Page 15 of Only Fate

“There’s a note on the card.” He grins and plucks a flower petal from his thick beard. “You have a good day now.”

I thank him again, set the flowers on the front reception desk, and admire them.

The sweet honey bouquet.

My favorite.

The bouquet has blooming sunflowers, blue thistles, and pink snapdragons. I shut my eyes and press my nose against the sunflowers, inhaling their scent. I gently take the pink card sticking out from between the stems. There’s a note written in black ink.

Good luck with your firm.

Wishing you the best,

Adrian

I play with the card in my hand.

Is that sarcasm?

I hold the vase in both hands, lift it off the counter, and walk toward the empty trash can. But I can’t bring myself to throw them away.

“They’ll give the office life,” I tell myself to justify keeping them.

6

“Congratulations,” Terrance says, shaking my hand.

For the past three months, I’ve worked with him at the firm, familiarizing myself with the office and the two employees, Monica and Ralph. Monica is the paralegal, and Ralph is the secretary.

Terrance won’t retire for another three months, but he’s giving me his business. The man must really love my abuela to trust me with a firm he spent decades building.

I could’ve rejected the offer. Essie thinks this is another opportunity stolen from her, but she doesn’t know that if I hadn’t agreed to take over the firm, Terrance had someone next in line who wasn’t her. The grandson of one of his former law school buddies.

I haven’t seen her since the diner, but I heard she opened her firm today. I couldn’t resist sending her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. One night, while we had been spread out on a blanket in the park, she’d told me that her favorite flower shop here made the prettiest sweet honey bouquet.

“Let’s celebrate with drinks and dinner at Down Home Pub,” Terrance says, snapping me out of my thoughts. He grabshis tweed blazer off the back of his chair. “Valeria and Paula will meet us after they finish with the real estate agent.”

My abuela put her house on the market. It was a surprise to all of us since she used to tell us stories of when she'd bought it, pride deep in her voice. My mother is still worried about her rushing into such a major decision with a man she’s known for less than a year.

But from the time I’ve spent with Terrance, I think he seems to be a stand-up guy. Like my abuela, he knows the pain of losing a spouse since his wife passed away from a stroke five years ago.

We leave the office and slip into Terrance’s old Volvo. He turns down the classical music as we buckle our seat belts. The pub is a short drive from the office and even closer to Essie’s new firm. During my lunch break, I couldn’t stop myself from plugging the address into my GPS and sneaking in a quick drive-by.

I love the convenience in Blue Beech. There’s little traffic, and nothing is more than fifteen minutes away. Although I was born in Iowa, when I was five, my mother moved us to California when she got a position teaching law at a university. We didn’t return to Iowa until I was seventeen to be closer to my abuela.

It’s six o’clock on a Thursday, but the pub’s parking lot is already crowded. When we walk inside, the dim lighting provides a comfortable vibe. In the corner, a band plays a Tom Petty cover. The place is a little divey but has character with Blue Beech memorabilia and old beer ads on the walls.

People wave at Terrance and stop me to introduce themselves.

I meet a Wayne, who says he might need to sue his neighbor.

A Jessica, who offers to give me a tour of Blue Beech.

A Capria, who offers to have me over for dinner so I can try her famous pie.

Since I’ve started venturing around town, this has happenedoften. My abuela made sure to note that multiple women had pointed out I didn’t have a ring on my finger.

After I decline Jessica’s and Capria’s proposals, Terrance and I sit at a four-top table near the back.

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