ONE

DIVA~ONE WEEK EARLIER

SNEAKING A PEEK at the clock, I only had a small window of time to make my appointment on time with my bank. An appointment which could very well mean the start of my life turning out how I'd always dreamed. Far away from the life I'd escaped . It wasn't until the doorknob was firmly in my grasp that I realised I didn't have my keys.

"Julia!" I yelled, running from room to room, flipping over magazines and searching through drawers.

"What the hell are you hollering for so early in the morning?" she shouted back. I wouldn't consider ten early in the morning , but then again, Julia wasn't an early riser.

"Sorry, but I'm going to be late for my appointment, and I can't find my keys."

"They're on the kitchen table, you loon. I can see them from here." She leaned against her bedroom door frame and pointed straight ahead.

"Thanks. I owe you one."

"You can pick up some lunch on your way home. I'd like some Chinese food, please. You

know what I like." After she barked out her order, she closed her door and most likely went back to sleep . I didn't have the heart to tell her I was going to the shop right after the bank.

A little over a year before, I'd moved to Izmir with my best friend , Julia. I'd lucked out and landed a job at a small but popular florist shop close to our apartment. I was thankful for the short commute because, out of the two of us, Julia was the one who owned a car. She'd let me borrow it whenever necessary but otherwise, I walked whenever else I needed to go.

Every day that passed, I was grateful to have her in my life. Julia Silverstein was the kind of person you definitely wanted in your corner. Two years my senior , we'd meet in high school and remained friends. When I'd told her that I wanted a fresh start and to move somewhere I wasn't constantly reminded of my past, she followed me with out question, packing her bags and never looking back.

"How did it go at the bank, honey?" Lost in thoughts ,I hadn't seen Irene approach as I walked through the front door of the shop, the bell above the door alerting her to my presence. I'd become close to the old woman over the past year, her nurturing ways something I'd most definitely needed during the huge transition in my life.

She was a stout women with a friendly face, her hair short and mostly white .

"I think it went well. Mr. Goldschmidt took my proposal and said they'd let me know for sure in a week if I was approved to take over this gem of a place." Irene had told me she was ready to retire, offering me the chance to buy Full bloom.

"I'm sure everything will work out for you, honey. For both of us ." She patted my shoulder before disappearing into the back of th shop.

I loved working for Irene ,but nothing would compare to actually owning the place. She had an excellent customer base, having been in business for over forty years. We'd seen it all, from women coming in to buy an arrangement for a special occasion to the men who'd messed up with their significant other, some coming in almost monthly to try and smooth things over.

Hello! Stop messing up!

Then again, that would hurt business, so...

Since I was scheduled for a shift, I walked toward the counter and placed my purse underneath, preparing for a hectic Saturday.

Grabbing a stack of invoices, I settled in and got busy.

Normally, I'd pitch in and make deliveries whenever we were shorthanded, but both Moses and Karman were there. We also had a few part-timers coming in later to assist as well.

Karman was Irene's cousin. He loved helping out when he could, but he was also considering retiring. Being the nice guy he was, he said he'd wait until the sale was final, giving me enough time to find someone else.

Moses was closer to my age and had been working for Irene for close to four years. He'd once explained that flowers reminded him of his mother, of the times he'd helped her in their garden when he was younger, a memory which brought a smile to his face every time.

We'd gone out a few times to eat, catch a movie, or grab the occasional drink. Sometimes, Julia would come with us.

Initially, I had a small crush on Moses. Not only was he a sweetheart but he was very easy on the eyes. At six foot one, he towered over my five-foot-six-inch frame. He wasn't gigantic by any means, but I did have to look up when I was standing next to him, specially without any heels on. His naturally wavy, dark blonde hair and brilliant Blue eyes drew attention, but it was his genuine and endearing smile that cinched the deal.

I was aware of the reaction he obtained from women when we went out together, but I had a hunch that he was gay. I never asked, though. If he wanted to tell me, then he would, in his own time.

Lost to my work, my fingers typed away on the keyboard when Irene's voice startled me. "Thank goodness you're good with that computer," she said over my shoulder, passing by with a huge display of beautiful white and pink lilies. Even though the particular display was more on the simple side, she really was an artist. A customer could point to a variety of different flowers, and she would somehow know the right way to arrange them. What to put where, plucking out anything which didn't belong. Every single arrangement she made was a masterpiece, which explained why she did very well for herself. I only hoped I could do my part and continue the legacy she'd spent forty-eight years building.

Continuing my work, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone rang, my brain wrapped up in the future. "Hello, thank you for calling Full Bloom. How may I help you today?" I went on autopilot taking all of the information for the order, from the date and time of delivery to the type of arrangement needed. "Do you want the card to say anything in particular?" I asked the man on the other end of the phone. "Okay, let me read that back to you. 'Sorry for missing our anniversary last week. I love you. Tom."'

I shook my head and grinned, rolling my eyes. Once the order was complete, I put it in a pile for the following day's deliveries, first giving Irene a heads-up I needed a mixed dozen of red and white roses. Thankfully, it wasn't for that day, because I didn't think we'd able to accommodate on such short notice. Roses were a very popular go-to flower, and I thought I'd seen the last of them in the back room being wrapped up for one of the current orders.

For the next couple hours, I answered the phone, entered invoices and double-checked Irene had all of the order slips so she could make sure she had the flowers to make up each and every presentation. We didn't typically get a ton of walk-ins. I deduced people preferred to look on our website, pick out what they wanted, and simply call in it.

I found it odd most people didn't want to write out their own cards, especially the really personal ones. Some of them were pretty deplorable. One time, a customer wanted me to write, Sorry I slept with your sister. I purposely made him repeat himself to ensure I'd heard him correctly. Suffice it to say, he didn't spend any unnecessary time on the phone with me.

Knowing most customers who did venture into the shop browsed the ready-made displays, I kept my head down and continued working when the bell sounded. It wasn't long before I sensed a presence across the counter, instantly making me bristle with awareness.

Then I heard a deep and gravelly voice. "Excuse me, miss. Can you help me?" There was something about the rasp of his tone that caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand at attention, while goose bumps covered my skin. Slowly raising my head, I prepared myself as best I could, especially considering my odd reaction. As soon as my eyes landed on the customer, I grabbed onto the edge of the counter to steady myself, my knees suddenly weak. In the most literal way possible.

The man before me was stunning. He was almost too much, like looking directly at the sun. His features was perfectly sculpted, almost as if the gods used him as a blank canvas, gifting him the best attributes imaginable. But the one feature which really garnered my attention was his eyes. The most beautiful shade of dark green I'd ever seen. They seemed to hold power to captivate with a simple glance. Fearing he would think me rude or just plain weird, I tried not to stare for too long. Too bad my brain wasn't communicating with the rest of me.

His hair was a dark, chocolate brown yet almost black shade of color, the freshly tousled style a tad longer all around than I typically saw on someone dressed like him. He wore what looked to be a very expensive dark gray suit, the red tie giving it a small pop of color. I could tell he had broad shoulders, but because the suit covered everything else, I had to use my imagination as to what else was underneath.

Th man looked like he had money and didn't make any apologies for it. But he also appeared as someone who wasn't conceited or purposefully showy; rather, he just knew what we had. How I could tell all that by looking at him, I had no idea.

I spoke only when I regained some of my composure, which in reality was only a few seconds from when I first saw him." What can I do to you?" Uh, for you? What can I do for you?"

His mouth quirked in amusement. "I'd like to purchase some flowers and have them delivered tomorrow. At one o'clock precisely."

"In the doghouse with your wife?" I asked before I could stop myself.

What is wrong with me?

He smirked, cocked his head and explained,

"They're for my friend. She recently had surgery, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to help cheer her up."

"Isn't that a little misleading ?" Seriously what is wrong with me? It was obvious I lacked restraint because I couldn't filter my thoughts before they flew out of my stupid mouth.

He laughed "How so?"

"Never mind. I don't know why I asked you that. It's none of my business. I'm sorry ." My face was three shades of red, my embarrassment taking a fierce hold.

"Don't apologize. It's nice to have a conversation with someone so...forward." Taking a step back, his gaze never left my face. "I have to tell you... I find you intriguing."

My eyes widened in surprise. Apparently, I wasn't the only one so forward. Me? Intriguing? I didn't know about that, but I was sure my bluntness was a rarity for him. Something told me people "yes'd" him to death, telling him only what they thought he wanted to hear.

"Hey, Diva, did you see the order slip for the Canter Road delivery today?" I've looked everywhere and can't find it." Moses came around the corner, looking like a madman searching for a lost treasure. He appeared panicked until I handed him the slip over my shoulder, winking at him when we made eye contact.

"You're a lifesaver. What would I ever do without you?" He flashed me with his thousand-watt smile and headed back toward the prep room, but not before giving me a big smooch on the cheek. Normally, I wouldn't have given his actions a second thought, but considering I had an audience, I become flustered by the extra attention being thrown my way.

"Is he your boyfriend?" the gorgeous stranger asked, a blend of emotions swirling through his tone. Curiosity mixed with annoyance? His question made me anxious, although I couldn't fully understand why.

"What?"

With a cocked brow, he repeated more sternly, "Is he your boyfriend?" He leaned forward on the counter, his hands practically touching my own. His tone surprised me, his face the picture of composure, throwing me off because the two didn't match up.

I wasn't going to respond but something urged me to assure him Moses and I were not an item. "No, Moses 's just a good friend of mine."

"Uh-huh," he mumbled, his bottom lip disappearing between his teeth. Normally, I would've rushed to get this cocky man out of the store, but I couldn't force myself to want to part with his domineering presence.

After composing myself yet again, I attempted to to continue with my normal line of questioning, making sure this time they were of the appropriate nature. "What kind of flowers would you like to send to this friend of yours?" I couldn't help myself. "And what's the delivery address?"

"Why don't you surprised me and put together something of your liking?"

Why would he want me to put together something out of the blue without any input from him whatsoever? "I don't know if that's such a good idea. I mean, I have no inkling as to what kind of flower she likes, what colour she prefers or anything like that."

"I'm sure whatever you come up with will be perfect. I trust you." A pregnant pause followed his words. My pulse thrummed in my ears, the air becoming thick, ripe with tension as our eyes drank each other in. Never in my life had someone affected me like he had. I'd been attracted to other guys before, but there was something different about him. I'd go crazy trying to understand or explain it, though, so I didn't try.

" I'll do my best." A small breath left my lungs while I waited for him to say something else. Anything. I din't want our encounter to end, but with the silent soon come awkwardness. Until he opened his mouth and stretched his hand towards me.

"I'm Solomon." I offered him my hand and return, the warmth of his palm soothing my frenzied state. Although, thankfully, I outwardly appeared calm.

"Diva"

"I know."

"You do?" My head tilted in confusion.

He pointed toward the back room. "Your friend said your name."

"Oh...right." While I attempted to compose myself, he wrote down the address and slid the paper toward me.

"This should cover it." He placed a wad of bills on the counter before taking a step back.

"Are you sure you don't want any input on the arrangement?" I tried to prolong his departure, but it didn't work.

" Like I said, I trust you." On his last word, he turned and walked out of the door, leaving me to wonder if I'd ever see him again.

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