Part 5 (2/2)

After spritzing the bouquet liberally with water, she slipped it into a large cellophane bag and handed it to Cora with a relieved flourish.

”I'm gone,” Harry said as he collected the bride's bouquet from his wife and headed for the delivery van. ”See you when I see you.”

Several seconds of silence pa.s.sed as Molly and Cora looked at each other and then unexpectedly burst into laughter.

”It's the same every time,” Molly said. ”First the euphoria of the order, then the mundane business of ordering the flowers from market. Next comes the day of decision. To create today...or wait till the last minute, take a chance on a slow day and work like h.e.l.l. I always tell myself that next time I'll plan ahead, and next time never comes.”

Cora nodded. ”But you love it,” she said.

Molly grinned. ”I love it.”

Cora began picking up bits and pieces of snipped ribbon and crushed leaf, then wiping and mopping around the work area while Molly headed for her office. Much as she hated to do it, it was almost the first of the month and time to do the billing.

She turned the corner in the hallway, her mind on the list of things to be done. The piece of palm frond came into her line of vision at the same time she stepped, but it was too late to stop the motion. Her foot connected with the wet leaf, and the next thing she knew she was flat on her back on the concrete floor, staring up at a brown water spot on the ceiling.

Oh, darn, the roof has a leak.

The thought was inane, but she had no intention of wondering why she'd chosen this particular moment to consider the issue of leaky roofs. She was just thankful she could still think, because she was afraid to move. The loud crack she'd heard when she hit the floor had come from something, and if her body was in pieces, she didn't want to know.

”Cora, do you think you could come here for a minute?” she called weakly.

Cora laid down her mop and started down the narrow hallway that led toward the back of the building when she saw Molly stretched out on the floor.

”Oh my G.o.d!” she shrieked. ”Don't move. I'll call an ambulance!”

”No!” Molly groaned. ”Just come help me up.”

Cora was on the boundary between panic and tears when she knelt at Molly's side.

”Oh, honey, where does it hurt?” she asked.

Molly grinned slightly. ”I'm afraid to find out. Let's try this one step at a time.”

She wiggled a foot, and then the other. Nothing fell off. Nothing hurt-much. She lifted her arm, and then the other, then swept the disarray of curls from her face with shaky hands.

”So far, so good,” she said. ”Now help me, I'm going to try to sit up.”

”Oooh, I don't know about this,” Cora mumbled. ”I still think we should call for help. What if you've hurt your back?”

”If I have, I'll know it in a minute,” Molly said. She extended her arms and Cora pulled.

The effort took more out of Molly than she'd imagined. Pain shot through her back and then eased, rocketed through her head, and then subsided. She sat up, then flexed her knees and rested her head on them, unwilling, for the moment, to move any farther.

”Molly?”

She heard the fear in Cora's voice, but for the life of her, it was impossible to talk. If she opened her mouth, she would probably scream.

Minutes pa.s.sed, and finally, when Molly could focus, with Cora's help, she stood upright.

”Good Lord,” Molly said. ”That was stupid.”

”It was an accident,” Cora corrected. ”What made you fall?”

Molly pointed at the culprit still stuck on the bottom of her shoe. Cora frowned, bent down, and removed it before a repeat performance could occur.

”I'm calling Harry,” Cora said. ”You need to go to the emergency room and get yourself checked out.”

”Don't be silly,” Molly said. ”He's in the middle of that wedding, remember? Besides, I just need to go home and get in a hot bath before everything stiffens up. I don't think anything's broken, but I know for darn sure that everything's bruised.”

Cora wrung her hands, unwilling to let go of the idea of calling for help. ”I hate this,” she said. ”I don't think you should be alone. What if you have a concussion? What if you've cracked a bone? You live alone, honey. Maybe you should come home with us.”

Cora fussed absently with her short gray hair, worrying at the bit over her ear as she tucked it behind the earpiece of her eyegla.s.ses. She couldn't bear the thought of Molly alone and in pain.

”No way,” Molly said. ”Besides, if I get in bed and can't get out, I'll call an ambulance myself. Remember, I have neighbors, good neighbors. If I need help, all I have to do is yell.”

Cora hushed. She'd seen this look on Molly's face before and knew better than to argue.

”Oh, no!” She pointed to the crushed plastic on the floor. ”Your new phone!”

Molly sighed with relief. Her compact portable phone, the one she'd stuffed in her hip pocket, was in pieces on the floor.

”Thank G.o.d that's what I heard break,” she said. ”I thought it was me.”

Cora glared. ”You need your head examined,” she muttered.

Molly put a hand on either side of her own head, wiggled it gently back and forth, and tried to grin. ”It feels all right.”

”If you're making jokes, I suppose you can't be all that bad,” Cora said. ”But I swear, you're not driving yourself home. Either wait for Harry or call a cab.”

”Yes, nurse.” Molly hugged her to lighten the teasing remark she'd made. ”Thanks for caring. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you and Harry. You've become as dear to me as my own parents were.”

Cora tried to smile, but her chin wobbled instead. She was short and stocky, but when she had to, she could move like a skate bug on water, and she left on the run to call a cab.

Minutes later, Cora stood at the window, watching as the cab swung out into the city traffic, her eyes narrowing against the glare of the afternoon sun as she considered what she was about to do. Then she headed for Molly's office and began searching through her Rolodex. When she found the number she was looking for, she dialed. Her hands were shaking, but her voice was strong as she waited for someone to answer the phone.

”Red Earth Designs.”

”Mr. Rossi, please,” Cora said.

”He's with a client,” the secretary told her. ”If you'll leave your name and-”

”I'll hold,” Cora said. ”I think this is an emergency.”

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