The beautiful rolltop desk she’d found under a pile of empty cartons had been dusted and waxed. Now it stood in all its glory, stacked high with handmade soaps from a local lady who ran her own goats for milk and soap-making who Mari had put April onto. Natural oils and goat’s milk gave the most luxurious bubbles and left her skin smooth and fragrant. Last night she’d ended the day with a soak in the tub, with her leg hanging over the side to keep it dry, testing out the new product.
As she stood at the bottom of the stairs she’d lovingly painted in all the pastel colors of the rainbow, April marveled at how much she’d managed to achieve in such a short time, even with her accident. Just went to show that when she knew she had what she wanted, she could do anything. She hugged her hands around her stomach and squealed with joy. She couldn’t wait for her first customer to walk through the door. Their reaction would set the tone for her day.
The prevailing smell in the shop was soft and floral. It harkened back to a day when roses smelled of whimsical romantic nights and sunny days when the world turned at a slower pace and romance was revered. With a few choice decisions, April had managed to convey the style of her shop and hopefully her future. The first delivery she’d made was to the far too serious Dr. David Morrison. She wondered if he was intrigued or more annoyed at her offering. Time would tell. The handsome and kind doctor wasn’t getting away without a fight, not after all he’d done for her. She couldn’t wait to see what he thought of the paint job she planned on doing tonight after he left the office. Boy, was he going to get a nice surprise on Monday morning when he got to work.
*
When David walked into work on Friday, he paused at the reception desk and stared at the floral display. It took a moment to wrack his brains for a special event. When he’d looked at his online calendar this morning, nothing was down. He hoped he hadn’t forgotten anything like his receptionist’s birthday, his nurse’s anniversary. Bright lime green and snow white flowers were arranged in a shocking pink box with a whimsical, soft pink feather bird sprouting from the middle of it, staring at him. He found the overall effect rather frightening, if not a little bit cute. But he wasn’t into that kind of thing. “Someone’s birthday, anniversary?”
“No, David. They’re for you. Here’s the card that came with them.” Monica handed him a vivid green envelope that almost blinded him with the intensity of it. Strangely, it matched the flowers perfectly.
“Thanks, I think.” He took the card, gave the flowers a wary glance and walked to his room. Once he’d put down his briefcase, he opened the envelope.
Dear David,
I wanted to give you the first bouquet from Wildflowers and Lace. Consider it my apology for the way I walked into you the first day we met and upended your coffee, for coming to my rescue, and for your subsequent care. I really do appreciate the house visits even if the needle wasn’t to my liking!
P.S. If you’d like an arrangement like this on a weekly basis, let me know and I can deliver it fresh every Monday. I’ll even cut you a terrific deal if you become a repeat customer!
Xoxo April
April Moore. Well that was an innovative way to drum up business but he had to give her points for trying. He leaned back in his chair, the smile coming to his lips as he remembered their encounters. The clear blue eyes, freckle-kissed skin and cupid-bow lips would be enough to tempt any red-blooded male. The bright colors put him off, as did the big hairy dog. Pity he was a confirmed bachelor or he might be interested but then again, probably not. She wasn’t his type.
His phone rang and he picked it up. “Hello.”
“David, darling.” His mother’s breathless voice rang in his ear. “How are you?”
“Fine. You saw me yesterday. What’s up, Mom?”
“You and April. Is there something you want to tell me, darling? I hear you have her flowers on your desk.” He hated to hear the enthusiasm in her voice. She was going to be severely disappointed in him. Again.
How she found out these things, he’d never know but whoever her contacts were, they were damned fast and just a little bit annoying. “No. April’s just trying to drum up business and she thought she owed me something for ruining my pants and shoe. I think the flowers should have come to you after that dinner you insisted on giving her the other night.”
“There has to be more to it than that, David.”
“I suppose it’s also a thank-you for coming to her aid when she hurt herself.”
“Oh, well that’s a bit more exciting then. You know I only want you to be happy. Living alone like you do, well it’s not healthy no matter what reasons you give me.” She sniffed delicately and he knew what was coming. “Your poor father would have hated to see you alone like this. He’d blame himself.”
She did it every time and he hated it. “Dad would understand, Mom.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t agree. If I’d known you’d made a promise to take over the practice before he died, I’d have said something about it. I know you only did it to make him happy. You lost a lot coming back here to take over when he got ill.”
Ill. That was an understatement. Riddled with cancer that didn’t even give them time to take stock of the situation, his father had changed overnight from a caring doctor to a man on a mission to settle David down and make sure his mother
