“Shh!” I hiss at her. “Be nice!”
“Are you not used to her by now?” CJ tsk-tsks me.
I just shake my head. “Nothing should surprise me anymore.” Britt pinches me as she walks by me to the back counter where the woman stands watching us.
“Hey, Aunt Shannon!”
“Britt, baby!” The woman comes rushing from around the side of the counter and envelopes Britt in a hug. “I’ve missed you! You need to grab that nephew of mine and come visit more.”
“I know, he’s always so busy. But yes, we will make it a point to come over soon.” She turns to me. “You remember Francesca, right?”
Shannon Gallagher is Bobby’s aunt and has been in this town for years. She opened her shop well over ten years ago and has done well. She’s the only floristChristmas has, but her arrangements have gained interest and she gets lot of business from surrounding towns. She’s in charge of all the wreaths that line Main Street during the Christmas season and every year they’re a different theme. She does amazing, one-of-a-kind work and I’m so excited that she’s able to do our flowers for the wedding in such a short amount of time.
“Yes! Oh, you look great! Congratulations!” I give her a hug and thank her.
“We are so happy you’re able to squeeze us in. I feel bad for the short notice but the less time to plan, the less time for trouble!” I laugh, really trying to feel those words.
“Oh nonsense, I wouldn’t miss doing your wedding for the world!” She ushers us to a long table on the side of the room that has buckets of flowers and ribbon laid out. “Come, come! I want to show you what I picked out. Then tell me if this is anything you like, and we will get right down to it!”
We all settle around the table oohing and aahing over the different flowers and colors. The girls are talking a mile a minute, throwing ideas, color schemes and flowers at me.
I take a calming breath and try to keep up. My heart is racing again, and I try to concentrate on what’s in front of me.
“I like this.” Touching the sunflowers in front of me.
Britt grabs a roll of light green ribbon and begins wrapping it around the base of the flowers. “We could cover the stems in this, then add a bow to the bouquet with the strings hanging low.”
I touch it, taking it from her hand. “That ribbon feels rough.”
“Ok,” she says and then Farrah jumps in. “What about this one? The blush pink will match our bridesmaid dresses.”
I scrunch up my nose. “I don’t like that shade of pink, it’s too light.” I reply picking up another roll of a darkerpink ribbon.
I ignore the quiet of the room. I can have an opinion here and I shouldn’t be afraid to voice it. The colors have to be perfect otherwise everything will clash when we take pictures.
CJ grabs a filler, similar to baby’s breath but the larger leaves remind me of the ivy I saw at the gazebo at the Inn.
“No, those leaves look weird.” I shudder. “Like the ivy around the gazebo at the hall, it just looks fake.”
The girls exchange a look, that I don’t miss. I raise a brow at Britt.
“We’re just giving you options.”
“I see the options. They’re all over the table.” I reply in a short tone.
“Settle down, Breezy,” Britt says, as she reaches for another roll of ribbon. The other girls chuckle at her tone.
Aunt Shannon starts bunching different flowers together. “Tell me about your colors again.”
Farrah jumps in and gives her the details. I take a breath, roll my neck that is tight with stress and try to calm down. I know they’re just trying to help, but how can I make a decision when I don’t even know what I like. It’s all coming at me too fast. And Britt calling me names doesn’t help.
I catch her eye across the table. “What did you call me?”
“Breezy.” Britt says louder. “Like, bridezilla, but with a gangsta twist.” She eyes me, raising a brow daring me to shut her down.
“You’re not a thug.”
“No?”
