A small droplet of blood pattered onto the fresh sheet of verdant flower paper, followed quickly afterwards by a sharp blossom of pain from the little thorn prick on the pad of her thumb.

"Ow!" Daisy cried, dropping the roses she'd been arranging and frantically shaking the glove off of her hand while the other desperately clutched at her wrist as though she had to stem the flow of blood from escaping some horrific wound.

"Oww," she repeated again, staring despairingly at the small leak of crimson flowing out from the little puncture on her thumb. God, but that was going to be a pain! She still had over thirty other flower arrangements to do today, and she hadn't even finished this stupid special order! What kind of person wanted to give a chain of braided roses, with the thorns still on, to their lover on valentine's day anyways?

"Snickerdoodles!" she swore, scurrying over to the sink to wash the little puncture would out. The thorn had gone straight through her glove!

Served her right, she supposed, for not having been more careful. Mother Nature didn't appreciate being overlooked, after all, and especially not on a day like today. Everyone woman deserved some recognition on Valentine's day, didn't she?

A grin spread across Daisy's face, even despite the little throbs of pain and the sting of the soap from her thumb. Sure, being down one thumb was going to make things quite a bit harder for her, this being her busiest day of the whole year(!), but she knew Chris would have something special waiting for her when she left the holiday rush behind and turned the sign on her shop's door to 'Closed'. Not to mention the other little surprise that would be waiting for her...

Her daydreams couldn't last long, though. The throbbing of her thumb and the sight of the roses only half braided, along with the profusion of other flowers, clustered in a specially coordinated pallet of color and blooms, reminded her that whatever surprises awaited her weren't going to arrive before thirty odd arrangements of delicate petals were carefully arrayed in fleeting sculptures that blended the inescapable beauty of nature's bounty with the artistry which was only found within the human mind.

So, sure, she had a lot of work today. And sure, her thumb hurt, and would slow her down, making much of her work awkward that day she babied the injured appendage, but this was still what she loved to do. She loved to transform something beautiful into something even more exquisite, and she loved being surrounded by living things in bloom. There was nothing as extraordinary as walking through the maze of floral displays, drinking in their delicate scents and feasting upon the sheer profusion of color and elegant petals and stems. It was a dream come true.

So Daisy once more bent her digits to the slender, thorned stems of the roses and began to weave them together, slowly, gently, coaxing them into a beautiful wreath of brilliant green, and deep, deep crimson; a ring of soft petals hiding wicked thorns beneath...

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. With the accompaniment of the radio and the rush against the clock, Daisy wove a myriad of arrangements into being, and then greeted her customers with a brilliant smile and encouraging words as they picked up the gifts for their lovers and spouses, guiding the undecided towards what would seem the most thoughtful, and providing the perfect little something new for the regulars. And, all the while, the store was filled with words and laughter, and the ever present perfume of flowers.

Before she knew it, the color of the sunlight shining in through the windows had deepend an orange as rich as her most beautiful dahlia's, and she knew that the day had finally come to an end. Soon she would be free to turn the sign hanging upon her door to 'closed', and then the rest of the evening would await her. She could sit on the back patio, breathing in the scent of her garden, Muffins the cat on her lap, and Chester the dog resting on her feet while Chris sat next to her and they chatted late into the night.

With a tired but happy sigh, Daisy took off her name tag and walked over to lock the front door and turn the sign, but her hand froze with her fingers just lightly grazing the plastic. Another car had pulled into the lot in front of the store and a woman was getting out. Even amidst the fading light, Daisy could tell that she had beautiful skin. A deep, rich color that called to mind sweet chocolate, and milk amidst coffee, and her hair was an onyx as deep as the velvet black of the night sky. A beautiful white smile shone as she hurried over to the door.

"Shaundra!" Avis cried out as she opened the door. "Oh my god, I didn't think you were coming, I was just about to close the shop."

A melodious laugh greeted those words, and Shaundra stepped forward to gently pull Daisy into a gentle hug.

"Good to see you, too, hun," Shaundra replied, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You too," Daisy gushed, pulling back from the hug so she could guide Shaundra inside. "Just give me a moment here to lock up and we'll get your valentine's day gift all ready. Go ahead and I'll meet you in the back room."

"Alright, darling," Shaundra said, reaching out to briefly squeeze Daisy's hand before turning and disappearing amidst the displays of blossoms.

Daisy sighed, perhaps a bit wistfully, and perhaps with a touch of regret, before she took out her phone and sent Chris a quick text.

Wow, it's been such a crazy day! Big last minute order came in just before closing time. Gonna be late, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow, pwomises! *kiss* *kiss*

She paused, then sent another quick text.

Go ahead and tuck Valentine in without me. I'll make a special breakfast for us in the morning.

Then she locked the door, turned the sign to close, and met Shaundra in the back room, their arms wrapping around one another as their lips meeting in a gentle, sweet kiss...