I supposed I didn’t know what went into planning a wedding, but if Hollie thought it was okay then I supposed it was. She was usually right.
She peered into the window and rang the pink old-fashioned bell that sat on the pink doorframe.
“Who has a doorbell on a store? Aren’t they supposed to be encouraging people to go inside?”
“People don’t need encouragement. This flower store is so sought after it’s like an urban myth. Dexter had to get one of his clients to pull in a favor to get us an appointment here.”
Rich people were crazy. Roses were roses. What could be so special about the ones here?
A small lady with a short blonde bob appeared at the door, peering over her old-fashioned semi-circle glasses perched on the end of her nose like I’d only ever seen in the books I read to Bethany.
“Welcome to our world,” she said in a hushed voice. “Come through.”
Inside was like a fairytale come to life. I wished Bethany was here. She would have loved it. There were different types of flowers everywhere I looked. Some falling from the ceiling, some hanging from the walls, covering tables and desks. I could see nothing but petals and color wherever I looked. Even the floor was completely covered, other than a path that wound around to a door leading to a room in the back. It was like some kind of Disney experience, only better because the scent of every flower in the world surrounded us.
“This is amazing,” Hollie said.
“A floral experience,” the lady said. “That’s what we aim to create.”
Could I move in? “It’s beautiful,” I said, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. I pulled out my phone so I could grab a picture.
“Sorry, no photographs please.” She gave no explanations and I put my phone back in my bag. “Come through and we can discuss the experience we will create for you.”
The next hour was surreal. I saw examples of every type of flower I’d ever imagined. I could tell Hollie was getting overwhelmed because she clearly loved it, but she was also trying to keep the wedding simple.
“Why don’t you focus on the tables and go from there,” I suggested. “I like these, where the flowers are high and trickle down to the tabletop.” I pointed to one of the table displays in front of us.
Hollie nodded. “I do like the orchid combined with the lily of the valley. But then I really like the roses and the wisteria as well. What do you think?” she asked the self-styled floral designer.
“I think,” she replied in hushed tones, “that you need to just be in the flowers. And the decision will come to you. I will leave you and return and you will have the answer.”
“Did we just land in California?” I whispered once the woman had left.
“I just have to be in the flowers. So . . . let’s sit.” We took a seat on the tiny silk sofa, the only surface not covered in flowers.
“You think we should close our eyes?” I asked.
“No, I think you should tell me how the visit with Penelope went.”
I groaned but gave her the highlights. “I’ve never seen Gabriel like this. He’s adamant that she’s going to leave again and furious that this time, Bethany will know more and be disappointed.”
“That’s an understandable concern though, isn’t it?”
“It is, but he’s so adamant that it’s going to happen. It might not. This could be good for Bethany. It could be good for him.” The more I thought about it, the more I thought that perhaps Gabriel was fighting the inevitable. “Apparently, she’ll get some kind of visitation, because she hasn’t been abusive and isn’t an addict or whatever. But Gabriel is fighting it so hard, and I wonder if . . .” I’d barely been able to let myself think about the reasons for Gabriel being angry. “He has such strong feelings; I can’t help but wonder if it’s covering up the fact that deep down, he wants her back. He wants his family back.” I wasn’t expecting it, but from somewhere, my eyes began to water. I had to swallow down sobs. “I can’t blame him.”
Hollie sat forward and grabbed my hand. “Autumn, are you in love with Gabriel?”
I shook my head. “I can’t allow myself to think about it. I’ll be off in a few weeks anyway. I’m going to lose him, whatever happens. It’s just . . . I think back to all those guys in Oregon that I used to date . . . They were just interim guys. I don’t mean that I didn’t like them, but they were for the moment. And Gabriel started off like that but now . . . Now I’m his interim girl. You know? The one he picks up as he’s passing through life from one serious relationship to another.”