Peach Roses

Chapter 7

“Hello there, Welcome to Tay’s is there anything I can help you find,” Tay heard Jess say to someone.
“No, I’m just looking.” She heard the man reply, the voice was kind of familiar, she thought as she continued with her books.

You’d think that the company would send some each week instead of one shipment a month, but no, they could only do one shipment a month, since the new magazines and new books all came out around the same time, Tay supposed it made sense.

As she continued putting books on the shelf then shuffling down a foot and putting up more, and re-arranging everything she noticed a man come down her aisle. He kept picking up books and putting them down, then he would move a little closer. Tay watched him from the corner of her eye as he got closer and closer.

“Sir, can I help you find any thing in particular,” Tay asked the gentleman. Strange, he still had sunglasses on but he was inside.
“Oh, no, I’m just browsing, looking for some good books to read,” He replied.
“Alright, well let me or Jess know if you need any help,” Tay replied as she went back to stocking the books. She felt the man’s eyes on her for a moment more before he turned and walked away from her. Soon after that Tay heard the front bell ring.

She continued to stock the shelves as she thought of what a strange man that was, not that they hadn’t gotten strange people in the store before but he kept his sunglasses on, didn’t purchase anything and once he had spoken to her he left. But, still, there was something that seemed familiar about him.

Tay got up from the floor and walked to the front by Jess, she was just about done with the new window displays that Tay had organized.

“Jess, did that gentleman buy anything,” Tay asked as she picked up the next shirt to be put on the mannequin.
“Nope, came in said he was just looking around and then wandered by you, why what’s up? Jess replied.
“He just seemed familiar, maybe we know him from some where.”
“Not that I could tell, he didn’t take his sunglasses off when he was here.”
“Yea, I know, strange.”
“Auntie Tayyyyy,” Dani yelled from the back of the store, Tay turned as she heard her nieces running feet.
“Hey Danikins, how was school?” Tay asked.
“It was great, I learned how to sing the ABC’s” Dani replied.
“That is wonderful; you can sing them for me later, k? How about we get you a snack,” Tay told her as she started toward the restaurant.
“Yes!” Dani said running ahead of her.

Almost 5 years ago, Tay’s sister died in a car crash when she was on her way to Tay’s to pick up Dani. It was a horrible day, but since then Tay took over being Dani’s mom. She was all she really had, other than her brothers. But that wasn’t why Tay took Dani in; it was because of the loss she felt still from the baby she had lost 3 summers before that.

After she came home from New York and meeting Dee, Tay had been pregnant. It was the best feeling in the world, she was so happy. Her parents weren’t exactly happy but they understood her decision to keep the child and they supported her in that. Things had been going great until one night when Tay woke up in excruciating pain.

She woke up all along in pain and wasn’t sure what to do when another spasm had her crying out, Jae (Her mom) had come running into the room, flicked on the light and then gasped. There was blood every where, quickly she had yelled for Chase and they called 911. But it had been to late, the baby was gone, there was nothing she could of done differently, or at all to save the baby. The doctor told her so, not that she had believed him for the longest time. Tay did therapy for a while and then just realized that even if there had been nothing she could do about the baby, she could do something about her life. After that she put all the pieces of her shattered life and dreams back together, went to school and then opened her store.

“I get to go to Grandma’s tomorrow right” Dani asked, bringing Tay back to reality.
“Yep, and you’re going to stay there for a whole month” Tay replied
“Really, is grandma going to take me shopping and to school,”
“Yes and yes and probably a lot more than that.”
“Yay!”
“They should be here by 8 a.m. to get you, then you get to spend the day with them in town and we’ll all go out to dinner, then you leave first thing in the morning to go back to Wisconsin.”
“Fun.” Dani replied as Tay set a dish of crackers in front of her.
“Yep, you’re going to miss me, right” Tay asked as she sat down.
“Yessss, Auntie Tay, I will”
“Good, now eat up, by the time your done Steffy should be here to watch you until I can get away from here”
“Can Steffy take me to the park?”
“Sure can”

Tay looked around as she got Dani situated with her snack and viewed the store. Things were coming together nicely, she thought, but still lots to do. She still had to figure out where the heck she was going to put a stage.

“Hey, Tay, these just came for you” Jess said as she walked into the restaurant.
“What is it?” Tay asked.
“A box, other than that I don’t know, flowers I’m guessing since it is from Ray’s Flowers.”
“You’re such a smart…. Butt” Tay said as she grabbed the box and opened it.

There were a dozen peach roses inside, Tay gasped, with a shaky hand she reached for the card:

I told you I would never forget –Dee

Tay smiled softly as she put the card back into the box and asked Jess to put them in a vase in her office. It was going to be an interesting week, Tay thought.