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They were pretty. And also… a lot. Preston had sent flowers every day the salon was open. And on my days off, he’d sent them to my house.
It was wildly romantic.
Or… it had been wildly romantic at first. Now it was getting to be a little bit overwhelming.
But maybe he was done. He’d made his statement. After all, it was well past midday, and a new bouquet hadn’t arrived.
I grabbed another vase and moved it to the console table. “I think the one on the other end can go in the garbage at this point. It’s looking sad. And he hasn’t sent any more, so this is probably it.”
“I don’t want to say I hope so, because it’s very sweet and he obviously wants to make an impression.” She sneezed again. “But, yeah.”
“You know what, I’ll just mention to him that they’re beautiful but making you sneeze.”
“That’s okay, you don’t have to do that.”
“There’s no reason to let the guy I’m dating inadvertently make your work day miserable.”
The front door opened and Vicky Surrey, the mayor’s wife, poked her head in. “Hi Marigold. Can I put one of these in your window?”
She held up a Missing Persons poster with a picture of Brielle Thayer.
“Of course,” I said. “Is that poor girl still missing?”
“Afraid so,” Vicky said. “It’s a sticky situation, what with her parents and all.”
“What about her parents?”
“Well, a friend reported her missing, but her parents tried to get them to call off the search. Said we shouldn’t bother. You didn’t hear it from me, but I’d say they don’t particularly seem to want her back.”
I felt a pang of sympathy for the young woman. “Are the police still trying to find her anyway?”
“The police are doing what they can. The SPS is stepping up to fill in the gap.”
That made me smile. The Squirrel Protection Squad had been formed when someone had been stalking my friend Audrey—and had harmed a couple of squirrels in the process. They genuinely cared about Tilikum’s infamous squirrel population, but they’d done their best to look out for Audrey too.
“I’m so glad the SPS is helping. Hopefully someone hears from her soon. And yes, please put the poster in the window. The more we get her face out there, the better.”
“Thank you kindly, Ms. Martin.” She used a roll of tape she produced from a pocket to stick the sign to the window, then said goodbye and left.
I grabbed two more bouquets and took them to the back. The front door bell tinkled as I set them on my desk. I wondered who it was. I didn’t have another client until this afternoon.
After taking a second to fluff my hair and straighten my blouse, I went out to the front to see who had come in. I rounded the corner just in time to see the flower delivery guy leaving and Stacey holding yet another large bouquet.
My shoulders slumped. Again?
“Let me take those.” I hurried to the front to grab the vase from Stacey before she started sneezing.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but what is he trying to accomplish with all this?”
That was a good question. Was he just a little over the top? If one bouquet was nice, daily flowers would be even better?
“I think he’s just a romantic at heart.” Was he, or was that my wishful thinking? “I’ll move the rest and we can just leave today’s on the front counter. Will that be okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll keep them over in the other corner. One shouldn’t bother me.”
We rearranged the flowers so they weren’t all in Stacey’s face while she worked. Before I could pop out for lunch, I had a walk-in. Fortunately, it was just Olive Hembree in for a quick cut. I took her back to my station and got to work. I’d have her styled and on her way in less than an hour.
The door opened again, making the bell tinkle. I paused and shut my eyes while I took a deep breath. If it was more flowers, I didn’t know what I was going to do. And if it was another customer, I had to decide whether I’d take them, which would mean no break at all today, or ask them to make an appointment.
