Chapter 1
Luna
2 Years Before
A lot of people believed Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year.
I disagreed.
As a florist and a New Yorker, the most wonderful time of the year had to be springtime. A light breeze drifted into my shop, the windows now open after the long winter months.
The bride-to-be who had an appointment with me flitted from bucket to bucket, examining the colorful offerings in each intently before moving on. I stood off to the side, watching her do her thing while advising her when necessary.
“Spring is my favorite season,” she gushed, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide and bright. “That’s why we decided to get married this month. We’ve been engaged since last winter and I just can’t wait to finally walk down the aisle.”
“Spring is a beautiful time for a wedding in the city,” I agreed, my heart speeding up as I conjured up mental images of what I was hoping my own wedding was going to look like. “I’m thinking of waiting for next spring to get married myself.”
“The wait will become nearly intolerable, but I think it’s worth it.” She gave me a radiant grin, her skin practically glowing with excitement and her dark curls bouncing as she clapped her hands together. But then her brown eyes darted to my bare left ring finger and a crease appeared between her eyebrows. “Are you having your ring cleaned?”
“No.” I absently linked my hands together behind my back and rubbed the spot where there would soon be a ring—if all went according to plan, which it would. “We’re not engaged yet, but we’ve been talking about it a lot and the time is right.”
Her eyes softened with understanding as another smile spread on her lips. “It’s such an exciting time, isn’t it? The anticipation? I loved every minute of it, but I’m loving every minute of wedding planning as well.”
“Yeah, it’s great. I can’t wait to get into the planning and the nitty-gritty details myself.” I breathed in the sweet, floral scent of the fresh blooms lining every wall in my shop and almost got all dreamy about it before I remembered I was in the middle of a consultation. “But for now, it’s your turn. Do you have a better idea of what you might want now that you’ve seen what’s available?”
We spent the next hour picking out the flowers she wanted. Then I played around with several ideas for arrangements for the main table. She snapped some pictures to show to her fiancé and promised she’d be back with her final decision but placed the order for the basics for the other arrangements.
“Okay, so you can send the invoice to my father. I’ve left his details on the form. When Joe and I decide on our table, I’ll be back.” Her voice was several octaves higher than it had been when she’d first come into the shop, and her eyes were so shiny, I thought she might cry. “Thank you so much. These were just what we needed to make our day perfect. Thank you, Luna. I’ll see you soon.”
She pressed a kiss to my cheek, even though I’d only met her little over an hour ago, squeezed my hand, and then flicked her hand up in a wave as she practically skipped out of the shop.
On her way out, she nearly bumped into April. My best friend rolled her green eyes at the sight of the overly excited bride, shaking her head as she let the door swing shut behind her.
“Another sucker whose heart is going to be broken soon enough, I presume?” She shrugged out of her light jacket and set it down on the counter with her purse.
I sighed as I moved behind my computer to finish the invoice so I could send it out before I had to close up for the afternoon. “Why do you have to be so down on marriage? Maybe this guy is perfect for her and they live happily ever after.”
“Or maybe he’s just using her to pay his way while he finishes his studies, and then when he’s finally done and starting to earn the big bucks he was supposed to use to help her achieve her dreams, he leaves her with a toddler and goes off to travel instead.” She raised both her brows and pursed her lips before tapping them with a pink-tipped finger. “Oh no, wait. That’s not her story. It’s mine.”
Lifting my hands with my palms turned toward her in surrender, I nodded. “Okay, fine. You may have a point. Some people do really shimmy things to others, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hold out hope.”
“Shimmy? You mean shitty, don’t you? Why don’t you just say it? What Craig did to me was shitty. Shitty, Luna. Not shimmy.”
“You know I don’t like to curse.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s my pet peeve about you. Some situations desperately need curse words to express just how truly shitty they are.” She emphasized the word, shooting me a pointed look. “Your turn. Say shitty for me, Luna.”
“Nope.” I turned my attention to the ancient box of a computer screen standing on the counter and entered the order information from the form the customer had filled in. “Speaking of the toddler you got left behind with, where is Adi?”
“She’s at school. I have to pick her up soon, but I thought I’d come swing by here first. I haven’t spoken to you since Tuesday.”
“It’s only Friday.” A beautiful Friday afternoon since my windows were finally cracked open and the breeze blew out the mustiness left behind by winter.
Sure, scents from the hot dog cart outside and the Chinese laundry across the street wafted in as well, but it also circulated the sweetness from the flowers inside and the fresh dampness of the dirt from the flower boxes on the windowsills.
Soon, those babies would be filled with colorful buds and bulbs, which would hopefully serve to make the shop look more attractive to passersby. New Yorkers were starting to hit the streets again as they shed their winter clothes and came out of hibernation from their tiny apartments. It was my favorite time of the year for many reasons, but one of the most important reasons was my bottom line.
People weren’t looking to buy flowers during winter, so every spring, I had to try to make up for it. Things were looking good so far, though, and not even the thundercloud that brewed above April’s head whenever anyone mentioned weddings or love was going to ruin my day.
“So what you really mean is that you’re waiting until the last possible second to pick Adi up, and coming to me was a good excuse?” I teased, a smile curving my lips when I saw her narrowing her eyes. “Don’t even try to deny it.”
“I wasn’t going to, but it’s good for her to stay longer. Social interaction outside of classroom situations is the best teacher, you know? Also, a bit of waiting builds character and teaches patience. As long as she’s waiting in a safe space, I owe it to her to provide her with those opportunities.”
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hold in my laughter. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“I will.” She gave me a mock pout with her arms crossed loosely over her chest. Then she let out a sigh and leaned over to rest her forearms on the counter. Crinkles disappeared from the corners of her eyes and the light in them dimmed as she grew serious. “Thanks for never judging me for trying to carve out some me-time in the midst of the insanity that is my life.”