Maybe This Time(42)

When I got the first call at the shop three days ago, from one of John’s sons, he had said it was a heart attack. That it happened in the night and he passed on peacefully. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I kept walking and stepped outside. “Sorry about the lack of flowers, John,” I said to the sky.

“Are you talking to dead people?” Micah was leaning against the flower van.

“Yes, actually,” I said. “Nobody but family, well, and me, bought him flowers.” It wasn’t until the words were out of my mouth that I noticed Andrew coming over to join Micah. “What are you two doing here?” I added. “This event isn’t catered.” Much like the flowers, in this town the food was brought to an open house, potluck-style, after the graveside service.

Andrew cleared his throat. “My dad made a dish to bring to the family later, but Micah said it would be strange to show up at the house without having attended the funeral. So here I am. And this feels stranger to me—going to the funeral of a man I’ve never met.”

“You met him.” I walked around to the driver’s side and climbed into the flower van.

“Are you going somewhere?” Micah asked.

“Yes, I have to run back to the shop.”

Micah slid open a side door and gestured for Andrew to get in. He did, and Micah climbed in after him and shut the door.

“I’ve met him?” Andrew asked as I started the van.

“At the Valentine’s Dinner. He was my dessert date.”

“The guy who gave me a hard time when you were the one abusing me?”

I looked both ways and pulled out onto the street. “I disagree with your memory but yes, that guy.”

“See,” Micah said, “you have met him. Now you can stop whining about having to come to this. Besides, weren’t you just saying at the Fourth of July thing that you were bummed there wasn’t another event until October? Your wish has been granted.”

“I wasn’t wishing death upon someone!” Andrew said.

“It’s the silver lining,” Micah said. Then she leaned forward and tugged on the layered sleeve of my black blouse. “You look cute.”

“Thanks.”

“What about me?” Andrew asked. “Do I look cute?”

“No,” I said at the same time Micah said, “Always.”

“Why do you encourage him?” I asked.

Micah pinched his chin. “Because look at this face. It’s so adorable.”

Andrew smirked, eating up the praise.

Micah turned her attention to the road in front of us. “Where are we going again?” she asked me.

I made a left onto Main Street. “Like I said, we only have four flower arrangements. I’m getting a few more from the shop.”

“We get to see headquarters?” Andrew asked.

“Yes, you get to see where Sophie gets her powers,” Micah replied with a laugh.

“Ugh,” I said. “You get to see what drains all my energy in a huge fragrant time suck.”

In the rearview mirror, Micah gave me a big eye roll. On the right, we passed Everything, and then I pulled into the parking lot of Every Occasion.

I shut off the engine, and we climbed out of the van. The sign on the door of the shop announced we were closed for the John Farnsworth funeral, basically shaming anyone who wasn’t doing the same. I unlocked the door and held it open for Micah and Andrew. The scent in the shop was powerful. Roses, mainly, with a hint of decay. The door shut behind me with a bell ring.

Two walls of the shop were glass-doored fridges to keep the already-arranged flowers fresh. The display table at the center of the shop was full of various types of fresh-cut flowers. We also had a wall with cards and small stuffed animals.

“We won’t be here long,” I said, making my way to the half-off fridge on the back wall. I examined the selection in there. Most were completely inappropriate for a funeral—a pink-and-red rose display, a cheery yellow-daisy-and-orange-chrysanthemum arrangement—but I found some more neutral options. One that was all white roses, one that was various shades of hydrangeas. I remembered we had some leftover lilies in the back, so I decided I would quickly grab those as well.

Andrew laughed from somewhere behind me, and I turned to see him examining the large standing chalkboard in the corner. We usually displayed it right outside the door during business hours. Caroline used it to make store announcements. I used it to highlight different flowers. This morning, before we closed, I had added a paragraph about lilies. At first Caroline hadn’t liked my snarky, seemingly negative assessments of flowers, but the customers liked them so much that she’d eventually come around. Now I’d even found her chuckling at a few.

I went to the back, grabbed the bucket of lilies, and brought them to the front counter.

“So many lilies.” Micah picked a large white one out of the bucket and tucked it in her tight curls, which she wore natural today.

“Didn’t you say lilies were your favorite?” Andrew asked, walking over to the counter.

He remembered what I said my favorite flower was? “No, I said calla lilies were my favorite.”

“Um …”

“They’re not the same thing,” I said. “They’re not even in the same genus.” Okay, so I wouldn’t have known this before working at the store, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to use it against him.