Natalie and Omar needed bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces. As long as everything came in, I would go through the order tonight, and then on Friday, I had time to get all the centerpieces done. Saturday morning, I’d create the bouquets and boutonnieres, then deliver everything to them.
I kept watching for the truck, anxious to have my hands on all the flowers I needed. The sunflowers were coming from my own garden, but the navy roses and hydrangeas and the white impatiens and lobelias were on the shipment.
“Do you need us to stay, boss?” Carson asked when it was almost time for him and Gail to head out for the day.
I shook my head, hearing the truck pull in. “It sounds like they’re here.”
“We can keep the shop open if you want.”
I checked the time. “There’s only a few more minutes. You two can go ahead. By the time the truck gets in position, I’ll close up.”
“Have a good night,” Gail said, heading for the door with Carson right behind her.
I waved to them, then checked the rest of the stock was good for the night and locked the door.
I went out back, finding the driver climbing out of the truck.
“Got an order for you.”
“Thank you.”
He handed me a clipboard with everything he was delivering, and I immediately spotted an issue. “There were supposed to be two dozen navy roses, and four dozen hydrangeas, impatiens, and lobelias. And a bunch of other stuff.”
The driver shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I just deliver them, not grow them.”
“But this isn’t even half of what I ordered.”
“It’s what they gave me.”
I scanned through the rest of the order and noticed other things that weren’t listed. Some was for the wedding, and some was standard stock I tried to keep on hand. None of it was good.
“Do you want me to unload what I have?” the driver asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I need all this and more, so I’ll have to call them and see what’s going on.”
The driver nodded and started to unload everything he had.
I studied the shipment report and pulled up the order I sent in weeks ago. I noted where they didn’t match up and had everything ready to call the distributor when the driver left.
Thirty minutes later, everything was unloaded and stored in my cases in the back. I didn’t have time to sort through and distribute stuff, but I did have time to make a phone call.
Except they weren’t answering.
Fucking hell.
I left a message and followed up with an email detailing where my shipment was short and showing the proof of what I paid for and what was actually delivered, according to their own information.
Then, I spent the rest of the evening going through my own stock to come up with a backup plan. Because if I was going to fuck up anything, it was not going to be the mayor’s wedding.
19
I bolted upright on Friday morning, in a panic about the flowers. I looked around my room. Nothing was out of place. It was still dark outside. It had to have been my mind that woke me up.
I eased out of bed and took a shower to clear the fuzziness from me. I needed coffee and breakfast and another set of eyes on everything I’d come up with. Gail and Carson were working Saturday while I was dealing with everything for the wedding, which meant I was alone for the day with no one to talk through the changes I made.
For a wedding.
Without the bride’s permission.
