A Tale of Two Florists

A TALE OF TWO FLORISTS JUNIPER CREEK GOLDEN YEARS BOOK ONE BRENNA BAILEY BOOKMARTEN PRESS Published by Bookmarten Press A Tale of Two Florists Copyright © Brenna Bailey 2023. All rights reserved. Contact the author at www.brennabailey.com. ISBN (eBook): 978-1-77818-672-1 ISBN (paperback): 978-1-7781867-3-8 ISBN (large print paperback): 978-1-7781867-1-4 Cover design by Cover Ever After Edited by Abby Kendall Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, expect by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Created with Vellum CONTENTS 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty-One 22. Chapter Twenty-Two 23. Chapter Twenty-Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty-Five 26. Chapter Twenty-Six Epilogue Want more Juniper Creek? Author’s Note Acknowledgments Also by Brenna Bailey About the Author To Grandma Rich, my Minnie and Eleanor in one. I miss you every single day. CHAPTER ONE MINNIE Minnie stared in disbelief at the resignation letter in her hand. The paper was trembling, and Minnie was sure it wasn’t from her usual shakes. “What is this?” she asked, even though she knew very well what it was. “It’s my resignation letter,” Kat said in a small voice, ducking their head and rubbing the back of their neck. “Well, I can see that.” Minnie looked from the letter to Kat and back again. “But why?” Kat looked at the floor. “I’d rather not tell you.” Minnie’s jaw dropped. Kat had never been like this with her. In fact, they had just enjoyed a normal shift together full of . . . quiet. Now that she thought about it, Kat had been unusually quiet. Kat made eye contact with her for the first time since they handed her the letter. “Can you just trust me for now? Please? I’m sorry. You know I love working here.” Minnie shook her head, her mouth opening and closing like a fish’s. If this was anyone but Kat, she might think they were being insolent. But this was Kat, who had worked with her at the flower shop for two years, who had visited her on her days off to give her reports, and who stopped by for tea on a regular basis. Kat, who just last week had brought her a bouquet (from her own shop), a cookbook, and a cake they made to celebrate her seventy-second birthday. She took a deep breath and forced her face to soften. “Okay. It is in your rights to keep your secrets. But I hope you have a good reason.” Of course Kat had to have a good reason. They wouldn’t leave otherwise, right? “I’m going to miss you, though.” Was it Minnie’s imagination, or were Kat’s eyes glistening? They looked at the floor, kicking the baseboard of the counter with the toe of their black Converse. “I still live here, you know. You’ll probably see me every day.” “Oh, I know.” Minnie opened her arms and Kat stepped into them, letting Minnie wrap them in a hug. Minnie kept it short, knowing Kat wasn’t a fan of physical contact. The brief connection did little to calm the frantic beating of her heart. As Kat stepped back, they said, “I’ll still be here for two weeks, right? I don’t need to leave right away.” They sounded worried, as if Minnie might kick them out just for quitting. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of letting you leave earlier.” The look of relief on Kat’s face filled Minnie’s chest with warmth. She couldn’t fathom why Kat was quitting, but at least they didn’t seem happy about it. “Well, let’s grab our things then, shall we? Everything is good to go.” Kat grabbed Minnie’s sweater and purse for her, and Minnie locked the shop behind them. As they walked, Minnie wondered how she was going to get through the next two weeks knowing that Kat’s time with her at the store was dwindling. Who was going to tease her when she forgot to switch out a sign? Who was going to tweak her flower arrangements to make them more modern? Daphne, Minnie’s other employee, was good at her job—but she wasn’t Kat. Kat wasn’t saying anything, and Minnie couldn’t shake her sense of impending doom. There was one sure way to break the silence: Minnie asked Kat about their latest art project. As expected, Kat perked right up and started telling Minnie all about the new character they were creating for a comic series Charlie was writing. Minnie smiled and tried her best to focus on Kat’s words rather than that darn resignation letter. As they went, they waved to other shop owners closing up on Main Street and did their best to avoid the goose poop on the path beside the pond. Stepping around the mush was second nature to Minnie, although she thought about the poop more now since it was a hindrance for Dot with her new walker. She’d have to speak to Lorelai about more regular park maintenance. “This is you,” Kat said as they reached Minnie’s street. “So it is.” Minnie fought the urge to give Kat another hug. “Enjoy drawing that librarian character,” she said instead. “I will see you at work in the morning.” Minnie had said that sentence multiple times in the past two years, but it was ripe with significance now. “Yes, you will.” Kat smiled and tightened the sweater they had tied around their waist