Bring Me Flowers (Garden of Love 5)

by Melanie Wilber

  “Is that what took you so long?” Kristin asked in mock annoyance, reaching for a tissue.

  “Isn’t he the most precious thing?” her sister cooed. “The gal that owns the hairdressing place is looking for a home for him. I couldn’t resist.”

  “I’m half-starved and you stopped at the hair salon?”

  “She’s having a going-out-of-business sale. I got my favorite shampoo and conditioner at half-price. You should check it out.”

  “I buy my shampoo at the supermarket. It’s always a bargain,” she said, thinking about her thin, medium-blonde hair that would never resemble Kendra’s dark, wavy locks no matter what she used on it. She’d tried a perm once and ended up with a frizzy mess. This summer she tried a new cut the girl at the walk-in salon had suggested, and she’d been happy with the shorter style that was all one length, fell just below her ears, and she kept away from her face. She thought it made her look more like twenty-five than nineteen, and she had received a lot of compliments on it.

  “I thought your apartment didn’t allow pets,” she said, turning the conversation back to the cat. Taking the sack of food from Kendra’s hand, she rummaged through it to find her turkey sandwich.

  “They don’t,” Kendra confirmed. “But I was thinking--?”

  “Oh, no,” Kristin said. “I mean it Ken. You’re not talking me into this. My allergies would have a fit.”

  “Kris,” she pleaded, setting the ball of fluff on the table and brushing her curly brown tendrils out of her eyes. “He needs a home and your duplex would be perfect. He could stay in the garage at night and have the yard to play in. You’re hardly ever there anyway, and I would buy everything he needs. I’ll bathe him once a week so he won’t bother your nose. Please at least think about it? I’m planning to move this summer so it would only be for a few months.”

  Kristin unwrapped her sandwich and took a large bite. Kendra’s persuasive tactics had always been difficult for her to resist, no matter how outrageous the idea. Seeing Mr. Young approaching the counter with a few other items in hand besides the flowers, she knew this discussion would have to wait. She washed down the food in her mouth with a sip of her lemonade before stepping back to the register.

  “Are you ready?” she asked, meeting his amused expression. He had obviously overheard their conversation.

  “Yes, I’ll take these as well,” he said, placing his purchases on the counter. Kristin totaled the amount of his items and wrapped the scented candle in tissue paper.

  “Is this your sister?” he asked.

  Kristin nodded and introduced the two of them.

  “Please, call me Jacob,” he said when Kristin used his surname. He had told her and the rest of the staff that before, but she could not get used to addressing him so informally. Kendra, however, had no such qualms.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Jacob,” she said. “My sister has told me a lot about you. It sounds like you are doing some great things at the school.”

  “I’m trying,” he said. “It helps when I have such a great staff to work with.”

  Expecting Jacob to focus his full attention on her vivacious sister until he stepped out the door, as most men in Kendra’s presence seemed to do, Kristin was surprised when he looked at her instead and winked. Now it was her turn to blush.

  The phone rang behind her, and Kendra stepped around the partition to answer it. Mr. Young paid with cash, and Kristin handed him his change.

  “Thank you,” she said, handing him the sack. “I hope she likes them.”

  He took the bag from her but did not pick up the vase and turn away as she expected.

  “Did you need something else?” she asked, wondering if she had forgotten something.

  “Actually, I--” he began. Kendra’s voice interrupted him.

  “Kristin, it’s Aunt Paulie. She needs you to run a replacement over to her. She dropped one of the bouquets.”

  “Okay,” she said, stepping back to take the call and find out what her aunt needed. “Excuse me, Jacob.”

  “No problem,” he said. “I’ll see you on Tuesday. Enjoy your weekend.”

  She returned his small wave before he turned and headed for the door, then took the phone from Kendra’s hand. After writing down her aunt’s instructions for the arrangement she needed and the directions to where she needed them delivered, Kristin replaced the receiver and went to work.

  “He’s cute,” Kendra said, holding her pita bread sandwich in one hand and stroking the kitten with the other. “How come no one’s snagged him yet?”

  “Beats me,” she shrugged, “I know of at least two who are trying.” Taking another bite of her sandwich, she moved to select a bunch of pink carnations and made fresh cuts in the long stems she had laid out on the table.

  “Including my big sis?”

  “Oh, no, not me,” she said, turning to look for the lilies. “I’ve made some bad choices in the relationship department, but I’m not dumb enough to pursue my boss, Ken.”

  “You haven’t made bad choices,” she replied. “You just haven’t found the right guy. Maybe Jacob is the man of your dreams.”

  “Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even know him as anything besides my boss, and I’m more than happy to leave it that way.”

  “What would you say if he asked you out?”

  “He’s not going to.”

  “But, what if he did? Come on, Kris. Quit acting like a prim-and-proper schoolmarm for one minute.”

  Kristin sighed. “He’s not going to ask, but if he did,” she humored her, “I would tell him I was very flattered, but I don’t think it would be a good idea since he’s my boss and if things didn’t work out well, I would have a difficult time facing him every day. As a professional, I would expect him to understand that.”

  Kendra rolled her eyes this time. “Come on Kris, you have to get over Brandon sometime.”

  Kristin flashed her a look of hurt and anger. “I’m over Brandon.”

  “Then what’s stopping you from going out again?”

  “No one has asked!”

  “That’s because you never give them a chance. I’ve seen plenty of guys at church trying to talk to you, but you always brush them off, just like you did with Jacob.”

  “What are you talking about? I don’t do that!”

  “Kari sees it too. We were talking about it last night. I think it’s time one of us told you.”

  “Tell me, instead of talking behind my back?” she spouted, tossing the lilies aside to make room for daisies.

  “We’re concerned about you. This is what sisters do. We comfort each other when we’re hurting, celebrate when wonderful moments come our way, and push each other a little when one of us needs encouragement.”

  “And this is your way of encouraging me?”

  “Encouraging you to get out there and take a risk. Come on Kris, who told me to get my act together and get my applications into all those colleges? I was afraid of rejection because my grades weren’t so hot, and I was scared to leave home, even though I didn’t realize it. You pushed me when I didn’t like it and now look at how your efforts have paid off.”

  “You mean turning you into an annoying know-it-all?”

  “A graduate student, know-it-all.”

  Kristin plucked a daisy from its stem and flung it Kendra’s way. It landed right on top of the kitten’s head. They both laughed.

  “I guess we’ll have to name you Daisy, now,” Kendra said, rubbing noses with the mewing fur-ball.

  “I’m still not taking that mongrel home, no matter how cute he is.”

  “Yes, you are,” Kendra said matter-of-factly. “And you’re going to start giving guys a chance.”

  “Well, right now I have a delivery to make. The guys will have to wait a little longer for Kristin Swan.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Hopping into her light blue car, leaving Kendra to look after the shop, Kristin pulled away from the curb and headed across town to de
liver the fresh flowers. It had turned into a beautiful, sunny winter day after starting out cloudy this morning.

  She welcomed the chance to get out and away from her sister’s lecture, but Kendra’s words remained on her mind. Could she really take the chance of dating again? If someone as great as Brandon had broken her heart, she didn’t know if she could ever let herself trust another guy. With Kendra back in the area attending the University of Oregon for her graduate work, Kristin had been happy to spend most of her spare time with her younger sister, and they had become close in the last few months. But Kristin knew Kendra was right. She had been avoiding any guy who showed the remotest interest in her.

  Her two older sisters also lived nearby, but they were both married and had children. All four of them got along well, but Kristin’s jealousy toward Kari and Kelli for both finding great Christian guys to marry during their college years and the common ground they shared as young moms made it hard for her to be around them ever since Brandon had backed out of their engagement. She hated herself for it, but the heartbreak of losing Brandon had been too strong to allow her to “get over it and move on.”

  Kendra had her share of boyfriends and never seemed to be hurting for dates, but at least she hadn’t found Mr. Right yet. Kristin didn’t know how she would react if that were to happen anytime soon. She had been content to wait for marriage until finishing college and securing a stable job in her hometown, but now that those goals had been reached, she wanted to get married and have a family of her own. Being an independent woman living on her own and supporting herself had its advantages, she knew, but eating dinner alone, spending long evenings with nothing to do but grade tests and homework, and crawling into an empty bed every night became more difficult with each passing day.

  Pouring out her aching heart to God, as she often did, she asked for forgiveness for her discontentment, knowing she had so much more than some people. She had a loving family, wonderful childhood memories, a great job, and most of all a God who loved her and would always be there. She had given her heart to Him as a child, and she believed He had a plan for her. If that plan included her remaining single, she knew He could give her the strength to live with that. But it didn’t make it any easier to endure the loneliness she experienced more often than not.

  She had grown up surrounded by people who loved her and accepted her unconditionally. Her family continued to be close to her heart, but a part of her needed something more. She wanted companionship and romance and someone to share her innermost desires with. Having shared that with Brandon for more than two years, she knew what she was missing.

  Locating the apartment complex corresponding with the address on her memo pad, Kristin entered the parking lot and scanned the buildings for the right unit. Taking the stairs to the third floor, she knocked on the door and heard footsteps coming from the other side. The lock unlatched, and the door swung open. A young woman’s face lit up with delight and surprise.

  “Delivery for Darcy?” Kristin confirmed.

  “That’s me!” the dark-haired girl replied. “Thank you so much. They’re beautiful!”

  Kristin handed her the flowers and watched Darcy disappear back inside. Staring at the closed door, she longed to be the one receiving the flowers instead of delivering them. Her heart felt as empty as her hands, and she slowly descended the stairs to return to the car. Pulling back onto the street with a love song coming from the radio, she allowed the tears to come.

  “I told myself I wasn’t going to do this today, God, but I’ve failed. All my life I’ve been reminded that you know best, and I believe that. But right now, it hurts.”

  Recalling Kendra’s words, she knew in some ways she was contributing to her own solitary existence. She knew of at least two guys from the singles’ group at church who she often found looking at her. She hadn’t taken the time or effort to get to know either of them, not even as friends.

  Another guy she had been brushing off all year taught literature in the classroom adjacent to hers. He dropped by often, said ‘hello’ every morning and ‘see you tomorrow’ every afternoon without fail, but she had never opened up to him either. She had been telling herself none of them were her type, but more honestly, they were not Brandon.

  Taking a deep breath, she knew the time had come for her to move on. Maybe one of the guys she already knew would sweep her off her feet if she gave them the chance. Or maybe she would meet someone new. But the only way to find out was to open her heart again. Brandon would always hold a special place in her memory, but he had not been the one God had for her. If God had put her other half on this earth, she decided the time had come to start looking for him again.

  She returned to the shop, and Kendra spent the rest of the afternoon helping her out. Between Kendra’s nonstop chatter and the constant stream of patrons coming in and out, the hours flew by. When Aunt Pauline returned looking exhausted but happy, she thanked them for their help and said she could handle things until closing.

  “What are your plans tonight?” Kristin asked as they waited on the sidewalk for the traffic to clear. She assumed her little sister had a date.

  “I don’t have any,” she said.

  Kristin dropped her jaw and grabbed her sister’s arm. “I’m sorry, but it sounded like you said you don’t have any plans.”

  Kendra nudged her with her elbow. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve decided to start being more selective about the men I choose to go out with. I had three different guys ask me out for tonight, and I said no to all of them. Aren’t you proud of me?”

  “Very,” Kristin laughed, stepping off the curb and crossing the two-lane street to where her car was parked behind Kendra’s white one. “Why the sudden prudence? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “I’m tired of going out with loser guys. They all want the same thing--to see how far they can get with me. As soon as they find out I won’t let them kiss me until the third date, they lose interest.”

  “Maybe if you stopped going out with the ones you meet at school or the supermarket and start letting the ones at church have a chance, you wouldn’t have that problem.”

  “There’s no one at church I’m interested in. I’ve either already dated them, or I know them well enough to know I don’t want to.”

  They stopped beside Kendra’s car, and her sister took out a pack of gum from her purse. “Want some?”

  Kristin took a stick and began unwrapping the minty strip.

  “Well, I’m proud of you for using better judgment, and I hope someone wonderful comes along soon.”

  “Thanks Kris,” she said. “I hope so too, but right now I think I’m more interested in finding someone for you.”

  “Do you want to go out to dinner with me?” she asked. “Two single sisters happy to be with each other instead of having dates for Valentine’s Day?”

  “Sure,” Kendra said. “I suppose it’s a little late for me to find someone for you. Maybe by next weekend I can find someone to set you up with.”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Kristin warned, stepping back to her car. “I agreed to start giving guys a chance, but I’ll find my own dates. Thank you very much.”

  “All right,” Kendra said. “But I can at least point you in the right direction.”

  She turned back. “What do you mean by that?”

  “I’ve seen Garrett trying to get your attention on Sunday mornings. Flirt with him a little tomorrow and see what happens.”

  She had noticed Garrett’s subtle interest in her as well. “Kendra, I don’t flirt.”

  “Sit by him, ask him how work is going. When he stares at you, stare back.”

  Kristin opened her door, tossed her purse inside and ducked into the car to escape Kendra’s wild imagination. She lowered her window and hollered one last thing before Kendra got into her car. “I’ll come by your apartment in an hour so we can beat the crowd.”

  She began to raise the window when she heard Kendra’s car horn beep twice. Krist
in looked up to see what she wanted and saw Kendra waving to someone across the street.

  Kristin froze when she saw Mr. Young getting out of his car directly in front of Aunt Pauline’s shop. He waved back at her sister.

  “What is she doing?” Kristin gasped, wanting to disappear under the dashboard.

  She heard her sister shout across the empty street. “Hey! Did she like them so much she wanted more?”

  He looked both ways before jaywalking toward her. He stopped momentarily to talk to Kendra and then glanced her direction.

  Kristin held her breath. Without looking back to Kendra, Mr. Young stepped toward her car. He knelt down to peer through the open window and smiled. And what a nice smile it was, she noticed--not for the first time.

  “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi,” she replied, looking directly into his hazel eyes. “What brings you back?”

  “I’m glad I caught you,” he said. “I want to ask you something.”

  “Oh?”she replied, her heart doing some sort of flip-flop thing.

  The late afternoon sunlight brought out the red highlights in his rich brown hair. Rubbing his five o’clock shadow, he cleared his throat and spoke again.

  “Do you have plans tonight?”

  “My sister and I are going out for dinner,” she said.

  “Just the two of you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think she would mind if I stole you away?”

  Kristin blinked and let out a nervous laugh. “What?”

  “I’ve been wanting to ask you out for awhile now, but it’s a little awkward at school. When I came in earlier I thought about it, but we got interrupted, and well, I chickened out.”

  “Mr. Young, I--”

  “Jacob.”

  She swallowed hard and looked away. “Jacob, I don’t think this is such a good idea. I mean you are my boss and--”

  “I thought you’d say that,” he said. “Look, it’s one date and if either one of us feels uncomfortable with it afterwards then we’ll forget about it. No one at work has to know. I won’t use it against you in any way--Scout’s honor,” he said, “and if you don’t say yes, I’m going to go into your aunt’s shop and buy you as many flowers as it takes to get you to change your mind.”