Ellie Carson was a fifty six year old woman who owned the neighborhood flower shop, or as she was fond of saying, the shop owned her. It was all she had to show for a lifetime devoted to a husband who had left her years ago, and she kept opening the door everyday out of habit pretty much because she had no place else to go.
Her health was good and the business, while not exactly thriving, was good enough to keep a roof over her head and the wolves away from the door. Outside of the shop, Ellie had no life. The friends she had made as part of a couple were long gone, scattering like people do when they have little in common anymore.
There were little moments in her day that made it worth getting up in the morning, and one of the most enjoyable of those were when she got her lunch delivered. Not because of the food, as good as it may have been, but because of Anthony, the energetic little fellow who delivered it from the deli down the street.
*
Chapter One: At the sound of the bell.
The jingle of the bells attached to the top of the door got Ellie Carson's attention, and when she looked up and saw who it was, her face broke into the same wide smile that it always did when Anthony walked into the shop. While it would have been more profitable for it to have been a customer instead of Anthony, he was certainly the next best thing.
"Hello Mrs. Carson," the little guy chirped cheerfully as he cruised into the flower shop with the small brown bag that held Ellie's lunch.
"Anthony! Right on time as usual," Ellie said, adding with a touch of sarcasm, "You just missed the rush."
"Eh!" Anthony said. "Business is bad all around here. Guess we need a stimulus in this neighborhood too. Of course, every time I see you I get stimulated enough for the rest of the day."
"I guess I get baloney even when I order a salad," Ellie answered with a shake of her head.
It was a ritual that they would play out every day that Ellie ordered something from the deli Anthony's family owned. He would come in and say the most outrageous things to her, flirting and kidding, and Ellie would act shocked or amused, depending on the comment. Boys being boys, sometimes Anthony got a little racy, but to Ellie, Anthony was so adorable that he could do no wrong.
Goodness knows that with business the way it was, she could use a little cheering up, and Anthony rarely failed in that regard, even when he was in the way or being a pain in the butt.
"Mrs. Carson, I've got to ask you a question," Anthony said as he followed Ellie around the little store. "How can it be that in a flower shop, you smell nicer than anything else?"
"You used that line last week, Anthony," Ellie reminded him. "I guess that means my flowers need help."
"No, it's you that needs something," Anthony suggested. "You need a man like me around the place to help you out and keep reminding you how beautiful you are."
"And what would your father do without you around?" Ellie countered.
"Same thing he's gonna have to do in the fall when I go off to college," Anthony said. "Besides, I love him and the deli, but not the way I love you. I think you and me, we should go out on a date! Let me take you out on the town."
"I think that you can do a lot better than me," Ellie laughed. "You sure can do a lot younger."
"Girls my age are too silly," Anthony said as he leaned over the counter. "I need a woman that's more mature. Besides, I'm way too much man for any 18 year old girl around here."
"You're way too much alright," Ellie said as she handed Anthony his money for the salad, and was actually a little sad when someone else came into the store.
This would always be Anthony's cue to leave. Always brash and bold when they were alone, but respectful and business-like when there were others around, he seemed to know the right way to act when others were present. If he were only 40 years older, Ellie thought, sighing as she greeted the customer that had sent Anthony on his way.
**
Chapter Two: Dress code.
"I love it when it gets really warm out," Anthony said as he delivered Ellie's lunch the next day.
"You certainly don't look like you're enjoying it," Ellie said. "You're sweating like a racehorse."
"Must be on account of me being Italian," Anthony said, standing in front of the fan. "We're very hot blooded, did you know that?"
"No, I didn't realize that, but that explains a lot of things," she replied with a smile.
"You could find out really easy, you know that Mrs. Carson?"
Anthony had such a bright white smile to go along with his youthful brashness that he could get away with a lot, Ellie thought as she glanced out at Anthony drying off in front of the squeaky fan. He had a Sal Mineo look about him that must drive the girls wild in school, and one time when she had mentioned that actor's name and his resemblance to Anthony, she realized that she was giving away her age, because he didn't have the slightest idea who she was talking about.
Although Anthony was short and slight, he had a way about him in the shop that made him seem taller than the 5'6" or so that he was. Out on the street, when he would pass by the shop with his friends, he seemed to be the runt of the litter and although they were probably only kidding, he did seem to be the target of their barbs and kidding.
Ellie had heard Anthony one time being called by what seemed to be his nickname, Rigatoni, but after seeing his reaction to the name she certainly wasn't going to use it herself. Maybe they kidded him because he was so small, but there might have been some jealousy involved too, because he looked so cute that the girls probably did find him irresistible.
Not only did Anthony have very handsome features, but his wavy black hair made him look very dashing to Ellie as well. Smooth olive toned skin and dimples didn't hurt either, and he looked nice in shorts too, with slender yet muscular legs that were covered with thick black hair, a stark feature that offset his otherwise boyish looks.
"Don't you want to know why?" Anthony asked, breaking her out of her trance, and she felt embarrassed that he had apparently said something to her while she was daydreaming.
"I'm sorry Anthony," Ellie said. "What did you say?"
"I said that I loved it when it gets hot because you wear blouses like the one you have on," Anthony said, pointing to the rather drab grey and purple shell she had on. "My favorite is the the white one with the pink stripes, but any of the ones you have without sleeves are really nice, because you have beautiful arms."
"Is that so?" Ellie said with a sarcastic lilt in her voice.
"Really hot!" Anthony said, walking over to where Ellie was changing water in the bouquet buckets. "Your arms are soft looking, but when you lift something I can see the muscles rippling underneath, and that's really sexy."
"I hear that all the time," Ellie said with a upraised eyebrow accompanying her laugh.
"I believe it," Anthony said, moving along with Ellie down the row of buckets. "I love the freckles on the upper part of your arms, and that other blouse is cut so it shows more of your shoulders, and there's more freckles there too."
"Oh, there's freckles galore."
"That's great to hear, but the only way I could be sure is if I got the chance to get a better look, like maybe some time when you and me - maybe we could go the beach for an afternoon and go swimming?"
