"I can get them if you like," said Callie.
Alara met her gaze and held it."It's so good of you to help, Callie, and I do appreciate it, but there's not much room in here for both of us to move around."She glanced at Zia, who skipped over to the seating area and patted the space beside her.
"Come sit with me, Miss Callie Clay."
"I'll be right there," Callie told her.
"Yes, go sit," said Alara."I need to feel like I'm still capable of at least serving dinner, if not providing it."
Callie's heart sank.She was only trying to help; she didn't want to ride roughshod over Alara's pride.
Once the three of them were seated around the small table, Alara nodded at Zia, who had been sitting on her hands, waiting.The little girl picked up her fork and grinned at Callie."Thank you for bringing dinner, but thanks even more for coming to see us."
Callie smiled before looking at Alara."Thanks for having me.I wasn't sure if you'd still be here."
Alara shrugged."I thought I should rest tonight and then we'll set out early in the morning."
Zia sighed."We must travel on to the faraway land of Oregon."
"I was surprised that you were still here," Callie admitted."I thought you might have been farther north by now."
Alara dropped her head.
"Mommy gets headaches," Zia said matter-of-factly."Sometimes she needs to take a nap."
Alara avoided Callie's gaze."Like she said, I've just been a bit run down recently, that's all."
"And that's why you're taking this job?"Callie asked."You're kind of a freelancer, aren't you?"
"I am."
"I know how it goes with health insurance.It's so much easier when you have an employer who provides it."
Alara made a face."I wouldn't know, but that's the theory."
"Have you always worked for yourself?"
"I have."A smile briefly lit Alara's face, transforming her features.She was beautiful."I love what I do."
"Mommy's a bloom alchemist," Zia declared between mouthfuls, making Callie laugh.
Zia nodded emphatically, finished chewing, then said, "I told you before, she makes flowers do things they weren't meant to do.But better than that, they like it.She doesn't make them do anything they don't want to."
Alara chuckled."Flowers have just always been my thing."
"You're so talented," said Callie."The cornflower arch was beautiful, and all the photos I've seen of your other work — everything you do is gorgeous.You're not just a florist, you're an artist."
"Thank you.That means the world coming from you."
Callie wanted to brush it off, but she didn't.She knew that Alara was someone who understood in a way that not many did.
"How do you manage health insurance?"Alara asked.
"I decided that I had to save up three years' worth of payments before I could leave my job."
"Oh, you used to have a job?"Alara looked surprised.
"Yeah, we didn't get the chance to talk that much over the weekend, but you could tell I wasn't one of the Napa crowd."
