Whirl

chapter 1

Josie hummed to the radio softly as she watered the large plants sitting in the front window of the little shop. Valentine's Day was just around the corner, and she had never been busier.

She worked at a flower shop where she made arrangements with real flowers for various occasions, but she also sold indoor plants that the owner grew themselves. In the summer, she would sell produce from her garden at home.

She flipped the closed sign on the front door to open, and went to the back room to retrieve the arrangements that were supposed to go to their new homes today.

She couldn't believe how many roses people could order. She thought they were pretty and smelled heavenly, but personally she would prefer her spouse to get her something a little more original.

Not that she had a spouse, or a boyfriend for that matter. She was never the dating type, or the friends type, or the family type. Josie was very much alone.

"Good morning, Josie!" her favorite customer ever greeted with a large smile.

"Mrs. Bell! It's so good to see you," Josie smiled back at the small old lady who walked up to the counter. She had on a knit cardigan and a vintage looking bucket hat pulled over her long gray hair.

"I brought you my famous blueberry muffins and some herbs to make a relaxing cup of tea. I've heard you've had quite a busy week, and with Mrs. Miller on vacation in Florida at this time," Mrs. Bell tsked, pulling a tray of muffins out of her canvas bag.

Mrs. Miller was the shop owner, and a fantastic boss. She pretty much trusted Josie to do the day to day runnings. Josie got to do the fun part without the financial responsibilities and other work that being a small business owner entailed.

Mrs. Miller was her only friend, and every year around valentine's day she and her husband disappeared to vacation in Florida for a few weeks. Josie assumed she was tired of arranging roses after all these years.

"That was so thoughtful of you. You know how much I love your muffins." Josie patted one of her wrinkled hands, a feeling of contentment rushing over her. If this was what having a grandma was like, she didn't know why people wouldn't treasure it greater.

"There's a rumour going around," Mrs. Bell said, wondering away from the counter and towards the door.

"What rumour?"

"That a very high businessman will be visiting our little town this week. Enjoy your muffins." Mrs. Bell was out the door before she could elaborate further.

Josie furrowed her brows. Her little town was about an hour from the city, so it wouldn't be unusual.

She shrugged away the thought and got busy.

The shop never seemed to slow down with a constant flow of customers throughout the day. Josie released an exhausted breath, and gratefully flipped the sign to close.

With two days left until the love holiday, she knew tomorrow would be even busier and then it would be quiet.

When Mrs. Miller left every year, it reminded Josie how much she didn't want to own a shop. It was too much on a day to day, and Josie didn't have plans to be tied down to one place.

She had been in this town for a few years, and was already planning her next move. She was twenty three years old with a degree in business and agriculture, and the world was her oyster. She had nothing tying her anywhere, and she still had plenty of world to see. There were actually a few jobs she had applied to that she was waiting to hear back from.

After she had graduated college, she visited Niagra Falls in Canada. It wasn't a luxury stay in Paris, or a food filled adventure in Italy, but it was a start to what she wanted to accomplish. She wanted to visit every country she could manage, so when she found this good paying job, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to save up money.

Hopefully soon, she could plan her next adventure to somewhere tropical, or she might simply move somewhere else for a change of scenery. She hadn't quite made up her mind yet.

Either way, Josie had learned to be quite content with her own company. Friends were too hard to make. They didn't like her shy yet independent personality. It didn't match the other girls who wanted to drink and date and gossip. Those just weren't things she wanted.

Being on her own had taught her to have goals, to know what she wanted from life. Nobody was there to teach her or guide her, it was up to Josie to figure it out, and she was.