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“How is the decoration going?” she
“Well, I caught Agnes being spiteful over the honeysuckle hanging baskets I loaded onto every streetlight. She called them tacky and said no one in their right mind would find them romantic! I told her that in the right scenario, honey is extremely sexy.” Lily laughed heartily. “Could have knocked her over with a feather.”
“Oh my god, I’m so sad I missed that!”
“The mayor has a hard-on for the tree this year. Of course, he ignored all the people who told him we could just have a normal tree and decorate it pink but he insisted on creating a health hazard and spray painting it.”
“That I’m not sorry I missed,” I chuckled. My focus split slowly between the work on my laptop and Lily’s tales of how the town was slowly coming together for the festival. All flower decorations were being taken care of and each shop window was to be filled with pink tea lights. From streamers and glitter to paper hearts and chocolate; the town was well on its way to being complete.
“I just wish there was more I could do for advertising, y’know?” Lily muttered. “The mayor was in here talking about the declining tourist trade because no one travels at this time of year. I told him we have to cast a wider net, but he just refused to listen. That man is stuck in the past.”
“I could help?” I offered. “I have a little time between projects, I could whip up a few posts for socials, and see if we can spread the word wider that way? If nothing else, it gives me practice.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all. Even better, if you could send me some pictures of the displays you’ve done, I’ll make you front and center. Advertise two things at once, y’know?”
“Oh Scarlett, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t want to take the credit.”
“It’s your work,” I insisted. “The credit is yours.”
“Hm. Alright then, yes! I think that would be great.”
“Awesome!” I quickly accessed my online calendar and scribbled in a reminder.
“Do you think you will be back in time? We’ll be doing the roses soon,” Lily asked.
Ahh.
As per tradition, a red rose dipped in gold paint was how to let someone know you were interested and ask them to be your Valentine. Shane had never bothered and the only rose I’d ever received was from Lily. A sweet gesture in the wake of a shitty boyfriend.
“Honestly? I have no idea. I’ve done everything asked of me and last I heard, Matt was going to talk to Toby about a one-on-one so we could talk like adults but I’m not holding my breath.” I sighed deeply and the chair beneath me creaked as I shifted. “I’ve decided to be patient for now. I’m still a little ashamed of myself for what happened at the Gala, so I figure if I keep my head down, wait for a call, and make some money at the same time, it’s not too bad.”
“God, I wish I’d seen that,” Lily chuckled. “My little Scarlett finally going off on someone. Fuck, I’d pay to see that!”
“It was too much to drink,” I groaned softly. “What a fool.”
“That dress, though…” Lily trailed off and she cheered slightly. “No wonder you have suitors queueing up at your door.”
“Oh please,” I scoffed. “That dress was…” It still hung in my hotel closet. Lucas really had been serious about making me keep it. “It was beautiful but too much. Anyway, I have to go. I’m expecting a call from another client.”
“Alright, well don’t work too hard, okay? I’ll send you pictures of the main display by the fountain once it’s done for the posters.”
“Please do. Love you!”
“Love you too.”
The call from my client came through almost immediately and the next hour was spent discussing all possible ideas on how to attract people to the swimming pool. The line between encouraging and preachy was thin, especially at this time of year when people were swamped with gross ads about getting fit for summer. In the end, I was able to guide my client toward a more fun theme. Swimming was fun for friends and family, a great way to spend time with people, and the perfect way to distract a busy mind.
With all of my client’s wishes in mind, I ended the call and got to work. The company’s logo was a dolphin which made the fun, friendly aspect of the designs much easier. The afternoon wore on and just as the word started to darken, I finished up the design and sent the first draft off to the client with a satisfied sigh. My next client had rescheduled, so I ordered another coffee and started work on the Valentine’s designs for Lily.
Working like this, even with a busy cafe around me, was quite blissful. It was easy to quieten my mind from everything that had been happening and focus purely on design. While the cafe was noisy, it provided company I wasn’t used to having while I worked and there was something really pleasant about the atmosphere.
I could spend eternity working here.
Suddenly, a deep calm voice made it through the music in my earphones and I jumped.
“Valentine’s Day? Isn’t it a little early for that?”
