AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Losing my sister, though, hurt the most.
Eden was my big sister and my best friend.
The one who constantly refused to quit on me.
I knew that every time I needed her, all I had to do was call, and she’d come running. But after the third time, the fourth time, the fifth time, I stopped calling her. I couldn’t keep seeing the pain on her face, the utter devastation when I’d go back to him. Not only did I know I was hurting her by forcing her to see me like that, but it got to the point where I was quite simply embarrassed.
I felt weak.
I felt worthless.
Like I didn’t deserve her support even if I knew she’d give it to me over and over again.
And even now, I still didn’t.
Flowers became the one thing I had to hang on to.
Our neighbor had the most beautiful garden I’d ever seen. I’d sit and stare at it out the window for hours, studying the leaves, the colors, and watching the flowers bloom. They gave me something to focus on. Something beautiful thathecouldn’t take from me.
They gave me life when I felt like I was losing mine.
And I knew if they helped me that much, I needed to use them to help others too.
A car horn blared, and I jumped, grabbing hold of the door to Leaf It To Me with one bead of sweat dripping down the side of my face. “One minute to spare,” I huffed breathlessly but with a smile, unlocking the old wooden door and pushing it open. “Sandy, I’m here!”
Sandy, the owner, has had the place for more than ten years. She’s older, well into her sixties, but it was her dream, just like mine, to spend her days surrounded by the beauty and the smell, and to use my passion to help other people spread joy and say the words or share the emotions that maybe they find hard to express. I skipped through the packed store, full of arrangements, potted plants, and a carefully organized array of balloons, knick-knacks, and decorations that were the perfect accessory to a stunning bouquet. Sandy stepped out of the slim doorway leading to the back room, her green apron tied around her waist and her hands in the front pocket. “Morning, dear, how are you?”
I placed my bag behind the counter and grabbed my apron off the hook behind me, pulling it over my head and wrapping it around my waist, thankful for how my heart was beginning to slow. “Sorry, I’m a little late. I went to get coffee with Aspen before work,” I explained, shaking my head. “She hates doing it by herself. Are you all done?”
Sandy came in early to take the deliveries and prearrange a few fresh flowers for the early-morning-before-work rush that would start in about ten minutes. Then she’d head home, and I’d use the small counter in the corner of the shop to make more during the day to replace the ones we sold or make personalized requests.
Sandy really relied on me and another employee, Jessa, to keep things running. Because while she followed her dream of owning her own shop, it was only a few years after she bought it when arthritis settled in her hands. She struggled most days to cut, hold, and work with her fingers for more than an hour or so before she needed to rest because of the pain. Some days were better than the others, but it broke my heart to see her struggle to do the one thing she loved.
I didn’t want that to be me.
Brian stole two years from my life, and now I was ready to fight to get them back.
“Excuse me?” I spun around to find an older man with salt-and-pepper hair standing in the corner of the store, a heavy frown on his face.
I stood a little straighter, and Sandy gave me a quick wink before ducking out the back door, trusting me with her business—her baby. “Sorry, sir, how can I help?”
He seemed to spin in circles, trying to make sense of the array of different choices. “My daughter just got a promotion at work,” he explained, looking over at me, the confusion on his face actually softening. “I just want something that says I’m proud of her.”
I pressed my hand to my heart. “That’s beautiful. Can I make a suggestion?”
“Please do!”
I reached for a small bouquet a few feet away, shaking off the water and holding it out to him. “Dahlias often represent inner strength and change,” I explained, watching his eyes light up as he held them in his hands. “It’s not a massive bouquet, so it’s also good if she doesn’t like a big fuss made over her.”
“Wow,” he murmured, laughing softly under his breath. “That’s her to a T. I’ll take them, please. You’re so young, how do you know so much about flowers? It must take a lot of work.”
I shrugged. “When you love something this much, it doesn’t feel like work.”
He hummed quietly to himself as he paid and thanked me more before slipping out the door just as another customer stepped in—this one looking a lot more concerned.
“Um, are you okay? Can I hel—”
“My girlfriend caught me with her sister,” he rushed out, though, for a second, I wondered if I’d heard him right. “I need something that saysI’m sorry, please don’t leave me.”
