Page 38 of Courage, Dear Heart

“She is like that. It was a lot of work, but we cleaned theplace up, got rid of all the junk, and then started the repairs. We learned a lot, like how to re-tile the bathroom, paint, build shelves. It took a few months, but we got it done. Then we needed to furnish it, but my boss came through again. She said she was getting rid of a lot of things in her house and gave us the bedroom and living room furniture.” I stop talking, lost in memories.

Elliott taps my hand. “Go on.”

“A few months go by and she was not very happy with the person she hired to do her books, and I started helping with a few things here and there, set her up with accounting software that would make it easier to keep track of everything.”

Elliott pushes his plate to the side. “It worked for both of you.”

“It did, but there were other problems.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

I run a hand through my hair. “On our second year, my mother figured out CJ was also in New York and we were living together. She didn’t like me being so far away from home, but she thought at least I would not be with CJ anymore.”

“I can’t imagine that she took it well.”

“She was furious when she found out. She wanted me to go back home and to a local college. Threatened to stop paying for my tuition. But my grandparents set up a 529 plan in my name and I took over it when I turned eighteen. My mother had no access to it—those were empty threats, and she knew it. I told her as much. And told her she had two choices: accept that CJ was and would always be a part of my life or lose me.”

His eyes widen. “How did she react?”

“Crying, sputtering, begging. I told her I’d hang up and she could call me back when she had time to calm down and make a decision. Dad called me the next morning. My mother had apparently taken ill and was in bed. Which was my father’s way of saying she was trying to guilt me into caving to her will. He said he loved me and he was proud of me. My mother didn’t call me for months. She waited for me to be the first to give in. I was relieved for the respite. I talked to my father behind her back. I knew she was fine. Eventually, she gave in and called to ask if I was coming home for Christmas break, acting like nothing happened.”

He laughs. “Like that?”

“Yes, that’s her MO.”

“But how did you end up as the store owner?”

“During my senior year in college, my boss lost her husband. She was a mess. They were married for over fifty years. So I took over the store for her. Managed the employees, hired someone to help. CJ stepped up and between the two of us and the employees, we kept the store open.”

“That must have been incredibly hard. Balancing a full load of credits in your senior year and running a business.”

“It was. And after three months of being absent, she came back, and she had a proposition for me.”

“A proposition?”

“She offered me a partnership at the store. Fifty-fifty ownership.”

His eyes widen. “Wow.”

“She surprised me. Said she was too old and wanted toretire, but she wasn’t ready to let go of the place she shared so many memories with her husband.”

“What did you say?”

“I told her that while I appreciated the offer and would love to be her partner, and she paid me more than most similar jobs did, I could not afford to buy half of the store. She put a hand up to stop me. I remember thinking how thin and frail her hand looked, with a map of blue-tinted veins crossing its back.”

Elliott leans in closer. “Go on.”

“She said that her heart was no longer in it. And she wanted me to take over. Make it my flower shop with her as a silent partner. And we’d split net profits. That since I’d own half of the store, I no longer needed to pay the utilities for my apartment. It would be included in the shop’s expenses. And that since the building was still fully hers, she’d be responsible for property taxes.”

“That’s one hell of a deal.”

“It was. Still is. At first, I refused. I thought she was not in the right mind and it felt like I was taking advantage of her grief. She would not accept my refusal. Showed up a few days later with her lawyer in tow and a bunch of papers for me to sign. And I’ve been her partner since. But enough about me. Tell me about you. I don’t even know what you do for a living.”

SEVENTEEN

Elliott

“We never talked about it?”

---