His mouth pulls, flattening.
“Would you like a flora fortune, Alex?”
“Huh?” He’s still puzzling over the pink carnation, which symbolizes a mother’s love. He’s probably thinking about my relationship with my mother, whom I’ve never been close with. Wondering if that’s changed. (It hasn’t.)
“You’re awfully curious.”
“I like to know things.” He returns to his crown, which is coming together clumsily, half the quantity of flora I’d typically use taking up twice the space. Painfully visible gaps of wire. “I like the tattoos, too.”
Our heads are bent close together as I loop ribbons along his effort. “The fern is a reminder that I can always start over. That I can let go of a life that isn’t working and begin anew.”
His attention is so keen, it’s a brand. “Is that what you did?”
I nod.
A pregnant pause follows.
“Is that whatwedid?”
He absorbs my surprise, which appears to satisfy him in some strange way. I hate that I keep telling him things without meaning to. He’s good at reading between the lines. I have no clue what Alex is playing at—outwardly, it mightlooklike he’s interested in me, but this could be explained by his deep-seated need to solve for X. He likes riddles, puzzles. He likes to be proven right. Whatever it is that he’s searching for right now, it’s because he’s got a question in his mind, a strong guess as to what the answer might be, and is working to confirm his accuracy.
Thankfully, I’m spared when Luna appears. She does her bestto not make it apparent she’s been eavesdropping, but I know better. She keeps trying to catch my eye, her expression significant. I ignore it. “Morning, Luna.”
“Morning.” She nods coolly at Alex, not quite rude, but certainly not rolling out a red carpet. “Hello.”
His reply is warm. “Hello, Luna.”
“Where’s Trevor? Out getting breakfast for you again?”
Before I can say “Hm?” her eyes flash. “He spoils you rotten. So doting.”
Alex slowly pushes his crown aside, then crosses his arms over his chest. Tips his chin down, trying not to smile.
“He’s sleeping in,” I tell Luna robustly. “But I think he has a date planned for later. Knowing him, it’ll be somewhere special.”
“The corner table at Mozzi’s,” Alex adds. He gestures his arm in a wide arc, admiring an invisible corner table. “You’ll gaze into each other’s eyes over the shaker of chili flakes, elbows sticky. Share a breadstick like the spaghetti fromLady and the Tramp.”
“A picnic in a meadow,” I retort lightly. “He’ll have a rose between his teeth, and I’ll wear nothing but a dreamy smile.”
“Naked in a meadow. Just you, Trevor, and a thousand brown recluse spiders.”
I stick out my tongue. He narrows his eyes, but there isn’t any heat in it. I don’t know how we got to a place where we can tease each other in good fun like this so quickly.
It’s alarming.
“Trevor give you that necklace?” Luna interjects, motioning at my throat. “Looks new.”
My necklace is at least four years old. Luna bought it for me herself. Just look at this meddler, Miss I’m Not Getting Involved.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” I preen.
“He knows your taste.”
“Oh, yes. He’s unparalleled.”
Alex stands to his feet. “Thanks for letting me crash at your place,” he tells me, then runs a finger across the rim of a pot of black dahlias. Considers it for a moment before pushing it an inch in my direction. “See you tonight.”
Luna eagle-eyes his trip from the Garden through the shop, front bell chiming as he leaves. Then she pops her hands on her hips. “You’rewelcome.”
