Elly In Bloom

  Isaac was a couple of feet behind her, laid out on his stomach. “I’m so... sorry” he panted. “You were heavier than I thought.”

  Luckily, he didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence, as his linen pajama bottoms suddenly caught fire from one of the candles on the floor. Isaac elicited a high pitched shriek as flames licked up the bottom of his pants. Elly felt adrenaline surge through her, erasing any lingering intoxication. She grabbed the sheet off the bed, which sent red carnation heads showering down around them, and threw it around Isaac’s leg. The small flames on the side of his shin extinguished immediately. She threw a nearby glass of water on him, putting out the rest. There was a moment of awkward silence as he lay back on the floor with a thump.

  “Well, that was interesting,” he muttered.

  “Are you okay??” asked Elly frantically. “Do I need to call an ambulance? Are you hurt?” She ran her hand over his calf.

  “No, but I think I might have lost my leg hair. Do you find that attractive?”

  Elly slapped his chest with relief and tried to stand up. “Whoa…I’m still a little woozy still.”

  Isaac slowly stood up and walked around the room blowing out the candles. Elly collapsed on the bed, rubbing her sore knees.

  Did that just happen? Lord, I dodged a bullet there, she thought to herself. Man, I was so drunk. He got me drunk! Thank you, pants on fire! She lay her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes, the siren of sleep calling her into floaty weightlessness. Suddenly, Isaac was over her, kissing her face and touching the strings that held up her reindeer pants.

  “Isaac.” She sat up, kissing him softly. “You were on FIRE. Does that not bother you?”

  “Nope,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “It’s not the first time I’ve been on fire this weekend. Just looking at you makes me excited.”

  That was it.

  “OH-KAY.” said Elly, feeling in control of herself once again. She pushed him off her roughly.

  “Isaac. Seriously. I love being here with you. This has been one of the best days ever. You kiss me and I completely lose myself. I have such a good time with you, and I literally count the minutes until I see you again. But I told you in the car that I wasn’t ready for this.”

  “Mmm..hmmm,” Isaac murmured, “But I knew you were just saying that.”

  Elly pulled herself away from him. “No. I wasn’t. I’m not sure who you’re used to dating, but I’m not that kind of woman. It’s too soon.” Elly paused, weighing her next sentence heavy on her tongue. “You don’t know this, but…I caught my husband having sex with another woman.”

  Isaac sat back, shocked.

  “Sex is still something that I associate with the worst moment of my life. Aaron was the only man I ever slept with. It might not be a big deal to you, but it is to me. I’ve spent the last two years trying to overcome that one, awful moment.” She cupped his face. “I hope you understand – until I met you, I had not been able to forget about it. Now that I’m with you, I feel alive again. You are so familiar to me. My heart seems to know you. I’m not saying never. I’m just saying not right now and maybe not until I’m married again. I have my Mother’s values.”

  Isaac groaned and lay at her side, running his fingers over her arm.

  “Okay. So it’s just that? It’s not a religious thing or something?”

  “Well, maybe it is a little. I’m a good old-fashioned church girl, you know.”

  “That’s hot.”

  Elly gave him an exasperated smile. “Listen, I’m just not ready.” She kissed him gently. “But if you still want me, you have my permission to kiss me as much as you want.” Isaac raised his eyebrow.

  “Anywhere I want?” Elly growled at him. He laughed lightly. “You are quite the woman Elly Jordan. Frustrating, but intriguing. Thank you for sharing this with me.” He nibbled her ear softly. Elly ran her hand over his back.

  “Just one more thing.”

  “What?” he said, exasperated.

  “Never. Ever. Try to pick me up again.”

  He kissed her shoulder. “Yeah. That didn’t go so well. You’re solid.”

  Elly closed her eyes. “And with that thought, I’m going to sleep now.” She curled gently against him, pressing her lips to his temple. Isaac fell back into the sheets, disappointed. Elly slipped into a hazy sleep, barely aware of the new and invisible space between them.

  CHAPTER

  FOURTEEN

  In the back of the store, Elly stocked tall gold candelabras for the Kepke wedding into her broad storage closet. Dust showering around her, Elly pushed further and further into the space, pushing aside old boxes and praying that spiders were not nesting in her hair. At the very back of the closet, Elly saw a large white bag, hanging on a hook attached to the wall. She sighed. In that bag was her wedding dress, carried in the back of her car all the way from Georgia. She kept it hidden but safe, never really sure what to do with it. Elly purposefully turned her body the other direction so that she would not have to look at it.

  After jamming in the last candelabra, followed by bags upon bags of hanging Swarovski crystals, Elly closed the closet door and dusted off her shirt. She bent down and gave Cadbury, who was napping blissfully on the sun drenched floor, a quick peck on his black nose and headed to the front. It was a simmering day at the tail end of August. Late summer light with the promise of fall filtered through the giant windows at the front of the store, which was already decked out with autumn décor. Gold aspen trees arched delicately over the entrance, framing the Posies sign. Inside the store, pumpkins and gourds covered Elly’s desk, and maple leaves hung down from the white chandelier above. A plate full of Keith’s cinnamon cookies sat uncovered in the corner, filling the room with a warm delicious scent. Anthony walked back and forth, humming show tunes and dropping blood red dahlias into amber mason jars for the front display window, while Snarky Teenager updated contracts.

  She looked up from her pink glasses.

  “Do you have a consultation today?”

  “Yes,” answered Elly, moving a yellow squash in front of her computer. “I’m getting gelato with Kim, and then I’m meeting Sunny Kepke to finalize the details of her daughter’s wedding.”

  “I think that wedding is going to be a disaster,” she said, twisting her long blond hair around her finger. “TOTAL train wreck”

  “Thanks for your encouragement” said Elly, taking a consultation form from the printer. “You exude such a positive energy.”

  Snarky Teenager rolled her eyes. “I’m just bringing the real.”

  Elly wasn’t even sure what that meant. “Well, I’m just bringing the paycheck, so you better be ready for that wedding.”

  “Is Kim helping out?”

  “Kim will be due within three weeks of that weekend, so I doubt it. If anything, she will run things here at the shop. She can’t carry anything, but I think between you, me, Anthony and all the temp workers we’ve hired, we should probably be all set.”

  “Well, I’m definitely looking forward to it. I bet there will be tons of rich guys there…”

  Elly put her hands on Snarky Teenager’s shoulders. “You are not old enough to want to meet rich guys. You need to hang out with your girlfriends, watch a movie, play sports...”

  “Get a class ring, go to a sock hop…” Snarky Teenager continued.

  Elly gave up. “I’m going to Ada’s for a quick hot chocolate. Do you want anything?”

  Snarky Teenager shook her head. “Those drinks are so sugary, you should think about how many calories...” Elly left her talking to herself in the front and poked her head in the back.

  “Anthony? Would you like anything?”

  Anthony, always unfailingly polite, sniffed a gorgeous red and orange kangaroo paw bouquet. “Yes, may I have a danish?”

  “That’s my man.” Elly skipped out of the store. Entering Ada’s, Elly relished in the buzzing energy of the coffee shop. She adored this place, all dim lights and yuppie music. Having a coffee
shop a few steps from your work place was both wonderful and dangerous. After picking up her drink and Anthony’s pastry, Elly headed back to the shop, walking extra slowly to enjoy the leaves swirling around her feet.

  Early autumn was her favorite time of year in St. Louis. The dripping humidity had subtly vanished into the cool air, and the weather was no longer comparable to hell. Her hair stayed curled for more than an hour, and she adored the feeling of pulling on something other than a thin tank top in the crisp mornings. As she rounded the corner to the shop, she felt a hand brush her waist. Elly jumped, spilling hot chocolate down her ruffled blouse.

  “Crap!” she yelled, as hot liquid poured between her breasts.

  Isaac looked ashamed. “Wow, that was totally smooth. Good morning gorgeous, how are you – would you like a coffee bath?”

  Elly cracked a small smile in his direction. “No coffee. Hot chocolate, remember?”

  “Oh, that’s right. You’re ten years old.”

  “Very funny,” she retorted.

  Isaac cupped his cold hands over her cheeks and kissed her nose. “You look cute today. I like your hair.”

  Elly nuzzled his nose. “Thanks.”

  “Hey, I was wondering if you would want come see my band play tomorrow night. We’re playing at the Paradox Club downtown.”

  Elly groaned inwardly. Many, many nights in the past two months were spent hanging out with Isaac’s band, in smoke-filled living rooms, listening to endless riffs on the guitar and Tifah and Gene discussing jaded idealism while insulting local bands. Elly was going to bed later than 1am most nights, and while the long kiss that Isaac planted on her at the end of the night was well worth it, the mornings were rough. Also, Cadbury was in a constant state of passive aggression, leaving secret “presents” behind the dressers and in Elly’s shoes. Another band night…ugh…the thought made her cringe.

  Elly ran her fingers lightly over his stubbly chin. “How about we go out to dinner before your band plays and then maybe you can call me afterwards?”

  “Awww...” Isaac suddenly looked crestfallen, like a child who had his new truck taken away. “I wanted you to come. I’m singing a song that was inspired by you, babe.”

  Babe, thought Elly to herself. Babe, like the pig. Fantastic. Still, her brain buzzed with the idea that someone had written a song for her. That was so romantic, in an 8th grade kind of way.

  “Okay, I’ll go. But I have to be in bed by midnight. I am not a night person.”

  Isaac winked at her. “You aren’t really a morning person either, just so you know. You’re kind of scary before 10 am. Like a monster. Like a really cute, terrifying monster.”

  Elly laughed and lightly swatted his shoulder. “Why am I dating you again?” she asked, pulling his arms around her.

  Thirty minutes and many kisses later, Elly entered the gelato bar down the street from the store carrying a light green glass vase full of sunflowers. As a hunky Italian man seated her at the table, Elly waited excitedly for Kim and pondered her gelato choices, staring at the voluptuous peaks of multi-colored cream. Between Kim’s pregnancy, a very full wedding season, and Elly’s late night jam sessions with Isaac, they hadn’t been able to see each other as much as they would have liked. Their occasional gelato fixes were the highlight of Elly’s week.

  Through the wavy glass, Elly saw a large figure waddle past the shop, stop, come back and head inside. She stood as Kim huffed around the corner. She looked…awful. Her normally long and ethereal hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and her bangs were plastered against her forehead, winging out in every direction. Kim always projected an impeccable sense of fashion – it was thoughtless perfection, a look that turned heads and inspired others, but the only word Elly could think of today was “frumpy.” Kim donned a bright orange top and a long, shapeless khaki maternity skirt with last season’s Ugg boots poking out of the bottom. Her belly, round and glorious, preceded her around corners and bumped into the table.

  She dropped her shopping bags in front of Elly and sighed loudly. “I just walked a mile dragging these heavy bags full of overpriced stuffed animals, about five strangers molested my belly without permission, and I keep farting and having no control over it.” She collapsed into her chair. “I’m huge. I see people looking at me, talking about how large I am. Elly, I know it. I’m like a walking whale. A walking whale wearing bright orange.”

  Elly gulped some water. “Yeah, that shirt was maybe was not a great choice for today.”

  Kim’s face fell into devastation. Elly instantly regretted her words. “Oh, sweetie, that was totally a joke. I’m sorry. You’re always gorgeous, Kim, you’re glowing! Now you just know what it’s like to be an average person who doesn’t look like a supermodel.”

  Kim wiped her hair off her forehead. “It kind of sucks. You know, normally that would have been funny, but I’m so sensitive lately. Everything offends me, or makes me cry or gives me mania. I’m a total nutcase.” She rested her hand over her swelled belly. “Is this what fat people feel like?” she asked no one in particular.

  “Um, yes. Yes it is,” said Elly, laughing.

  Kim rolled her eyes. “Stop. You’re just sexy plump. Go get me two gelatos, you’re buying. This baby is taking all my energy, my thoughts, and my ability to control my bowel functions. I deserve a free cup of mango.”

  Elly laughed at her dear friend. “You do.”

  The next two hours passed quickly as they sampled a handful of flavors. Kim had regained her positive glow, endlessly amused by Elly’s retelling of the romantic Hermann trip.

  “So, he was on fire, and he STILL wanted to get in your pants? What does it take to get him to – you know - calm down?”

  Elly laughed. “I don’t KNOW. He was like a lion, ready to pounce. I mean, he seriously prowled towards me. There is no other word for it…he PROWLED.”

  Kim licked gelato off her finger. “So, how has it been since then?”

  “It’s been…good,” said Elly.

  “Why the pause?” Kim arched her eyebrow.

  Elly recanted. “Oh, it’s nothing. I think I just need to spend more time with him…and less with his band.”

  “His band? That sounds awful.” Kim grinned evilly. “Are you an Everest Oppressed groupie now?”

  “I feel like it sometimes. I sit there, and I watch him strum his guitar or lean over the piano with a pencil in his teeth. And it was – no, is – very sexy. I still get the chills when he smiles and me, and I feel like the only woman in the world when I am with him, but…”

  “You’re bored.”

  “YES. I’m SO bored, but only when he’s with his band. Or talking about his band. Or music in general. Which is a lot of the time. But I know that as his girlfriend, I should be interested in what he is interested in. He loves music, the way I love flowers.” She bit her lip and looked past Kim out onto the busy sidewalk. “Just tell me how I can get him to stop taking me to indie clubs with heavily tattooed waitresses.”

  Kim snorted. “I don’t know what to tell you. Are you sure he’s your type?”

  Elly spooned a rich chocolate cream into her mouth. “For those eyes, I will make him my type.”

  Kim winked at her. “He is gorgeous, that much is true.” Suddenly she sat up, a mortified look on her face. “Oh my gosh, Elly, I just farted! We have to leave. Now!”

  Back at the shop, Elly prepped for her meeting with Sunny Kepke. She was doing a centerpiece trial, with full table settings. In the center of the studio, Snarky Teenager, Anthony and Elly transformed her consultation table into a white and gold wedding reception table, fit for a sultan. White phalenopsis orchids and pale yellow mimosa launched from a gold candelabra, cascading down and twisting around the bottom of the table. Crystals dangled from each white taper candle, which was covered with gold Indian beading. Each gold charger held delicate white china with a folded champagne linen napkin topped with a cattalya orchid, which had a delicate monogram painted on its creamy leaf. All around the centerpiec
e, white candles flickered in mirrored votive cups with a gold lace pattern on the top. In between each votive sat a tiny glass vase holding bundles of individual flowers: yellow tea roses, white gardenias, and white calla lilies. Glistening in the center of the room, the table was luminous.

  “Wow, this makes the rest of your store look like CRAP!” declared Snarky Teenager.

  Elly shushed her. “Okay, take it all in. I hope she likes it.”

  “I don’t know how she couldn’t,” Anthony nudged her shyly. “It’s fabulous.”

  Elly eyed it up and down. “Yes, yes it is.”

  She turned to Snarky Teenager. “Do you want to sit in on this consultation? I want you to start learning the language and how to meet with clients. I know this particular one is abnormal, but it couldn’t hurt for you to listen in. Do you understand me? JUST LISTEN. Sunny is perhaps the most important client that Posies has ever had.”

  Snarky Teenager rolled her eyes. Elly shook a finger at her. “Don’t make that face. I genuinely like Sunny. She’s quite nice, very accommodating, and for a wedding of this size, she has been surprisingly easy to work with.”

  Anthony handed her a stack of papers. “You still need a lot of specific questions answered. We don’t have the names of anyone, the ceremony start time, the cocktail layout, and we also need to ask about floral allergies.”

  Elly felt like she was preparing for a high school test. She took the papers from Anthony and glanced at her watch. “Okay, she’s coming in five minutes. Places, everyone!”

  When Sunny Kepke walked into the store, she gasped and put her hand over her heart. Tears shimmered in her bright eyes.

  “Oh Eleanor…it’s BEAUTIFUL.” She walked around the table, her proper white gloves gliding over the chargers and orchids. Delicately, she took her seat next to Snarky Teenager, who was chewing gum, Elly noted with annoyance.

  “Okay Sunny, tell me your immediate reaction to the layout in general,” Elly prompted.

  “I don’t know what to say – it’s perfection! I love the centerpiece, the way the orchids drape, and these little votives are so elegant. Could we maybe have just a little less greenery around the base here? I think we would want a cleaner look.”