Hands All Over

Ch. 39 Time Goes By

"You busy, Ang?" Skeeter questioned as he poked his head into their new shared office. The office had originally been too big for just his small desk, so he added a new one for her to use across from it. So far, he liked the set up, and the fact she could have her own computer to work on while he was using his desk for other things.

She looked up from her computer screen where she was looking at a few pictures Ellie had e-mailed her. "Nope. What's up, Skeet?"

Skeeter tossed her the newspaper, pointing out an ad. "New flower shop opened up downtown. Think you could go check it out? Thinkin' of makin' a deal with the owner, but I'm not good at all that flowery shit. Can you see if that'd be a good move?"

Angela laughed as she pushed away from the table. "You got it, boss."

The flower shop wasn't that far away which was awesome considering the place they usually got flowers from was in the next town over. This option would save a lot of money on gas in the long run. Pulling to a stop in front, she hitched up her black slacks and walked into the shop. It was a small place, but the arrangements in the fridge were spectacular. Whoever was the florist was definitely skilled at their job.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked from the counter.

Angela turned around on her heel and smiled at the woman behind the counter. "Oh hi," she greeted, approaching the counter. She extended a hand for the woman to shake. "Angela Ruiz. I work at Dubrowski's funeral home."

"Rita Roosevelt," the woman replied, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Ruiz. What can I do for you?"

"Angela's fine," she corrected with a wave of her hand. "My boss was interested in forming some kind of deal with you. We usually get our flower arrangements at Dario's over in Lodi. He was hoping we could change that."

Rita smiled at her as she nodded. "I'm assuming you're referring to funeral arrangements?"

"Yes. It looks like you've got a good eye for them, Ms. Roosevelt," Angela replied, her eyes glancing over at the pretty wreath hanging in one of the fridges.

"Rita is fine and thank you," she said, an enthusiastic smile on her face. " Do you get a lot of business over at the funeral home?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "It varies on a day to day basis. Our biggest clients are older spouses who always want the biggest and best in arrangements. Other than that, we have a ton of people who just visit. Once we start directing people your way, you'll get quite a few who just want simple arrangements to put on a loved one's grave."

"I like the sound of that. Not many people have come into the shop. I was beginning to worry."

"They're used to the crappy flowers from the market. When they see these, you'll get more customers, trust me," Angela said, gesturing at the brightly colored roses.

Rita smiled as she nodded. "I'm all for setting up some kind of business deal then."

Angela dug around in her pocket for the card she'd taken from Skeeter's desk. "Here's my boss's card. Give him a call, and I'm sure you can work something out."

"There a reason he didn't come himself?" Rita asked, a teasing look in her eyes.

"Skeeter said he needed a woman's eye for all that 'flowery stuff," Angela explained on a laugh. "He's basically colorblind."

Rita laughed in response, already liking the young woman. Angela had a warmth to her she hadn't been expecting when she first caught a glimpse of her serious face. "How about I make you an arrangement to show off? Do you think your boss would like that?"