A few short days ago I was shot, saved by a hot FBI guy, and fell into a deep crush on said hot guy. Then my apartment was ransacked by the same crazy man who would have killed me had Jonah not saved me. I’d lost a friend, not a best friend, not even a super close one, more of a good acquaintance, but I liked Katrina. She was cool and so nice. She didn’t deserve to be caught up in this. Then again none of the women he hurt, including myself, deserved anything this psychopath was doling out.
Then I had the most amazing day with Jonah, met his parents, and met his nasty ex-wife, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave my guy the opportunity to open up about her. Finding out how she’d ruined their marriage was a blow. It would have been for anyone. Learning that your wife betrayed you with your brother would be hard enough, but seeing it in living color had to be like watching a tornado shred through your childhood home. And I could tell from how repeating the story gutted him that the wound was still sore. Though I truly believed him sharing it with me, offloading that hurt onto someone else’s shoulders, helped take some of the weight off him.
And now there was another body.
In my freakin’ car.
I shook my head and clipped some big fat pink Gerbera daisies and plunked them into the waiting vase. The person who ordered them had chosen a sunshine yellow glass vase that would look amazing with a mix of bright pinks, whites, yellows, neon green, and some pops of purple. It was a birthday order and I loved doing the happy designs. Made me smile with all the joyful colors.
Just as I wrapped a bright green satin bow around the yellow vase, finishing off the order, a pitter patter of tiny, fast feet came running into the big, open design space in the back.
“Auntie!” Rory screeched as she entered the back room.
I crouched down and opened my arms. She slammed right into me and I lifted her up and spun around in a circle making her squeal with glee. I kissed her all over her pretty face and neck until she started kicking her little feet. Those suckers were like mini punches. She’d make a good soccer player one day.
I tucked her to my hip and focused on her see-through, amber-colored eyes. Genesis wasn’t one to boast or brag, especially since she worked her butt off in school and college to become a social worker but her child was the most beautiful I’d ever seen. Her African-American, Korean, and Caucasian genetics made my niece stunning. Genesis was constantly getting stopped by people in stores to admire Rory. And on top of it all, the little girl was the most social creature ever. Loved everyone and everything.
“How’s my big girl doing? You ready to help Auntie make flowers?”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands.
“Where’s my little doll-face?” Mama Kerri’s voice echoed through the room as she entered. She placed her hands on her hips. “I see you found Auntie Simone.” She came over to us both and kissed me on the temple than grabbed Rory’s chubby little hand and kissed the inside of her palm until she laughed. “You got her? I’m going to help Delores with some customers up front. They’ve got the two front desk clerks out doing deliveries.”
“Of course.” I bounced my girl. “We’ve got this.”
“Yay!” Rory clapped again, her joy clear on her face. I used a towel to shove aside any dangerous clippings that she might get into then set her on the table. She got up onto her knees and reached for a white daisy. “Pwetty.”
“It is, baby. It’s a daisy.”
She repeated the word. I grabbed the next vase, this one a short, squat, fat, dark green glass. I took the daisy and clipped half of the stem off. “Now put it in the vase like I taught you.”
Rory placed it in the center. For a while I clipped flowers and greens and handed them to her to place into the vase. Every time she put one in, she’d look at it and repeat, “Pwetty.” To her it was a game and I was on board for it. Hearing her joy and laughter and seeing her cute toddler smiles was filling up my cup to full. Soaking my soul in