One-Off by Lynn Galli Page B

She looked back at the store.
    Sitting in the car, I now realized how uneasy I’d been inside, like we were being interviewed before they’d allow us to order flowers. “Gary’s going to have a heart attack.”
    “You must know of other florists.”
    “There’s a small shop by my office. She doesn’t do weddings, but we can ask if she’ll make an exception for Dallas.” I put the car in gear and got us going in that direction. “I can take care of this if you really have a headache.”
    “I just said that to get out of there. I felt like we were in a sketch comedy version of a flower shop.”
    I laughed and Ainsley’s eyes widened in surprise at the sound. When she knew me in grad school, I was a pretty serious thing, especially around someone who seemed irritated by my very existence. That was going to have to change. We’d need all the humor we could find if we were going to get through this to the wedding.
    The atmosphere in the next shop was completely different. About half the size of the last place, Morgan had flowers, plants, and trees displayed everywhere. The front held as much inventory as the back storeroom. Even without liking flowers, I loved this place. It helped that I really liked the owner.
    “Skye,” Morgan greeted as she came out from the behind the counter. Her champagne blond hair was twisted into a messy bun with most of the ends hanging free. Despite having worked alone in the shop all day, her hazel green eyes were bright and shiny. “What brings you in? Another staff retirement?”
    Ainsley turned a surprised gaze my way. “You’re a regular?”
    “Everyone likes flowers.”
    “You don’t.”
    My head jerked into a double-take. How would she know that? Her fleeting smile didn’t tell me anything. It wasn’t like I hated flowers. They weren’t one of my least favorite things.
    “Did I hear a touch of Great Britain there?” Morgan smiled at Ainsley.
    “You did. Scotland.”
    “I visited Edinburgh for a couple of days on my honeymoon. It was majestic.” Her face didn’t show the melancholy I knew she felt at the mention of her now dissolved marriage. “Are you just visiting?”
    Ainsley nodded. “I’m in for my cousin’s wedding, and Skye tells me you do lovely flowers.”
    Morgan tipped her head at me. “This one here is so thoughtful. Do you know how many bosses don’t even get a card for their staff when they have birthdays or babies or go into retirement? If I’d had a boss like her, I might never have gone out on my own.”
    “Well, if you do weddings, we’re glad you didn’t have a boss like Skye.”
    Morgan laughed and flashed me a bright smile. “I’d love to help you out, but Skye knows I’m a one-person shop. I don’t have a crew for installations, and I decided a long time ago that bridezillas aren’t worth the extra income from wedding flowers.”
    “Bridezillas?” Ainsley turned a questioning stare at me.
    “Brides who get so caught up in having every little thing perfectly done and only their way that they become Godzilla-like.”
    “There’s even a TV series on it,” Morgan added helpfully. “That alone would make me want to skip wedding flowers. Who’s getting married?”
    “Dallas.” I felt a little guilty that she hadn’t had time to tell everyone yet. Morgan was more my friend than Dallas’s, but they got along whenever we all went out together.
    “Really? She bagged and tagged Colin, huh?”
    I held up my hand to keep Ainsley from asking what that meant. “What do you say?”
    “I don’t know. It’s a lot of time and I couldn’t do installation.” She shot me a guilty look. “No offense, but Dallas likes getting her way when she’s normal. As a bride, she’d be a terror to deal with.”
    Ainsley started cracking up, and I couldn’t help but join in. “Good thing they’re off in South America and we’re the ones planning the wedding.”
    Morgan tapped her ears for effect. “You’re kidding, right?”
    “We’re