Elly in Bloom. Colleen Oakes

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      “No, Brooke, it’s not true. Remember, we talked about not believing every single thing we see online. We will have no trouble getting peonies then.”

      “Are you sure? Because this wedding website said—”

      “Yes. I’m sure. Okay! Brooke, good to talk with you, I will note the changes on your contract.”

      The bride sounded defeated. “Okay, thanks.”

      Elly hung up the phone with a sigh. Brooke called every single day, with minute changes to her contract. She did not work, and had a very rich and distant fiancé who was paying for their large wedding, but he left her alone most of the time. Planning their wedding had become Brooke’s job. She had changed her colors three times already, deciding that yellow was too bright and pink was too cliché. Now they were on to cool shades—purples and blues. Elly fully expected her to make another two or three color changes before the wedding in July. Brooke drove her nuts—she was definitely one of her bridezillas—but she also sensed loneliness in her desperation. That alone gave her more patience than she would have thought possible. She quickly noted her contract on the computer: “Crazy wants lavender for grandfather’s bouts.”

      Elly wheeled her chair around.

      “Kiiiiim!” she hollered.

      Kim strolled in, drinking greedily from a water bottle and sat down across from Elly.

      “It is SO hot out there. Ugh.” She pushed back her bangs from her eyes. Elly looked at her, exasperated.

      “You don’t even look hot. You never sweat. You just glow. I want to hit you. In a nice way.”

      Kim grinned. Her olive skin had a shining line that ran down her arms and legs. Her long legs were tucked under her light, coral sundress, accented with a pearl shell necklace and black flip-flops. Knowing Kim as well as she did, Elly knew that this gorgeous ensemble had taken her two seconds to put together, and she probably hadn’t even showered. Elly, on the other hand, had taken an hour to get ready. She showered, carefully chose a cute outfit, applied her makeup and attempted to curl her unruly hair. She was wearing khaki shorts and a yellow scoop-neck tank, and she already had sweated off all her makeup, pulled her hair up into a ponytail, and swapped her cute flip-flops for unattractive, but comfy, Crocs. It was 11 a.m. and she was already experiencing what she liked to call the “afternoon stink.” Awesome.

      “What do you want for lunch? I was thinking Keith’s,” Elly suggested.

      Bald-headed, charming, and stocky, Keith Carcelo owned the deli next door to their studio. They had fantastic sandwiches: warm Italian breads were covered with every veggie, meat, and cheese a person could imagine. The yeasty smells from the sandwich shop wafted through Posies, mixing with the fresh, light aroma of various flowers. The result was Elly’s favorite smell in the world. Besides knowing Elly’s favorite sandwich down to the cucumber count, Keith was the best neighbor a girl could ask for. He was always helping out, whether with tossing out the trash, washing down her sidewalk, or even taking Cadbury for walks occasionally when Elly was under the weather. Keith was wonderful, and Elly was glad to call him a friend.

      “Yes. Keith’s sounds great,” Kim replied, leaning on the table, “but I need to talk to you first.”

      A small twinge of alarm sounded in Elly’s mind. Kim sounded serious.

      “Um, what’s up? You seem concerned.” She straightened her papers.

      Kim sat up straight and took a deep breath and pushed her long hair behind her shoulders. “There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. I have to leave Posies.”

      “What do you mean you have to leave?” Elly stammered. “Like on vacation?”

      “I mean, not work here anymore.”

      Elly looked at Kim, slack-jawed.

      “I knew you were going to be upset and I don’t want this to affect our friendship,” Kim rushed on, “but I needed to tell you. I’m quitting.”

      Elly felt her stomach drop. Kim reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

      “Please don’t be mad at me. This isn’t about you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it every day. But I need to move on from here. Sean and I have reached this decision together. This is the best decision for our family, and designing is not thrilling me like it used to.” She paused and looked into Elly’s face. “Are you okay?”

      Elly was silent. Hurt, she lashed out at Kim. “How could you do this to me? It’s right before wedding season!”

      Kim nodded, “I’ll work for you until you find a replacement, but I’m hoping to be done around June 1.”

      Elly snapped. “Well that’s a huge help. I need you. You are the only one who knows how to really design besides me! Why are you quitting? Are you unhappy? How long have you been unhappy?” Her voice caught awkwardly in her throat. Kim pursed her lips. Elly could see she was trying not to get snarky in return and told herself to calm down. She reached for a tissue. “I’m sorry. I’m just taken off guard.”

      Kim smiled at her. “I knew you would be. I should have told you sooner. I put it off because I knew it would be rough. For both of us.”

      “Are you unhappy here?”

      “I love the shop. I do. But I need to do other things now. C’mon,” she shrugged and looked like she wanted to say more. “You know I don’t have to work; I choose to work. But Sean needs me home more. I will probably stop in everyday, you know. I’ll go crazy alone in my house. You understand.”

      Elly did not understand. Kim lived in a huge house on Magdalyne Drive, which was just up the street. The community was gated, a lush park full of flowers and large stone houses, all of which were paid off with old money. Clayton was full of old money. Families that had made their fortunes during the time of the 1904 World’s Fair passed it down through generations, leaving many a young couple with more money than they ever dreamed of. Kim’s husband Sean was a urological surgeon and made a pretty good living, but the house had been bought by his mother, who was the heir to the famous Creeden fortune. Their home was amazing. It was a combination of exquisite stones, rich fabrics, and cutting-edge art, picked by Kim’s eclectic eye, and Old World furnishings, worth thousands of dollars. Elly loved going to Kim’s house. She was there practically every other day.

      “No, I don’t understand. You don’t have to do anything. Are you just going to lie out by the pool all day and drink mai tais? Why are you quitting? Is there a real reason?”

      Kim’s face, even though Elly had just insulted her, stayed unruffled. “No. And I know that will upset you. I don’t have to justify myself to you…. Can’t you understand? Sometimes you just need to do what’s best for you.” She looked straight at Elly. “I would think you of all people would understand that.”

      Elly sat back like she had been slapped. “What is that supposed to mean?”

      Kim leaned forward. “I didn’t mean anything.”

      “No, what did you mean? TELL me. I mean, you obviously have no problem inconveniencing me.” Elly stood quickly. Kim stood as well.

      “Okay. Fine. You left everything СКАЧАТЬ