hapter 9
The day before Alyssa got thrown back in time, she skipped visiting Mateo’s grave. That gave Hailey the perfect chance to milk sympathy from the elders, leaving Alyssa with the label of being ungrateful.
This time, Alyssa swore she’d expose the truth and show Mateo’s old buddies who Hailey really was. ‘Hailey, you better nail today’s performance, or all my hard work goes down the drain, Alyssa thought to herself.
Then, turning to Hailey, she said, “Hailey, today’s my dad’s death anniversary, and I’m a fucking mess. I ended up pissing off Sean because of it. I’m not in the right headspace, so can you cover for me and explain to him why I had to bail?”
Hailey’s heart raced. She knew she couldn’t let Alyssa show up in front of Mateo’s old pals. Those people were loaded or had serious pulls, and if they warmed up to Alyssa, Sean might never leave her. Especially since Sean was counting on their support right now.
She had worked hard to keep Alyssa down, turning her into nothing more than a housewife. She couldn’t let Alyssa flip the script that easily. Hailey had already plotted to use these people to further turn them against Alyssa and win them over to
her side.
She quickly called out, “Alyssa, you really should be there for your dad’s death anniversary, but…” She hesitated, faking concern. “Bat you weren’t there when he passed, and those elders haven’t forgotten. If you show up now, they might not be too thrilled to see you”
Alyssa locked eyes with Hailey and asked coolly. “And why the hell should I care?”
“Look. I can go in your place and smooth things over with them. Once they’ve calmed down, you can go later,” Hailey offered, acting all concerned. “Alyssa, I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
Alyssa saw right through Hailey’s act. Hailey’s so–called concern was just another scheme to use the elders to make them hate her even more.
Not one to be outdone, Alyssa replied in the same fake sweet tone. “Hailey, I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn’t want you to deal with them alone. I’ll go first, and if you could explain to Sean why I had to leave, that’d be great. With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Hailey standing there, stunned and pissed off.
Alyssa stepped out of her house and headed into the flower shop downstairs. The shop assistant greeted her with a friendly smile, “Hey there! What kind of flowers are you looking for? Got something special in mind?”
“For a memorial,” she said bluntly,
The assistant quickly recommended, “Chrysanthemums are perfect for that. We’ve got both white and yellow ones that would do nicely.”
Alyssa glanced around the shop and her eyes lit up when she spotted Mateo’s favorite–white gardenias. Tll take the gardenias, she decided.
The assistant was a bit surprised but didn’t skip a beat, “Sure thing. I’ll get them wrapped up for your right now.”
After she got the flowers, Alyssa casually remarked, “You know, daisies work just as well for memorials. I saw you’ve got some nice ones here. How come you’re not suggesting those?”
The assistant scratched his head with a sheepish grin, “Honestly I’m new here and still trying to figure this out…”
Alyssa chuckled and teased, “Well, next time someone’s in for memorial flowers, don’t forget to push the daisies. They’ll fly off the shelves, and who knows, maybe you’ll even get a raise.”
“That’s very sweet of you. Thank you. The assistant nodded gratefully.
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20:03 Tue, Dec 10
Chapter 9
“Don’t mention it. Hope business booms, Alyssa said with a smile as she headed out of the flower shop.
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