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“Fortunate,” Mrs.Crabtree said.“Did he take anything?”
Felina snorted softly.“If he did, he didn’t get much.I don’t have anything of value in my apartment.The only things of value I own are in my shop, wrapped up in the computer and electronics I use to run my business.Thankfully, he didn’t get any of that.”
“I understand that wasn’t the only excitement you had last night,” the woman arched an eyebrow.“Wasn’t there an altercation at the Crawdad Hole as well?”
Felina blinked.“Yes, ma’am.You’re well-informed.”
“I have to be.After losing my dear husband recently, I make it my business to be completely aware of what’s happening around me.You can never be too cautious.My Thomas is proof of that.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Felina said.“It was a shock to all of Bayou Mambaloa when we heard of his murder in New Orleans.”
“He never should’ve been there during Mardi Gras.With so many people crowding the streets, anyone could get away with murder and never be caught.My husband is just another of those statistics.It’s been six months, and the New Orleans Police still haven’t identified a suspect and likely never will.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Felina said.“He will be missed at Colonial Day.He always entertained the guests, pretending to be his great-great-grandfather, talking about how he’d cleared the land and built Crabtree Mansion back in the early eighteen hundreds.”
“I almost didn’t agree to include Crabtree Mansion in this year’s Colonial Day, but I changed my mind.This will, however, be the last one in which I will participate.”
Felina’s eyebrows rose.“Oh, really?Why?”
“I’m selling the estate.”Mrs.Crabtree’s gaze swept out across the lawn.“Too many memories in this old house and Bayou Mambaloa.I’m moving to Atlanta next month.”She gave Felina a tight smile.“So, you see, I need Crabtree Mansion to look its finest.I’ve engaged a photographer to take photographs after it’s decorated for Colonial Day before guests arrive, and I’ve contracted with a broker to handle the listing and sale.”
Felina nodded.“I understand.I’ll do my very best to help make your home picture-perfect.Now, what did you have in mind?”
Lucas stood back while Mrs.Crabtree worked with Felina, discussing potted plants and hanging ferns for the porch.When they moved inside, he followed, taking in the magnificent entryway with its marble floors and sweeping staircase.
Felina dictated notes onto her cell phone as the women discussed what flowers to use and where they would be placed in the foyer, a sitting room, the master bedroom and several of the guest bedrooms.
An hour later, Felina thanked Mrs.Crabtree, promising to get back to her with a quote by the end of the day.
Lucas held the passenger door for Felina as she climbed into the cab.
She waited to say anything until they had left the Crabtree estate.Then she turned toward Lucas, her eyes shining.“Not only will this be a major order, but it will also be showcased in a broker’s catalog.”Felina shoved a hand through her strawberry-blond hair.“Between Trish’s wedding, and now, four homes I’m doing for Colonial Day, I’ll be swamped.”
“Can you handle it all on your own?”Lucas asked.“I can help, but I’m not skilled in arranging flowers.”
Felina tapped a finger to her chin.“My friends have helped in the past.I can tap on them for this surge.Most of the year, I can handle the load by myself.Bayou Mambaloa isn’t big enough that my business can grow significantly enough to warrant another full-time employee.”She shrugged.“I’ll just have to pull some all-nighters for a few days.”
Felina sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window, a smile playing on her lips.
Lucas could imagine she was already going through the lists of arrangements, tallying the supplies and flowers she’d have to order.Her eyes sparkled at the challenge.
“You love this, don’t you?”he commented, his heart warming at the happiness on her face.
“I do.”She shot him a big smile.“I love flowers and how they make people happy.”
“How did you get into this business?”
“When I was a little girl, my grandmother lost her eyesight and couldn’t live alone, so my parents took her in.It worked out well for all of us since my father worked on the oil rigs and was gone for long periods.
“Grandma helped as much as she could in the house, but she loved working in the garden the most.Though she couldn’t see, she could feel and smell.I’d help her in the spring, cleaning out the flower beds and trimming back dead branches.We’d pick peonies in the spring, roses and gardenias in the summer and fill the house with them.”
Felina smiled at the memory.“I’d close my eyes and pretend I was blind like my grandmother so I could ‘see’ what she did with her sense of smell and touch.I didn’t have to see the flowers to know they were beautiful.Their petals were so soft, and the smell...”She sighed.“They brought so much joy.”
The sweet smile on Felina’s face made Lucas’s chest tighten.She was beautiful no matter what, but that smile made her glow with a light that transcended physical beauty.
Lucas wanted her to keep smiling like that.He wanted to be the person who made her that happy.
Felina’s smile faded.“When grandma passed, I picked flowers from her garden and arranged them on her grave.I was sad, but the flowers reminded me of the happiness she brought to my life.I think it was at that point in my life that I knew I wanted to work with flowers and bring happiness to others through their beauty.”
