43
ROSE
Eight months later…
My heart skipped a beat as I turned off the ignition. Adrenaline, excitement, butterflies swirling in my stomach. I looked at the red folder sitting on the passenger seat of my BMW.
It was done.
Signed.
Done.
A smile curved my lips as I gazed up at the sign above the front door.
Rose Flower Center for Counseling
A pride I’d never felt before swelled inside me as I grabbed the loan documents I’d just signed and pushed out the car door. I’d been a bit trigger-happy by putting up the company sign before closing the loan,but that had been intentional. Put your goal in front of you, every day, to remind you of it. Face it head on.
And I did.
I, Rose Floris, officially owned my own therapy clinic now. My ownbusiness.And the best part? The best freaking part?Iowned it. No one else but me. No one else was on the loan. I’d done it all by myself.
And it feltsogood.
A cool gust of wind swept past me carrying the spicy scent of fall. I inhaled, glanced up at a sapphire blue sky speckled with white, fluffy clouds. A beautiful day, indeed. I pulled the key from my purse, smiling down at it as if it were the golden key to Narnia or something. I slid it into the lock, only to realize the door was already unlocked.
Frowning, I pushed through the front door.
Pop!
The cork of the champagne bottle bounced off the ceiling, pelting me in the forehead.
“Congratulations!”Zoey raised the bottle while Cameron tossed confetti into the air.
Above the front desk was a sign that read,You Did It.
Yes, I did it.
I freaking did it.
“Is it done?” Zoey asked, her excitement palpable. “It’s done, right?”
I held up the folder. “Signed, sealed, delivered. It’s done.”
She squealed again, then grabbed three Styrofoam cups and began pouring the champagne.
I smiled, looking around the small rock building I’d purchased outside of the city park. The location alone made the building double what it was worth because it provided endless free marketing on Main Street, and to the familieswho frequented the park. More than that, though, there was just something about the place. Something calming. A pebble walkway led the way from a rock parking lot shaded by towering trees. The building was warm, welcoming, with dark cherry-oak throughout, rounded entryways, and a beautiful stone fireplace in the new “lobby.” It had a magical, fairy, Lord of the Rings vibe when you walked in. In addition to the lobby, there were two bedrooms that I was going to turn into office-slash-therapy rooms, a meditation room, full bathroom, and a kitchen. And in the back was a small room where I was going to start up myRoseologypodcast again. It was perfect.
And it was mine.
Zoey handed me a bubbling cup with a smirk stretching from ear to ear.
I narrowed my eyes. “What?”
She jerked her chin toward the door that I’d already designated as my office. I looked at Cameron, who was also smiling.
“What’s going on?”
