“It cuts down time tremendously and does a much better job,” her manager said.

“Then that’s what we wanted, right, Randolph?” She held up two envelopes. “These are Gus and Rhonda’s paychecks. I know they’ll be by sometime today to pick them up, so I’m leaving them in the office.”

“Works for me,” Randolph said. “Oh, we have Mr. Raines’s laundry ready.”

“I’ll take it, and this is on me, so mark him paid,” Melissa said. “I could do his wash forever for saving my life and still would not have repaid him enough.”

“Yes, ma’am. Absolutely,” the manager said, and got the laundry. “I’ll carry it for you, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” Melissa said, and held the door open for him before going to unlock her car. “Just hang it all on the hooks,” she said, and as soon as he was finished, she smiled. “Okay. Then I’m out of here. Have a great day, and you all know how to get in touch, should an emergency arise.”

She waved goodbye, then noticed as she was getting in the car that the sky was clouding up.

She glanced at the time and thought of Sully, wondering if magic had occurred for him today, then started the car and headed for home so she could get his laundry inside before the rain started.

* * *

Sully drove straight to the flower shop. A bell rang as he walked in, and an older woman in a colorful floral smock appeared from the back.

“Hello. I’m Myra. How can I help you?”

“I want to get a bouquet of flowers. Do you have some made up?”

“Yes. Here in the cooler behind this stand of stuffed toys. But if you don’t see what you want, I can easily make something else while you wait.”

“Okay, thanks,” Sully said. “Let me check these out first.”

“Seeing as how fall is upon us, we have several different sizes of fall bouquets, and with different kinds of flowers. And, of course, the roses,” Myra said.

He pointed to a bouquet of red roses in a crystal vase with a ruby-colored base.

“Those, in that vase with the ruby-colored base. How much are those?”

“Well, it’s a dozen American Beauties, and the vase is crystal, which makes it a bit pricier than others. It’s one hundred and ten dollars.”

“I’ll take it,” Sully said.

Myra beamed. Her husband, Harold, had fussed at her nonstop because she’d used a vase that expensive, and now she could say “I told you so.”

“Wonderful,” she said, as she removed the bouquet from the cooler and carried it to the register. “Will this be cash or credit card?”

“Card,” Sully said as he pulled it out of his wallet.

“If you want to sign a card to go with the flowers, you can pick from these,” Myra said, pointing to the little rack on the counter.

“No card, I’m handing them to her in person.”

Myra pulled up a new screen on the computer. “Your name, sir?”