Adaline warmed at the mention of his son loving plants. Finding fellow plant lovers that weren’t her employees were few and far between. “We sell any plant that can grow here, especially cacti. If you’ll follow me, I can show you to some?” she asked, glancing up at Cameron.
Cameron smiled a little and down from a hanging plant above him. "That would be wonderful." He shuffled closer, ducking his head so it didn't hit the same plant he was looking at and admiring.
"Great! Follow me," Adaline began to lead the way to their cacti section. "How old is your son?" she casually asked, trying to make some conversation.
Cameron trotted after her, smiling as he looked around the store, all thoughts about his busy restaurant gone from his mind.
"He's eight years old. All he wants is a cactus, though," Cam said with a small laugh.
Adaline laughed. “He sounds just like me when I was younger. You’ll have to bring him around sometime,” she said, a bright smile on her face, not realizing she implied they’d come again. “And here we are! We have a selection of cacti, since they are relatively easy to take care of.”
"I'd love go bring him around!" Cameron exclaimed brightly, pausing in front of the spiky, small plants.
"Huh. Well, which is least likely to hurt him?"
“Great!!” Turning to the plants, Adaline picked one up. “Well, this one is called a chin cactus. It has no spines, so it’s pretty safe for an 8 year old. And it blooms pretty flowers!” In her hands, the cacti’s flowered seemed to bloom a little, and the colors popped a little more.
Cameron beamed at the little cactus, carefully taking it from her. "Do you know what colors they bloom?" He peered at the small blooms, trying to make out the colors. He was somewhat colorblind, so some colors didn't look like what he thought.
"Yes! They bloom lovely shades of pink," Adaline smiled brightly. "The chin cactus is actually one of my favorite plants we have here. They're just so pretty." Although she claimed to love all the plants equally, she did have a few favorite plants.
Cameron smiled brightly over the small bud on the small cactus. "Great! Then I'll take it. How much is it?" He asked, holding the cactus carefully in one hand as he grabbed his wallet out with a second.
"10 dollars, please, and I can take you at the register," Adaline led Cameron to the register, where she slid behind the counter and began punching in the numbers. It was one of the first sales of the morning, since it was still pretty early.
Cam scooted over to the counter, setting down the cactus gently. He pulled out the money required out of his wallet and handed it to her, shutting his wallet and picking up the tiny plant.
“So, you’ll want to put an ice cube on it every week, which will provide it the water it needs. Oh! And put it in a window where it gets enough sun,” Adaline rambled on while she checked him out, giving him his receipt. “Do you want a bag?” she asked, smiling at him.
"An icecube? Okay," He said with a nod. "And no, I don't need a bag, thank you. So what time of year would it bloom? Is there a specific one? Also, during the winter, would I have to find it a lamp?"
Adaline felt a little overwhelmed with all the questions, and she tried to answer them to the best of her ability. "If you to take care of them properly, it'll stay alive all year long. During winter, you'll probably need to find it a lamp, but you'll have to leave it on a low setting because a chin cactus doesn't need that much sunlight." She let a breath, cheeks rosy from talking so much in one breath.
Cam nodded hastily with all of her advice, smiling brightly. "Great! Thank you very much." He bowed slightly to her. "So I'll see you Saturday, right?"
"Yep, Saturday," Adaline smiled, already excited for the little date. No, it's not a date. You're just trying his food. She didn't care that one of her employees would be mad at her for moving it up, but it is what it is.
Cameron beamed back brightly and nodded happily. "I'll see you then. Thank you for the wonderful service!" He exclaimed, put in a great mood by the hospitality apof the store, and the small get-together he scored.
Adaline waved goodbye. “It’s my pleasure,” she smiled. It seemed she was doing that a lot today; not like that was a bad thing. She liked the vibe Cameron gave off.
Cameron waved back excitedly and trotted out of her store, humming happily. He would keep the cactus in his office until he had to leave and pick up Cormac. Then when the boy got into the car, Cameron would give it to him! He was excited to see the face on his son's face once he gave him the small cactus.
(Do you want to skip to Saturday, or are you planning something before Saturday?)
(Not really lmao. Let's just skip.)
(Okie dokie)
Adaline pushed open the double doors, the familiar scent wafting back to her. Automatically, a smile appeared on her face. It felt good to be back at the little diner, no matter how busy it was.
It wasn't that busy for being a Saturday afternoon. She got seated and news carried back to Cameron, who took off his apron and went to go meet her personally, sitting down with a bright smile.
"Hi Adaline! It's a pleasure to see you again."
“And a pleasure to see you again too, Cameron,” Adaline smiled softly, hands fiddling with her napkin. “How’s the restaurant business going?” she asked politely, genuinely interested in his answer.
"It's great," Cam said with a smile. "I'm glad to hear you're doing good. How's your business coming along?" He asked, leaning back in the seat with a relaxed sigh. It was good to just relax with someone he liked.
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