Gilded Gold ⚭ NH

11 | Gold Mind of Information

"It's a rumor, Niall," Jacob smoothed. "Don't get your knickers in a bunch just yet."

He knew he had a point, but it was more than just losing a job to Niall. If he was laid off, he'd have to find another job in his field quick or risk being kicked out of the country. His whole visa – his whole life there in Boston – was in the hands of this job.

After all the papers were filed correctly, Niall left work and headed toward the downtown area. He was to meet Wes, Libby, and Mack at this florist boutique, and he was running late.

When he stepped through the doors, the overpowering scent of flowers told him he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Niall also realized he wasn't the latest one in the group.

He spotted Wes and Libby in the back of the boutique, looking at a wall of all kinds of different flowers. Alice was there, too, of course. She had her head held high and was looking around as if the place personally offended her, which it probably had. Clearly she didn't approve of the boutique. Aside from those three, they were alone in the shop.

"Hey," Niall greeted his friends with a smile. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, we're still waiting for a worker to come out to help us," Libby explained, looking around the shop. Her ash brown hair was pulled back into a low bun, a knitted scarf around her neck, and her pink coat over her shoulder. "We called in advance asking if we could consult with someone, and they said it was fine. And yet..."

Just as she was saying that, a young guy came out and spotted them. He was very tall with an undercut hairstyle and a 5 o'clock shadow. He wore a light gray button down shirt under a sage green apron, dark jeans and shiny black shoes.

"Are you Libby?" He asked.

"Yes! Are you the one from the phone call?"

"Eric, yes," he smiled at them and clapped his hands together. "Shall we get started? Did you have anything in mind to start with? Color, flower, scent?"

"I was hoping for something pink," Alice butted in, sauntering up to Eric with her chin up. "Carnations or Begonias perhaps. But my daughter insists that she want's white and yellow. The sacrifices I have to take, I guess."

"So you're looking for some Peony's or Daffodil's?" Eric asked, giving Alice a kind smile, though it was clearly forced, before turning to Libby.

"I was thinking Camellia's," Libby spoke up. "Something white for the bridesmaids and maybe the center pieces. A deep yellow or preferably gold, for me."

"Ohhh," Eric expressed. "I like it. Very classy. The wedding is in the fall, I take it?"

"It is!"

Eric turned to Alice. "I personally think it's wise to go with a white or yellow for the fall season. A splash of red even. Pink is centered around more the spring and summer season."

"That would be good and dandy for your wedding then, but this is not for yours," Alice countered.

"Alas, it is neither yours."

Alice had her classic just-ate-something-sour look on her face. Wes was struggling not to laugh and holding a hand over his mouth to hide the shit-eating grin that was surly there. Niall had to turn around completely before he high-fived Eric.

Libby was ecstatic. For all the places they had gone for wedding prep, no one had talked back to Alice even if it was clear they really wanted to. Libby wanted too, that was for sure, but her mother was paying for most of the wedding. And despite having awful taste to match her personality, Libby want's that approval from her mum; she has from the beginning.