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“Natalia, hey!” The man hugs the woman, and she beams.
Natalia. How could I have mistaken that as my old name? I’ve been jittery as a hunted doe since that lone rose was sent to me a few weeks back.
“You alright, dear?” Elle asks.
“Yeah. Just give me a minute.” Still trembling, I open the shop.
I come out from the back room with Bruce in my arms.
“Oh, my Lord. Isn’t he handsome? Thank you,” Elle cries. “I wish my mom was here. She would’ve been so happy.”
After Elle leaves, I head straight to my workroom to catch up with my piling orders. Mama was struck by pneumonia for a few days, and then I was down with the flu. My priority today is a plush dog (which almost got eaten by a real dog) belonging to a three-year-old boy. He’s been waiting patiently for a week for it.
Before I even start, I hear someone coming in.
“Amber-Rose Cannizzaro?”
I stare at the men in Carrier uniforms. “Yes?”
“We’re here to fix your heating, ma’am.”
“I didn’t call for repairs.”
“No, ma’am. A gentleman by the name of Robson Hartley did. He said it was a gift, and he would be disappointed if you said no.”
Is Rob for real? No one has ever done anything like this for me. It would be so cold of me to snub his effort and attention.
“Alright, then.” After weeks of nothing from him, he’s making his return with a bang. A thoughtful bang.
While the Carrier men get to work, I call Rob.
“Robson Hartley.”
My shop phone number must’ve come up as ‘unknown’ for him. But I’m glad, because that gives me a chance to hear his well-modulated voice saying his own name.
“Rob, it’s Amber.”
“Amber-Rose. So good to hear from you.”
“I don’t know what to say. I really appreciate… um… your gift.”
“You’re welcome. Those two men are some of the best technicians on the Central Coast, so you’re in good hands.”
“How’s Matthew?”
“He’s better. A lot better, thanks. And Bjork is still his best friend.”
A fuzzy sensation blossoms within me. This is my second year running the shop, but I doubt anything else will ever top the significance of what I did with Bjork.
But I’m not calling him about the bear. “Why the gift, Rob?”
“A bribe.”
I cackle. His straightforwardness is rather refreshing. “Okay. What can I do for you?”
“Would you come to dinner tonight?”
I look at the man standing on the ladder, removing the old heating unit while his partner watches him from below, so I can be sure this isn’t a dream.
