“No problem.” He holds two of the bouquets as she sets the ones in her arms on the shelf beside the counter. After he hands her the ones he’s holding, he leans on the counter. “So, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
“Knock it off, Parker. She’s taken.”
Emily’s eyes widen as she realizes he was trying to give her some tired pickup line. “Yeah, I’m happily taken, but I’m Emily.” She holds her hand out. “And you are?”
My brother side eyes me as he shakes her hand. “Parker. I’m Paula’s baby brother.”
“Oh, how nice to meet you.” I don’t miss the curious glance she shoots my way. I haven’t really talked much about my family. Mostly because they drive me up the wall, but I try really hard to keep my personal life away from work.
“He was just leaving.” I make my way from behind the counter and push him toward the door.
“Actually, can I buy one of these bouquets?”
Rolling my eyes, I let go of him. “Which girl of the week are you giving it to now?”
“I would never.” He holds his hand to his chest as if he’s surprised. “They are for Mom.”
“You’re such a suck up.” I wait for him to grab a bouquet, then stomp back to the register to ring him up.
“And that’s why I’m the favorite.” He grins at me as he hands me his card.
“Oh, is that what Mom tells you? I’m almost certain she says that to all of us.” I notice Emily doing her best not to listen in on our conversation. She’s not subtle about it.
“It’s true for me, though.” He takes his card back and shoves it in his pocket. “I’ll text you the information. Love you, Sis.”
“Love you, too.” I watch him leave the shop to make sure he’s not going to add anything else.
“So that’s your brother?” Emily laughs. “He seems like a handful.”
“He’s probably the one who causes the most trouble out of all of us.”
Emily scrunches her eyebrows together. “All of you? How many siblings do you have?”
It’s times like these I remember she’s an only child. But I’m certain her struggle has been the same as mine with the need to live up to parental expectations.
“There are six of us. I’m the second oldest.” I wonder if she can hear the irritation in my voice. Parker’s right. It’s not like everything has always been horrible. I just hate the way I’m expected to do every little thing they want instead of living my own life.
“I can’t even imagine the chaos that is when your whole family is together.” The look of sheer horror on herface is comical. “What is happening that you’ll need time off for? Is everything okay?”
Of course, she goes straight to worrying about me and my family. It’s kind of her role in all the friendships here. She’s the one who looks after everyone’s emotional well-being.
“Everything is fine.” I assure her. “My family does a big vacation every year. I didn’t realize we haven’t done one this year until my brother reminded me.”
“Do you know the dates?”
“Not yet.” I shrug my shoulders and wipe down the counter. It’s not dirty, but it does give me something to do. “My brother is sending me the information. If I can’t take off, it’s not a huge deal. There will be another one next year.”
If I miraculously get out of this one, it means I’ll be able to put off the uncomfortable conversations my dad and Pierce want to have. I still don’t understand why I’m needed when they have my older brother.
Emily leans on the counter thinking for a moment. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem. As long as it’s not in the middle of a wedding cluster, we’ll be fine without you.”
Damn. That’s not what I wanted her to say at all. Maybe I should have been more open about myself when I first started working here. I guess this is what I get for being more of a recluse instead of being outgoing and letting them in.
“Cool. I’ll find out the dates as soon as possible.”
“Let me ask you a question.” Emily bumps my shoulder. “Do you even want to go on this family vacation?Because your body language says you’d rather walk across hot coals a thousand times over.”
“Let’s just say it’s not my favorite thing in the world to do. But it’s one of the many expectations I have placed on me, and sadly…there’s no way out of it.”
