Sumi couldn’t articulate why she didn’t mention it to Jordan, why she didn’t want anyone else there.No, that’s not true. She would have been happy to haveoneperson there with her . . . but he was an anonymous screen name.
The house itself was an L-shaped single-story brick beauty. It had a slightly retro feel in its design, but it was bright and airy, with a long backyard and the sunken sunroom she loved at first sight. The kitchen amenities far outran her ability, but there was a cozy breakfast nook beside a wall of windows, and on the other side of the paned glass, an empty bird feeder. The agent had laughed when Sumi had clamored into the tub in the masterbedroom’s ensuite, squealing in delight to find it fit her ample frame.
The north-facing bedroom was heavily shadowed at that midafternoon hour, but the walk-in closet had track lighting, allowing her a good look at every inch.You’re actually going to be able to start dressing likeyouagain!
She had always loved frilly dresses and sweeping, dramatic silhouettes. The problem with dramatic silhouettes when one was a size 20, however, was that even the most modest neckline was too bodacious for teaching middle school. She had been taken to task several times early in her career for her wardrobe choices, even though there had been nothing wrong with any of the outfits, she had wanted to scream at the time — feeling as though she were being held accountable for having large breasts and a big ass in the first place, as though she could eliminate them if her clothes were frumpy enough — it hadn’t been worth the battle. Turtlenecks and A-line skirts had been her near daily wardrobe for fifteen years, the turtleneck swapped out for a clavicle-hugging shell in the warmer months.
She could fill this closet with the clothes she actually liked to wear, diaphanous dresses of lavender and creampuff confections with pink ruffles and slits up to her thigh. Her favorite article of clothing was a dusty pink Grecian-style dress with gathered shoulders and a deep V neckline, slit up several inches above her knee. She would wear it every week in this place, would buy it in every color in which it was made, and if hormone-addled 12-year-olds wanted to stare slack-jawed, it wouldn’t be her problem. Her cleavage was going to be allowed to breathe for the first time in more than a decade.
That was, if she decided to keep the house.
There’s no question. This is it. This is home.The instant the thought invaded her mind, Sumi knew in her bones it was true, tears burning at the corners of her eyes.A gift from your mom.
After she’d left the house, she had driven to Cambric Creek’s little downtown afterward, parking her car in the public lot and walking around the horseshoe of businesses that ringed a long oval-shaped park in the center of town. There was a charming little gazebo, and a bandstand at the far corner that one could access by any of the meandering pathways cut through the greenery. Around the park were more than a dozen different businesses in Victorian-style buildings. A hardware store, an old fashioned-looking ice cream parlour. A coffee shop that had a steady stream of traffic, and all around her, bustling about despite the fact that it was late afternoon on a weekday, were residents and shoppers of every conceivable species.
She’d dropped to one of the many stone benches enhancing the space, overcome with emotion at the sight of her soon-to-be new neighbors, bustling about this ridiculously charming little town. The agent handling the house, Elspeth, was a tiefling, and once Sumi got over her initial shock, she was able to pay attention to the woman’s recitation about the house and the neighborhood. She had mentioned it was multi-species, but Sumi couldn’t have envisionedthisin her dizziest daydreams.
A chattering mothwoman shopped with a tall, tusked troll, a trio of fox-tailed young women in identical school uniforms, a goblin with several children on cell phones, instructing them topick up your heads and stay out of the way!She watched a tall, broad-shouldered ogre with burnished gold horns shoulder his way out of the coffee shop, passing before her bench before he disappeared into the building on her left, his thick black glasses sliding down his brick-red nose as he did so. There were humans here and there as well — at least, people who looked human from a distance. They could have been elves or werewolves, Sumi reminded herself.Or Sylvan, like you.
She could find herself here in this place. She could find the piece of herself that it felt as if it had always been missing.
Sumi decided there was nothing compelling her to rush back home, and took her time strolling around after getting her own coffee from the busy cafe. After looping Main Street, she cut down a little side street close to the bench where she’d sat, just around the corner from the center of town. There was a stationary shop, a little sandwich bar, and a clothing boutique that seemed to be exclusively for goblins and gnomes. The last four or five spaces were empty, likely all part of some larger business that had closed.
FOR RENT
Her lungs over-inflated once again, leaving her feeling as though her toes might leave the ground, floating away like a turtlenecked balloon.This is a gift from your mom. Think about how happyshewould be to see you so happy.
This was her opportunity, Sumi realized. This was her chance to dock theSS Sunk Costfor good.You can sell your condo, use that money to pay the rental lease on this place, at least for the first year.She owned a house free and clear; it would be silly not to live in it. Especially in a place like this, where you can finally figure out how to feel whole. If the florist at theLucky Lilywas to be believed, her Bloomerang business would thrive here.They provide all the equipment, the distribution contracts, and the customers.All you have to do is live your dream life.
It was with that energy that Sumi set off in search of a flower shop, a plant store, even a supermarket that sold premade bouquets. She wanted to bring something home from this place to put in her condo, to remind her why she was packing up, why she was walking away from her life into the unknown.The Perfect Petal. Viol, Violet & Vine. She frowned down at her phone, knowing she needed to make a decision quickly. The red light wasn’t going to last forever and she didn’t know her way around. Both sounded promising . . . ButViol, Violet & Vinewould’ve required turning and looping all the way back aroundthe town square, back in the direction from which she had just come. The light turned green.The Perfect Petalit is, she thought, following the sign that advertisedbusiness district.
Maybe you wouldn’t be able to rent that space at all. Maybe the business district is the only option.The thought made her frown, but she quickly saw that Cambric Creek was packed with businesses. Little storefronts, long restaurants, sidewalk cafés and quick service counters, a veterinarian next to an eyeglass shop beside a small pharmacy. There wasn’t any indication that business was restricted to the business district. Don’t get ahead of yourself. You are going to call the number from the building today.
She noticed, as she drove, that the sidewalks were tiered in this place — standard concrete, a shallow trench that rippled with moving water, and a section of neatly trimmed grass, just as wide as the concrete. Some stretches of road even had a lane of sand. It wasn’t until she took a closer look that Sumi realized the different sidewalk materials were specific to accommodate the different species of residents. A slender cervitaur walked on the grass, laughing with her companion, a goblin wearing chunky soled shoes, clicking along on the concrete.
On the other side of the street, a blue skinned little girl with webbed fingers hopped along the water trench, splashing until her mother turned swiftly, the little girl instantly ceasing her splashing. Accommodations for more than just the human majority. It was a revelation. In that instant, Sumi nearly regretted her vow to leave education, thinking of how much good accommodative policies like this would have in classrooms. The moment was fleeting. That would be a noble cause to take up . . . For someone else.
The instant she stepped over the threshold ofThe Perfect Petal, Sumi closed her eyes, head dropping back slightly. Vegetal and green, the crisp herbaceous smell of freshly clipped rosestems invaded her senses, the cotton candy sweet smell of the blossoms and pungent note of eucalyptus following after a few more steps. There was a long wall of refrigerated cases that she could come to expect, although it seemed as if several of the shelves had been taken out, the premade arrangements spread out on the shelves that remained. The last case held the buckets of individual flower stems, although Sumi noticed there were half as many there as had been in theLucky Lily.
The space was well-organized, with high shelves of baskets and empty vases, a counter where one could peruse half a dozen photo books, and a single table through the center of the space, containing dish gardens of ferns and spathiphyllum. The shop was compact and utilitarian, but it didn’t possess the fanciful Parisienne flower boutique she envisioned in her head for her own shop.Well, that’s fine. You don’t want to look the same as everyone else anyway.
At the POS counter stood a pear-shaped woman with a waterfall of blonde curls spilling over her shoulders. Sumi felt her own smile raise as the woman turned, giving her beaming grin.
“Hi there! He’ll be right out.”
“Oh! Oh, that’s fine. I was just going to pick up a little —“
“Okay, this is all I have. Do you solemnly swear you’re not going to use it for something stupid? If I come by and find this on a jar of pickles, you are never getting anything from me again.”
“It’s going on the fruit baskets! How dare you!”
The woman threw up her hands defensively, her shoulders shaking in laughter, but all Sumi could do was stare. The man who had come out from the back room was striking. His features were sharp and angular, with an aquiline nose and strong jaw. His mouth was wide, his eyes so dark they seemed to glitter like obsidian. Something moved behind him, something brilliantlycolored, still moving behind him as he dropped a hand to the counter. It was his tail, Sumi realized after what felt like a small eternity, watching the sinuous way it moved, swaying in an undulation so subtle, she might not have noticed it if she hadn’t been paying such close attention to him.If he wasn’t so fucking gorgeous.
He was a naga, she realized.
His tail wasbeautiful. Vivid violet scales, banded in irregular splotches of inky blue, and as he turned to hand a spool of gold twined ribbon to the woman at the counter, Sumi could see a brilliant iridescence, prismatic like a rainbow. His light brown skin seemed to glow against the pale colored button-down he wore, and when his gaze traveled past the blonde woman to land on Sumi, eyes widening slightly in surprise, she could see that he had lashes so thick and black that it almost appeared as if he were wearing eyeliner. He was stunning.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t even hear the bell. What can I help you with today?”
