The day was quiet as the sunlight shone through the windows of the petite shop filled many species of glamorous flowers. The doors were left open to bring in fresh air, and attract customers with the sweet scent each flower held. Morning was the busiest time, and by midday the sun gleamed high above sending heat waves towards the city. Elizabeth walked down the block to Starbucks for lunch; as usual she ate a multi-grain bagel smothered in cream cheese, with a book by her side. People chattered noisily as they came and went though the cafe doors. Many times this had been her and Lance's place to meet up and talk the day away, like it was their special spot no one knew about. Where was Lance? Who was he, really? Where had he come from? What was he doing? Sitting at a table for two now seemed quite lonely. Once she had finished the last of her bagel, Elisabeth noticed an odd man sitting in the far corner of the cafe, staring at her. He was wearing a black suit and slacks, which appeared to be from Stacy Adams, with Miralto shoes, which were Crocodile Italian. Obviously, this man had no sense of fashion; black doesn't go with peachy brown. His dark, black hair was slicked back with gel, making it gleam. Elizabeth concentrated on her book a bit more, but continued to take small glimpses of this strange man, what was he doing in Starbucks? She looked at the clock, realizing it was 1:18pm, her lunch ended in 12 minutes.
Picking up her things, she headed towards the counter and ordered a Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino, then walked out the doors. There was a small breeze that made leaves flutter on the trees along the sidewalk. As she approached the shop she could see Diane was peering outside the floral windows, waiting for Elizabeth to arrive. Diane had just begun to work in the shop to help care for the flowers, and she was quite new at things, especially caring for the flowers.
"Hello, Diane, are the flowers surviving?" Elizabeth said sarcastically. Diane laughed, "Yes. They're doing just fine. I do have a question though. I'm still not sure how often I should water them, and what do I do with all the orders that came in from Maine?"
"There is a chart posted in the back on what time each type of flower should be watered, you were also given this same chart when you started." Elizabeth showed her the chart and then continued, "Orders from out of state and surrounding areas all go in the freezer, each place is marked with a label so we know where each flower came from. Where is the order now?"
"It's in the freezer! But, I'm not sure if it's in the labeled spot. The fellow who brought them just came in and took them back, like he knew what he was doing." Diane stated truthfully.
Checking, Elizabeth found the order in the correct location of the freezer. At the front desk she diligently stood, working on files and orders that had been taken, and sorting them in chronological order by date and time needing delivered. Once she had finished, it was 2:40pm. Stacy, an older woman who delivered the flowers, would be back around 3pm to pick up the last of the deliveries of the day. With the short period of time left, all there was to do was attend to customer needs. Diane had left at 2pm, and with no customers currently in the shop, Elizabeth was left alone.
She pushed aside some papers that were on the auburn, swivel chair, behind the counter. Relaxing, she slouched down into the chair and just looked out the window. It was a beautiful day, why haven't many people many walking about? Usually during this time of year the sidewalk is covered with people on the move. Elizabeth could see the sun starting to fall from the sky as she rested her head on her hand. I don't even know what to think anymore. All these thoughts whirled in her mind leaving her in a state of disbelief, making her grow tired. Slowly, Elizabeth fell asleep.
"Elizabeth, wake up. Wake up, Elizabeth! I've come to take you away with me."
Startled, Elizabeth opened her eyes, she was still in the swivel chair behind the shop counter, but now it was dark out. The streetlights were shining through the windows and the doorway, for the door had been left open. She shyly peered up at the one who jolted her from such peaceful sleep. Gazing up, her eyes looked upon a set of facial features she could remember, exactly. The same sweet, blue eyes she had fallen in love with. But this face was a bit bruised and slightly swollen from a battle lost.
Lance pulled her close and wrapped his arms around Elizabeth, hugging her tightly, as if he were never going to let go. His warmth and delightful scent of cologne eased her fears and made her feel safe. "Do you know how hard it is to sneak in and see you?" He whispered with a smile, and kissed her cheek. "I had to hide in Baby Footlocker, across the street for 3 hours until the group of goons your husband hired realized that you were sleeping in here! They'll be coming back though, so we have to leave. Now."
Elizabeth was not sure what to think, where were they going to go? She couldn't just leave; if she didn't arrive home Stephen would surely hunt her down. And there was so much she wanted to ask Lance. Where had he been? What was his story, had he lied to her about his life this whole time? Lance had told her that he was born and raised in New York, and had lived here all his life. Was he really a doctor? Or did he just say that to make him sound caring? What was going on?
She began to grab her things, shoving most into her purse, from the back room and threw on her light green jacket. Rushing to the front of the shop to meet with Lance, she wanted to ask every question. She wanted to speak her mind and find out the truth. Before Elizabeth could say a word, he spoke, "I know there's a lot we need to talk about, but right now is not the time. Let us get somewhere safe." Quickly, they locked up the shop and started down the sidewalk.
"We are going to stay at the Soho Grand Hotel. It's a brisk walk from here, but it's the closest place that had vacancy." Lance said, as they walked up Church St. "Unless, you'd rather go home. It's up to you, I just thought we could talk and figure things out there."
They continued to walk without saying a word. Small groups of people passed by and cars speed past with their lights shining bright. Bits of darkness hovered over every corner, unsure if they were being followed or their mind was playing tricks on them. Finally, getting her thoughts together, Elizabeth said, "I'm not sure what to do, but I do want to find things out. Lets keep going."
...to be continued.
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