He wrote down Orchid’s business address and swiped his credit card.
While the florist rang up the total, he edited his whirlwind of thoughts down to those phrases appropriate for a mentor. He picked up a pen and scrawled,I’m truly sorry for hurting you. You’ve earned the assignment and more. Congratulations! P
Not “Call me. And neverI’ve missed you.
CHAPTER22
FLOWERS FOR ORCHID
Orchid
Another world awaited Orchid. Beckoned her across geographies and time. In four days, she’d be jetting to Beijing. Her Mandarin dreams come to fruition.
She was walking back to her office, trying to make a list of the to-dos that needed to get done. She toted a bottle of sparkling water in one hand and a mug of hot coffee in the other, while making a silent plea to the gods that these drinks wouldn’t send her to the loo. Not, that is, until lunchtime. She was too busy for a break.
The travel department had secured her work visa, flight reservations and a dodgy-looking hotel that met her daily stipend. She still needed to select outfits that would look professional in a sweltering August, complete her pre-assignment interview calls, and finish transitioning her workload to Violet.
“I’m going to be swamped,” Violet had complained.
“I’ll be reachable, if you need me. Anyway,” she added, her voice almost lilting, “you won the pool!”
“I only picked July 4thbecause no one else thought you’d get the call over the holiday!”
Orchid pushed aside the office pool, Violet, and even the need to pack. She had Peter coming through her earbuds, drilling her as she strode through the corridor.
“Ni xiang qu nar?” he asked, playing the part of a Chinese taxi driver.
She thought of his drunken offer, and was relieved that it was never mentioned.
“Where do I want to go? Lidu fan guanr,” she replied, proud that she’d internalized the guttural “r” ending that Beijingers favored.
“Lidu fan dian,” he corrected her. “That’s restaurant, not hotel.
“Oh my god,” she uttered, frozen in her tracks at her office door. A shock of pink sprouted from her desk like a veritable botanical garden.
“That’s not so bad of a mistake,” he joked. “They won’t take you to a Timbuktu.”
“It’s not that. It’s just… flowers. Huge. Peonies. My favorite,” she stuttered. “I’ll call you later, alright?”
She hung up before he could add a farewell.
She put the drinks on her desk and stared at the flowers. Leaning closer, she inhaled their citrus-sweet scent.
Who had sent these? Mandy?
At that moment, Violet peeked her head into the office.
“Everyone saw the delivery guy,” she said with a big smile. “Someone dropped a mint on them!”
“For something that I’ll enjoy for a few days,” Orchid replied.
“I can give them a good home, if you’d like,” Violet offered.
“No way.” Orchid plucked the card from between the blooms. She read the note, registering the handwriting before absorbing the words. A whoosh of longing and forgiveness sent a shiver across her skin.
Violet peeked over her shoulder. “P? Princeton sent you flowers?”
Orchid looked over at her friend. She hadn’t yet shared the way that Princeton had redeemed himself last week. “Princeton ended up taking the high road,” she said.
