Do I want to do this? Absolutely not. At least he doesn’t want me to get lingerie or anything. That would be embarrassing.
“Is there any particular kind of flower you want me to make sure is included?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I actually don’t know. Let’s say whatever they have that’s not overdone.”
As if that narrows it down. “Sure thing.” I turn toward the door once again and pause. “Wait, are these for a special occasion outside of Valentine’s Day?”
His cheeks turn a bright red before he nods. “That’s one of the reasons it needs to be kept quiet without tracing it back to me. The other guys, they have no clue what to get their girlfriends.”
I feel a lot better getting his now, but I hope he hasother stuff planned because I don’t think an extravagant bouquet will be enough. Knowing him he probably has something up his sleeve. Honestly, I’m surprised they aren’t already engaged. They’ve been together for years.
“Do you want me to send pictures of what they have available?”
“Absolutely not. What if she sees it over my shoulder or something? I trust your judgement.”
Nodding, I turn toward the door. “I’ll add it to my expense report.” I call over my shoulder.
At this point, though, I should probably have a credit card to use for Crooked Halo expenditures. The number of times I’ve had to run to the store and get things for them before a show is ridiculous. Or, they could let me double check their stuff before we head to the venues.
“You’re a lifesaver, Tristan.” The door slams shut behind me. Hopefully he didn’t have anything else to add to that statement. Maybe something like, you deserve a raise. I’m just happy we’ll have some downtime for a bit.
The cold air bites through my t-shirt and I pull my jacket closed to zip it up. Winter in Texas isn’t my favorite thing. It can be warm or freezing. Right now, it’s a bit in the middle of the two.
My car is on the far end of the lot and I reach my hand into my pocket to unlock it. One of these days I need to invest in a vehicle that will auto start. Going from the cold outside to the cold inside isn’t it for me.
As soon as I slide onto the driver seat, I turn on the car and put the heater on full blast. While the car warms up, I grab my phone out of my pocket to see what timeWhoopsie Daisy closes. I’d like to get this done today. Tomorrow, I’ll check to see what places are available for rent in the area.
Staying in a rental with the band is cool at times, but I need my own space. Sometimes being in my room isn’t enough. Staring at the same four walls day after day is monotonous.
The drive to the flower shop doesn’t take long. That proves to be the same for anywhere you want to go in town. It’s so small the drive to any store takes about fifteen max. That’s if there’s a small amount of traffic, which includes tractors. Never thought I’d say that.
A part of me hopes Paula is working in the front, but after the wedding we both attended, I’m terrified. Realistically, I could go to a flower shop in another town, or order online. But Dale is particular about using this one because he likes to keep things as local as possible.
You can do this. Deep breath in and out. Everything will be fine. Don’t make it awkward when it doesn’t have to be. Who am I kidding? There’s a reason I never auditioned to be the lead in my high school theatre productions. Awkward is the only thing I put off. Especially when it comes to Paula.
Opening my car door, I glance around the parking spaces in front of the building. Her car is nowhere in sight. Maybe the Gods are smiling down on me today.
I close the door behind me and head to the shop. The bell above the door lets out a little jingle, but nobody says anything. I take another step into the shop and I hear her voice.
“Welcome to Whoopsie Daisy, how can I help you?”
The smile that accompanied her previous question dies as soon as she sees me.
“I, uh, need to order some flowers.” I wave before shoving my hand in my pocket.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.” I nod. “For Valentine’s Day.”
A pained expression takes over her face, before slipping back to neutrality. “You realize we cut off taking orders yesterday, right? Except for the most basic bouquets we keep on hand.”
Does the bite in her tone mean she’s jealous? Hope that she actually feels something for me blossoms. I’m not here for her, though. It’s strictly band business.
“Can you make an exception? Dale is proposing to his girlfriend and wants flowers to match the occasion.”
“Why isn’t he here ordering them if it’s so important?”
Seriously, it’s like she has to turn everything into an argument. It’s been months since I’ve seen her. A warm fuzzy welcoming isn’t something I expected, but the almost outright hostility is kind of annoying. Though, I’m pretty sure she’s using it as a way to hide her emotions.
