The Right Touch
Chapter 6
Saturday
After a shower and a shave, Bobby decided to give Darcy a call. He glanced at the clock—nine-thirty. He punched in her number and waited. One ring, two rings, three rings, four rings. One more and the answering machine would come on. He was just about to hang up when an anguished, "Arrggghhh!" was heard.
"Darcy? Is that you?" asked an alarmed Bobby sitting straight up. "What's the matter? Are you all right?"
"I tracked down the missing shipment but now...but now...the florist cancelled on me!" she wailed.
"Calm down, Darce," he tried to soothe her. "Why is the florist canceling on you?"
"There was a fire—nothing major but it's going to take a few days to get everything back to the way it was but in the meantime, they'll be too busy cleaning up the place to work on the gala!" The stress she was feeling was evident in her voice.
"There must be other florists you can call," he suggested.
"Not like this one!" she protested. "He's really talented and unique."
The words talented and unique rang a bell in Bobby's mind. "Talented and unique, huh?" he repeated slowly. "This is only a recommendation but you know that florist I've been using? The Right Touch? Why don't you give them a call? You've been telling me you like the flowers I've been sending you."
There was silence at the other end while Darcy ran through the possibility in her mind.
"Darcy? Are you still there?"
"Just thinking," she replied. "Do you think they'll do it on such short notice?"
"I don't know but it won't hurt to ask," he said firmly. "Here—I'll give you the name and number to call. Ready? The number is 555-1514 and ask for Sue. She's the designer. The shop should be open by now."
"Thanks, Bobby," said Darcy in a small voice. "Sorry I went ballistic for a moment."
"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "I just hope she's able to help you."
"I'll let you know how it goes," she promised. "Thanks again."
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The Right Touch
Back room
"That really was a good movie last night," Sue commented about The House of Flying Daggers. "And I'm not just talking about the sub-titles. I wonder how the actors did all those leaps and things?"
"Harnesses and wires, I read," replied Lucy. "That was cute of that father to ask you to take his little girl to the powder room. I know some places have a designated Family Restroom to avert that problem but I guess that movieplex didn't."
"She was cute," Sue remarked.
"And the dad wasn't so bad looking either," declared Lucy.
"Now that you mention it--yeah," Sue agreed.
Lucy looked at the arrangement she'd just finished. "I wonder where Howie is. We have deliveries to make."
"He went to the dentist, remember?" Sue reminded her. "He said he'd be in by ten."
"Oh yeah," said Lucy, "I forgot. I swear, there are some days if my head wasn't glued on, I'd forget it."
The bell over the door rang. "Good morning, ladies!" greeted a cheerful voice. "Where is everyone?"
Lucy leaned back to catch a glimpse of the front door. "We're back here, Myles," she called out. She turned to Sue. "It's Myles," she announced.
"A perfectly good greeting wasted on an empty room," remarked Myles as he came to the back. He deposited a kiss on the top of Lucy's head. "Here, I brought a gift—doughnuts."
"Just for that, I'll marry you, Myles, even though someone else won't," declared Sue as she reached for a glazed pastry.
It was an ongoing argument between Lucy and her. Myles wanted to get married but Lucy wanted to wait until the business was more established. Right now, she declared, she didn't have enough time or energy for herself. How could she manage a husband as well? And she refused to have Sue take over even more responsibilities although she offered. It wouldn't be fair since they were partners. After much arguing, Myles solved the problem—he and Lucy would be married in two years he said, if not sooner. By then, the florist would either be flourishing or closed. Lucy had agreed.
"Who says I won't marry him?" asked Lucy with a frown. "I am. Eighteen months to go."
"Although I'm flattered to have two women fighting over me," he smirked, "I regret to inform you, Sue, my heart belongs to Lucy." He threw his arm around his girlfriend.
"I understand, Myles," Sue assured him. "Even though it'll be difficult, I'll manage to survive the heartbreak."
The phone rang. "I'll get it," offered Sue noticing the light on her computer. "Good morning. The Right Touch. How may I help you?"
"May I speak with Sue?" asked a woman's voice.
"Speaking."
"My name is Darcy D'Angelo," she began. "Bobby Manning said you might be able to help me."
Sue looked puzzled. This was Bobby's girlfriend. "I'll certainly try."
"I'm in charge of organizing the annual Heart Fund Benefit Gala," Sue's eyes widened at the words. It was the biggest charity fund-raiser in the spring. "And my florist had to cancel at this late date. I know this is short notice, but, do you think you could step in?"
Sue urgently waved to Lucy to come over. Curious, Lucy and Myles peeked over her shoulder. They stared at each other when they read the words. Lucy could barely contain herself. If their shop could provide the flowers for the show, the potential customer pool would be enormous.
"If you could let me know the kinds of flowers you're thinking of and the quantities you need, I believe my partner and I could give you a realistic answer," Sue answered cautiously.
"Fine." An appointment was quickly made for Ms. D'Angelo to come down to the shop within the hour with her requirements. After thanking her, Sue hung up. Her eyes were huge.
"You know what this means, don't you, if we can get this job?" she asked.
"The orders will come pouring in!" squealed Lucy. "We'll be financially set sooner than later and that means we can get married sooner!" She hugged Myles.
"Much as I appreciate your enthusiasm on our behalf," stated Myles, "don't you think you should hear Ms. D'Angelo's proposal first? May I point out you still want to make money, not lose it."
"You're right," agreed a decidedly less enthused Lucy.
"Aren't I always?"
The two women looked at him.
"Okay, okay. There was that one time last summer. We shouldn't have gone to that Mexican place for dinner."
"Well," said Sue thoughtfully getting back to the phone call, "we want her business." She looked at Myles. "What do you suggest?"
"It's been advertised the theme of the gala this year is 'Joy'," remarked Myles. "Start from there."
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"If you've seen any of the advertisements, you'd know the theme of the benefit gala is 'Joy'," began Darcy. "I have some ideas of the kinds of flowers I'd like to see but I'm completely open to suggestions."
Sue took a deep breath as she glanced at Lucy and Myles. "Since we're aware of the theme, we drew up some possible designs and the flowers that could be used." She handed a few sheets and a photo album to Darcy. "We have photographs of our past creations so they could be used to generate some ideas, too. Why don't you go into the office, look them over and let us know what you decide."
"Fine," replied Darcy as took the things from Sue and entered the tiny office.
Sue, Lucy, and Myles looked at each other and as one, headed towards the front counter.
"She's gorgeous," admired Sue. "No wonder Bobby's crazy about her."
"She doesn't look like she has much of a sense of humor though," commented Lucy thinking back to the smiles and laughter that usually accompanied Sue's conversations with Bobby.
"She's probably like this only at work," declared Sue. "I can't imagine Bobby being attracted to someone without a sense of humor."
"How can you say that?" asked an incredulous Lucy. "You haven't even met the guy. You've only talked to him on the phone."
Myles looked puzzled. "What are you girls talking about? Who's Bobby?"
"Bobby Manning, Darcy D'Angelo's boyfriend," answered Lucy. "Ever since his first order, he's been ordering flowers for her every two weeks like clockwork. And in between, he calls Sue just to talk. It's been what? Five? Six months now"
"It's building customer relations," Sue defended herself. "Besides, it's only for a few minutes and he tickles my funny bone."
"Well, you must have made an impression if he recommended The Right Touch to her," commented Myles jerking his head in the direction of the office.
The bell tinkled. "Hey, what's with the group meeting?" asked Howie Fine, their delivery person. "Why wasn't I kept in the loop?"
"There is no meeting. We're just discussing a potential customer," explained Sue.
"Oh yeah? Is said potential customer here?" Howie craned his neck to see if he could catch a glimpse of the customer. "Who?"
"Darcy D'Angelo," answered Lucy. "She's in charge of putting together the annual Heart Fund event."
Howie looked suitably impressed. "Oh, wow! That's the fabulous fund-raiser for the elite, is it not?" He leaned forward. "I have it on good authority lots of flowers are used at that shindig."
"We know," replied Myles patiently. "That's why Lucy and Sue would like Ms. D'Angelo to like their work and hire The Right Touch to do the flowers."
"Wow," repeated Howie. He became excited. "Hey—I think she's coming!"
The trio turned to look. Darcy had a smile on her face.
"Bobby was right," she declared. "You do have 'the right touch' with flowers. I'm willing to hire you if you're willing to do it." She looked at them expectantly.
Lucy and Sue looked at each other then turned back to Darcy. "Let's talk."
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