Burning Flowers Read Online Free PDF Page A

with
that.”
    Clarke thought about it for a minute and
decided that anything was better than paying that price for just
part of what needed to be done. She knew that insurance wasn’t
going to give her anywhere near that much for something like that.
“Okay, do you have his number?”
    “Sure I do.” The man pulled a small card out
of his pocket. It had a name and number on it, but that was all; no
picture or fancy business name. It was somehow comforting. The name
read Vince Forester.
    “Alright, thanks for the tip, buddy. I
appreciate it,” she said flatly, ready for him to leave now she got
what she wanted from him. He gave her a toothy smile before walking
out, rubbing his hands down his jeans. She didn’t waste any time.
She picked up the phone and dialed the number in her hand.
Hopefully, this would be the solution she so desperately
needed.
    A young sounding guy with a slight southern
accent picked up. “Hello there, this is Vince. Who do I have the
pleasure of speaking with?” It sounded almost comical coming from
such a voice, but at least he was attempting to be
professional.
    “My name is Clarke, and I got your name and
number from your cousin. I really need some help.”
    “What kind of job is it, and when do you
need an estimate by?” the man asked simply. She liked that and
needed that right now. Vince was really going to be a life saver if
he could get to it sooner rather than later.
    “I own a flower shop in town, and there was
an electrical fire. So, really, I need help with everything; the
clean-up, the set up and whatever went wrong with the electrical.
And I really need you as soon as possible. I need to get the
business back up and running. Can you even do that?” It sounded
like a big job to Clarke, and it made her nervous. Would this guy
even take all that on? No way could she ask her staff to do all of
it.
    “Yeah, I can do that. Are you free to do the
estimate now?”
    Clarke perks up, feeling a hint of hope
course through her. Maybe she really would be able to keep this a
secret after all. “Absolutely. It’s called “Virginia Clarke’s
Petals”. Do you need the address or can you just Google the
directions?”
    She heard a muffled chuckle come through the
receiver. “I can Google it,” he answered before hanging up. Clarke
shut her phone and was ready to do a cheer, only she’d probably
land herself in a pile of ash that also reeked of mildew from the
water that had piled up after the firefighters stopped the fire.
But she felt saved. Someone was going to fix her shop so she could
open back up.
    She stepped outside and waited for Vince to
show up, not wanting to stand in piles of smelly ash any
longer.

Chapter Seven
    A white pickup pulled up about ten minutes
later and parked in front of the business. As the man inside got
out, Clarke had to fight her jaw from dropping to the floor. He
wasn’t at all what she expected; not really. He wasn’t much taller
than her, and he had thick red hair that made him look like a cute
little boy at the same time his defined arms made him look like a
man. His cut off flannel top showed his muscular and pale arms, and
he had on a pair of white washed jeans with holes in the knees that
were not made by some designer. He had a smile on his face that
displayed two large dimples that just defined his masculine jaw
even more. He looked like the type of guy that might do ranch or
farm work. He was handsome but in a very rugged and manly way. Even
in Virginia, men that looked like that were few and far
between.
    “Hi,” she managed to squeak out before
leading him inside her damaged shop. She watched as he walked
around, looking at everything. Like his cousin, he also dug in the
wall and took a look at the wiring. He also checked the wires at
the back of the freezers. She watched nervously and impatiently,
tugging at her lip and following his movements with her own while
trying not to breathe down his back.
    He finally stopped and leaned against