Clarke blew into the flower shop at around eight the next morning with her cup of coffee in her right hand. She had pulled her hair back into a short, sleek ponytail and opted for some nice jeans and a blouse instead of a dress or skirt. There was no reason to be in a closed shop with all that dirt and mold around in something so nice.
Vince was already there, and he opened the door for her. She looked around and saw that there were four large fans set up inside the business, drying out the space. She could barely hear anything else over their hum, even the traffic that piled up outside the door as others headed to school and work.
She saw also that more of the wall was opened up, probably so he could fix all the wiring. A sledgehammer lay on the floor against the corner of the room. Many of the flowers had already been removed or put into bags to go out in the trash. It made her wonder how many hours he had been working or if he had even slept. "Do you need me to go back over there and get you a coffee?" she called over the loud noise of the fans.
He squinted up at her, pulling an ear bud out of his ear. Apparently he'd been listening to music. She supposed it was better than listening to those fans all day. "How long have you been here?" she asked, rephrasing.
He held up two fingers, which she was pretty sure meant two hours. She held up her coffee cup and pointed out the door towards the coffee shop. It was crude, but it wasn't like she knew sign language. He smiled, and she could tell his body was starting to shake with laughter, But then he gave her a thumbs up and walked outside with her, leaving the loud humming behind.
Holding up one finger as he began to walk towards the coffee shop, Clarke turned around and went to lock the door. She couldn't stand leaving it unlocked even in the state it was in, but then she realized she didn't have the key. She ran after Vince to grab the key, but he just kept walking. "No one's going to want to go in there. It'll be fine," he assured her, walking inside and up to the counter.
She kept her stride next to him and stood at the counter with him as Joe approached the cash register. Great, just the guy she needed at the moment. What was he going to think about her being there with Vince after all the times she'd turned him down?