she had no idea if it would measure up. Then she heard the thump and scoot of Donna's crutches and turned as she entered the work room.

Donna had had to make herself stay busy to keep from peeking. Her other two employees had gone to late lunch, so they weren't here, and it was just as well. It wasn't easy to do your best work with people watching. She liked Gracie Dunham and really hoped she was good enough to hire. When she finally heard footsteps coming toward her office, she glanced up. If Gracie was through, she'd done two big orders in under an hour.

"She's ready," Reba said.

"What do you think?"

"You're the boss," Reba said.

Donna sighed. She didn't know what to make of that comment, so she got up and hobbled out of her office. Within seconds of walking into the workroom, she saw Gracie, then her work, and froze.

"Holy shit!" Donna said, and hobbled forward as fast as she could move toward the funeral arrangement.

"I love that ribbon fringe around the basket. I've never seen anything quite like that! It's stunning. The whole arrangement is gorgeous. And the anniversary arrangement! Oh my God. You turned it into a wedding bouquet. I know that couple personally, and this is going to blow their minds."

Gracie breathed a quick sigh of relief.

"I kept a list of what I used, and the total cost of each arrangement," she said, and handed over the list.

Donna glanced at it and nodded.

"Detailed and gifted. You, Gracie Dunham, are a find! Reba, honey, would you please put the proper cards on these two arrangements and get them in the cooler? Gracie, follow me back to the office, please."

Reba winked as they passed.

Gracie felt like dancing, and she hadn't felt like dancing in years.

"Have a seat," Donna said, and dropped back into her chair. "I was expecting to offer you the minimum starting salary if you were good enough, and you, my dear, are good enough. But I cannot, in all conscience, pay you a starting salary. You are very gifted, my dear. I am offering you this job at $3,500 a month."

Gracie exhaled on a slow, relieved sigh. "I'll take it."

Donna beamed. "Wonderful! I have a large clientele, and your experience with event planning is going to play a part in your job. We do weddings, funerals, corporate parties. We even do flowers for the musical shows on the strip, for the upscale hotels, plus all the usual floral customers. I have a thriving business, but it's working me to death. Your experience will relieve me of having to deal with event planners. They make my eyes roll back in my head."

Gracie laughed. "They're detail oriented. They have to be."

Donna shrugged. "I know, I know. So am I, but in a different way. Can you start tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Donna grinned. "You don't have to dress up. But you need to be neat, because at any time, you might work the front with a customer, especially until my ankle is better. We open at eight, and close at five, with an hour off for lunch, and we're open a half-day Saturday. We're closed on the usual national holidays. I pay by direct deposit, so I'll need your bank info. Always wear comfy shoes, and one of the girls will show you