Lucy had decided to be a Responsible Adult today. It would make her mother happy, it would make her father grin, and it would make her aunt very happy. Her aunt kept her around, odd work schedule and all, because Lucy had a knack for flowers. They seemed to respond to her, for whatever reason. Lucy didn't particularly understand what her aunt meant by that, but knew it was something good, so she rolled with it. Really, she should pick up this working thing more often, seeing how happy it made everyone. She never would, but it was a nice idea.
It was a slow day at the shop, so she was spending time in the back with her ipod putting together orders. There was a funeral later that day, so she was putting the finishing touches on the baskets that had been ordered. This person must have been popular, as there were a lot of baskets. She tried her best to make them look somewhat cheery. Funerals were such sad events that it just wouldn't do to send them sad flowers.
She was in the middle of trying to perk up a somewhat limp daisy when she heard the bell and a rather annoyed voice following the ding. Woops.
"Coming!" she called, pulling the earbuds out and setting them aside. She brushed past the beaded curtain that separated the front from the back.
She was fully prepared to launch into the greeting her aunt had forced her to memorize but her mind went blank when she saw the customer. She apparently forgot her manners as well, because she couldn't help staring. The required smile was absent, in its stead was a curious, if not somewhat confused, expression. She was overwhelmed with an odd sense of recognition and a painful sense of longing. It was as if she knew this person well and had not seen them in ages. She tried to recall ever meeting him before, but she knew she hadn't. She would remember that face.
"Hi," she finally said, still stuck by the doorway. Customer service could wait just a little while. She had to process this first.