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But Ididhave to accept it. Or at least, Iwouldhave to… sometime.
Sometime soon.
It was only after I’d been sitting in the office, sipping my still-too-hot latte for nearly five minutes, that I realized the computer screen in front of me was still blank. I was almost certain I’d turned it on as soon as I walked in.
Okay, great. It’s gonna be one ofthosemornings.Thanks, universe.
“Comeon, stupid machine,” I muttered under my breath when the little green cursor suddenly appeared again with no warning. That would be a good thing if I actually knew how I’d managed to get it back.
Especially when it immediately disappeared again.
I stifled a sigh as I turned the ancient machine off and back on again, trying to remember what the IT guy had said the last time I had called about this exact problem. Had it been the… router? The… adapter? The motherboard? Nope.
I couldn’t remember what the IT guy had said to do… but then again, my technical knowledge didn’t extend much further than flipping the switch and unplugging it.
I wasn’t even sure what a motherboardwas.
If I was being honest, I wasn’t even sure if that was an actual thing.
I frowned as I realized that another call for technical support would certainly be in my near future. That wasn’t how I’d hoped to spend my morning. I just wanted to be with my flowers, to keep my hands busy and my mind clear.
Now, though, my morning needed as much of a reset as the computer did.
But at least it was still early in the day. Hopefully, there would still be time to fit in tech supportanda little flower therapy.
The bell above the front door jingled, and I poked my head out of the office, grateful for something else to focus on. I grinned when I saw Mr. Robbins, another of Henry’s long-time and loyal customers, shuffle in.
After dealing with the beeping-and-blinking-and-still-not-computing computer, even the old man’s shopping style—with his noncommittal shrugs and one-word answers always a test of my skills as a clairvoyant—would almost be a welcome distraction.
At least I would be in my element when dealing with Mr. Robbins. Computers might be a foreign language, but flowers?
Yeah, I would gladly talk about those all day.
“Good morning, Mr. Robbins,” I called out, putting on my best smile and feeling a little bit of relief as I walked out of the office and around the front counter to greet the first customer of the day. “How are you doing?”
The older man took his time studying—and touching and smelling—three separate arrangements without acknowledging the fact that I had asked him a question.
If I hadn’t already been familiar with Mr. Robbins’ little quirks, I would’ve thought the man was either hard of hearing or unnecessarily rude.
Well, if I was being honest, he was both of those things. However, I’d learned not to take any of it personally years ago. It was just who Mr. Robbins was. And at least the man was self-aware enough to buy flowers for his wife on a regular basis, so that redeemed him a little in my eyes.
“Hm?” Mr. Robbins finally made eye contact, although he couldn’t have seemed more disinterested in my question if he’d tried. “Oh, as well as can be expected, I guess.”
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch at the reply. It was the same response I always got from the man. The day Mr. Robbins came in and wasn’t doing “as well as could be expected” would be the day I would start to worry about the old codger.
“That’s good,” I answered, keeping a straight face. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you in here. Did Mrs. Robbins enjoy those Peruvian lilies you got her last time?”
Mr. Robbins shrugged. “She seemed happy enough with them. A bit too exotic for my taste, though.”
I turned away for a moment and cleared my throat to cover up the tiny laugh that had been trying to break free. I’d just received what I’d classify as glowing praise from the old man, but—in true Edmond Robbins fashion—he hadn’t been able to let a hint of a compliment go unchecked.
Still, if his wife had liked the flowers, which was all that mattered… and I knew that if shehadn’tliked them, I would’ve heard about it long before now.
“Mhm,” I said, reaching out to straighten a rose that had gone askew under Mr. Robbins’ handsy inspection. “I remember you said that at the time. But I’m glad she ended up liking them. So… what brings you in today? I’ve just got some carnations that I think would make a nice bouquet. I can show you if you’d like….”
The older man shook his head. “Maybe later, Joanne. The fact is, I just came in because….” Mr. Robbins looked away for a minute, and when his gaze met mine again, his eyes were suspiciously bright with emotion. “Well, because I was thinking about Henry, if you want to know the truth.”
My expression softened as I reached out to gently squeeze the old man’s shoulder in a move that the older man probably would’ve found a little too friendly and informal under different circumstances. These weren’t normal circumstances, though; it was the closest thing to a hug I was willing to risk.
