“Have you been here long?” the woman asked.
Ah, this question again. “Only a few weeks.” She hesitated, then added. “I’m Calliope. Calliope Turner.”
“Holly Tremont. But please, just call me Holly.” She grinned at Calliope. “Violet will besojealous. Your shop already feels like it belongs here while hers still looks like a florist had a brawl with a haunted attic.”
“Oh?” Calliope’s interest spiked. “Your friend opened a shop herein Brighton?”
“Soon. It’s a few streets over. The Bloom Room. It’s a mess, but Violet is determined.”
Calliope already liked her. And this girl, Holly, as well. There was something extremely magnetic about her. Easy in her own skin. A sharpness beneath the sweetness. “I’ll have to stop by some time.”
“We’d love that.” Holly picked up a candle and sniffed. “And this one. It smells like tea and thunderstorms. Perfect.”
“That’s the black tea and oakmoss.”
“Sold.”
Calliope laughed. “You said ‘we.’ Are you helping her with the shop?”
“You could say so, though I’m exploring more than I’m helping.” She reached for her coin purse before pausing. “Oh, before I forget, was that your friend who you spoke to earlier?”
Calliope stilled. “Pardon?”
“Tall, golden, smug as sin.”
“Mr. Peregrine? He is not a friend, just a customer. Do you know him?”
She shook her head. “He looks familiar, but I can’t place from where.”
Ah.
Would she know about Maxen Fury, Calliope wondered? Honestly, after what had happened to Mr. Rollings, she ought to feel more fear. Even guilt for that matter. She’d run away and left the man behind, after all. Instead, all she could think about was the way her landlord’s gaze burned into her—ever so watchful, like she was a puzzle he was already halfway to solving. It made her feel... noticed. And infuriatingly alive.
Should she ask?
It couldn’t hurt, could it?
“I wonder if we share the same landlord,” Calliope tested.
“Landlord? I’m not sure,” Holly said thoughtfully. “But I can find out. The shop is opening in a few days. I’ll send over an invitation.”
Well, it was worth a try. Calliope smiled. “Thank you.”
Holly nodded. “If anyone troubles you, send them to The Bloom Room. Violet will wrap them a bouquet of nettles. My husband is also very good at discouraging nuisances.”
“What about you?” Calliope asked with amusement.
“Oh, I’ll just watch with glee.”
Calliope laughed, wrapping the candles. “Useful to know.”
“I find women make the best weapons.” Holly’s gaze sharpened just a touch. “Especially when the world expects us to be ornaments and follow their rules.”
Calliope’s smile faded a little. “I tend to avoid such worlds.”
“Then you’ll do just fine. I sense you have good instincts. How much do I owe you?”
“Your first bundle is free of charge.” She couldn’t bring herself to charge the woman. She wished to make more connections, and friendship, she believed, was best begun with kindness.
