Elly in Love (The Elly Series) (10 page)

Elly stretched her elbows out on the cool table and looked at her sketches. “These look great, but they are almost too girly. Maybe some white or silver organic greenery would draw out the pink.” She illustrated it out before her and sat back with a smile. “Yes. Perfect. Anthony, I have a good feeling about this.”

He looked up from the computer. “Those froufrou peonies are going to about two hundred dollars
a bunch
.”

“They have no budget.”

“
What?
”

“You heard me.”

“Holy crap, in that case, then yes. We can get those, lots of them.” Elly set down the silver pencil and stared out her store window. “Maybe …,” Elly paused, running her fingertips over her full lips.

“Maybe what?”

“Maybe if we book the
BlissBride
wedding, we could perhaps
think
about opening another store.”

Anthony gave a wide grin. “Seriously?”

“It’s just a thought, nothing more. Please don’t say anything to anyone. I need time to think about it, maybe talk it over with a financial expert.”
Herself.

“I won’t, I promise. But, in my opinion, it’s worth considering. You are at the top of your game right now. It’s a great time to expand your business.”

Elly nodded. “Let’s get through the interview first. I need to call Wildflower Linens and see if I can get a pinstripe tablecloth—maybe with raised crystal beading….”

Anthony held up his finger as he picked up the shrill phone on the desk. “Posies, this is Anthony speaking….” He put his palm over the mouthpiece. “It’s your hot sandwich man. Hey, ask him if I can run over and grab a cold cut special.”

Elly winked at Anthony and grabbed the phone. “Hey!”

“Hey, beautiful! How’s it going over there? Did Backpack Boy ever show up?”

Elly looked out the front window. “Nope, no sign of him. Now that it’s daylight and I’m in the store, I’m feeling a little bit like an idiot.” She wound the cord around her wrist, actually feeling more like a sixteen-year-old than anything, swooning at the sweet voice on the other end. “Do you have plans tonight?”

“Only you. What should we do?”

“Well, I would
love
to finally see your place,” said Elly. “I want to see if you really are a secret hoarder like I suspect. Is it baseball cards? Creepy old dolls?”

Keith laughed and then fell oddly silent. “Not tonight. I told you, I need fair warning to clean for you. I want you to still find me attractive after you see my place.”

Elly smiled. “I’m sure that nothing could ever make you unattractive to me.”

“What if I gained seven hundred pounds?” asked Keith.

“Even then.” Elly laughed. “That reminds me, Anthony wants to know if he can pop over and steal a cold cut.”

“Yup. I’ll start it now. Should I meet you at your place at seven?”

“Sounds great,” said Elly. She paused, carefully weighing the next sentence on her tongue. “Keith, I’d really like to see your place.”

“I know,” said Keith firmly. “You will, I promise. And I swear that I’m not homeless.”

“Okay. I miss you,” whispered Elly.

“I miss you more,” said Keith.

Elly reached out for the yellow wall behind the desk. “You know, I’m only a few walls away.” There was a loud retching sound from the design area as Anthony made a puking motion with a shower of peach sweet peas. “Okay, we’re gross. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

Elly hung up the phone and did a little dance. A date tonight, with Keith. In the short time they’d been dating, he had taken her to the St. Louis Zoo, on a riverboat tour, and to the famous Blueberry Hill. He always took her on creative, fabulous dates, and there was always a hot session of kissing to look forward to. Grinning from ear to ear and her heart tilting in her chest, Elly walked to the cooler.

“I guess we better design today, huh?” Anthony looked up at her from behind a bucket of periwinkle scabiosa.

Elly cringed. “That, and we have to scrub the floor today, as well as stock the new blue vases. You know, a new store is sounding better and better. If we’re only twirling a piece of grass in a glass tube, that will take a lot less cleaning.”

Anthony wiped his forehead. “You don’t have to sell me on it. I know you’ll hate me for saying this, but I think you should give her a chance at running the store. I know she’s is only a senior in high school, but she’s more competent than you give her credit for. And trends are changing. You saw the cover of last month’s
Floral Trends.”

Elly began gathering a handful of white veronicas and tiny blue bachelor buttons to put into a moss-filled cylinder. She had seen it—a twisted root, a single orchid, a small puddle of water, and the headline, “Floral Design Sees a Hot New Trend.” One by one, she draped the flowers over the container lid. “We’ll see how the TV interview goes. Honestly, Anthony, we probably won’t get on
BlissBride
and this conversation will all be for nothing.”

Anthony shook his head. “You never know what life will bring your way, Elly Jordan.” He straightened up and wiped his hands on a towel. “Well, time to go get my sandwich from Keith.”

Elly smiled. “Give him my….”

Anthony looked over at her, a smile stretched across his friendly face. “Give him your … love?”

Elly bit her lip and looked away uncomfortably. “Just tell him I said hi.”

A week passed, and before Elly could even breathe, the heavy smell of roses seeped out of Posies and onto Wydown Boulevard, leading passersby to sniff the air with curiosity. Elly watched out the front windows as a construction worker took off his hard hat, stuck his nose in the air, and smiled at the mysterious scent. “I’m glad that everyone else seems to be enjoying this.” She looked at her feet with a sigh.

Kim glanced up from the consultation table and burst into loud laughter. “Oh my gosh, what did you
do
?”

Snarky Teenager, who was still not really talking to Elly after their argument about the new store, walked out of the back room and gave a satisfied snicker. At least she had come in. Elly’s tone of voice had made that clear that it wasn’t a choice. When she used her “owner voice,” people usually listened.

Elly sighed and pushed a pink rose petal with her toe. It was the day of the
BlissBride
interview, a few days after she and Anthony had sketched out a very specific plan to wow Ms. Gemma Reynolds. No one had ever come for the backpack, which remained behind the door. So far, the ‘walking on rose petals’ theme was not going great. De-petaling one thousand two hundred and fifty roses—an intricate process in which one clutched a rose head, twisted firmly but gently at the same time, and then filtered the petals into a bucket—had been exhausting. Elly, Snarky Teenager, and Anthony had been left with numb hands and tired eyes. They had started scattering the petals two hours ago, and it seemed to get more challenging with each additional layer. Elly, exasperated, had instructed Anthony and Snarky Teenager to set up the table I while she had focused on covering the floor with pink rose petals. It wasn’t going well. Her back was writhing with sharp, jabbing muscle pains, and somehow she had literally petaled herself into a corner. Elly leaned against the wall and gave a sigh, her black bucket dropping to the ground.

The floor was finally perfect, a sea of soft pinks the colors of a flushed baby cheek. Anna, Blushing Akito, Charming Unique, and Titanic roses all contributed to the dewy pink floor. The layers gave the experience of walking on a bubble gum cloud. Elly looked up, hopeless, at Kim, who was lighting votive candles on the table, as her staff continued to laugh at her.

“How am I going to get from here to there without ruining everything? Arrrgh … this day sucks!” Elly took her shoes off and began slowly moving the petals out of the way and then slowly replacing them as she inched forward.

“It’s not
rocket science
!” screeched Snarky Teenager from the back.

Elly looked at Kim, exasperated.

“She’s been like this all day.” Kim shrugged. “She’s still mad. She’ll get over it.”

Moving her feet very slowly, Elly shuffled backwards over to the table, leaving a marked trail in her wake.

Elly made her way to the table, letting a soft smile play across her lips. “This looks incredible. Like something out of a dream,” she said as she reached out and gently touched a cream ranunculus, its green eye bursting from the center. “It really looks beautiful.”

Low, square dark glass vases overflowed with romantic cream and pink flowers. The glistening votives cast light over the water, sending sparkling particles of light across the navy table linens dotted with minimal white beading. It was lovely and modern—sparse and chic in just the right way. But the table paled in comparison to the floor, which was covered with the pink petals—a floral frosting that was impossible to look away from.

Kim glanced at her watch. “I think it’s time to get
you
ready.”

Elly groaned as she looked down at her feet. “I still have to fix my trail.”

Snarky Teenager stomped out of the back room, swinging her sleek blond ponytail with annoyance. “I’ll do it. Just … get out of the way.”

Elly stepped aside and watched Snarky Teenager prance across the floor like a nimble elf, fixing Elly’s ankle-deep trail. It was amazing how fast she had become at perfecting intricate details. The sea of petals became perfection under her quick moving fingers. Elly realized with a start that her moody apprentice might soon surpass her own talent.
She didn’t want to think about that now.
Instead, she turned to Kim. “Okay, make me attractive.”

Elly heard Snarky Teenager mumble something under her breath. Kim put her arm around Elly’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

They headed upstairs to Elly’s apartment, Elly pulling on a knee-length gray skirt and a ruffly pink shirt with a silk rosette at the bodice.
Not bad
, she thought, as she viewed herself in the mirror.
Not bad at all
. She still hated her calves and her wide hips, but the skirt hit all the right places.
Look at the pretty elephant!
Elly tried to force her inner critic to shut the hell up. Kim quickly pinned up Elly’s curls, letting a few bounce daintily around her face and did some minimal makeup, focusing on her bright eyes and full mouth.

Elly glanced at the clock. “Are we almost done here? They’ll be here soon.”

Kim scowled, bobby pins hanging out of her mouth. “Hold on, hold on. You are the most impatient person I’ve ever known.” She spun Elly around in front of the mirror. “Okay, what do you think?”

Elly grinned. “I look like I know what I’m doing.”

“And hot!” They both smiled.

Elly clicked down the stairs, unsteady on the tall heels that she had bought for the occasion.
Heels were the worst
. Anthony whistled as she came around the corner. Bells clanged, announcing that someone had entered the store.

“Oh my gosh,” hissed Elly, “they aren’t supposed to be here yet!”

Snarky Teenager peeked out the curtains. “It’s just Keith. Life is so lame.”

Elly snapped her fingers. “Hey. Be nice.”

Snarky Teenager stood in the doorway, blocking his way. “You can’t come in because you’ll ruin absolutely everything.”

Elly looked over her shoulder and waved at Keith. “Hi! She’s right, you can’t come in because of the petals! They have to be perfect.”

Keith nodded, although the look on his face suggested to Elly that he had no idea what she was talking about. “Okay!” he shouted back. “But I wanted you to have these!” He held out a tiny box of petits fours—done in navy, pink, and pinstripes. “I made these at home last night, I hope they help!”

Elly squealed as Snarky Teenager carefully brought the box over to her. “These are perfect, thank you!” she yelled back.

“I can’t wait to hear how your day goes!” he yelled over Snarky Teenager. “Elly, I think you are amazing and remember that you deserve this! You are the best they will find!”

Snarky Teenager gave a
giant
eye roll and looked at Elly with annoyance. “Gross. Can we finish, please?”

“Yes.” Elly gave a curt nod of her head. “I better get back to work. Thanks for these!”

Keith gave her a thumbs-up and winked at Snarky Teenager, who gave him a reluctant smile. Keith could always win her over.

Shutting the door sent creamy whirls of petals into the air with the pressure change. Anthony breathed out a low sigh. “It’s like being in Barbie’s dream.”

They dimmed the lights and lit the candles and stood back to look together at the most romantic thing Elly had ever seen. It was a modern fairy tale—a shimmering table atop a swell of soft pink, every girl’s dream. Kim turned on the stereo, and entrancing jazz softly played through hidden speakers. Snarky Teenager brushed lint off Elly’s shoulder. “Don’t forget, don’t tell any dumb jokes, like that one about the pie.”

Elly chortled.
That joke was so funny.

“And don’t forget to mention the color platform and glamour integration.”

Elly nodded. “I’ve got it.”

“And don’t tell them you are dating a guy who makes sandwiches. And tell them you’re on a diet.”

Elly narrowed her eyes and squared her shoulders.
“I said, I got it.”

Snarky Teenager gave her one of her dazzling white smiles and pecked her on the cheek. “You’re going to do great.”

“Are you not mad anymore, not that you had a right to be?”

Snarky Teenager pouted. “Well, a little, but Anthony told me that maybe you would think about the other store if we got the
BlissBride
wedding.”

Elly gasped and looked at Anthony. “You are in trouble—that was supposed to be a secret!”

Anthony gave a guilty shrug. “She bribed me with a J. Crew shirt! I had to tell her.”

Elly took a deep breath, and addressed her staff and Kim who was packing up her purse. “I don’t want anyone to focus on another store right now. This could be a very important day for our business, and I want us all to have tunnel vision. Anthony, make sure you meander around and look like you are doing very important things.” He burst out laughing. “You laugh, but I’m completely serious.” She turned to Snarky Teenager. “And what do you do?”