container on the counter and looked around for Mrs. Smythe. Seeing her across the store looking at candle holders, LuAnn walked around the counter to get Mrs. Smythe's attention. The handsome woman turned around, her sharp blue eyes first landing on LuAnn then switching over to the arrangement on the counter.
"Oh, my word, that is the most stunning arrangement I've ever seen."
She walked past LuAnn to the counter and stood in amazement before the flowers. LuAnn smiled as she followed Mrs. Smythe; she was clearly happy with her choices. A sigh of relief released LuAnn's shoulders and the tightness in her back a bit.
Walking behind the counter she smiled as she watched Mrs. Smythe turn the arrangement back and forth to see the whole thing.
"LuAnn, I am absolutely in love with this."
"I'm happy and relieved to hear that. I'm extremely proud of it myself to be honest with you."
"You should be. I am going to be the envy of my Bridge Club and I have you to thank for it. I'm so excited I could burst."
LuAnn laughed. It felt good to be appreciated for doing something good. Something she loved at that. This was the feeling she'd always been missing. Feeling as if she was wanted because she did a good job was wonderful. How immature she'd been before. It was embarrassing to think of it now.
Pushing her old inferior thoughts away, she rang up Mrs. Smythe's purchase. "I can carry it to the car for you, it's heavy."
"Oh, thank you, dear, I appreciate it."
LuAnn pulled a large cardboard box from under the table behind her, set the arrangement in the box and wrapped the whole thing with a clear plastic bag. "This will protect it until you get home. Once you get it on the table where it will sit, take a spray bottle and give the whole arrangement a light mist with water."
"I'll do just that. Thank you."
LuAnn followed Mrs. Smythe out the door of the store, her heavy burden tucked tight to her body to keep from dropping it.
She set it on the floor of the backseat passenger side of the car, tucked some newspaper around the outside of the box to keep it upright and then smiled her brightest smile to Mrs. Smythe.
"Have a great dinner. I can't wait to hear how the ladies are green with envy."
"Oh, I'll certainly let you know."
LuAnn watched Mrs. Smythe drive away from the store, her mood lifted once again and more eager than ever to see Chase and tell him about her day. At least her afternoon, the morning hadn't been all that great.
She walked back to the greenhouse to find Jan and Lily waiting for her. She stopped short worried she'd done something wrong.
Lily was the first to comment. "LuAnn, you did a fantastic job on that arrangement. Mom and I think your reward should be to see your man early. With pay. Please go enjoy his company and make him feel better."
Her eyes teared up. "Oh, wow, thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me."
Jan replied. "It's our pleasure. Thank you for doing such a great job."
As she drove to the hospital, LuAnn decided to send pictures of her arrangement to Rosie. Hopefully, she'd appreciate how her student had excelled. At least in this area of her life.
30
Chase looked at the time on his phone. Another hour and fifteen minutes. He couldn't wait to see her.
His thoughts went to the one thing he'd never said out loud to anyone. "I love her." He loved LuAnn. He'd actually been in love with her for years, even though he'd never told her so. His love grew for her as she matured in prison. Her metamorphoses. He knew that people just didn't change all of their bad behaviors, but actually, one of LuAnn's worst behaviors was trying to get Dog's attention. She'd likely not be doing that anymore. She'd changed how she dressed, and he liked this LuAnn so much better. She was sexy, always had been, but that hard edge and trashy component that his younger self liked was now gone. In many ways, he'd matured while LuAnn was in prison, too.
The door to his room opened and he casually glanced over. Surprised was such an inept word for seeing LuAnn walk through his door early.
She quickly walked to him and he reached his hand out to touch her.
"Oh my God. Are you in pain? Are you hurt anywhere else besides your head? Can