Violets and Vandals A Petal Pushers Flower Shop Cozy Mystery - First Chapter
At the breakfast table Monday morning, I wrapped my hands around my steaming mug of coffee. Having just gotten out of bed a few minutes ago, I was freezing. You wouldn’t think it was August in Illinois, the hottest and most humid month, the way I had goosebumps. Cooper preferred to keep the air conditioning set on sixty-eight, one of the hardest compromises we’d both had to make when we first started living together—what temperature the heat and air conditioning would be set on. I liked it hot, and he liked it cold. Unfortunately, he had a point that I could always put on a sweater or another blanket, where if he was too hot, there wasn’t much he could do.
“Want me to bump the air conditioning up just a bit?” Cooper asked as he glanced over at me, snuggled up with my coffee while he made his own.
“Nah. A few sips of this and I’ll warm up.”
A few moments later, he was sitting across from me. It was actually kind of a rarity during the week. He had always been a hard worker, but ever since he became mayor, I’d seen him less than ever. He usually left before I got up in the morning. Thankfully, Petal Pushers, the flower shop I owned, didn’t open until nine, so I didn’t have to wake up too early. A good thing since early mornings had never been my favorite.
Cooper started to say something when a scratching at the door distracted him. We both looked in the direction of the glass patio door to see both Bella and Topknot staring at us, wanting to come in. He jumped up and let them in, both of them going right to their food bowls, which Cooper had already filled. Bella and Topknot knew the morning routine. On the occasion one of us forgot, they were sure to let us know. They never missed a meal.
“I’m surprised to see you still here,” I said.
“I have the city council meeting tonight. It doesn’t start until eight, so I thought, rather than work a twelve-hour day, I would go in a bit later than normal.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Cooper?” I joked.
“I don’t always work that late,” he protested.
I was about to argue when his cell phone buzzed from its place next to his coffee cup. He glanced over at it and got a funny look on his face before he picked it up.
“I told you I was coming in late today, Tobey.”
I tilted my head and looked at Cooper. He seemed a little annoyed, and that wasn’t like him. He did work a lot, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the job was getting to him. Even if he didn’t work long hours, the things he had to put up with, like people always seeking him out to complain about something, were enough to drive anyone crazy.
I got up to fix myself another cup of coffee. Cooper wasn’t saying much, so I couldn’t really figure out if what Tobey called about was bad or just normal mayoral business. By the time my coffee had finished brewing and I was back in my chair across from him, he was off the phone, and he definitely looked annoyed.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He took a sip of coffee and sighed. “Unfortunately, no. Urban Shade has struck again. Tobey said the office has already taken over fifty calls, and it’s not even eight a.m.”
“Isn’t that the name the paper gave to the person who has been putting up all the graffiti around town?”
“Yes, which didn’t help matters any. When Etta Harvey gave this person a name, it somehow made people even more incensed at what was happening. I think it somehow became more personal.”
“I’ve met her at a couple of town business functions since she bought the paper. She seems nice.”
“I’m not saying she’s not nice. I just wish she didn’t make a news item out of everything that happened in town.”
“It makes sense that she would, Cooper. It is newsworthy. Especially in our small town.”
“I know. I just wish her doing her job didn’t make my job harder. Anyway, I should probably get going.” Cooper stood up, taking his cup to the sink. He petted Bella and Topknot before dropping a kiss on my forehead and heading toward the door.
“Try and have a good day,” I called out.
“I will. You too.”
The door closed behind him, and I turned to see both Bella and Topknot staring at me.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You just ate. No snacks,” I admonished them.
They didn’t seem to care, just looked up at me with the same forlorn expressions. As if they were starving when I had just watched them scarf down their breakfast. When they finally realized I wasn’t giving them anything and walked away about the same time Jared came into the kitchen.
Jared had moved to Hunter’s Hollow a few months back, when the company he worked for had gone out of business. I had been telling him that Hunter’s Hollow needed a good graphic designer and he needed to stay and open his own business, but so far, he was on the fence, saying the nightlife here wasn’t exactly what he was looking for. I had come to love the small town I grew up in, despite the fact I hadn’t been able to get away from it fast enough when I was younger. Coming back had changed my mind, but Jared was right about the nightlife.
Bella and Topknot immediately ran over to him, with the same begging routine they had just pulled on me.
“Did Mama not feed you?” He talked to them in baby talk. Bella’s tail started wagging faster, and Topknot squawked.
“Don’t believe a word they say,” I warned, shaking my head at the two of them.
Jared shuffled over to the Keurig and yawned as he put the pod in the machine.
“Late night?”
“Yes.”
“Why couldn’t you sleep?”
“I was up putting the finishing touches on my business plan and then thinking about it a lot.”
I felt a tingle of excitement. “And...”
“You will be the first to know that I’m doing it. I’m staying here in Hunter’s Hollow and trying to make a go of being self-employed.”
“Yay!” I squealed and jumped up and down, sloshing my coffee over the side of the cup and burning my hand.
Jared grabbed a paper towel, running it under cold water as I set my cup down.
“That was stupid of me.”
“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” Jared said as he grabbed another paper towel and bent down to wipe up my mess.
“I’m so glad you’re staying here. Now if only I could convince Anna, then all my besties would be in town.”
“Yeah, I don’t see that happening.”
“Me neither.”
I hadn’t seen Anna in over a year, although we talked and texted a lot. She was living her best life, traveling the world with her boyfriend. They would go to a place and find jobs, working and staying for a while, until they got ready to move on. The nomadic life wasn’t for me, but she loved it.
“So, what’s your next step?”
“As much as I love mooching off you and Cooper, it’s about time I leave and give you back your space. Plus, I need more space for work if I’m going to be serious about this.”
“You know we don’t care. You can stay as long as you want, and we have an extra bedroom you could use as an office.”
“Presley, it’s time for me to leave, but I’ll let you help me find a place. I want to rent right now, so will you help me?”
“Of course, I will, but why don’t you buy a house? A better investment.”
“I don’t want to take that risk in case my business flops.”
“I get it. Anyway, I can’t wait to tell Katy and Willie. He liked the realtor he used when he found his place, so I’ll get her contact information for you, and we can start house hunting. This is going to be so much fun!”
“Let’s just hope I can build a business the way I think I can. I was very conservative with my financial projections, and I’ll save a lot of money by not going out several times a week. Apparently, there are some upsides to no nightlife.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. He always had to make a dig at the lack of fun to be had, as he often put it.
“I know you can. Your design skills are amazing, and I’ll help in any way I can.”
“Thanks, Presley.”
“Do you mind if I leave these two with you while I go upstairs and get ready?”
“Not at all.”
“Don’t feed them any snacks,” I called over my shoulder, knowing that statement would fall on deaf ears. The minute I was out of sight, he would be spoiling them rotten. Poor Bella and Topknot would miss Jared as much as I was going to when he moved out.
