Page 17 of Torrent’s Treasure

“Yay, can we pick the flowers?” Calliope chimed in.

“Well, of course,” Sally replied warmly.

“Now, making a flower arrangement is a little different than, say, if we were putting together the flowers to plant in the containers out front by the doors. If we were doing a container, we’d want what we call thrillers, spillers, and fillers. Thrillers are your colorful flowers that are the base of your arrangement. Fillers are the greens and small fillers like baby’s breath. Spillers are the trailing plants that go down the side of the container. Since these are a flower arrangement, we’ll have thrillers and fillers. Now, let’s pick our colors and flowers,” Sally instructed, leading them to the case.

Cecilia enjoyed just being in the moment and learning about flowers. Sally had them pick out which vases they wanted in their rooms and then hooked a little grid on the top of each vase that would keep the flowers in a certain position.

“How did you and Dragon meet?” Cecilia asked. Their relationship was such a blend of personalities. Dragon, the club President, and Sally, his Ol’ Lady, but there were times Dragon deferred to Sally.

“Oh, it was in unusual circumstances that we’ll have to discuss sometime over drinks,” Sally teased, winking and nodding to Calliope.

Cecilia wondered how wild the story was if Sally didn’t want to tell it with Calliope around. Calliope had picked purple, yellow, and white flowers for her arrangement. Following Sally’s directions, Cecilia had to admit that hers looked pretty good.

Cecilia had picked three variations of yellow. She usually had a pretty sunny personality, but she’d been having a hard time seeing the good the last couple of days. Having the sunny bouquet on the kitchen table would be a visible reminder of all the good things in the world.

“I come bearing gifts,” a voice called from the hallway.

“Brace yourself,” Sally whispered.

Cecilia wasn’t sure what she’d expected after Sally’s comment, but it wasn’t the woman who walked in the door. Her hair was a mishmash of braids, some with woven-in beads and some with flowers. Her face was absolutely stunning, with a glowing tan. She had on a long, flowy skirt, multiple bracelets that jingled as she moved, and a tank top. She carried two large containers of flowers.

“Who are your friends?” the woman asked, placing the containers of flowers on the counter.

“Really? You expect me to believe that Mav or Harley didn’t call or text you?” Sally challenged.

The woman grinned and giggled. “Okay, Harley did first, then Mav. Hi, I’m Willow, Sally and Dragon’s daughter. I also claim Mav, Torrent, and Harley as brothers.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Cecilia said, wondering why Willow hadn’t been at their wedding.

Willow gave her a hug then walked over to Calliope. “You must be my new niece, Calliope. Has Torrent shared that I have a farm with animals, a flower garden and a vegetable garden?” she asked, her eyes bright.

Calliope let Willow hug her.

“He hasn’t but it’s been busy,” Calliope murmured softly.

“Oh, I like that you’re defending him. I’m sorry I missed the wedding. I was at a show buying more seeds and implements,” Willow explained, pulling Sally in for a hug.

Willow sat down beside them as they worked on their arrangements. Cecilia found her easy to talk to. She promised that she had lots of stories to share about Mav and Torrent in high school. Cecilia would love to know more about the man she was married to. She wondered if he had always been grumpy and quiet or if prison had done that to him.

The slam of a door echoed loudly down the hallway outside the room. Sally reached into her purse and pulled out a gun, as did Willow. Willow stood up and walked to the side of the room where someone walking in the door couldn’t see her.

“Girls, come get behind me,” she directed.

Cecilia and Calliope got behind her, and Cecilia had Calliope scoot down onto the floor.

Torrent came running into the room, skidding to a halt, Maverick and Dragon right behind.

“Oh, fuck, you’re okay,” he panted, his chest heaving.

“Why wouldn’t we be? Is there another threat?” Sally demanded.

“Cecilia wasn’t answering her phone, and neither were you. No one knew where you were,” Dragon said, walking toward them.

Calliope stood up. “Yes, they did. The woman that glares at Cecilia saw us leave,” she insisted.

Sally laid her gun on the table and pulled her phone out of her purse. She held the phone up to Dragon.

“No one called me,” she stated flatly.