Welp. Never mind,thought Onny.
“Thanks,” she said.
“But how exactly are we supposed to get these ingredients?” asked Byron. He tapped his phone, pulling up the photo Onny had taken of herlola’s love potion. “Where are we going to find… ‘a handful of earth that has been joyously and spontaneously danced upon’? How did you even come up with this?”
“Basement,” said Onny, ignoring his other question. “But no one’s dancing yet—way too early.”
“Don’t you think people will notice if we fling dirt at them?”
“I’ll mix it with glitter.”
Byron was quiet for a moment. “I hate that I believe that will work.”
“And then play ‘Let’s Groove’ by Earth, Wind & Fire because you cannotnotmove to that song,” added Onny with a grin.
“Earth, Wind & Fire?” Byron sighed and pinched his nose. “Excusing the fact that no one will dance to that unless they’realso gearing up for a knee replacement, what about the other… ingredients? ‘Thorny leaves left to soften in the moonlight’?”
Onny pointed down the lit garden path. “That’s why we’re on our way to the greenhouse! We can pluck the thorny leaves, put them in a patch of moonlight, and come back to get them at the end.”
“And what about our kiss?” he asked.
Onny stopped. Her face burned.
“What do you meanourkiss?” she asked, looking up at him.
Byron held up her phone. “We need ‘a beautiful flower that has witnessed a kiss freely given and joyously received.’” He looked up at her, the glow of his phone silvering his eyes. His smile turned sly. “What’d you think I meant?”
Onny didn’t deign to answer him. “C’mon. We’re almost there.”
The greenhouse was one of Onny’s favorite places on her parents’ property. Designed like something out of a haunted Victorian novel, the glass eaves were lined with night-blooming cerus flowers and vines of jasmine, and the end of the greenhouse transformed into a deck, outdoor firepit, and cushy reading chairs that looked out over the creek that ran through the property. Here, the music of the party was faint and fairylike, melting into the October night like woodsmoke.
Recently, Corazon had gone on a full-on floral binge, and the greenhouse was warm and a little humid, exploding withgeraniums and petunias, chrysanthemums and orchids, and even a patch of little carnivorous plants. Propped up against one of the windowpanes stood Antonio’s telescope. In the night, it looked like a lost, spindly creature from some other world.
Two slender metal tables ran the length of the greenhouse inside, littered with empty pots, packets of seeds, and rusting tools. There was a small trellis for the sarsaparilla vines, its maroon berries and, most importantly, thorny leaves. Now all she needed to find were a pair of shears.…
“Can you turn your phone light on? Mom didn’t want any electricity in this room.”
Byron obliged, and the light of his phone fell on a patch of recently cut flowers that were quickly becoming Onny’s favorite. They had globelike heads the color of melted sherbet, and tightly furled petals spiraled like a sea creature’s shell.
“I love those flowers,” said Onny. “But I can never remember the name. Something complicated. Ronkybonk or something.”
“Ronkybonk?” repeated Byron. “They’re ranunculus.”
Onny stared at him. “How doyouknow that?”
“They’re my mother’s favorite flower,” said Byron. “The name means ‘little frog’ in Latin because it grows near streams. Supposedly, they signify charm… and carelessness.”
His mouth twisted on the last word like he’d bit into something sour. When he looked up at Onny, his expression turned arch. “What is it now, Diamante?”
“I can’t believe you actuallyknowthe name of a flower,” said Onny. “I figured they’d just wither in your presence.”
Byron laughed, and once more, Onny was taken by surprise. She wasn’t sure she’d ever heard him laugh. Notreallyat least. He could do a great condescending chuckle, but genuine amusement? Never. The sound was disarmingly pleasant.
“You’re wrong,” he said. “I actually like gardening. In seventh grade, I did master gardening classes with my mom. I even won a prize for my orchid. It was named ‘I Want a Dog’ because I figured that was the only way to get my parents’ attention.”
Onny burst out laughing. “That’s kinda brilliant.”
Byron looked pleased. “Is that an on-the-record compliment?”
