Although Olivia was originally from the south, the heat hadn't gotten any easier to handle. She sat on the porch of her grandparent's 2 story home fanning her face and watching her grandmother (affectionately known as Nana) clear some weeds from her flowerbed. What was supposed to be a quick trip back to her roots to visit had become a trip with no expiration date when she overheard her Nana and mother in a private conversation. After an exhausting day of church in the Baptist fashion, Olivia just wanted to get some water and lay down. Not that she wasn't religious-but she definitely wasn't used to staying in church so long and visiting almost EVERY member afterward. As she tiptoed down the stairs and got her glass of water, she noticed the light on in the office. Her grandfather's study. She knew if Nana was in there, something was up. She eased up to the door thinking she would just catch a few moments of the conversation that seemed to grow louder as she got closer.

"If I have to tell you again, I will scream!"

"Ma, you do realize you are gonna have to tell Livvie eventually, right?" Maya Pope was trying to soften the blow she knew was coming if she kept prodding Elizabeth.

"Maya, I don't have that much time left with my grandbaby. Do you think I wanna spend it with her giving me sad eyes and watching my every step!?" Elizabeth was becoming more and more aggravated. She had NEVER taken orders from anyone (aside from her late husband) and she sure was NOT about to start now.

Olivia's eyes grew wider. She didn't notice her glass beginning to get wet in her hands VIA condensation….

"Yes Ma'am, but don't you think all this would be easier on Olivia if it wasn't a surprise?"

"…..That very well maybe…but I have it taken care of. Trust, child!"

Olivia felt as though someone was taking all of the air from her lungs. She felt light headed and struggled to maintain her footing as she leaned closer and closer to the door of the study, immediately piecing together the puzzle. Nana was sick? Why didn't she tell her? Why was it supposed to be a secret? And how did she know she only had a little time left? This obviously was something that had been going on.

Olivia did her best to walk back towards the stairs. She knew this had to be addressed, but she also knew that Nana would probably lay into her real good for eavesdropping. She walked towards to stairs and began her climb, not noticing sweat from the water she was carrying leaving a trail on the floor. When Nana emerged from the office, she noticed the droplets on the floor. God, help me she thought.

Olivia hadn't addressed what she heard. Instead, when the time came for her to end her visit, she casually came up with an excuse to stay longer. She told Nana that there was a few people she hadn't seen in a while coming back into town and she wanted to stick around. A few days later, Olivia had confided in her about Jake and how her engagement ended. Elizabeth knew this was a sore subject for her Livvie, but she sat and listened as Olivia explained everything to her and asked if she could stay a little longer to clear her head. She agreed partly because she wanted to make sure Olivia was Ok, but Elizabeth knew what she was doing. She also knew in order to make the news of her cancer a little easier on her, Olivia needed to initiate the conversation and feel as though she had some control.

"Liv, dear, I know you are hot. Go inside and cool off. I know Washington D.C. doesn't have humidity like this," Elizabeth said. She was growing more and more tired of Olivia sitting and staring at her as if she would break.

Olivia jumped out of her memory, realizing she hadn't been paying much attention to Elizabeth. "No Nana, I'm fine right here. I was actually getting ready to ask if you wanted my help?"

Elizabeth eyed her suspiciously. Olivia was growing more and more nervous, desperately not wanting her grandmother to find out the real reasoning behind her actions.

"Child, I don't need any help. I'm just fine." Olivia sighed ever so lightly, and leaned back in her rocking chair. Since finding out the news, she had gotten VERY little sleep and it was starting to show her frustrations little by little.

Elizabeth noticed the change in Olivia's attitude and decided on another course. ANYTHING to get her away for a while. "Oh goodness. My glove has a hole in it. Livvie?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do me a favor, sweet girl?"

Olivia's ears perked up at this. "Sure Nana, what is it?"

"Run down to the Grant's market on 9th…or is it 10th? Anyway, I need a new pair of gloves please. Lord knows I don't wanna get dirty under my nails!"

"Yes ma'am." Olivia knew she needed to stretch her legs and clear her mind and although the heat was TOO much, walking would do just the trick.

Elizabeth caught her off guard when she tossed the keys to her 2010 Lexus RX300. "Take my car, honey. No use in walking that far."

"Oh, hey boss! How's your day going?" The young employee slipped his feet back on the floor as quickly as he could when he noticed the owner reaching for the door.

"Hey Alex, slow day?" Fitz smiled at the young boy. He took notice to the earphones around his neck and the unlocked phone on the counter in front of him.

"Yes sir…I actually just got a phone call from the delivery company. They should be here with that new shipment of flowers within the next hour."

"Ok, thanks…Maybe you could find something a little more productive to do until then?" Fitz was not one to pull rank on his employees, especially the kids, but he took every opportunity he could to instill good work ethic. Something he thought was missing from today's youth.

"Yes sir, I'm on it!" Alex said as he jumped to his feet, shoving his phone in his pocket and disappearing down the furthest isle he could find. Fitz chuckled to himself. At 6"2 and 210lbs, it was easy to get someone's attention. His broad shoulders and height usually did the trick. Bearing the signature Grant crystal blue's, chocolate brown curls, and panty dropper smile, he strolled back towards the office of the store and closed the door behind him. He had taken over the store since his father, Gerry "Big Gerry" Grant had passed away. He was very reluctant because although he grew up in this store as a child, it carried Big Gerry's bad reputation towards people as well. He sat down at his desk, eyeing a few reports when there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"Hey Mr. Grant, it looks like rain. Should we start to move the displays back inside?" Quinn was standing at the door looking very nervously at her boss. He knew she had a crush on him, but she was not his type. Not to mention, she was his best employee and the daughter of a very prominent family friend.

"Yes Quinn, that's fine." He shot her a small approving smile and just like that she was gone.

Fifteen minutes later, he was still in his office when he noticed the lights begin to flicker. He stood up and walked over to the window, noticing the clouds begin to take on an ugly grey look. Great, he thought. The wind was blowing and it looked like the clouds were going to burst at any moment. He walked out into the lobby and glanced around the store. Alabama had two tornado seasons, and this was the spring one. Most of the patrons had cleared out of the store because of the impending storm, but he noticed a small grey SUV pull into a parking space.

Olivia spotted the store and whipped the car into a close parking space. When she reached for her purse, the bottom fell out and before she could open her car door all the way, it was POURING rain. She quickly closed the door, glanced in the backseat, and noticed a small umbrella on the floor. She opened it and made her way up to the door. To say she was wet was an understatement. The rain seemed to be coming from all directions. Great, now I'm going to be soaking wet. Maybe I should have waited for it to slack off some, she thought to herself. She had been stuck in her thoughts of Nana and hadn't even noticed the sky beginning to take on a mean look. As she reached for the door, it opened and what stood in front of her made her forget that it was raining or that she was wet. She slowly lowered the umbrella, taking notice to the amazing biceps holding open the door in front of her. She shifted her gaze and got lost in the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Hi."

"um….Hi."