Will Work For Love by Amie Denman

she
suffered through a long and lonely night. Worries about the
wedding, desolate sounds from the empty house, and the coolness
that settled over Chris last night kept her from enjoying the fine
sheets in her guest bedroom.
    What caused the abrupt change in him? It all went
well…incredibly well…the boat ride, the dinner. Romantic. It hinted
of lots more to come.
    And then she opened her big mouth and complained
about her construction problems. She thought he would be
sympathetic. Maybe she didn’t explain it well enough. She got
interrupted by Taylor’s call, and then what happened was her fault.
A man as attractive and desirable as Chris with her in an emotional
state? Too dangerous. She just didn’t trust herself. Maybe that was
why she always chose safe men. Chris was not a safe choice. He was
too…everything.
    She was running late for her florist appointment, so
she had to put off her call to Blue Isle. Maybe she could
straighten it all out if she could just talk to Rick Churchill
again. There had to be a way. But that would have to wait, she
thought, as she drove up to the charming yellow florist’s shop.
    “Ella St. Rosa?” Whitney asked when a small woman
with long straight hair met her at the door to her flower shop.
    “Yes,” she answered pleasantly. “Are you Whitney
Oliver? I thought you must be. Come right in and tell me what your
friend has in mind for her wedding.”
    “I’m glad you’re open. I wasn’t sure when I saw the
ladder up and heard the hammering when I pulled in.”
    “Some minor leftover damage from the hurricane,”
Ella said as she led her to a sofa and opened a large photo album
filled with pictures of brides, flower arrangements, and bridal
parties.
    “Seems like there’s a lot of that around here,”
Whitney commented.
    “Too much. Lucky for me, I’ve got a builder who is
like my guardian angel.”
    “I could use one of those. All the flowers in the
world won’t cover up the damage to the trellis and gazebo unless I
get my contractors to finish up before Christmas Eve.”
    “I’m sure it’ll be fine, honey. It will be the
beautiful wedding that Taylor deserves. I don’t know her fiancé,
but I’ve known Taylor since she was a little girl and her parents
brought her in here for little bouquets.”
    “No wonder she told me to come to you.”
    “I just can’t believe she’s old enough to get
married. Now, what colors are we working with for the wedding?”
asked Ella as she pulled out ribbon samples and got ready to go to
work.
    ****
    Later, after a nap, some office work, and two plates
of leftover chicken, Chris stopped by Ella’s shop to get his
ladder.
    “You ran off so fast this morning, I didn’t get a
chance to say thanks or write you a check,” she said as she saw him
stoop slightly to step into her quiet perfumed shop.
    “Sorry about that,” he said, grinning. “I have a lot
of irons in the fire.”
    “I’m sure you do. You must not be the only
construction company that’s running ragged. I was talking to the
loveliest girl earlier today about wedding flowers and she said her
contractors weren’t getting a thing done. She’s really worried that
the wedding she’s planning will be a disaster unless the damage
gets repaired and soon.”
    “Island wedding?” Chris inquired, trying to be
nonchalant.
    “At East Pointe. Taylor East is getting married on
Christmas Eve.”
    “Well,” Chris said casually, “congratulations to
him.”
    Ella looked up quickly from some flowers she was
packaging up for delivery and laughed. “Him? Taylor is a beautiful
blue-eyed blond. I’ve known her since she was a little girl. Her
parents have owned East Pointe for probably twenty years,” Ella
paused. “I’m just so happy for her.”
    “So this Taylor was here earlier?”
    “No, her friend who’s planning the wedding.” Ella
looked closely at Chris. “Have you had too much sun today? You
don’t seem like yourself.”
    Maybe it was the fragrance of the