Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 44(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 44(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
They walked around the area, getting an idea of what Elizabeth wanted for her dream wedding. Apparently Robert Black left most of the creative planning to his future bride, price not an object. Karlee mentally calculated her costs and wondered which suppliers carried the exotic flowers requested. She didn’t want to overprice her services and lose the contract, but she needed to make a decent profit from such a big, demanding job. This wedding was her saving grace, and she couldn’t blow it. Maybe it would put her on the map and become the beginning of a real change in her life.
“Do you have a budget in mind?”
“Robert said whatever you thought was fair.”
Wow, she was used to most of her clients trying to cheap out. This was unchartered territory for her.
Before she could respond, two young groundskeepers approached. “Ms. Shaw, we just had an abandoned wreck towed. It’s the reason the catering truck couldn’t get in the second driveway.”
“Perfect. Tell Isabel to show them to the extra freezers in the kitchen. We’re already behind schedule.”
Karlee processed what the man had said. She’d parked in the second driveway and hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Surely he wasn’t referring to her SUV. It may have been a bit beat up, but it ran well enough and was her only mode of transportation.
“What did the wreck look like?” she asked, keeping her emotions in check as she spoke. Please not my truck. Please not my truck.
“An old Black Explorer.”
Her heart plummeted. “That’s mine. You towed my truck?”
The man shrugged. “People dump stuff out here all the time. Honestly, it looked like scrap.”
“I’m really sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me for a minute,” she said to Elizabeth before rushing off around the outside of the house. Maybe they were still chaining it to the tow truck. Maybe she still had time to salvage this close-to-shit day. As she ran, one of her heels snapped off in the stone walkway, leaving her lopsided. She ignored every distraction except getting to her truck, hobbling along as fast as she could.
When she reached the end of the second driveway where she’d parked her SUV, there was nothing in sight but the gentle sway of the weeping willows. The rural roadway was clear from both directions. Even the chatter of the wild birds couldn’t put a smile on her face now. She sat heavily on a large decorative rock and buried her face in her palms. Why can’t I catch a freakin’ break?
Karlee wouldn’t cry. She prided herself on staying strong and persevering. After discovering her degree in creative writing was more valuable being fashioned into origami than a career, she still didn’t give up. She started working at a local flower shop to pay off her student loan, discovering she enjoyed the creative outlet and working with customers. After a lot of overtime, sacrifices, and plain luck, she managed to open her own little shop. It was a dream come true, but unfortunately, like for most entrepreneurs, business suffered when the economy began to crumble. People didn’t have time to think of frivolous things like fresh-cut flowers and basket arrangements when there were bills to pay.
Anger began to bubble up once her pity trip wound down. Who tows a truck without asking around first? She wasn’t the only one at the house. Someone needed to get on the phone and demand her truck be returned. Without transportation, there would be no flower deliveries. Without flower deliveries, there would be no business. Without a business, Karlee would be broke and homeless by the end of the month. These people might be stinking rich, but they couldn’t be allowed to play with people’s lives like a game of chess.
She marched back to the house and banged on the front glass doors without apology. Screw that fancy doorbell. This time she had to wait for a couple minutes before finally catching a shadow approach from the other side of the frosted glass.
“Can I help you?”
The man’s voice was deep and authoritative. He wore dark suit pants and a pale-blue shirt partially unbuttoned. The color flattered his black hair and tan complexion. Not to mention the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. But he was no butler. The man had a commanding presence, like he owned the world and everyone in it—including her.
“Miss?”
Karlee snapped back into reality, hoping he didn’t realize she was sizing him up from head to toe. Broad shoulders, trim waist, and strong thighs. “Karlee. Karlee Jones.”
There was no sign of Elizabeth.
“My girl from the flower shop.” He smirked, just enough for her to notice. The man had evil eyes, too sexy to be holy. She squirmed on the spot, feeling the full intensity of his stare.
“You’re Robert Black?”
She really hoped he wasn’t the groom because she didn’t want to gawk at Elizabeth’s future husband with such X-rated thoughts swirling in her head. His words still lingered in her mind because they sounded so perfect. She’d give anything to be his girl.