Oregon—to little bells in doorways.
“Hi, Sadie, what brings you in today?”
Sadie smiled at Kate, who was behind the counter, her dark hair in a simple braid, her figure disguised by a plaid flannel shirt that was tucked into a pair of tan Carhartts.
The urge to strangle your brother is what compels me today, thank you very much.
“Flowers, actually. I need to get the front flower beds in order and I know absolutely nothing about anything leafy or petally.”
“Well,” Kate said, coming out from behind the counter, “you’ve come to the right place. Because I know a lot of things about plants.”
“Good. So...you sort of know where I’m talking about, right?”
“Just the boxes in front of the porch?”
“Yeah, um...what can I plant there?”
Kate laughed. “I’ll help you out. Just come out to the back with me.”
Sadie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusting the paper bag she was holding as she did so, then took a sip of coffee as she followed Kate out through double, automatic glass doors to the back patio. Plants were hanging from metal scaffolding overhead and more pots were on pallets raised up from the ground. Flats of flowers were stacked into racks, and against the chain-link fence in the back rested bags of potting soil and fertilizer.
“I’m going to have to have you load up a cart for me, because I don’t know what I’m looking at,” Sadie said, surveying the plant life.
“I’m more than willing to do that. And I will even give you my employee discount.” Kate looked around, her expression shifty. “Just don’t tell.”
“Don’t do it if you’ll get in trouble. Otherwise, please and thank you, because I’m not
that
well-off.”
“It’ll be fine. It’s for Garrett land, after all.” She grabbed the handle of a flat metal cart and turned it, then stuck a flat of dark purple flowers onto it. “This will get you started. And...” She started hunting through the displays.
“So,” Sadie said, feeling ridiculously adolescent for what she was about to say, but unable to stop herself from saying it, “what is your brother’s deal?”
“Which one?” Kate asked.
She could always deflect now, and say it was about Connor, which should in no way make her feel less awkward, but it did. Probably because, as handsome as he was, in that grieving, several-weeks-old-beard kind of way, she just didn’t want to look at Connor’s butt. Eli’s, on the other hand...
“Eli,” she said, grimacing at her honesty and thankful that Kate was still eyeballing plants.
“Uh...” Kate straightened and flipped her braid over her shoulder. “I’m not sure he has a deal.”
“He doesn’t seem that happy to have me around. Furthermore, he got a little...testy when I suggested we might have some events on the ranch.”
“Oh, well...he’s private. I guess. I mean, I never really thought about it, but it’s not like we have parties or anything at the ranch. Birthday stuff we do at Pappy’s Pizza, and for stuff they don’t include me in they go to Ace’s. So...yeah, maybe that’s it. Maybe he just doesn’t like to have people out. I never do, but that’s not really a choice. More of a happenstance. Because...you know, this town is really small and everyone knows I have a brother with the power to arrest them. And one who would probably shoot and bury someone with no blip of conscience.” She frowned. “Anyway, I’m sorry about Eli. Usually it’s Connor we all have to apologize for.”
“No, don’t...apologize for him. But...is there, like, a plant I could get him?” she asked. Maybe a peace offering was the way to go. Right now she seemed to just be going the Purposefully Ruffle His Feathers Route, which was honestly really stupid and wasn’t going to solve anything.
“Well, sure...you could get him an azalea,” Kate said.
“An azalea?”
“Yeah, it’s a flower, but they grow native here so it’s less...groomed and more...manly. A manly
“Hi, Sadie, what brings you in today?”
Sadie smiled at Kate, who was behind the counter, her dark hair in a simple braid, her figure disguised by a plaid flannel shirt that was tucked into a pair of tan Carhartts.
The urge to strangle your brother is what compels me today, thank you very much.
“Flowers, actually. I need to get the front flower beds in order and I know absolutely nothing about anything leafy or petally.”
“Well,” Kate said, coming out from behind the counter, “you’ve come to the right place. Because I know a lot of things about plants.”
“Good. So...you sort of know where I’m talking about, right?”
“Just the boxes in front of the porch?”
“Yeah, um...what can I plant there?”
Kate laughed. “I’ll help you out. Just come out to the back with me.”
Sadie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusting the paper bag she was holding as she did so, then took a sip of coffee as she followed Kate out through double, automatic glass doors to the back patio. Plants were hanging from metal scaffolding overhead and more pots were on pallets raised up from the ground. Flats of flowers were stacked into racks, and against the chain-link fence in the back rested bags of potting soil and fertilizer.
“I’m going to have to have you load up a cart for me, because I don’t know what I’m looking at,” Sadie said, surveying the plant life.
“I’m more than willing to do that. And I will even give you my employee discount.” Kate looked around, her expression shifty. “Just don’t tell.”
“Don’t do it if you’ll get in trouble. Otherwise, please and thank you, because I’m not
that
well-off.”
“It’ll be fine. It’s for Garrett land, after all.” She grabbed the handle of a flat metal cart and turned it, then stuck a flat of dark purple flowers onto it. “This will get you started. And...” She started hunting through the displays.
“So,” Sadie said, feeling ridiculously adolescent for what she was about to say, but unable to stop herself from saying it, “what is your brother’s deal?”
“Which one?” Kate asked.
She could always deflect now, and say it was about Connor, which should in no way make her feel less awkward, but it did. Probably because, as handsome as he was, in that grieving, several-weeks-old-beard kind of way, she just didn’t want to look at Connor’s butt. Eli’s, on the other hand...
“Eli,” she said, grimacing at her honesty and thankful that Kate was still eyeballing plants.
“Uh...” Kate straightened and flipped her braid over her shoulder. “I’m not sure he has a deal.”
“He doesn’t seem that happy to have me around. Furthermore, he got a little...testy when I suggested we might have some events on the ranch.”
“Oh, well...he’s private. I guess. I mean, I never really thought about it, but it’s not like we have parties or anything at the ranch. Birthday stuff we do at Pappy’s Pizza, and for stuff they don’t include me in they go to Ace’s. So...yeah, maybe that’s it. Maybe he just doesn’t like to have people out. I never do, but that’s not really a choice. More of a happenstance. Because...you know, this town is really small and everyone knows I have a brother with the power to arrest them. And one who would probably shoot and bury someone with no blip of conscience.” She frowned. “Anyway, I’m sorry about Eli. Usually it’s Connor we all have to apologize for.”
“No, don’t...apologize for him. But...is there, like, a plant I could get him?” she asked. Maybe a peace offering was the way to go. Right now she seemed to just be going the Purposefully Ruffle His Feathers Route, which was honestly really stupid and wasn’t going to solve anything.
“Well, sure...you could get him an azalea,” Kate said.
“An azalea?”
“Yeah, it’s a flower, but they grow native here so it’s less...groomed and more...manly. A manly
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