“That means people in Asheville order flowers every day.” He’s in awe at the sheer number of blooms sticking out of buckets.
I move toward the wall and pull the blinds open. It’s not sunny, but it helps to have as much light as possible in here. I’m doing everything I can to avoid the lamps if I can help it. “We don’t just service Asheville. At least, not anymore. We have deliveries in the surrounding cities.”
“What made y’all become popular all of a sudden?” He’s genuinely curious. Not that I blame him. Our rise to the top in our county wasn’t anything we controlled.
“So, you know the band Crooked Halo?”
“You know them?” The pitch of his voice goes up an octave. I take it he’s a fan.
“We didn’t until a couple of months ago.” I shake my head at the whirlwind our business has become. “Their business manager is getting married and his fiancée is the cousin of the person who creates the buzz for Out of the Ashes. She only wanted to use us for the floral arrangements and decor.”
“I don’t see how that has anything to do with y’all.”
“Their business manager, Spencer, and his fiancée, Tiffany, are beloved by the Crooked Halo fans. I think they are kept up with as much as the band.” Honestly, it’s pretty impressive the fanfare they get. “As soon as the fan in this area realized that, they’ve been booking us for special events, deliveries, and anything else they need. Which I’m not upset about. It’s just…a lot.”
He’s nodding as I explain the situation. “That actually makes a lot of sense. Fandoms can go a little bananas. But it’s great they want to support a small business. It’s better than them using the big box names for their needs. And it helps y’all become the go-to place for flowers. I guess this is why y’all need to hire people as soon as possible.”
“You’d be correct,” I point at him, “our calendar is filling up. Kai still helps with deliveries but it’s not something he loves to do. He’d much rather be in the shop and managing people.”
“I get that feeling.” That’s not what I expected him to say.
“Why did you want to work here?”
He takes a moment to think it over. “Honestly, I needed a better paying job. Living with the folks isn’t something I want to do for much longer. And this was the first opportunity that came up.”
“If you get a better offer from someone, I want you to take it.”
He whips his head back like I’ve physically slapped him. “Why? I haven’t even started my first day here?”
“Because I know if you have a degree, you’re way overqualified for this shop. Just like my brother is,” I shake my head and turn toward the hallway. “He’s staying on here by choice. I don’t want our shop to be the reason you stay at a job that doesn’t challenge you.”
I don’t notice him move, but within seconds his hand covers my shoulder. Stopping in my tracks, I look over my shoulder. “How about you let me decide what is challenging? I’m here to do a job and do it well. Right now, this is the best offer I’ve had. But I need you to stop second guessing me and let me do what I need to.”
“Um, okay.” There’s nothing else I can say to that. Although the way he is making his point known without letting me push him over is kind of a turn on. Something I absolutely do not need right now. “I’m gonna see where everyone else is.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, my friends and brother emerge from the office. Kai looks frustrated, but my friends…they are smiling. What in the world are they up to? Whatever it is, my brother is not on board.
***
Emily takes the reins and shows Xander where everything is in the warehouse. Caroline is busy getting a few bouquets done that need to go out this afternoon. Which leaves me and Samantha working the front counter. Honestly, I don’t know if it takes two of us, but we might as well.
Our phones keep pinging with updates from Kai about wedding appointments. He made us all subscribe to the calendar for Whoopsie Daisy that he created. Each appointment has a list of information in the notes section. We really were underutilizing him when he was making deliveries. Handling the business side of things seems to be where he thrives.
“Please tell me these pings will end when we close the shop for the day,” Samantha groans as another one goes off. “The last thing I want is to be in the middle of watching something and my phone going off.”
“Stop being such a grump. At least we have business,” I bump my shoulder into hers, “just think about all those years we didn’t know how we were going to stay open. This is a good problem to have.”
“True,” she concedes, “but we’re also about to hit the Valentine’s Day rush. If we don’t get a few more employees in here quickly, we won’t be able to keep up. They’ll go online and order from one of those places that overcharges.”
“Naw,” I wave my hand at her, “you know this town is all about community. They’ll patiently wait if they have to.”
“It’s not them I’m worried about,” Samantha grunts, “I’m going to see if Caroline needs any help with the arrangements. I saw another order come in through the email.”
“Okay.” She leaves me to my thoughts and right now that’s a scary place to be. Xander flits through them, and I need those to stop. I was grateful when Emily offered to show him around. Being anywhere near him is not good for my sanity. Who knew I could feel any sort of connection to someone I barely know.
The bell above the door jingles as it opens. A gush of air follows Caroline’s brother into the shop. “Hey, Reaf, what can I do for you today?”
“Is it too early to order something for Valentine’s Day?” He glances around the room seeing what flowers we have on display. Some of them need to be sold today, or we’ll need to toss them.
