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"Welcome! You're the birthday party crew right?" They are dressed like a night on the town is their next stop and I remember reading a birthday party comment on an online booking confirmation.
"That's us! Ourgirl is celebrating the big two-seven." The tallest of the group pushes forward, the only brunette of the bunch.
"I put you guys at the table closest to the bar. There's no alcohol in the drinks, but I wanted you to have the best spot in the house. I also put together a little something for the birthday girl." I hand her a special bouquet I put together earlier, wrapped in deep emerald tissue paper and tied with yellow raffia.
"How freakin' sweet are you, thanks so much." The birthday girl pulls me into a hug and I can smell the fruit mixed with alcohol on her. Maybe they already pregamed before coming here.
"You're so welcome, I appreciate you spending your special day with us here at Thornes In Bloom." Saying the name out loud puts a permanent smile on my face.
The chimes keep coming, almost back to back, barely giving me a chance to greet each new group as they come in. Thirty people is a lot of faces to keep track of, but I would be lying if I said it didn't make my whole damn heart happy.
Ella finds me in the crowd that is now forming, being sure to introduce me to Carter before taking their spot at the front table next to Bryn. If I was going to talk to all these strangers, there was no way I would put my biggest fans in the back.
"Did Carina not ride with you?" I ask Bryn, looking around to see where the last person in my cheering section is. I don't see her anywhere, maybe she snuck away to the bathroom before we got started.
"Oh shit, she didn't tell you last night, I guess she is bringing a date. Dragging the poor sap to this. As far as I know, he's notparticipating, but I guess they planned to grab dinner and she didn't want to have to cut their night short."
"How scandalous of her. This is the last thing I would drag a poor first date victim to."
The front table crew and I exchange knowing nods, my wrist coming up so I can check the time. Carina officially has two minutes to get here before I start without her. I clear my throat as I take my position behind the table dedicated to instruction, placed in front of all the rest. Twenty-nine pairs of eyes are on me and I feel a rush pushing through my veins, excitement and nerves battling in my bloodstream.
"Hi everyone. Wow, thank you all so much for coming out to our grand opening event. I hope you think of this class as more of a fun night out rather than a formal flower arranging thing."
I shoot a smile to Bryn, Carter and Ella anxiously awaiting my directions, their faces wearing matching grins with pride glowing in their eyes. Without them, I would never have taken the leap and hosted an event of this degree to launch my storefront.
A chime breaks through my pause at just the right time, Carina hurrying in through the door, not bothering to close it.Sorryshe mouths as she takes her place in the front among our friends. She is dressed to the nines, pulling out all the stops for her date. I can't wait to pick her brain about how dinner went.
"We will be putting together an arrangement that will be perfect for your Thanksgiving spread in a few weeks. Plus, all the flowers I chose tonight are native to the area and bloom year-round in the greenhouse, so I will have them regularly in the shop. Speaking of greenhouses, a huge shout-outto the Greenway Farm for allowing me to use their field and greenhouse to grow everything you see here."
I move from behind my table quickly, grabbing Bryn and squeezing her tight. The applause of the crowd almost drowns out the final ding of the door, but my eyes snap to see who it is.
I freeze instantly, locking Bryn in the hug I started. My gaze is locked on him as he walks in and it's clear he has no clue that I am here, that this is my shop. Why is he here? Bryn attempts to move away from me and then I feel her small gasp against me and I know she saw him, too.
This can't be happening.
He is here, in my shop. In the years since I last saw him, we haven't spoken a word to each other. He called, he messaged, but I stayed silent. I couldn't confront him back then, and I sure as hell am not ready to do that now. Not here. Not at the opening event of the one thing that has kept me going through it all.
Our eyes don't meet as he files into the shop and I am thankful for the turnout, allowing me a little more time to stay hidden before he noticesme. But it won't last long. In a moment, I am going to start talking again and we will be forced to come face to face.
Everyone is standing, the space is not big enough for thirty chairs and my preference has always been to stand while I play with flowers. He towers over everyone in the room, letting me see his face before he even knows that I am here. His jawline has sharpened over the years, or maybe it's the way the new beard hangs from it that gives it a manly cut. When I met him, his face was soft and his cheeks were still round. Now, I am faced with a Colton Reeve who reached a Neville Longbottom level glow-up. He was handsome back then, and now, I can feel my insides turning into a puddle, melting at the hotness he exudes.
I wonder if he is taller. If I go over to him and lay my head against his chest, will his chin still rest on the top of mine? Or will he tower over me now. All through my junior year of high school, not a day went by that I didn't feel his arms wrapped around me between classes. We were that couple that teachers didn't bother yelling at to get to class, knowing damn well we would make it there. Hand in hand, lips exchanging quick pecks before going our separate ways, minds anticipating when we would be able to see each other again. The school bell like the one from Pavlov's experiment, eliciting excitement and hunger to get my next dose of him.
After three years of dating in high school, no one knew us as anything other than a couple. We were the ones who would make it, the relationship that would defy the stigma of high school sweethearts never staying together. Except we weren't and it was my fault.
Our love came in like a tidal wave, tipping us both into uncharted territory. First loves are like wildfire, untamable and unpredictable, burning hot and fast. And fuck did I love him.
When things got too heavy, when I needed someone to lean on, I would stare at his contact in my phone wishing I could call him. Looking back now, I'm not sure that he would have answered after the way I treated him. Another part of me knows he would have. That after all the shit we went through, he would still pick up the phone to make sure I was alright.
Seeing him now brings that rush back, the heat burning through my bloodstream, crashing through me and turning my cheeks a shade of red that rivals the roses on the table. I still can't figure out why he is here. Does he know the Thorne in the name is referring to me? Are his daydreams filled with me, like mine are of him when I can't remember to forget him?
Colton is one of three guys in the room, but he is the only one that is confused about what he is doing here, his forehead wrinkled as he notices the nature of where he is. Maybe he is here by mistake, wandering in thinking this was some kind of sports bar or hot guys anonymous meeting. Someone should tell him he is in the wrong place, but my feet are still frozen to the floor.
Maybe he won't recognize me.
I didn't grow a beard, but I have learned how to dye my hair in a bathtub and tame my eyebrows.
Let's face it, eyebrows and beards are the building blocks for a great disguise. That and a perfect pair of glasses if you're Clark Kent.
