6+ Us Makes Eight_A Teacher and Single Dad Romance

by Nicole Elliot

  I clipped the roses and put them in their vases, lining the back wall, and then I worked my way up. The gardenias were next, and then the tulips. The flowers were blooming so well, spending my last bit of investment on that green ceiling was worth it. I didn’t have to come in and water them as often, and they got just the right amount of sunlight.

  Now all I needed were people to buy them. The hardest part was over, I guessed. Building the place up, getting a lease, commissioning flowers and growing my own consistently enough. But now, people would have to buy them, so I could pay the bills. I seemed to be in a constant tug of war with paying bills, since I was twelve and my mother…

  I couldn’t think of her now. I would be holed up for the rest of the day. A decade and a half later and it still hurt.

  “Emilia! Emilia!” I smiled at the voice.

  Dan was a sweet neighborhood kid who liked to help around the shop. But I recently found out it was his grandparents that were my most loyal customers. I started selling fresh flowers from my backyard back in college, and a kind lady started buying them from me. Every fresh bloom, then every week, then every day for the past seven years.

  “I’m here.”

  Dan appeared behind the azaleas. He was growing really fast, he was almost taller than me now, and his boyish looks were fading to a more handsome one. He looked just like his grandmother, Sasha. Brown hair, brown eyes, soft features.

  “Nanna needs a big order.” He slipped me a piece of paper.

  “How big?” I asked, before looking at the paper. When I did, I almost fell from the ladder.

  “Oh my, a gala?”

  He nodded.

  “Another charity ball. She needs an entryway and…well, it’s all there.” He was right. She gave him a layout of the whole place, and marked where every flower should go.

  “Um, when is this happening?” I asked him.

  “Saturday.” He said casually, as if that wasn’t just two days away. I was wondering how the hell I would pull this off, but I couldn’t let him see that.

  “Okay, great.”

  “You need any help?” he offered. He was already in his school uniform, so I was sure he had places to be.

  “No, thanks. Maybe for the gala. One day I can actually pay you.” I smiled. He waved me off and slung his backpack back over his shoulder.

  “Now worries, Emilia. I’m glad to help!” He was out the door before I could protest.

  I kept working. There was actually a lot to do, and I just kept postponing it. But by the end of the work day I had organized all the flowers, trimmed down their stems, and prepared the usual orders for Sasha.

  She usually came by in the morning. Maybe she would explain more about this charity ball happening on Saturday. I put my oversized sweater on, and locked up before I started the short walk to my studio apartment. Really, it was right around the corner and only took me one song to get there. Once inside, I popped in a frozen dinner and took a quick, hot shower. And it actually had to be quick because the hot water only lasted a few minutes.

  It was a dingy place, but it was mine. The one small window I had was lined with an array of plants, daisies mostly, because they were my favorite. Right next to it was my bed, well it was just a mattress and box spring with a quilt I made from old tee shirts, but it was comfortable. I had a small bedside table that mostly held a bunch of clutter, and a small couch that only held laundry I refused to fold. My television was my laptop, and the kitchen might as well be the bathroom. Yeah, not much. But it was all mine.

  Once I settled in with Netflix and my lasagna, I called Ivy. She and I had been friends since high school. These days, that was a really long time. We went to the same college, the state school here. Iowa had good schools regardless.

  “Hey, I was just about to call you!” Ivy had such a chipper voice, I wondered how she could always have so much energy.

  Her job was way more stressful than mine. She was an up and coming designer and assistant, which meant she had to be at her boss’s beck and call, planned all the shows for him, handle orders, then find time for her own designs.

  “How odd, how was today?” I put her on speaker and settled into the couch.

  “Ugh, horrible. I just got back. I was about to find something to eat. What about you? How is the shop coming?”

  I just got into the official shop space last week, I had been working out of the makeshift greenery I made of the roof, behind the landlord’s back.

  “Pretty well. Sasha actually just gave me this huge order. To handle the floral and gardening for a charity ball on Saturday.”

  “Oh shit, that’s good, isn’t it? You don’t sound happy.”

  “Yeah. It’s just a lot. I want to do a good job.” I explained.

  “Oh, for sure. Don’t even worry about it, your work is amazing. How will you finish the order though?” I hadn’t even thought of that. Every flower in my shop wouldn’t be enough, and it wasn’t even the theme I already had mustering up in my head.

  “I hope to ask her about that tomorrow. I’m sure she has a budget and everything.”

  “What kind of charity?” she asked. I could barely hear her though, with the background noise and the sound of the microwave.

  “A boys’ and girls’ club. It was one of the first ones her and her husband opened up.”

  “What’s her name again? Wait, this is the same one that’s been buying from you all this time?”

  “Yeah. Sasha Hallows. Her husband’s name is Bryan.”

  “Oh yeah, they basically built the youth of this city. Whoa, she is like your fairy godmother or something? Except with flowers?”

  “Sure, Ivy.” I laughed. “But still, I want to do well. This could open up a lot of doors, you know?”

  “Yeah, I feel you. You will do great, don’t worry.” She stifled a yawn. Man, I was tired too. I hadn’t seen her in a few days either. Usually we didn’t go that long without at least meeting for lunch or dinner.

  “Thanks. You’re tired.” I stated.

  “No, I want to talk. Can you bring a plus one to this gala?” I heard the smile in her voice.

  “I don’t know. I will definitely ask, I don’t think I could go by myself anyway. Would you be able to go?”

  She scoffed, “Uh, duh! Why else would I have asked? I would love to be there for you, it’s your first big gig!”

  “Aw, thanks.” I smiled to myself, eating the last of my lasagna. I have got to stop eating these things, the sodium is starting to pack where it shouldn’t be.

  “No problem. What are you doing anyway?” She asked me.

  “Watching that house wives show on Netflix. You?”

  “Well I just heated up this pot pie, but I think it’s going to be nasty.”

  I let out a laugh.

  “What time do you have work tomorrow?”

  “I don’t. I have to send out a bunch of orders, which I usually do from here.”

  “Well you can come over and I can cook. Long as you bring the ingredients.”

  “Really? I will literally be right there.” She hung up before I could even laugh.

  Yeah, Ivy couldn’t cook at all. It’s a wonder she has even made it this far. But she had me. We were roommates back in college. The only reason we didn’t live together now was because the design firm she worked for was on the other side of town, there was no good real estate there and I simply couldn’t afford to follow her. Ivy had the support of her parents, but she never saw them because they were career travelers. I didn’t know that was a thing until I met her.

  I figured I should clean up a little since she was coming, even though she has seen this place messier. I finally folded the clothes crowding my couch, and it made the whole place look a little bit more organized. All five hundred square feet of it.

  Her knock was easily recognizable, I skipped to the door, my sweats dragging the floor as I did.

  “Oh, my goodness, what did you bring?”

  She was lugging two huge brown bags.
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  “One bag has drinks. The other has the food.” She explained.

  She set the bags down and hugged me tight. Our hugs were always awkward because she was so dang tall. She could model the clothes that she designed too. She was very pretty; her blonde hair surrounded her sharp and dramatic features; her brown eyes were the most noticeable thing about her. She had that girl next door vibe going on too.

  “I missed you. You look great.” I told her. She was wearing a tight pair of dark jeans and a spaghetti strap bohemian top with a denim jacket. I supposed she always had to look ready for the runway.

  “Thanks, you look comfy. Can I put something on?” she gestured to my makeshift closet.

  “Go for it.” I went through the bag. I guessed she wanted me to make pasta.

  I started a pot of water, then I chopped up some onions and sausages. I always added pepperoni for extra flavor. By the time I got the sauce going, the water had boiled. Ivy put on my favorite leggings and cut off tee.

  “Have any ideas for the gala yet?” Ivy asked over the noise of Netflix.

  “Yeah. I was thinking since it’s centered around kids it should be colorful and inviting. Something not too adult, if that makes sense. Maybe some peonies, buttercups, and begonias.”

  “That already sounds so pretty.”

  “Thanks. It’s just a bit nerve wracking. I mean, come tomorrow I have two days.”

  I wish I had a longer notice, but things weren’t always perfect. I poured us both a glass of wine and met her on the couch while everything cooked.

  “Thanks. You’ll be okay. And at least Sasha knows you, so she won’t treat you like any other person she hired.”

  “That’s true. She has always been so nice. And to think it was a chance meeting.”

  I thought back.

  This was the hardest day. Even my flowers couldn’t make me smile. Because she was in them, all over them. My mother was everything to me. And she left so soon, too soon. She loved flowers, every time we were together, she was planting flowers. Our garden was bigger than any other, and the most beautiful. She used to travel a lot, exploring all types of flowers. My father was a botanist, that’s how she got into it.

  “Excuse me miss, are these for sale?” Were they talking to me?

  I set my clippers down and turned to face the voice. I shielded my eyes from the sun with my gloved hand. A kind woman stood in front of me, her coat looked like it cost more than my monthly tuition.

  “Not usually.” I answered simply.

  She opened up the small gate I had and stepped inside. I used the university green room a lot, and I had never seen her. I thought I had seen everyone that came around here.

  “Are you visiting?” I asked her. She continued to look upon the flowers, her cream-colored gloves covered her delicate hands.

  She looked like a business woman of some sort. Her brown hair was in a nice pin up style, her coat a professional shade of blue, and her slacks opened up at the bottom to a pair of heels.

  “Oh, no. I was here for a meeting. I’m Sasha Hallows.” My eyes widened in shock. Could it really be her?

  She was the only reason I was at this school. Her scholarship fund was paying for everything. Room, board, books, tuition. My grades earned it, but she definitely made it possible.

  “Whoa, I’m one of your scholarship recipients.” I gushed. She smiled as if she knew, but that would be a little too creepy.

  “How wonderful…you planted all of these?” she smiled, gesturing to my small cube of flowers.

  I had pretty much everything currently in season. Dogwoods, winterberries, heathers, paperback maples, and firethorns. I was still working on getting the camellias to grow right, but they were at least budding.

  “Yes, I did. I study botany here.” I took after my dad in that sense.

  “That’s delightful,” her eyes strayed past me, “are those winter jasmines?” My breath froze. I couldn’t talk about winter jasmines, I could do nothing but water them every day.

  “Um, yes.”

  “You could sell these flowers, you know. They’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you. I sell them during Valentine’s Day and Christmas, but I never do otherwise.”

  “Well, you could. I would definitely buy some. Those jasmines are beautiful.” She stepped closer to them, and I all but blocked her from coming any closer. Her smile quickly faded, and I struggled to explain myself.

  “The jasmines are…private. Well, they were my mother’s favorite flower and she passed away.”

  Her hands crossed over her chest as her face softened.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. Was it recent?”

  I shook my head. “No, when I was twelve. But…it happened today.”

  I wondered why I was giving a complete stranger all this information, but something made me feel like I could trust her. Perhaps it was because she was older, and kind of reminded me of my mother in a way. Her eyes had wonder, hope, and believed when others didn’t.

  Just like my mother.

  “That is so unfortunate, she liked flowers?” She guessed.

  “Yes, she loved them. I suppose I grew to love them too.” I offered a sad smile.

  “Well, you grow them so beautifully. You should be very proud of yourself.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Since it is fate that we’ve met, with you being one of my recipients and all, I would like to buy some flowers from you. Are two bundles of alyssums okay?” I nodded eagerly.

  “Yes, of course. I’ve never charged by the bundle before though.” I felt like I sounded clueless, not knowing how to price my own flowers. In my defense, it wasn’t something I did often. I gathered the bundles, measured out by the twine, and then wrapped them in the parchment paper.

  “That’s fine. Just take this, I insist.” I didn’t look at the folded-up bill she gave me before thanking her.

  “Thank you. I hope you enjoy them.”

  She lifted them to her nose, sniffing them delicately as she smiled. “I will, they’ll look beautiful in the window seat of my den. I’ll be seeing you later…. oh, I didn’t even get your name!” She spun on her heel before she left.

  “Emilia.” I answered.

  “Emilia, a beautiful name. See you soon.” She waved, leaving the green room.

  I stared after her in awe, wondering what on earth had just happened. I looked down at the bill she gave me; whoa, one hundred dollars! It was too much, but she was too far gone for me to chase after her. I simply tucked it in my wallet and finished my tasks for the day.

  By the time I was done, I was almost late for my job at the diner. Waitressing was the only way for me to make a living. Yeah, I had the scholarship. But I needed other things, and I liked having money in savings. But all through work, I kept thinking about Sasha. I never thought would meet her in person, but I was glad I did. It really took my mind off the day.

  I never left her bedside as she got worse and worse, then she was just gone. It always just replayed over and over in my head. But not today, well, it did until Sasha stopped by. I loved growing flowers to stay close to my mom, but now I could make it mean something. I could build something of it.

  When I put that hundred dollars in my savings account after work, I imagined saving everything from my job as a waitress and having enough to open my own flower shop with a greenhouse that didn’t belong to the school. I could make something out of what both my mother and I loved so much.

  It seemed unachievable, I had no idea what I would need or what it would cost, but the seed was planted, and I could never ignore those. I told Ivy, my best friend, to make it official.

  “I thought you were going to be a botanist.” She said initially.

  “I still can, but if I open up this flower shop I know it will make my mother happy. And I think it will be good for me too.”

  “I support you, whatever decision you make. But…”

  “But what?” She was making that face she did when she was hiding something. />
  “You might want to enroll in some business classes.”

  Chapter Three

  Tristan

  Vivian, was it for me. I couldn’t deal with that heartbreak again, it wasn’t possible. I hated feeling like this. I would rather be under a bunch of women who wouldn’t get attached. And I didn’t have to go through that relationship bullshit again. I hated to say it, but Vivian destroyed my trust in women. She was nice in the beginning, a sweet girl in school to become a massage therapist. She was kind but didn’t have much of a sense of humor, but I didn’t mind that. She fit into my life, maybe that’s why I sort of settled. And she was pretty. The prettiest head of brown tresses, thin body from all her Pilates, and strong features. She looked good next to me in all the photos and interviews. As time went on, after we got married, she quit school. Decided she would be a housewife, nothing wrong with that, but we never had kids. She didn’t really do anything all day. And I was always working late. Maybe I bored her. There had to be something I did to deserve…

  My doorbell went off and I knew it was Natalie. I was grateful she pulled me from my dark thoughts. I opened the door to my spitting image. Tall, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, strong jaw, and a love for Thai Food.

  “You went to Thai Cottage?” I asked her.

  “Hello to you too!” she yelled, shoving her way in. I shut the door behind her and offered a quick hug, which she turned into a full-on squeeze session.

  “Hey, sis.”

  She helped herself to the plates and cups. I got the food out, the smell hit me, and I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. I was starving.

  She got my favorites too; rice, vegetable spring rolls, pad thai, and steamed vegetables. We sat at my breakfast bar with the television from the kitchen on, of course she forced me to watch what she wanted. Some show about house wives in Oklahoma. But by the second episode, I was enjoying it.

  “How is everything at the practice?” I asked about her for a change, and it wasn’t just to keep her from asking about me.

  For the past few weeks, everyone had been asking about me, and frankly I was sick of it. I would much rather talk about what was going on with the rest of the family.