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The back design area is partitioned off with a wall that runs behind the checkout counter but holds a large glass , so we can see out to the store area if we are in the back working on arrangee basket of peonies, alstroemeria, and Asiatic lilies As always, his work is artistically beautiful

"Hey," I say as I set my purse and keys down on the back counter

Stevie lifts his head and giveshere, kiddo?"

I snicker…that Stevie would call rand total of five years older than I, but at thirty, he does seem a lot wiser to the world, and I lean on hi for hi e at the University of North Carolina When I graduated with a degree in business, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, so my part-time job to make some extra cash turned into a full-tiather dust, though, because while n, Stevie has had me step in to help with other aspects of the business, such as inventory, bookkeeping, and h money to rent a cute little apartner shoes Past that…o hoo out with Stevie when he wants to bring o over to Uncle Ji out with thelass of ith Sutton But otherwise…my life is without complications or relationships outside of my family and Stevie Quiet and melloould describeready to be all kinds of crazy, scary

"Just restless," I finally answer his question as I take in his neon-yellow tank top, white deniht in ht I’d coht"

"Dive in, girlfriend," he says as he ree peony and replaces the hole with a handful of alstroeement a critical eye

I walk over to the computer that sits on a desk on the eastern wall, and with a few taps of er I pull up the next order in line It’s a fresh arrange custo a weekly vase fro here

I stock up on everything I need fron table next to Stevie He continues picking at the arrangerab a cobalt-blue ceramic pot fro e, industrial-size sink, I soak the foa knife to cut it down to size to fit in the botto it over to the design table, I take a seat on one of the stools and get to work

I pick up a handful of mokara orchids and tuck the reenery I add in soeas and lavender roses, but the orchids add a touch of delicate softness to theKind of like e smile as he reviews my work With an overly dra to love that arrangeive a quiet nod and tuck a few more orchids down into the foa pretty she can s’s disease for the past two years and her health has been failing fast She told o when she stopped by that the flowers s about this life she lives

Stevie’s s up to me, he leans down and plants a kiss on the top ofand place the last orchid in the vase before giving it a spin so I can check it out froles and make sure there are no holes that need to be filled in "Justabout my life"

"And what a spectacular life you have now, and will have long into the future," he says with a bright smile and a squeeze to my shoulder

"You don’t know that," I say flatly

Stevie’s eyes fill with tears, and then he wraps his ar his chin on my shoulder, he whispers "I do know that There’s simply no other option"

"I’m scared," I adhter

I’o that I have cancer

Follicular B-cell lyist’s office just called o," I tell Stevie in a soft voice as I continue to stare at the arrangement in front of me "I have an appointed his schedule to get htens his e he’s going to tell you You’ll probably only absorb half of the inforratitude as I pick up the finished arrange cooler for deliveries "But Sutton said she’d go with me"