Paige hummed as she walked through the lobby. The sun seemed a little brighter today, the air sweet with the promise of spring. It was the nicest morning she remembered in a while. When she reached the door of the apothecary, she stopped and stared.
There, in a Mason jar, was a bouquet of wildflowers. She looked around the room. No one seemed to be watching her—or even aware of her existence. She picked up the jar and looked for some sort of note.
Nothing.
“Looks like you got yourself a secret admirer.”
The glass slipped through Paige’s fingers. She managed to regain her grip just in time. “Ora, you scared me to death, sneaking up like that.” She took a deep breath, then smiled at the unpredictable woman. “Did you bring these?”
“Wouldn’t have used the word admirer if I brought ’em, now would I? I’m an old woman, not an admirer. Wouldn’t be secret either.” She reached out a wrinkled hand and touched a purple blossom. “They’re right pretty. Hard to find this time of year. Who’s your young man?”
Paige turned the key in the lock. “Got me. Probably someone left them for Clarissa.”
Ora followed her inside the pharmacy and took a seat in her usual spot. “Not likely. That girl’s too uppity for something this special.”
Paige started the coffee. “I’m not so sure. From what her uncle said last night, the guys are practically fighting over her.”
“Didn’t say they weren’t. But her kind of admirer would most likely send a dozen roses, not go out and handpick wildflowers. He’d be too afraid of getting his nice shoes dirty.”
Paige set the flowers on the counter and went about the business of getting ready for the day ahead. When the coffee finished, she poured cups for both of them and did her best not to give the flowers another thought. Still she couldn’t help but look at the colorful spray every few minutes. The beauty of the arrangement, the effort it must have taken—of course, those flowers could have been meant for anyone and for any number of reasons.
The morning progressed, through Ora’s coffee-making tips, three customers, and very few phone calls. The slow pace gave Paige time to think. And wonder some more.
When Clarissa arrived, she walked into the dispensing area, a smile on her face. “What did you think of my uncle Tony?”
Paige tried to keep her voice noncommittal. “He’s nice.”
Clarissa quirked her eyebrow. “Nice? Admit it. You like him.”
“Of course I like him. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Um-hmm.”
Paige felt the heat in her cheeks. “What?”
“Where’d these come from?” Clarissa pointed at the flowers.
“Don’t know. Someone left them at our door this morning.”
Clarissa looked toward the door, then back at the flowers.
Her eyes narrowed for a split second, a spark of what looked like anger flamed then disappeared. “Really?” She put her hand over her mouth. “I hope it’s not some weirdo stalker or something. I say we throw the whole thing away.”
Paige laughed outright. “Get a grip. I am not throwing them away—they’re beautiful. Someone went to a lot of trouble for these.”
“If it will make you feel better, I’ll take them home with me tonight so you won’t have to worry about the ‘stalker’ coming in and seeing them.”
The pharmacy door opened just as she said it, but the man entering didn’t look like a stalker. He carried a huge bouquet with several colors of roses and other flowers Paige couldn’t name. It was gigantic.
Clarissa went to the counter, already reaching, a smile on her face. “And who might these be for?”
The man looked at his clipboard. “Paige and Clarissa—pharmacists at Richardson Apothecary.”
Clarissa jerked the card from the bouquet without acknowledging the clipboard awaiting her signature.
Paige signed the form. She fumbled in her pocket for a tip and handed it to the man with a smile. “Thank you so much.”
He nodded. “Enjoy ’em.”
Clarissa turned and leaned against the counter, card still in hand. “They’re from Tony. It says, ‘I enjoyed our time together last night. Let’s do it again soon.’ ”
She held the card up to Paige’s face. “Notice how the names are listed? Paige and Clarissa, not Clarissa and Paige. See it? Your name’s first. You know what that means.”
“That the person in the flower shop took it down wrong?” Paige took in the colors of the bouquet, then looked at the little Mason jar. “Maybe he brought the wildflowers, too.”
“Not a chance.”
Paige looked at her, wondering where the sharp tone had suddenly come from. She sniffed the bouquet. “This is nice. My uncles never send me flowers after they buy me dinner. Come to think of it, my uncles never buy me dinner.”
“Yeah, I’m just lucky I guess.”
Clarissa walked to the back of the pharmacy. There was no mistaking the way Tony had flirted last night. Maybe he was here to check out Paige, but he had crossed the line into checking her out. The order of their names on the card gave all the proof she needed. She was going to lose him, too.
The scraggly bunch of weeds called wildflowers stared at her from the pathetic excuse for a vase. She knew they were from Cory, she’d seen the way he’d been watching Paige. Last night he had obviously been waiting for her at the door, and then he left in a huff when he realized the three of them were going to dinner.
Yeah, this was a jealous-about-Tony kind of gift. Why couldn’t they have been for her?
She could still remember those weeks before the pharmacy opened. The smell of fresh paint and sawdust lingering in the air, gleaming cabinetry, spotless carpets. While she stocked the shelves and generally set things up, Cory supervised the finish construction work. He would sometimes stop what he was doing and spend an hour helping her unpack office supplies or arrange displays, or just talking. The lingering looks and flirting had eventually led to phone calls, dinners, and staying out late enough to watch the sun rise on a new day.
Then Paige showed up. The cute new girl in town. Suddenly, the old one didn’t measure up.
When she walked to the front, a middle-aged woman smiled as Paige was explaining her medicine. The woman had probably waited half an hour for Paige’s ridiculous amount of rechecking, but she smiled and laughed. Why did everyone love Paige?
The transaction complete, Paige walked up beside her. “Hey, Clarissa, you all right? You seem like you’re not feeling so well.”
Clarissa shook her head. “Just tired.”
“It looks like it’s going to be a slow day. Why don’t you go home and get some rest. Take Tony’s flowers with you. That will cheer you up.”
“Oh, you know, I think it will do me good to stay the whole time. Sometimes nothing works better than staying busy, you know what I mean?”
Paige nodded. “I feel that way a lot.”
Yeah, I’ll just bet you do, Miss Perfect Life.