“Got a delivery here for Ms. Atwood, unit one?”
I eyed the large cart he had filled with plants. Not like four or five. Like fifteen plants of all different sizes. There was so much green. “Uh,” I said, counting up to twenty different pots. “Right. Ms. Atwood. She’s not in, but I can sign for them. I own the building.”
“Great.” The guy unloaded all the plants right in the main foyer and waved after he set the last one down. “Have a good one.”
“Yeah, you too.” He left, the bell above the door chiming when he pushed it open, and I was left with a long silence. How the hell was Nora going to keep twenty plants alive when she could barely take care of herself?
I bent down and eyed the littlest plant—it was in a blue pot and had soft leaves and smelled a whole lot like mint, and I briefly recalled her saying she packed away a small plant to fly here. Whopackedplants? I snorted and found myself smiling at all the greenery.
The bell chimed, and before I looked up, I heard my sister gasp. “Um. Love what you’ve done with the place.”
I stood back up and laughed at the bewildered expression on Gilly’s face. “Just arrived for our temporary guest.”
“Nora? God, I cannot wait to see her. I stalked her after you shared the happy news. She is a social media darling, but never posts herself. Just pictures of a million plants and short clips on how to take care of them.”
“Gil, she thinks dear Anthony will marry her since she covered for him when he crashed that car. She’s mentioned me, well, Anthony, ten times.” I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “If you see her, do not call me anything but Fritz, no matter what.”
“I forget your real name at least twice a year. Don’t worry.” She bent down and touched some of the leaves like I’d done. “Some of these smell really good.”
“I know.”
Gilly reached out for another one, and the sun hit off her engagement ring—reminding me that our mother had left when she and Gilly had plans to spend the summer preparing for her winter wedding.
I had zero plans to ever get married, not after the breakup. Love was a waste of time for me, but my sister had found her match. Christopher was a good guy who didn’t give a shit about her money. It was the best situation I could ever imagine for my baby sister. “Hey, Mom call you yet?”
“Oh, how she’s gone all summer and wants me to reschedule all my dress fittings?” she asked, a tinge of pain in her voice. “Yes. She did.”
“Grace and I will be there for everything.”
“You’ll go…dress shopping?” Her brows about disappeared into her hairline.
I resisted the urge to wince. “I’d do anything for you, Gil.”
She smiled and gave me a hug. I knew she worried that her paying my ex to disappear had ruined our relationship, but the more time that went on from it happening, the more I appreciated my sister. My ex planned to use me for my bank account and Gilly discovered her real intentions. My sister would, without a doubt, do anything for me while our parents were more complicated. I would sit through dress fittings and drink champagne and get a manicure if that’s what my sister wanted.
I patted her back and squeezed her tight for a second before resting my hands on her shoulders and smiling down at her. “I think you should continue doing all the things you want. It is your wedding. Not our parents’. They can be a part of it if they want or FaceTalk in.”
Her shoulders slumped a little bit, but her normal smile returned. “That’s what Christopher and Grace have been saying.”
“And we are all in agreement because we love you, but you do what feels right, okay?”
Her expression softened just as the bells chimed again, signaling another guest. The loudest, high-pitched squeal echoed in the marbled foyer, and Nora ran to the plants and fell to her knees.
“Oh, my babies. Look at you. I’ve already started a spreadsheet with your names and oh, wow,” she said, gushing as she touched every leaf on every plant. She hadn’t glanced up once, and Gilly and I shared a look ofwhat the fuck.
“Nora,” I said, making her jump back. “Hey.”
“I didn’t even see you.” She stood and dusted off her clothes. When I dropped her off at work that morning, she’d been wearing a tight gray cotton dress, but now she wore a bright-pink, curve-hugging dress that matched her hair. It fit her personality well.
“Did you order them online or steal them?” I asked, hoping she’d paid for them.
“Online,” she said, not bothering to glance my way. “I called my father, and he helped me figure out how to put an order online for next day delivery! You just pay more. It’s so easy.” She beamed and picked up one of the plants and held it to her chest. “This is an aloe. One of my favorites. Roberta.”
“Ro-Roberta?” Gilly said, causing Nora to whip around with wide eyes.
“Oh, another guest. Wait, you look familiar? Anthony’s sister. Gilly Carter. Engaged to be married soon.”
I bit my lip from cackling at the bemused expression on Gilly’s face. My sister held it together and nodded.
