“I’ll be fine. I’ve already called one of my part-time staff. Enjoy your hot chocolate with Aidan.”
Jackie’s gaze followed her friend across the café. “I thinkI’mbusy, but Andrea’s days are worse. She works long hours to make the café a success.”
Aidan looked through the front window at the women gathering on the sidewalk. “Whatever she’s doing, it’s working. Each time I come into the café, it’s full of customers.” He smiled at Jackie. “But the café isn’t the only successful business in Sapphire Bay. What else have you been working on at The Flower Cottage?”
“Apart from our normal wedding and birthday arrangements, we’ve been making wreaths we supply to The Christmas Shop. Next week, all our part-time staff are working as many hours as they can to make the orders we’ve already received. It will get even busier the closer we get to Christmas.”
Aidan frowned. “Isn’t it a little early to be buying Christmas wreaths?”
Jackie picked up her spoon and dipped it into the frothy milk on the top of her drink. “Not really, especially if you want to guarantee you’ll get the decorations you’ve set your heart on. We make two different types of wreaths. The dried flower ones last for years. We’re concentrating on those for the next few weeks. After that, we’ll work on the wreaths made from fresh flowers and foliage. It’s crazy how popular both types are.”
Aidan chose a muffin from the plate. “If they’re anything like the flowers I saw at The Fairy Forest, they must be fantastic.”
Jackie pulled out her phone. “We aim to please, especially when we’re making Christmas decorations. These are some pictures of the dried flower wreaths I made the other day. Scroll to the left after you’ve seen the first one.”
Aidan looked through the photos. Each wreath was full of festive character and charm. With bows, beads, and ribbons peeking from between the dried flowers, he could see why they were so popular.
Jackie leaned forward. “Ben has a great website that makes it super easy for people to place their orders. Do you like them?”
“They’re great. They’d make a perfect Christmas gift for my mom. How long would I have to wait if I ordered one today?”
Jackie smiled. “If you talked nicely to the florist and brought fresh muffins into The Flower Cottage, it could be made whenever you like.”
Aidan laughed. “I’ll look at The Christmas Shop’s website tonight and let you know which one I like. What type of muffins does everyone enjoy?”
“We aren’t picky. If you buy them from The Starlight Café, we like all of them.”
Seeing Jackie so happy made Aidan feel happier, too. Despite psychotic fans, mysterious letters, and an interesting mix of residents, Sapphire Bay might not be such a bad place to live, after all.
* * *
As the bookgroup came into the café, Jackie sipped her hot chocolate, savoring its warmth and sweetness. She smiled when she saw Mabel Terry and some friends from the church. Even before their meeting started, everyone was talking and enjoying each other’s company. Aidan must think he was living in a parallel universe when a book club generated this much excitement.
He followed her gaze. “I didn’t know the book club would be so popular.”
“That’s only one group. The church and The Welcome Center have other groups that meet weekly or monthly. Do you like reading?”
“I do, especially if it’s science fiction. But I haven’t read many books lately. I spend most of my time talking to people about the new BioTech research facility.”
“You must enjoy working with David.”
Aidan stirred his hot chocolate. “I’ll enjoy it even more when the prosthetic lab’s finished. Bringing everyone’s ideas to life is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but, after the last few weeks, I’ve realized I like designing prosthetics more.”
Jackie nodded. “I can understand that. You have a lot of responsibility sitting on your shoulders.”
“I do, but it’s worth it when I see the progress we’re making. And, who knows, maybe one day we’ll create prosthetics that are even better than the real thing. Tell me about being a florist. If the flowers you made for The Fairy Forest are anything to go by, you must have some very happy customers.”
“We try to create something that reflects who our clients are and what they want. It’s rewarding to see their reaction when their vision comes to life. Has Daniella said anything more about renting The Fairy Forest for your fundraising event?”
“Daniella’s sending me a quote on Tuesday, then we’ll meet on Wednesday to look at different options. From what I’ve seen, it’d be the perfect location.”
Jackie held her mug in her hands. “The Fairy Forest is a beautiful place, and I’m sure your event will be a huge success. If you’re looking for volunteers to help you, I’d love to put my name on a list.”
Aidan smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Once I have the venue booked, I’ll start planning the other details.”
“Daniella’s hosted a lot of events, not just weddings. She’ll have some good ideas for you to think about.”
“I hope so. Planning a fundraising event is a lot harder than working in our prosthetics lab.” He bit into his muffin and sighed. “This is good.”
