Page 75 of The Path To Us

Chapter Seventeen

Addy

As curious as I am about what Beau and Zoey are up to, I’m grateful that I don’t know and get to hear all about it before we go to the pool. I also haven’t been able to wipe the smile from my face all morning long.

The shop is doing well. It’s a busy time of year for us because of it being wedding season. But it also helps that we’re the only shop in town. And we’ve built a reputation so even if we’re the only shop in our town, people from the surrounding towns visit as well.

My manager, Lindley, is phenomenal and keeps things running so I don’t have to be there every day of the week. Considering I do a lot of my bookkeeping at home after Zoey goes to sleep, I don’t feel too guilty when I don’t put in fifty or sixty hour work weeks.

Lindley went to a junior college for horticulture and took some business courses. It’s not that designing flower arrangements is something that requires a degree, however, she wanted to learn more about the types of flowers and plants that we work with. After her husband left her for a younger version of herself, she decided to do something for herself. She took classes while caring for her two young children and dealing with the aftermath of what it looks like to have a husband divorce you but not before getting another woman pregnant. And now I can’t imagine a world without her. She’s not just my manager, she’s also my friend.

I’m turning the vase around on my station to make sure that the bright orange and pink arrangement I just created is perfect when the door chimes alerting me that someone has come in.

“Be right with you,” I say, slipping the plastic stem into the center and attaching the card that the customer already filled out. Once it’s settled, I place it in the large cooler and mark it ready for delivery in our computer system. We have high school girls who already have their license help and one of their favorite parts of the job is delivering flowers.

“No rush.” I hear in a deep voice that causes my head to jerk up.

“Tyson?”

“Hi, Addy.”

“Holy crap. Tyson?”

“In the flesh,” he says, bright white teeth gleaming when he smiles, arms spread out next to him.

He takes a step toward me and I come out behind the counter to greet him.

I wasn’t planning on him hugging me tightly and picking me up, but that’s exactly what he does.

“Holy shit, you look amazing,” he says into my hair.

“Not so bad yourself,” I tell him when he sets me on my feet again. “How are you here?” I ask, shaking my head. “I’m just… wow! You’re here! It’s been, what? Ten years?”

“Eleven, but who’s counting.”

“You, apparently,” I tease.

“Missed you.”

I lightly punch his shoulder. “I see that, considering it’s been eleven years since you’ve seen me.”

He bites his lower lip and looks at me. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Now what would be the fun in that?”

“Absolutely no fun at all.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask him, calling for Mary, one of the other designers, to watch the front so Tyson and I can go to my office and talk. He follows after me and takes a seat in a chair across from my desk. Rather than sit behind it, though, I sit down next to him. “So? Tell me everything!”

“I’m moving back home.”

“No way! You are?”

“I am. You didn’t hear?”

“No, you egomaniac. I didn’t hear.”

He smirks. “Damn. I’d really hoped I was worth more gossip, I guess.”

---