Chapter 8
Natalie lifted her head up, then jumped. She looked around to orient herself to where she was. She realized that she was in the club's office and she fell asleep at the desk. She squinted as she looked at her watch. She gathered up her stuff and made her way back to Jason's penthouse. When she got off the elevator, she decided to swing by Sonny's penthouse to see if they could discuss more of their plan on Ric.
Apparently, Jason and Sonny were having a bad morning. When she made it to Sonny's penthouse, Max stopped her at the door and told her that the two were arguing about Courtney again. 'Again?' Natalie thought. 'This must happen quite often.'
She turned around and walked to Jason's penthouse and was greeted at the door by a spunky red head. "Michael!" Natalie exclaimed with a smile. She crouched down to hug him and he almost knocked her over. Michael had stayed in the island for a couple of weeks with his nanny. Natalie, who was the accountant for the casino at the time, made sure that Lutecia and Michael were well taken care of. She didn't ask questions. She just assumed that there was trouble with Sonny's organization.
Natalie looked up and saw Johnny (another one of Sonny's bodyguards) smiling at her. He must have brought Michael here when Jason and Sonny started arguing.
She decided to take Michael to the park that afternoon. Michael looked around. "Look at all the flowers!" he said excitedly. It was the beginning of Spring and the park was blooming with flowers. He turned and looked at Natalie. "I'm going to pick flowers for my mommy!"
"Don't go too far, you little squirt," Natalie replied with a grin. Michael ran off and she signaled Johnny to follow him.
Natalie sat quietly for a couple of minutes and started to think about what happened the night before. She couldn't get the picture of Ric and Elizabeth out of her mind. "Miss Natalie?" Natalie looked up and saw Michael standing in front of her with one arm behind his back.
"Did you already find flowers for your mom?" she asked him.
"Not yet!" Michael swung his arm in front of him. "I decided to get you flowers first!" He held up a handful of daisies.
Natalie's jaw dropped. She loved daisies. She playfully put her hands on her hips. "How did you know daisies were my favorite flower?"
"You always had vases of them in your room on the island. And you always smiled when you looked at them!"
Natalie raised her eyebrows. She had to hand it to the kid. He paid attention. She took the flowers from Michael and thanked him. Then, he turned around and ran out to pick flowers for his mom with Johnny trailing behind him.
Natalie ran her fingers across the petals and leaned down to smell them. She smiled as her mind started to wander.
***
"Oh I love these!" Natalie squealed. She ran over to the cart of fresh flowers and pointed at the collection of daisies that stuck out of one of the buckets.
Ric wrinkled his brow and shook his head. He watched Natalie as she excitedly purchased a small handful of daisies. He smiled. She got excited over the simplest things sometimes. It was.cute. He continued to watch her as she separated one from the bunch and started to pluck the petals out one by one. "What in the world are you doing?" he asked.
"What?" Natalie asked as her eyes widened. "You never used to do this when you were a kid?"
"What.torture flowers?" Ric laughed. "No.it just wasn't in me, I guess."
Natalie made a sour face at Ric. "No, silly. You know. 'he loves me, he loves me not?' I used to have a crush on this guy in high school. Every time I saw a daisy, I would take it and pluck the petals out one by one. If the last petal landed on 'he loves me'.I would keep it. Then I would lay in my bed at night and hope that he would love me some day. I swear, I think I ended up with a whole bouquet of one-petal daisies!" She looked at Ric. "Yes, I know. Another one of my pathetic, hopeless romantic stories." She looked at him curiously. "What did you used to do when you had a crush?"
Ric scratched his head. "I didn't really ponder over girls that much. I didn't have the opportunity." Natalie looked at him weirdly, and he finished to explain himself. "I went to a private school. It was all boys."
Natalie wrinkled her nose. "I'm sorry."
Ric stopped to think. "Actually, there was one girl I dated when I was in high school. Her father was a member of the same country club as my father. That was how we met. On our first date, I gave her a dozen french white roses."
Natalie raised her eyebrows. She was impressed. 'Very classy,' she thought. "Did she swoon over you because of those flowers?"
Ric shook his head. "No.not really. Her family was so rich and she had so many rich boyfriends before, none of that seemed to impress her. Ever since then, I've been against giving flowers to girls. I don't think it really matters to girls if you give them flowers or not."
"Hmm...all girls aren't like that." Natalie looked at Ric. "Flowers don't mean anything to a person unless it has some kind of sentimental reason behind it. It's what they symbolize, not what they are."
Ric nodded in agreement. They looked at each other for a moment, then turned and continued to walk.
***
Natalie looked at the handful of daisies Michael gave her and laughed. For a little kid, he didn't realize that his kind gesture made her feel so much better.
Natalie lifted her head up, then jumped. She looked around to orient herself to where she was. She realized that she was in the club's office and she fell asleep at the desk. She squinted as she looked at her watch. She gathered up her stuff and made her way back to Jason's penthouse. When she got off the elevator, she decided to swing by Sonny's penthouse to see if they could discuss more of their plan on Ric.
Apparently, Jason and Sonny were having a bad morning. When she made it to Sonny's penthouse, Max stopped her at the door and told her that the two were arguing about Courtney again. 'Again?' Natalie thought. 'This must happen quite often.'
She turned around and walked to Jason's penthouse and was greeted at the door by a spunky red head. "Michael!" Natalie exclaimed with a smile. She crouched down to hug him and he almost knocked her over. Michael had stayed in the island for a couple of weeks with his nanny. Natalie, who was the accountant for the casino at the time, made sure that Lutecia and Michael were well taken care of. She didn't ask questions. She just assumed that there was trouble with Sonny's organization.
Natalie looked up and saw Johnny (another one of Sonny's bodyguards) smiling at her. He must have brought Michael here when Jason and Sonny started arguing.
She decided to take Michael to the park that afternoon. Michael looked around. "Look at all the flowers!" he said excitedly. It was the beginning of Spring and the park was blooming with flowers. He turned and looked at Natalie. "I'm going to pick flowers for my mommy!"
"Don't go too far, you little squirt," Natalie replied with a grin. Michael ran off and she signaled Johnny to follow him.
Natalie sat quietly for a couple of minutes and started to think about what happened the night before. She couldn't get the picture of Ric and Elizabeth out of her mind. "Miss Natalie?" Natalie looked up and saw Michael standing in front of her with one arm behind his back.
"Did you already find flowers for your mom?" she asked him.
"Not yet!" Michael swung his arm in front of him. "I decided to get you flowers first!" He held up a handful of daisies.
Natalie's jaw dropped. She loved daisies. She playfully put her hands on her hips. "How did you know daisies were my favorite flower?"
"You always had vases of them in your room on the island. And you always smiled when you looked at them!"
Natalie raised her eyebrows. She had to hand it to the kid. He paid attention. She took the flowers from Michael and thanked him. Then, he turned around and ran out to pick flowers for his mom with Johnny trailing behind him.
Natalie ran her fingers across the petals and leaned down to smell them. She smiled as her mind started to wander.
***
"Oh I love these!" Natalie squealed. She ran over to the cart of fresh flowers and pointed at the collection of daisies that stuck out of one of the buckets.
Ric wrinkled his brow and shook his head. He watched Natalie as she excitedly purchased a small handful of daisies. He smiled. She got excited over the simplest things sometimes. It was.cute. He continued to watch her as she separated one from the bunch and started to pluck the petals out one by one. "What in the world are you doing?" he asked.
"What?" Natalie asked as her eyes widened. "You never used to do this when you were a kid?"
"What.torture flowers?" Ric laughed. "No.it just wasn't in me, I guess."
Natalie made a sour face at Ric. "No, silly. You know. 'he loves me, he loves me not?' I used to have a crush on this guy in high school. Every time I saw a daisy, I would take it and pluck the petals out one by one. If the last petal landed on 'he loves me'.I would keep it. Then I would lay in my bed at night and hope that he would love me some day. I swear, I think I ended up with a whole bouquet of one-petal daisies!" She looked at Ric. "Yes, I know. Another one of my pathetic, hopeless romantic stories." She looked at him curiously. "What did you used to do when you had a crush?"
Ric scratched his head. "I didn't really ponder over girls that much. I didn't have the opportunity." Natalie looked at him weirdly, and he finished to explain himself. "I went to a private school. It was all boys."
Natalie wrinkled her nose. "I'm sorry."
Ric stopped to think. "Actually, there was one girl I dated when I was in high school. Her father was a member of the same country club as my father. That was how we met. On our first date, I gave her a dozen french white roses."
Natalie raised her eyebrows. She was impressed. 'Very classy,' she thought. "Did she swoon over you because of those flowers?"
Ric shook his head. "No.not really. Her family was so rich and she had so many rich boyfriends before, none of that seemed to impress her. Ever since then, I've been against giving flowers to girls. I don't think it really matters to girls if you give them flowers or not."
"Hmm...all girls aren't like that." Natalie looked at Ric. "Flowers don't mean anything to a person unless it has some kind of sentimental reason behind it. It's what they symbolize, not what they are."
Ric nodded in agreement. They looked at each other for a moment, then turned and continued to walk.
***
Natalie looked at the handful of daisies Michael gave her and laughed. For a little kid, he didn't realize that his kind gesture made her feel so much better.
