I look down at my phone, but there are no new calls. I’m surprised my mom hasn’t reached out yet, but with the time difference between New York and Arizona, she’s probably still sleeping. This is going to devastate her. She was already shaken when she found out how Evans and I started our relationship, and now she has to deal with her daughter being called a prostitute for all the world to see. What am I going to do? I head into the shower and try not to start crying again. This is the worst.
After my shower, I’m feeling a little better and so I put on one of my nicest outfits and my favorite lipstick. If there are going to be paparazzi following me everywhere from now on, I might as well look nice.
When I arrive at the florist shop, I give a sigh of relief that I put the extra effort into my appearance. This has to be the most expensive florist shop I’ve ever seen. As I follow Elena inside, I can feel my eyes widening. The entire shop is white and the flowers look like some kind of modern art installation. It makes me feel nervous—like I’m going to break something, or maybe crush a flower. I’m standing with my hands clasped in front of me, trying not to touch anything, when I catch sight of the price tag on a bouquet of a dozen roses. It’s five-hundred dollars!
“Elena,” I whisper. “Did you see how much these roses are? I don’t need anything extravagant. Can’t we go to a regular nursery?”
Elena laughs. “Oh Ciara, Rosa would never do anything that’s considered regular. She wants everything to be over the top. This wedding is going to be something that people have never seen before. She wants it to be like a royal wedding in America.”
My stomach curls in on itself. I was hoping for something simple, but I guess that’s not going to happen. “I guess that makes sense, but I just feel so overwhelmed.” I run my fingers through my hair. Why can’t anything be easy? This is the last thing I need to do today, given what’s happening online. Oh my God, I can only imagine the comments on social media. Elena must see the look on my face because she pats my shoulder. I try to take a deep breath.
“Ciara, what’s your favorite flower?”
I think of spring and summers in Arizona. “Besides cactus flowers, I think white lilies are my favorite.”
Elena smiles. “Great, we’ll start there.” A woman with a severe black bob and white coat strolls over to us.
“Can I help you?” She doesn’t seem to recognize me, thank God.
Elena has her professional smile on. “We’re looking for flowers for a wedding. The bride wants white lilies.” She gestures to me, and I wave.
The florist launches into a story about how lilies used to be a spring-to-summer flower that lasted until the first frost, but now there are special greenhouses that cultivate lilies that can last all year. Wait, if these are special, won’t they be more expensive? I cross my arms over my chest. This is already going to cost a fortune.
We walk around the room and look at different arrangements. There are bright lights installed in the ceiling to show off the flowers, and the entire room smells super sweet. There are lilies in marble vases, in diamond spheres, floating in bowls of water, and weirdly in little pink teacups. None of these feel like me and Evans and I sigh in frustration.
A moment later, Elena discreetly stops the florist’s walking tour and pulls me aside.
“Ciara, Are you okay? You seem a little stressed out. These are just flowers. You don’t have to worry so much. Is something else going on?” she asks, her forehead wrinkled with concern.
I take a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess I am all over the place today, I’m sorry. Have you seen the headline about me being a hooker?” I ask, dropping my voice to a whisper.
Elena grimaces. “Ciara,I’m so sorry. Yes, I’ve seen it. It was hard not to. The story is all over social media.”
“I wonder who the anonymous source is? I’ve never done anything to make anyone mad at me, and I can’t think of anyone who has a grudge against me. None of this makes any sense! I was nobody before Evans. Who could possibly have it out for me?”
“It probably has nothing to do with you. Just some disgruntled employee looking for money or revenge from the Leonard family,” Elena says. Just then my phone rings, and my mom’s face shows up on the screen.
“Sorry, Elena, I have to take this.” I answer the phone and my mom’s voice comes on, loud and hurried.
“Ciara, it’s your dad.”