Unfinished business
834 Words
---
Emma burst into Bloom & Co. with more force than intended, nearly knocking over a stack of terracotta pots near the entrance. Claire, who had been lazily flipping through a magazine behind the counter, looked up with an amused expression.
"You’re back early," she noted, setting her coffee aside. "That either means smooth sailing or major disaster."
Emma groaned, dropping onto a wooden stool. "Disaster. Big disaster. Like, drop-a-bouquet-into-a-wedding-cake kind of disaster."
Claire’s eyes sparkled. "Oh, this sounds juicy. Spill."
Emma rubbed her temples. "I delivered the flowers to the wrong Mitchell."
Claire gasped, dramatically clutching her chest. "The horror!"
"Not just that! Turns out this Ryan Mitchell is a suit-wearing, soul-sucking businessman with the personality of a spreadsheet," Emma huffed. "And his very irritated girlfriend thought he was sending her flowers. I walked right into the middle of a lovers' quarrel."
Claire snorted. "Please tell me you left before the knives came out."
"Barely. I fled. Fast."
Emma sighed and flopped onto the counter, resting her forehead against the cool wood. "Now I need to figure out who actually ordered those flowers before Mr. Businessman sends a strongly worded email that destroys my entire reputation."
Claire patted her shoulder. "Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe this Ryan guy will need flowers later to apologize to his girlfriend."
Emma groaned. "Not funny."
The bell above the door chimed, and Emma straightened up, plastering on her best customer smile.
"Welcome to—" She froze.
Standing in the doorway, looking just as irritated as before, was Ryan Mitchell himself.
"—Oh, no," she muttered under her breath.
Ryan strode in like he was closing a business deal, his piercing blue eyes scanning the shop with a mix of curiosity and impatience.
"So, this is where you work," he said, glancing at a display of wildflowers.
Emma crossed her arms. "Yep. Bloom & Co. Where we deliver happiness, most of the time."
Ryan gave her a pointed look. "Right. About that—"
Emma winced. "Listen, before you say anything, I swear I can fix this. Just give me a second to—"
Ryan held up a hand. "Relax. I’m not here to sue you."
Emma blinked. "Well… that’s reassuring."
Claire, meanwhile, leaned against the counter, looking way too entertained by this.
Ryan exhaled, glancing at the bouquet display. "I need to know who actually ordered those flowers. My assistant tried calling, but your shop was closed for lunch."
Emma frowned. "We don’t close for lunch—" She turned to Claire.
Claire winced. "Okay, so technically, I closed for lunch. But in my defense, it was sushi day at the place next door."
Emma shot her a glare before grabbing the order book. She flipped through the pages, scanning for Mitchell.
"Here!" She jabbed a name on the list. "Elliot Mitchell. That’s the guy who ordered them. Any chance he’s related to you?"
Ryan’s expression darkened slightly. "He’s my younger brother."
"Ohhh," Claire smirked. "The plot thickens."
Emma ignored her. "Well, mystery solved! Guess you can hand those flowers over to Elliot, and all will be well in the world."
Ryan looked unimpressed. "Not exactly. My brother’s currently in Paris for work. He won’t be back for two weeks."
Emma hesitated. "So… what do we do now?"
Ryan rubbed his temple. "I was hoping you’d have a solution."
Emma thought for a moment. "Well, I could refund the order, but that kind of ruins the whole ‘surprise flower delivery’ thing."
Ryan sighed. "Fine. Just deliver a new bouquet to whoever the flowers were originally meant for."
Emma perked up. "Great! And, uh… who exactly was that?"
Ryan frowned. "I have no idea."
Emma groaned. "Seriously? Your brother didn’t leave a name?"
Ryan folded his arms. "Apparently not."
Claire let out a dramatic gasp. "A mystery romance? Oh, I love this."
Emma gave her a look. "Not helpful."
Ryan checked his watch. "Look, I don’t have time to track down my brother’s secret admirer. I have back-to-back meetings all day."
Emma chewed her lip, thinking. "Okay. How about this—you give me Elliot’s number, and I’ll find out where the flowers were supposed to go. I’ll fix everything. No more accidental love triangles, I promise."
Ryan studied her, then let out a slow breath. "Fine." He pulled out his phone. "I’ll have my assistant send you his contact information."
Emma grinned. "Perfect! Crisis averted."
Ryan gave her a skeptical look. "I’ll believe that when I see it."
With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Emma standing in the middle of her shop, heart still pounding.
Claire whistled. "So that was Ryan Mitchell. I see why you were flustered."
Emma rolled her eyes. "I was not flustered."
Claire smirked. "Mm-hmm. Whatever you say."
Emma sighed and reached for her phone. Time to track down Elliot Mitchell and solve the mystery of the misplaced bouquet.
Unbeknownst to her, this was far from the last time Ryan Mitchell would enter her home.
- Writer
