What Blooms Between Us

Chapter 1- Claire

I place the small arrangement of Tulips on the display, taking a step back to observe.

Nope. Still crooked.

With each movement, the shelf wobbles a little more, like it could give way at any second, taking down the whole thing, Lydia's memorabilia and all.

I took on ownership of Petal and Thorn three months ago and I swear it's like nothing has gone in my favor. I wasn't expecting it to be so– hard and everything so– broken. Lydia made it look so easy and never let anything bother her. She always wore the brightest smile and her lips were always the perfect shade of red, despite the mug of tea they were often attached to. "The two most important things in life," she once said, "A good cup of tea, and the right shade of lipstick."

The bell above the door jingles behind me.

"Claire! Don't touch that!" Ben warns, appearing at my side and dropping his tool bag to the floor. "I told you I'd fix it. Why are you so stubborn?"

I sigh, thankful he's here to save the day– like always. "I know it's just, I want it to be perfect. The festival is next weekend and I can't even get the stupid display to look right," I've spent the last month or so obsessing over getting ready for the Founder's Festival, one of the busiest times of the year for the shop.

Ben glances around the small store front, "Everything else looks great. Let me handle the shelf okay? I promise it'll all turn out okay."

I smile at him, "Thank you, seriously I know I don't say it enough,"

He brushes it off, "No need to thank me, its what I'm here for,"

We start clearing things from the shelf in silence, the fresh tulips I just added, the old weathered book Lydia kept record of every flower known to man in, the tiny watering can, postcards, and my personal favorite, the shadow box with a flower from the first bouquet Lydia ever did, labeled Petals and Thorns Est. 1974. Ben holds the box in his hands, admiring it. "Remember when we accidentally hit this with the tennis ball," he laughs reminiscing on the moment I thought for sure our lives were about to be over.

"I've never seen her so mad," I laughed. "Well, maybe that one time when we had that petal war...." Ben and I found a whole box of flower petals that Lydia had prepped for an upcoming wedding and well, things escalated quickly, and needless to say she was not impressed to come back and find us covered in petals.

He smiled, "Isn't that picture still here somewhere?"

I nod, glancing at the counter, "still behind the counter," Even though Lydia was furious, she captured the moment in a photo, and kept it behind the counter. I'm not sure if it was more for memory or more so she could look back and remind us how much trouble we got in that day.

Ben starts unscrewing the shelf just as I remember the box of decorative items I found earlier at the thrift store still in my car. "Shoot, I forgot something in the car, I'll be right back,"

He nods, laser focused on rescrewing the shelf.

I grab the box from my trunk and walk back inside to find Ben standing there, frozen, my phone outstretched in his hand, "You uh- You might want to take this," he says.

I twist my brows in confusion as I take the phone, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end is unfamiliar, "Yes, is this Ms. Thomas?"

"This is her," I glance at Ben who looks mildly uncomfortable.

The woman on the other end continues, "Great, Hi! I'm Natalie Vincent, calling from Vincent and Reed Attorney at Law, I'm calling about a personal matter regarding Samantha Mitchell. Is this an okay time to talk?"

My phone, and my jaw, hit the floor with a loud thump.

"Ma'am" the voice on the other end of the phone says, jarring my brain back to reality.

"Huh? Oh yeah—" I say. I'm calling to speak about Samantha Mitchell. Samantha? This can't be real. I haven't heard that name in over a decade. Not since her Mom stood on her doorstep, teary eyed and told me she was gone. Not since I lost my best friend without ever knowing why.

"She's staying with my sister," She'd told me, but I noticed the tears welling in her eyes as she said it. "In Texas,"

"For how long?" It was the middle of the school year, so for her to leave now something had to be wrong.

She hesitated but eventually quietly she said, "Probably forever," Forever? This wasn't making sense. Tears filled my eyes as I left her house, my phone already dialing Chase's number. As much as it pained me to admit it, my brother was the only person who always knew the right thing to say to make me feel better, even now in college, he answered on the first ring.

The voice on the phone continues, "Is there a time we could arrange to meet? I have somethings I need to discuss with you, it's rather uh- urgent." she says, her voice lined with caution as if she's trying not to say too much.

I look at Ben, working silently on the shelf but he stops as if he feels me looking, "You good?" he mouths. And seeing as this attorney seems to have something important to tell me, I really don't know how to answer him other than a half shrug before continuing with the phone call, "Where?"

"Well, it says here that you live in Virginia is that correct?"

"Mhm,"

She sighs, probably louder than she intended to, "Seeing as this matter is time sensitive, I can forward it to an office there. Let me make some calls and I will have someone reach back out by this afternoon,"

"Okay? Thank you?" I say, not really sure what I'm even thanking her for yet.

"You should hear from someone soon, have a great rest of your day," and the line goes dead. Well that was certainly weird.

Ben puts down the tools, appearing at my side within seconds, his presence comforting in the way it's always been. "What did she say?"

I run a hand over my face, willing the energy back, "Apparently it's something to do with Sam.... She's transferring the case to someone here, say's they'll call me today and want to meet with me 'urgently'". I tell him, putting air quotes around urgently.

He stiffens beside me, "Sam?"

I nod. Ben and I haven't spoken of Sam since since left, I figured by now he would have gotten over whatever vendetta they had against other, but the way he's suddenly tense beside me tells me otherwise. "She probably got into trouble," he says, more like mutters, but it was enough that I hear it. Point in case. I don't bother commenting, not wanting to stir up the past. Ben has never liked Sam, and the feeling was obviously mutual. He claimed she was "trouble" and that I was too nice to her. Sam claimed that Ben was a "stick in the mud so far it was wedged between the rocks at rock bottom," Yeah, she could be a little harsh at times.

Sam and I were opposites in a lot of ways. Everyone knew her. From the moment we met on the playground in the third grade she told me we would be best friends, and I believed her. We were. Inseperable. Joined at the hip, much to Ben, and my brother's dismay. Chase often agreed with Ben that Sam was up to no good. But her carefree spirit is what drew me to her. I envied her ability to live for the moment, the fire that lied within her. The fire I felt like was put out in me a long time ago, until she took my hand that day on the playground and relit it.