Chapter Two
Nicole's shop has been open for two weeks when Waverly hears about it. A middle aged woman- Waverly is pretty sure she went to high school with her son- tells her about the new store when she comes in for a touch up on her tattoo of an infinity symbol.
"The woman who runs it seems sweet. Maybe a bit quiet, but her plants are nice. Mostly just seedlings right now." She quickly moves off of the topic, starting to talk about how she ran into a friend from college while on a shopping trip to the city.
Waverly nods occasionally, although she's barely paying attention. She focuses on the tattoo and the touch up is over in no time. She runs through the care information and says to come back anytime if she has any questions or concerns.
She leaves and Waverly is alone in the shop- well, Wynonna is in the back, probably with a bottle of whisky and a magazine. She thinks about what the woman had said about the new store and the new face in town.
Maybe she'll make some banana muffins and drop by later, she thinks. Welcome the woman who decided to move to Purgatory and start a flower shop. Everyone deserves a friendly face when they're somewhere that's new and unfamiliar.
"Wynonna, I'm going home. Close up, okay?" She calls a few hours later, her hand already on the door handle.
A muffled response is shouted from the back room. Waverly assumes that her sister is agreeing with her and leaves the shop. She drives to the grocery store and picks up a few things before heading back to the homestead.
She makes a dozen of her banana muffins and heads back into town. Waverly doesn't quite know where the new store is, but Purgatory isn't large and she has no trouble finding it.
There's a sign taped to the door that reads "we're open" in all capital letters. It's written in purple marker and it makes Waverly smile.
Waverly walks into the store, which is quiet save for the soft music coming from a speaker on an empty table. Most of the tables are full with seedlings and a few of the smaller flowers are even starting to bloom.
She sees movement behind one of the tables, a flash of blue and bright red. "Hello?" Waverly calls, taking a few steps further into the store.
More movement as the woman jerks up- and smacks her head on the bottom of a table. There's a loud bang and a string of cursing as she straightens up, rubbing the back of her head.
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. Come on in. Is there anything that I can help you find?" She has red hair cut short and a blue tank top on and she's tall. And really, really pretty. Waverly finds herself staring.
"Um, I brought muffins. I mean, I'm Waverly. Waverly Earp. And I came to welcome you to town and give you some muffins. They're banana."
A bright smile appears on Nicole's face, and with it, dimples. Waverly thinks that Nicole's smile could melt a glacier. "Earp as in Earp's Ink? Not really what I expected. I'm Nicole Haught. And I would shake your hand, but… covered in dirt." She waves her hand in the air. It is indeed covered with fresh potting soil.
Of course, Waverly thinks. She is quite literally Haught. "Well, my sister Wynonna owns the shop. I do most of the tattoos, though. To be honest, I'm pretty sure no one expected me to work there."
Nicole grabs a rag from the table she hit her head on and wipes her hands on it. She gives Waverly another grin. "Well, Waverly Earp, it's very nice to meet you. And thank you for the muffins."
"Oh! Right," Waverly says, holding the tin out. Nicole takes it, breathing in smell of bananas. "I just thought that I would introduce myself. You know, I won a nicest person in Purgatory award once. There was a sash."
Nicole doesn't think she's bragging. Really, she thinks it's pretty funny. "That's my type of award."
"Right? So what brings you to Purgatory?"
Nicole shrugs, setting the muffin tin down on an empty, mostly clean table. She walks to the counter that is along one wall and grabs a water bottle to take a long drink. "I got tired of moving around so much. I wanted a home. Also, property prices are low here."
Waverly nods. "Hopefully you'll find Purgatory to be a satisfactory home. We could use a good flower shop."
"I'm working on finding a supplier so I can get flowers I can't grow myself. I think that everyone should have some sort of beauty in their lives. You do that too, really. Provide beauty, I mean."
"Thank you, Nicole. I think I'll get out of your hair now. You looked busy when I walked in."
Nicole holds up one finger up before darting to one of her tables. She inspects several different pots before selecting two. She brings them back to Waverly.
"Here. On the house, in exchange for the muffins. They're just pansies, so they're super easy to take care of. They're little but they're absolutely adorable." Just like you, Nicole thinks.
She holds the two small pots out. Waverly takes them, smiling gratefully. "Thank you. I'll be sure to stop by to tell you how they're doing."
"Okay," Nicole agrees, another grin growing on her face. "Don't forget to water them. And if you want to plant them outside be sure to be gentle. You don't want to shock them too bad. And they also do really well with the cold so you don't have to worry about the temperature getting too low. If you have any questions please feel free to stop by and ask."
Waverly can't even remember how many times she's said almost the exact same words. She chuckles softly. "Will do. It was nice to meet you. Welcome to Purgatory."
"Nice to meet you too," Nicole says, waving as Waverly walks out of the store with her new seedlings.
Later that night Nicole sits on the floor with Calamity Jane in her lap and talks on and on about Waverly Earp.
Waverly finds her flowers a home in a window in her bedroom. She sits on the bed and smiles at them, thinking about dimples and dirty hands. She waters the flowers before she goes to bed that night.