The Heart Breaker Association

Chapter 1 - The Secret Club

“Cecilia had the day off, didn’t she?” I asked aloud.

Holly racked her brain for the answer. It had been admittedly a busy day. I didn’t blame her for not recalling if my best friend had been seen in the shop today.

“I believe so. Do you want me to call her in?”

I shook my head. Cecilia needed her alone time and she was dealing with a tough case. I would have to wait until tomorrow.

“Send the girls home. There’s nothing more to do today,” I announced.

Holly nodded seriously but was surprised. “Are you sure? Maybe we can do some research or a stakeout somewhere?”

“No, no,” I denied quickly. “Go home and enjoy the time off. Tell the girls to study up in their classes. They need to keep their grades up anyway.”

Holly eyed me curiously but didn’t question me thankfully. “Alright, I’ll spread the word. Are you going to lock up then?”

I nodded and waved my newest employee away. “Yeah just let me figure out some numbers and check on the garden then I’ll be heading home myself.”

The ginger mumbled an agreement along with some form of goodbye then hustled off. I didn’t give out easy breaks often and I most certainly never allowed for a day off. This would probably cause quite a stir of gossip come tomorrow morning but I didn’t really care. I needed some time to myself and there was only one perfect place for that: my garden.

I shoved away the papers and folders on my desk. I could deal with mathematical figures and numbers later but as for right now, I just needed my thoughts.

I ignored all the hubbub happening inside the flower shop as workers questioned if they were really getting time off. I gave them all reassuring nods while I headed toward the staircase. I heard one of the girls mumble something about how I be really pissed if I was heading upstairs alone.

Our shop was a quaint little place that was much larger on the inside than it appeared. There was the initial shop where all the flowers and bouquets were displayed for purchase, and then there was everything else. In the back there was my office, a bathroom, and a meeting room. There were a few additional rooms such as dark rooms that were used for some plants that had gotten too much sunshine. Upstairs was where the real beauty was though.

On top of our little complex was a fully functioning greenhouse. It had an array of different plants of all shapes and colors.

Though, I had yet to check on it. I trudged up the steps slowly. It had been such a long day; actually a long week for that matter. We were losing girls left and right which was never a good sign especially in these times.

I entered onto the roof and proceeded over to a table that was filled with gardening equipment. I grabbed a pair of gloves and quickly slipped them on before filling up a watering can and spray bottle with a hose. Then I reached down to grab a key that was hanging from a key chain on my belt loop. I unlocked the greenhouse door and hurriedly went inside. It was muggy but that wasn’t anything unusual. I went to work watering the plants that seemed to need the care. I started with our display of dandelions. They were pretty yellow weeds that provided wonderful filler in bouquets.

I went on through the tulips, carnations, sunflowers, and finally stopped once I reached the roses. They were my favorite flower in the whole garden. I took a moment to breathe in their leaf-y scent. There was a large diversity with color. The favorite were the white roses not because they symbolized anything but just because they were simple. Simplicity was beauty.

Our club was one of the many little organizations funded by our college. We all went to Arizona State University and were majoring in a variety of different things. That was one of the perks in joining a club on campus. It was surprising how many friends a person could make from just attending one meeting. Our club was a fully functioning garden club. We had this shop for it and a monthly budget for purchasing new seeds and products.