was able to push him away.
They’d told her to get what she needed
and not to spare the cost. They wanted to make this building look good so they
could unload it quick. Not. Mr. J.R. told her that they needed to sell it, but
it was a bad mark on their company to have an empty building sitting when the
Stones had built it. So, armed with her list and counts, she walked the path of
the flowers and told her what she needed.
The green house was laid out in a grid
and all by color. Joey had been in several greenhouses that laid them out
according to type. Patty had told her that a person knew what color they wanted
in foliage, but not necessarily what plants. She thought that she’d put it out
there so that people could get help once they had a color in mind. It worked
apparently, because the place was hopping with people even on a Tuesday.
Since it was coming on fall Joey had
decided to add as much of the fall colors as she could now with a great deal of
springs that would come up next year. Summer, too, as a matter of fact, and
Patty told her that she had a lot of the end of year clearances on most of that
list.
Daylilies of several colors were on her
list and all but one were in the clearance area. She was looking over the list
when Patty offered her a deal. If she took everything there, she’d sell it to
her for half that price. Looking at Conley and his small nod, she agreed. He
told her he’d have to make a call to bring another truck. As he stepped away
Patty approached her about working part-time for her.
“Can’t be too much need for you working
for the Stones in the winter months and I got a whole house to fill. I’ll pay
you too.”
“I’m only helping them out on this one
job. Wills, the owner’s wife, sort of forced me into it. I’m going to need
something more full-time when you can do it, though.” Conley stepped toward
them as she finished speaking and he had an odd look on his face. “Are they
thinking I shouldn’t have bought this?”
He shook his head. “No. They’re sending
two more trucks, but I think you got it—” His phone ringing cut him off. He
stepped away again and answered. When he came back, he was grinning. “Seems I’m
needed back at the site. Wills is having problems with one of the boys and
somebody has to hold her back from beating the shit outta him. One of the
others will bring you back.”
He took off at a run toward his truck
and only stopped long enough to hand something to one of the others that worked
for Patty before spinning out of the lot. The boy, Tad by his name tag, handed
Joey a credit card. “He said he was supposed to give this to you first and
forgot.” As he wandered away Joey looked at Patty. She had a huge smile on her
face.
“That’s a gold card. Come on, let me
help you make the sucker cringe a bit.” Joey didn’t know what she meant, but by
the time she was finished, she thought maybe the sucker wasn’t just cringing,
but having a massive heart attack too. She only hoped that when they got the
bill, they didn’t make her pay it all back. Joey was hyperventilating by the
time she pulled into the lot at the site four hours later.
And it was well past three in the
morning when she staggered home after planting until she had to leave for the
bar then help Doyle close down. She was sure that there were parts of her that
didn’t hurt right now, but she didn’t know where that was. Exhausted and dirty,
she took a very cold shower in the empty building then crawled into her
sleeping bag. She was actually looking forward to more abuse like this in the
morning.
Chapter 11
Jesse was waiting in her driveway when
his mom got home. He needed to talk to her and for reasons he couldn’t begin to
understand, wanted her to tell him that every name he called himself throughout
the evening and all night weren’t half as bad as he thought they should be. He’d
been a total ass and he knew it.
“Jesse Michael Hunter, what have you
done now?” He
They’d told her to get what she needed
and not to spare the cost. They wanted to make this building look good so they
could unload it quick. Not. Mr. J.R. told her that they needed to sell it, but
it was a bad mark on their company to have an empty building sitting when the
Stones had built it. So, armed with her list and counts, she walked the path of
the flowers and told her what she needed.
The green house was laid out in a grid
and all by color. Joey had been in several greenhouses that laid them out
according to type. Patty had told her that a person knew what color they wanted
in foliage, but not necessarily what plants. She thought that she’d put it out
there so that people could get help once they had a color in mind. It worked
apparently, because the place was hopping with people even on a Tuesday.
Since it was coming on fall Joey had
decided to add as much of the fall colors as she could now with a great deal of
springs that would come up next year. Summer, too, as a matter of fact, and
Patty told her that she had a lot of the end of year clearances on most of that
list.
Daylilies of several colors were on her
list and all but one were in the clearance area. She was looking over the list
when Patty offered her a deal. If she took everything there, she’d sell it to
her for half that price. Looking at Conley and his small nod, she agreed. He
told her he’d have to make a call to bring another truck. As he stepped away
Patty approached her about working part-time for her.
“Can’t be too much need for you working
for the Stones in the winter months and I got a whole house to fill. I’ll pay
you too.”
“I’m only helping them out on this one
job. Wills, the owner’s wife, sort of forced me into it. I’m going to need
something more full-time when you can do it, though.” Conley stepped toward
them as she finished speaking and he had an odd look on his face. “Are they
thinking I shouldn’t have bought this?”
He shook his head. “No. They’re sending
two more trucks, but I think you got it—” His phone ringing cut him off. He
stepped away again and answered. When he came back, he was grinning. “Seems I’m
needed back at the site. Wills is having problems with one of the boys and
somebody has to hold her back from beating the shit outta him. One of the
others will bring you back.”
He took off at a run toward his truck
and only stopped long enough to hand something to one of the others that worked
for Patty before spinning out of the lot. The boy, Tad by his name tag, handed
Joey a credit card. “He said he was supposed to give this to you first and
forgot.” As he wandered away Joey looked at Patty. She had a huge smile on her
face.
“That’s a gold card. Come on, let me
help you make the sucker cringe a bit.” Joey didn’t know what she meant, but by
the time she was finished, she thought maybe the sucker wasn’t just cringing,
but having a massive heart attack too. She only hoped that when they got the
bill, they didn’t make her pay it all back. Joey was hyperventilating by the
time she pulled into the lot at the site four hours later.
And it was well past three in the
morning when she staggered home after planting until she had to leave for the
bar then help Doyle close down. She was sure that there were parts of her that
didn’t hurt right now, but she didn’t know where that was. Exhausted and dirty,
she took a very cold shower in the empty building then crawled into her
sleeping bag. She was actually looking forward to more abuse like this in the
morning.
Chapter 11
Jesse was waiting in her driveway when
his mom got home. He needed to talk to her and for reasons he couldn’t begin to
understand, wanted her to tell him that every name he called himself throughout
the evening and all night weren’t half as bad as he thought they should be. He’d
been a total ass and he knew it.
“Jesse Michael Hunter, what have you
done now?” He
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