Too Many Blooms Read Free

hand and continued. “Yes, we are thinking about retiring, but we’re not quite ready to hand over the reins of the store for good. So we have an idea we’d like to run by you.”
    We all leaned forward to hear. I placed my hands on my stomach, which was tied up in knots.
    Gramps turned to my parents. “We’d like the two of you to take over the store for three months. We’re going to take an extended trip to Florida.”
    “Florida?” said Poppy. “Like … Disney World?”
    “Florida?” I said. “But that’s so far away!”
    Gran turned to me, her eyes shining. “It’s only a short plane ride,” she said. “And it’s an opportunity we just can’t refuse. Our friends the Isaacs are going on a long trip to Italy and they’ve asked us if we’d like to house-sit. Three months in Key West, rent free, can you believe it?”
    I tried to swallow, but I had a huge lump in my throat. I reached for my water glass.
    “Did you know that the sunsets down there are so beautiful that people actually applaud for them?” Gran asked.
    “Wow,” said Poppy, clapping her hands.
    Now that the news was out, Gran had relaxed. Her cheeks were bright pink. She looked so pretty and excited in the candlelight, her curly white hair like a halo around her head.
    “We’re going to grill every night,” she continued, “and go sailing. And the snorkeling there is phenomenal! You can see nurse sharks and turtles and all kinds of fish …”
    Rose was frowning.
Yes!
I thought.
She knows what a ridiculous idea this is, and she’s going to say something.
But then she smiled. “Well, Dad will just have to film
Bye Bye Birdie
so you can see it,” she said. “But otherwise it sounds like a great idea to me.”
    I rolled my eyes. Of course Rose had one thing on her mind — theater!
    I turned to Aster. She was sensitive. Surely
she
understood how wrong this was. But — no. “I’ve always wanted to go to the Everglades,” she said quietly.
    Seriously?
    “Good!” said Gramps with a grin. He turned back to Mom and Dad. “So we’ll leave you two in charge of the store on a trial basis. And if you can make a go of it, we just may leave Flowers on Fairfield in your hands. Permanently.”
    I looked over at my parents. They sat in silence, blinking in confusion.
    Which was exactly how I felt. Gran and Gramps were leaving for three months? Possibly for good? And leaving the store in my parents’ hands? Dad didn’t know a thing about flowers. Plus, he had a full-time job. Mom hadn’t worked in the flower shop since she was in high school. I was the only one who knew anything about the store. Was I supposed to quit school and work there full-time? What were my grandparents thinking?
    To my utter shock and amazement, a grin spread over my mother’s face. “What a great idea!” she cried. “We’ll miss you terribly, of course,” she added. “But now that Poppy’s in school, I’ve been thinking about going back to work.”
    Dad smiled at Mom. “It’s true,” he said. “We were just talking about it last night. This couldn’t come at a better time.”
    Gran exhaled loudly. “Well, that’s a relief,” she said.
    “Now that that’s settled,” said Gramps, “please pass the ribs.”
    Everyone else chattered away as they finished eating. Some even took second helpings. Aster ate nine ribs. (I counted.) But I had lost my appetite.
    “Hey!” Dad said. “Let’s go into my office and look up Key West on the Internet. If you know the address, we can even look up your new house on Google Maps.”
    “Great idea!” said Gran. Everyone stood up and headed out to Dad’s study. I stayed behind, staring at the sputtering candles. Then I noticed the pile of fortune cookies on the table.
    I grabbed one, tore off the wrapper, and cracked it open.
    AT THE WORST OF TIMES YOU MUST SUMMON YOUR OPTIMISM, it read.
    Who was I to question the wisdom of the fortune cookie? I blew out the candles, pasted a big fake smile on my face, and