One Way Ticket

by Melissa Baldwin

  “Ah-huh,” I replied, taking another sip. “And then?”

  “And then she told me you were going to take things over for her, by which I assumed she meant the shop, not her fiancé.” She let out a laugh, and I couldn’t help but join in.

  The idea of “taking over” Sabrina’s fiancé was utterly preposterous, of course.

  “That’s all correct. I’m running her shop for a while.”

  “How long is ‘a while,’ exactly?”

  “Oh, umm, I’m not sure.”

  Which was God’s honest truth.

  “Do you know how to run a flower shop? I mean, it takes skill, right? It’s not like you can just learn it all in a day.” Naomi took a sip of her coffee.

  “No, no. I’m a florist, actually.”

  “Really? So, you replied to an ad or something? Did Sabrina have this all planned out?”

  I swallowed. Wow, living someone else’s life was tricky—especially when that someone else was runaway bride Sabrina Monroe.

  “Not exactly.” I took a large gulp of my coffee, burning my tongue. I coughed, putting my hand over my mouth. “Sorry.” I reached inside my purse and rummaged around for a tissue. I felt my phone with my fingers and pushed it to one side, peering at it to see if I had a message from Sabrina.

  Please don’t tell her where I am.

  I let out another cough—this one slightly less authentic than the last—and continued to rummage.

  “Here,” Naomi said, handing me a tissue.

  I took it and wiped my eyes under my sunglasses. “Thanks. Hot coffee.”

  “Sure. I love your accent. Are you from England?”

  I did an internal eye roll. Naomi seemed nice, but it was the same old question, once again. “No, I’m from New Zealand.”

  “Oh, wow. That’s really far away.”

  I thought of my Knight in Shining Sneakers from yesterday and smiled. “Yes, yes it is.”

  “Weren’t the Avatar movies filmed there, or something?”

  “No, I think they were mainly CGI.” How could anyone think the planet on Avatar was an actual country on Earth? “You’re thinking of the Lord of the Rings movies.”

  “Oh, that’s right. So, you’re from New Zealand, and Sabrina’s a Cali girl, through and through. How did you two meet again?”

  I bit the inside of my lip. She was like a dog with a bone.

  “I guess . . . I was in the right place at the right time.” I smiled at her. I was glad I had my sunglasses on so Naomi couldn’t see my eyes.

  I was never one of those people who found lying easy. I would end up giggling or caving, quite possibly both, the lie as obvious as a black sheep in a field of white snow. Not that I was lying.

  Well, not exactly. I just wasn’t giving her the full story.

  Naomi shot me a sideways glance. “You’re not going to tell me anything else, are you?”

  I shook my head, holding my smile.

  “Can you at least tell me where she is?”

  I shook my head again, still smiling. Sabrina had made it clear. I couldn’t betray her trust.

  “I’m just worried about her, we all are. She’s my best friend, and I’ve only received two messages from her since Saturday. Two! Can you at least tell me if she’s okay?” She pressed her lips together, her face the picture of concern.

  My heart went out to her. Here she was, expecting to watch her best friend get married, only for her to run away, leaving no clue of her whereabouts or even what her mental state might be.

  If I were Naomi, I would feel the same.

  “Please don’t worry about her, Naomi. She’s doing fine.”

  “Fine?” she questioned, raising her eyebrows at me.

  “Maybe not ‘fine,’ but as good as can be, under the circumstances.”

  She let out a puff of air. “That’s a relief.”

  “And I’m looking after her apartment really well.”

  Which was also true. I wasn’t the neatest girl on the planet, but I was taking extra care with Sabrina’s place because it was so nice.

  My mind darted to Velma’s dented fender.

  At least I couldn’t crash Sabrina’s apartment into a hedge.

  Naomi lowered her sunglasses down her nose and looked at me. “You’re living at her place?”

  Was I meant to tell her that? Man, this was hard! This whole life-switch thing was proving to be pretty darn tricky.

  I clearly needed to lift my game.

  Before I had the chance to answer, she put her hand up and said, “You know what? It doesn’t matter. If Sabrina trusts you to live in her apartment and manage her business, you must be one hell of a girl.”

  “I . . . um . . .” I didn’t know what to say. Disagree and I looked suspicious, agree and I looked conceited. I settled on, “Thanks.”

  “Do you have any plans on Friday night? I’m going to this gallery opening thing my friend is running, which might be boring, but the drinks are free and we can go out after?”

  A gallery opening in San Francisco? Was she kidding? I read about that kind of thing, never thinking I would ever go to one. I leapt at the chance.

  “Sure! That sounds great.”

  “Awesome. Give me your number.” Naomi pulled her phone out of her purse, and I gave her my number. “Four zero seven? Is that a New Zealand number?”

  “Yes,” I replied, the lie sticking like gum in my throat.

  Four zero seven was the area code for Orlando. Before this moment, it hadn’t occurred to me giving Naomi my number could give Sabrina’s whereabouts away. I looked out at the water, hoping she couldn’t tell I had lied—again.

  “Oh, look, another ferry!” I exclaimed, trying to distract her.

  She shot me a quizzical look. “Yeah . . . that’s a ferry, all right.”

  “I like ferries,” I said by way of explanation. “Like, a lot.”

  Another lie. Not that I disliked ferries, exactly. I had no opinion on them either way. Although, the idea of boarding one to get away from all these awkward questions was very appealing right now.

  “Well, you’re in the right place for ferries.” She typed something into her phone. “I just sent you my number. I’ll text you later. I have to get going, but it’s been great to meet you, Addison.”

  “Yes, great to meet you, too. Oh, and call me Addi.”

  “Sure, Addi.” She stood up and smoothed down the skirt of her black dress.

  I followed suit, although my crumpled shorts needed a lot more than a quick brush down to make me look anything like Naomi.

  “I’m actually going to meet up with Sabrina’s fiancé.” She shook her head, pursing her lips. “That poor guy. He needs all the support he can get right now.”

  I nodded. In all the life-switching craziness, I hadn’t given Sabrina’s ex-fiancé a second thought. “I hope he’s doing okay.”

  “Would you be doing okay if the love of your life left you on your wedding day?”

  I thought of him, standing at the altar, waiting for a bride who never turned up. I shook my head. “No, I guess not.”

  “All right, girl.” She pulled me in for a hug, taking me by surprise. “Talk to you soon.” She walked away, then turned and called, “Make sure you take good care of The Flower Girl!”

  “I will!” I called back.

  With Naomi out of sight, I turned to look back at the sea, leaning my arms on the fence. When I had agreed to do this with Sabrina, I had no clue her maid of honor would come tracking me down, peppering me with questions. This was proving harder than I had imagined.

  I wondered who would be next?

  Back in the store, I ensured the “closed” sign was firmly in place before I wandered around the shop once more, doing one final check.

  As I clipped a couple of damaged leaves off a Peace Lily, I spotted a group of exquisite paperweights placed on one of the oak shelves. I picked one up, holding it gently in my hands. It was heavy, clearly made of solid glass—no cheap plastic copies in Sabri
na’s store.

  I held it up to the light and peered at it. It was filled with delicate glass petals, in varying shades of pink, making it look like an exotic and beautiful flower.

  A loud and sudden rap on the door made me jump, and the paperweight went flying out of my hands. I grabbed for it with my right hand, almost managing to wrap my fingers around it, until it slipped out of my grasp. With my left, I swiped at it, only managing to bat it, like a baseball, onto the floor. It made a loud thud as heavy glass met rattan floor rug, but mercifully, it didn’t break.

  I put my hand on my hammering heart, letting out a puff of air.

  That was close!

  I collected it up in my hands and turned to see who had knocked. Whoever it was had turned his back, his hands placed on his hips. I pulled the door open, the undamaged paperweight held tightly in my left hand.

  “I’m sorry, we’re closed today,” I said to the man’s back.

  He turned to face me, and for a moment, all I could see were his movie star good looks, his messy light brown hair, his brown eyes with the flecks of gold.

  “What the . . .? It’s you,” he said breathlessly, his eyes wide, his forehead crinkled.

  My heart leapt into my mouth. I smiled at him, my tummy flip-flopping all over the place.

  He was here: my Knight.

  Chapter 6

  Sabrina

  I’ve fallen completely in love with San Francisco! I may never want to leave.

  I was so thankful to get such a positive message from Addi. It definitely helped to break up the not-so-positive messages from my mother.

  How could you do this to Todd, to yourself, and to all of us? My heart is broken.

  I sighed as I put my head down on the desk. I’d just finished looking over Mrs. Watson’s floral order for the week. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle, and I was grateful our difficult first encounter hadn’t scared her away.

  Now, it was time to deal with my mother. I couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Even though I’m an adult now, I’ve never been emotionally prepared for her overdramatic reactions after I’ve “disappointed” her. I knew this was coming, which is why I took my time responding.

  Priscilla Monroe, also known as my mother, was a force to be reckoned with.

  The endless guilt trip had begun about how badly I had hurt Todd and how much embarrassment I’d brought to the whole family. What she really meant was how much embarrassment I had brought to her, because, after all, it was always about my dear mother.

  Our engagement, our wedding—all of it was about her.

  After Todd and I had been dating for several months, we introduced our families, and from that moment on, they were inseparable. And then, after we officially became engaged, my mother and Todd’s mother, Bitsy, jumped right into planning, by making “suggestions” on what we should and shouldn’t have. Some of their suggestions were good, and we happily went along with them. Others—like my wedding dress—took more compromise. Finally, there came a point where I stopped caring.

  It was then I realized I didn’t want to get married.

  “Sabrina, are you okay?” Isabella asked.

  I raised my head from the desk. “Yes, I’m just trying to decide how to respond to my mother’s message. She’s not happy with me right now.”

  Hah! That was quite an understatement. I imagined she was ready to disown me at any moment.

  “Oh, that’s right. You haven’t explained yet, have you?” Isabella asked as she ran her fingers through her shoulder-length black hair.

  I shook my head, trying to avoid eye contact with her. I knew I was being a coward, but I didn’t care. Even though the past few days had been a whirlwind, I already felt different since I had been away. Those few weeks leading up to my wedding felt like I was suffocating.

  Now, I was able to breathe again.

  “Sabrina, I know it’s not any of my business, and I don’t really know you, but what are you so afraid of?” Isabella asked. “I’m sure your family would understand that you only left because you were having so many doubts. Surely they wouldn’t want you to stay in a relationship if you weren’t happy?”

  I shifted around uncomfortably. I wished I believed they would understand. Judging by my mother’s tone in her messages, she certainly didn’t, which I fully expected. “You’d be surprised. This marriage meant a lot to our families. Uniting us into one family was supposed to be the end game. And with me hopping out that window, I blew it all to hell.”

  Isabella forced a sympathetic look. I knew she thought I was overreacting, but she was right, she didn’t know me. She really didn’t have a clue.

  “Anyway, I can’t hold off any longer. I have to talk to them—all of them.”

  “Including your fiancé? Sorry, I mean ex-fiancé?” she asked.

  My pulse picked up. As difficult as it was going to be to face the music with my mother, Todd was an entirely different situation. I would never forget the sadness and desperation in his voice in his voicemails.

  “Yes, especially him.”

  Isabella gave me a thoughtful look while she chewed on the top of her pen cap. “Do you think there’s still a chance for you two? Just because you needed to get away doesn’t necessarily mean it’s over . . . forever?”

  I gave her a weak smile. “I get what you’re saying, but I have to be honest with myself and Todd. I will always love him, but I don’t think that means—” My phone began to ring, interrupting me. I glanced at the screen to see my mother’s phone number once again.

  Speak of the devil! I took a deep breath.

  I looked up at Isabella. “I have to answer this.”

  She nodded as she hurried away, closing the door to Addi’s small office behind her.

  I took a deep breath before hitting “answer.”

  “Hello, Mom,” I said in the most confident tone I could muster.

  “Sabrina Lynn Monroe, I don’t think I’ve ever been more disappointed in my life! How could you do this . . . to all of us? And to make matters worse, you don’t even have the decency to call us and tell us where you are!” She paused to take a breath, before she continued her tirade. “Where are you? Apparently, there are videos of you wandering around the airport in your bare feet!”

  “Mom—”

  “You need to get home right away and work this out with Todd. How could you hurt him like this? I’m so ashamed.”

  “Mom, will you give me a chance to speak?” I interrupted, raising my voice.

  “Yes, please enlighten me on why you would climb out of a bathroom window,” she wailed. “A bathroom window, Sabrina! Oh, the humiliation! I haven’t been able to sleep one bit. And poor Bitsy’s blood pressure has been elevated. Do you realize what you’ve done? Do you even care?”

  I wanted to scream, but experience told me it was the best thing to let her unload on me.

  “Mom, will you let me speak?” I asked, very calmly once the tirade appeared to be over.

  “Fine. Just as long as you tell me that you’re on your way home and you promise me you’re going to fix this. You can still get married, I’m sure it’s not too late.”

  “Mom, I can’t promise you that, and I don’t want to get married. I know that isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m sorry for that. It’s just not fair to me—or to Todd.”

  My mother was completely silent, which was never a good thing. I could almost picture her sitting in her plush white desk chair, her short bob cut perfectly coiffed, sipping on a martini to calm her nerves.

  “Where are you, Sabrina? Someone needs to talk some sense into you.”

  I didn’t want her to know where I was. Knowing her, she would be on the first plane here to drag me back to California.

  “Mom, please just give me the time I need,” I pleaded, hoping to find some compassion in her.

  “You’re being ridiculous,” she scoffed. “How could you throw away your future like this?”

  I let out an exaspera
ted sigh. “I’m not throwing anything away. I just need time to think. Please understand.”

  “I can’t talk to you when you’re being unreasonable,” she snapped. “Call me back when you’re ready to have a rational conversation.”

  The phone went silent. She actually hung up on me!

  I sat back in my chair and let out a puff of air. Well, that went about as well as I’d expected.

  But I couldn’t worry about that now. I had a more important person to call: Todd.

  I held the phone tightly in my hand as I mentally prepared myself to call him. Just as I was about to press the call button, there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” I called, a little too eager for the interruption.

  Isabella popped her head in. “You okay?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. What’s up?”

  She slipped in and walked over to the desk. “So, I just learned some information about Fuchsia Flowers and Gifts.”

  As much as I knew I needed to talk to Todd, hearing more about this new competitor of Blooms was a welcome distraction. I promised myself I would call him soon.

  “What about it?”

  “My friend knows one of the owners. It’s more of a gift shop, but they also do floral arrangements. I think we need to go to that grand opening event to check them out.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. If this new shop is threatening to take away Addi’s best customers, we have to let her know. We need to see what we’re up against.”

  “Okay, I’ll get the details. We can go together.”