Asleep

52 Flowers

And somehow I'm completely fine with that.

Without a word, she leaves the aisle and drifts to the chrysanthemums, becoming absorbed in studying them, her focus on some that are light and dark purple. Using her distraction, I sneak up behind her and say, "Are you going to delight me with one of your atrocious combinations of flowers?"

She startles, backing into me. My arms go out to steady her, but before they touch her, she jerks away. "Sorry," she says.

"I was the one who scared you." I slip around her and study the selection of flowers.

"Right." Tucking her brown hair behind her ears, she points at a cluster of dark red chrysanthemums. "Those. And"—she taps her finger against her jaw—"those." She picks up two pots of the flowers in orange, and I grab two pots of red ones.

"How many do you need?"

"Four more of each."

"I brought my car so I can bring them to your house if you want to go ahead and go." If she rides with me, it's almost guaranteed that someone who works for Dad is sure to see us. Unless she were to hide in the backseat, but that's not the most comfortable spot.

"I need to pay for them first."

"I'll take care of it. Consider it a severance."

"I quit."

I hold my finger up to my lips. "No one has to know."

She hesitates before finally saying, "Well thank you. Do you want help loading your car?"

"Too risky." Especially if I'm already taking the chance of being spotted by spending time in her front yard.

"I'll get the shovels then." Keeping herself angled toward me and the table, she conjures a small shovel in her hand.

I snort. "They're going to think you stole that. Do you know how to get rid of it?"

"Like unconjure it?"

I nod.

"No, but"—she stares down at it, her brow drawing together—"I would think I'd just have to picture my hand"—the shovel vanishes—"empty."

"I'd applaud you, but my hands are a bit occupied."

Nora opens her mouth to say something but closes it. A moment later the woman walks by us, headed back into the main part of the store. Nora nods to me and follows in the direction of the woman.

*****

As I park in Nora's empty driveway, I can't help wondering if she'll ever be interested in getting a car. She'll always know that she's dreaming, but unless she tries to make some semblance of a life here, she'll always be miserable.

Her front door opens, and Nora steps outside.

"I thought you were taking the subway."

She shrugs. "I started off taking it and then I found a place I could rift from."

"Don't tell me you're becoming addicted. Or worse yet, reliant."

She rolls her eyes, coming down the steps. "Very funny."

Together we unload her car, bringing the flowers to the section of her house where she wants to plant them. There I find two shovels waiting, similar to the one she conjured in the store. We set to work, her digging the holes and me lifting the chrysanthemums out of the pot and into the holes.

I have the next bunch of chrysanthemums ready to plant before she is done digging. When she draws her hand back, my hand brushes hers as I lower my hands to place the flowers into the ground. I tense, expecting her to pull away, but she doesn't. She lifts her eyes to mine, her cheeks reddening. Blushing from the girl who made the comment that we were acting like lovers?

"So a circus." She slowly moves her hand away, digging the shovel into the ground in a new spot. "What are your other menageries?"

"A jungle and a ski lodge."

"How did you decide on those?"

"Somnia doesn't have any mountains or jungles. Have you . . . When you were awake, did you ever see a mountain or jungle?"

"I've been to the mountains a few times."

"Would you want to see another menagerie tomorrow?"

She pats the dirt around one of the bunches of chrysanthemums I planted. "I'd love that."

At this point, chrysanthemum petals should really be on the cover of the book.