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“Well, I don’t know how all that sports stuff works or how long it’ll take Brady to get here, but what Idoknow is that we can’t stress about things that we don’t have any control over. All that we can do is keep our heads down and do the jobs we were hired to do. I think it’s what Henry would’ve wanted.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Naomi’s tone and expression told me that she wasn’t too sure, though.
And I wasn’t so sure, either, but it’s what I’d told myself every day since the heart attack that had taken my boss so unexpectedly. We could only worry about the things we could control, and the best way to honor our boss was to keep his shop running just the way he had done for nearly a decade.
It was the right thing to do. It was what Iwantedto do. I loved Patty’s Petals.
“Do you think you’ll stay on after Brady gets here?” Naomi asked, nibbling at her lip. “Do you think he’llwantus to stay?”
I waited to respond until I finished counting the small stack of money from the register, then turned to fully face Naomi. I wanted to say something that would make the younger woman feel safe and secure, but I was also mindful of the need to keep Naomi’s expectations at a realistic level.
At the end of the day, I was just as uncertain as Naomi was.
“I hope so,” I said, finally. “This place is like home to me, and I love it. I want the shop to keep doing well—I wanthimto do well, so I hope everything works out. I think Henry would’ve wanted me to make sure Brady gets off on the right foot when he takes over, so I plan on making it as easy for him as possible. As much as Henry felt like a father to me, he actuallywasBrady’s dad, so we have to respect that he’s gonna be going through a rough time, too.”
“Yeah, I hadn’t really thought of it like that.” Naomi winced a little. “As hard as it is on us, he’s gotta be going through hell.” Then, with a sigh, “I hope he lets both of us stay, though. I’m sure I’d find something else eventually, but this place is the best thing I’ve got going right now.”
I nodded. “Me, too.”
Aside from my always-optimistic mother, my job at the flower shop—and, by extension, my friendships with Naomi and Henry—had been the only bright spots in my life for a while.
There had been a time when I thought I would have had a boyfriend by now—maybe even ahusband—to share the good and bad times with. Yet, life had pulled the rug out from under me on that one, too.
Henry had been there to help me pick myself back up after the nasty breakup with my last boyfriend had nearly cost me everything—my apartment, my credit, and a good portion of my own self-worth.
In the six months since, I’d been slowly starting to rebuild my life, but there was no denying that without the help and guidance of my mother—who’d let me move back in with her while I worked to get myself back on my feet—and my job here at Patty’s Petals, that process would have been a lot more difficult.
There were already days—especially lately—when it felt like I might never be able to climb back out of the hole I’d dug for myself with my last boyfriend, but when I’d start to feel that way, I always thought back to what Henry would say.
Keep your head up and keep going. When you’re going through hell, keep going.
I didn’t know if or when I’d be ready to love again—didn’t even know if I trusted my heart to recognize a good thing anymore—but what Ididtrust was Henry’s wisdom. It hadn’t let me down yet, and it was all Naomi and I had right now.
“We just have to keep our heads up,” I said.
Naomi rolled her eyes but grinned anyway. “And keep going?”
“You know he’s right,” I said, smiling back. I wasn’t surprised at all that Naomi had recognized the classic Henry-ism. “I think it’s pretty good advice.”
I felt a little better as we closed up the shop and left for the day, the feeling of Henry’s presence and wisdom guiding us—just the way he always had when he’d been alive. I hoped Naomi could feel it, too.
If Henry’s sudden passing had taught me anything, it was that I couldn’t predict or control the future, but I hoped that as long as I kept doing what was right—the way Henry had taught me—that when Brady did finally come and take over, he’d start to love the place as much as Naomi and I did.
And really, the man was Henry’sson, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
Chapter Three - Brady
I secured the last box in the bed of my beat-up red pickup and slammed the tailgate shut before looking back at the apartment I was about to leave behind.
I wasn’t sure if it was funny or pathetic that after ten years in the NFL—basically my entire adult life—everything I owned could fit in the back of my truck, with plenty of space left over.
Hell, it wasn’t even a full-size pickup.
Most players at this point would be millionaires. Yet, between never being a big star and continuous injuries that soaped up my money, I never made it. At this point, I was nearly broke.
I clenched my jaw, looking over my packing job. Yeah, probably more pathetic than funny, but I’d never needed a lot of stuff. I’d never had time to enjoy what little I had, anyway.
Over the past ten years, I’d been playing on different fields all over the country more times than I could count. Other guys dreaded the back-to-back games that kept them away from family and friends, but I had always been eager to go. I’d been my coaches go-to guy, right up until the minute the league decided my body might not be able to handle it anymore.
