Page 76 of Thick

“I’ll turn in my resignation at the end of this shift.”

He looked at Perry and then at me. “If that’s the way you want to resolve this, I can’t keep you from it.”

“It’s the only way to resolve this,” I said. “My decision’s final.”

I had no idea what my next career move would be, but I knew one thing: wherever I went, they weren’t going to be able to tell me who I could allow into my life.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tate

The scent of fresh flowers hit me as soon as I opened the door. I closed my mouth tight, inhaled a long breath through my nose, and peered through the glass doors of the case on my right. Bobbi and I had been seeing each other for two weeks, and I needed to give her some flowers to mark the occasion.

“Is there something in particular you’re looking for?”

“Something that lasts forever, and smells wonderful,” I said over my shoulder.

“Nothing lasts forever,” she said. “But we can make a lasting impression.”

I chuckled and turned around. “I like that.”

She was somewhere close to sixty, had short gray hair, and was wearing an outdated yellow pants suit that didn’t seem to fit her personality. A chunky gold necklace hung from her neck like an oversized nuisance.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked.

“It’s Wednesday.”

“It sure is.” She grinned a denture-revealing smile. “What’s the occasion?”

“It’s Wednesday.”

“Wednesday’s the occasion?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Well, let’s see if we can find something special for this Wednesday. Do you have a preference?”

“Lasts long, smells good.”

“Oh, that’s right. Well, the Stargazer Lilies smell wonderful, and they last as long as anything else.”

“Which one is that?’

She pointed to a vase filled with pink flowers. Darker pink spots on the edges of the petals merged into a deep wine color at the center.

I looked at the arrangement and nodded. “They’re gorgeous.”

“They smell even better.”

“How durable are they?” I asked.

“In what respect?”

“In the durability respect. Are they durable?”

“I’m not sure I follow what you’re asking.”

“Do they travel well?”