Playing for Keeps by Kate Perry Read Free Book Online

and rummaged behind the counter, keeping up the conversation the whole time. “It’s somewhere back here. Heather, the owner, isn’t known for her organization. Here it is.” She plopped it on the counter. “A lot of florists use FTD designs but they’re a little gaudy if you ask me. My name is Sarah, by the way.”
    She opened it and turned a couple pages before sliding it toward me. “Of course, some people want all that color, but I like to design simpler arrangements that enhance the environment instead of overwhelm it.”
    I flipped through it slowly. My heart lifted. They were beautiful—simple and elegant. Not perfect, but I could tell if I told her what I wanted she’d be able to deliver. “I love these.”
    Sarah beamed. “Thanks. I designed them myself.”
    It was time for a test. “I was thinking of Mokara orchids for bouquets.”
    She nodded. “Mokara orchids are lovely, but they’re more showy. Now calla lilies—they aren’t as in your face but are still dramatic and beautiful.”
    Good answer. I flipped through a few more pages. Not that I needed to. Sarah was it. “I’m sold. Can you do it?”
    She clapped her hands together like an excited four-year old would. “We’d love to. Let me just check the dates. When is it?”
    Oops. There was the problem with the date. “The date isn’t exactly set, but it’ll be a weekend in October.”
    “October,” she said absently as she look in the appointment book. “We’ve got a few other weddings that Heather booked, but I think we can squeeze you in.”
    I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Great.” Then I realized I didn’t ask the most important question. “What do you charge for doing weddings?”
    She winced and then sighed. “We have a special wedding price list.”
    “Hmm.” She didn’t make it sound like it was a deal.
    “The thing is”—Sarah leaned close to me, looking around as if checking for spies—“Heather charges twice as much for weddings as she does for other events.”
    After my day, that didn’t surprise me at all. “What are we talking about?”
    The figure Sarah named almost knocked me over. “Seriously?” I asked when I picked my jaw off the floor.
    She nodded apologetically. “I’m really sorry. Most of the time I don’t care. The people who come in here are rude and I earn every penny of it, but I can tell you love flowers as much as I do.”
    I wasn’t sure how she knew that, but I wasn’t about to quibble. “I’m not sure we can spend that much on flowers.”
    Sarah leaned even closer. I thought she was going to grab my collar and pull me to her, but she just whispered, “Listen, why don’t you and I do the flowers together? I love designing, and you’re obviously knowledgeable about them. I bet you’d be a natural. You could just pay me for the labor.”
    “Why would you do that?” It seemed strange that she’d undersell her boss.
    “We’re kindred spirits. I feel like this is the right thing to do.” She said it like that explained it all. She scribbled her phone number on a business card and handed it to me. “Think about it and let me know.”
    I left the store, perplexed and pensive, with one question in my mind.
    Could I do it?
    To tell the truth, when Nell first brought up florists, for a brief moment I considered asking her to do the flower arrangements myself. I stifled the idea before it could grow. I didn’t want to be disappointed when she said no.
    But now I had a valid reason to do it. I’d be saving her money. Financial wiz Penelope Connors had to appreciate that, right?
    And with Sarah helping me I couldn’t possibly bomb. I had ideas and knew flowers, but I was smart enough to realize there were trade secrets I didn’t know.
    Another thing quickly becoming clear was that I’d been sent out woefully under-equipped to handle the assigned tasks. We never talked date or budget or anything concrete about what she wanted other than “perfect” and “just