by Brea Viragh
“I’m worried about her,” said Karsia.
“Yeah, I know. So am I.”
“We definitely need a plan.”
“Definitely.”
The idea of Aisanna going it alone did not sit well with either sister. Unfortunately, there appeared to be little choice in the matter.
“Any ideas?” Karsia asked.
“Maybe…” Astix bent to retrieve her phone and punched a number. “Leo? I’m on the way home. I’ve got news.”
**
Aisanna reached the rear door to the shop moments later, soaked to the bone and shivering. She dug into her purse and only then realized she didn’t have the keys with her.
“You have to be kidding me.”
Her head banged against the metal. Lines of icy rain cut along the plane of her jaw. She kept her face low and raised her hand to pound against the metal, rhythmic booms resounding until she made out the sound of footsteps from inside.
“Come on, come on!” she yelled. “Open up. It’s me.”
Locks clicked and tumblers released. She jolted forward when Elon pulled open the door. “You made it.” He peered at Aisanna. “And you look awful.”
A hand shot to his mouth to squelch the rest of whatever he’d been about to say. “Tell me I look awful one more time and I’m going to permanently sew your lips closed,” she threatened.
“Sorry,” he mumbled through her hand. “You shouldn’t be out in the rain. Get inside.”
“Where’s the emergency? Why did you not call in a backup?” She cut right to the chase, pushing past him with a pained exhalation.
Elon trailed after her. “I did. And here you are.”
“I mean our regular employees,” she said in exasperation.
“The weather, boss. No one else wanted to come out. Johan yelled something about not risking his neck for minimum wage then hung up on me. I tried to call the Petersons and see if they wanted to reschedule but they said everything is still on, no return on their deposit if they cancel the day of. Like I told you over the phone, the freesias did not come in and I can’t put everything together myself.”
He hated getting her out of bed. More than ever she needed to rest, to recover from whatever horrors she’d gone through, whatever harm had come to her body. He blamed himself for the freesias. If only he had been more vigilant with the ordering and kept a better eye on deliveries. Then there would be no need for her to be there. It was true, he couldn’t handle things himself, but he damn well would have tried instead of forcing her to come in.
And there she was. If anyone could pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat, it was Aisanna.
“I understand the weather. It’s just a pain in the ass.” She threw off her jacket and, though her gait appeared unsteady, grabbed an apron from a nearby hook. She took in the familiar scent of the shop, flowers, and greenery, and Elon watched some of the tension ease.
“You don’t feel well and this makes everything ten times worse. You have bigger things to deal with than work crap.”
She shot him a look over her shoulder. After a long breathy sigh, she came out with “Absolutely.”
She would do what was necessary. No questions asked, no hesitation. It was one of the things he admired most about her.
“You’re better at time management than I am. Show me what needs to be done,” he replied.
“You said the magic words.”
Even after four days at home, she was ready to go. His esteem of her bumped up a notch and he summarized the situation for her. They got to work, and Elon tried to add a bounce to his step for her benefit. Time ticked away with neither one glancing up for anything less than moving on to the next bouquet. The next garland. The next centerpiece. They took breaks to switch out buckets beneath the busted water pipe.
Soon she forgot about the pain in her joints. She forgot about her worries, the plan they hadn’t been able to formulate, and dove into the vigor of creation. Elon had music on for her. Another folksy tune with the wail of a fiddle and the richer, sensual tones of a cello. A woman’s voice cooed to them over the music, melodically telling them about the man who did her wrong.
He hummed along with the tune and made up the words he didn’t know. Aisanna listened to the way his voice rose and fell along with the notes he missed and those he did not. He carried her away until the work did not feel like a burden.
She made sure the rest of the arrangements were in order before excusing herself to the back room. “I’m going to go see if I can find some kind of replacement that will work. Or maybe we misplaced those freesias. The temp could have mislabeled the boxes or something.” She started down the hall, then turned around. “Who the hell orders freesias in February, anyway? The Petersons are out of their minds.”
“You can look, but I’m telling you, I searched through the boxes over and over again. There’s nothing back there and I blame myself for the oversight.”
“You can blame yourself later if you want. Now keep a handle on this while I search.”
While Elon distracted himself with the final changes, Aisanna inspected her inventory. Exhaustion threatened her, more now than it had earlier in the day. She was running on fumes and falling short of her very high expectations for herself.
Get it together, girl.
She pushed those thoughts to the side, as well as the overwhelming desire to turn on every single light, and willed herself to focus.
Rows of vases filled with blooms in shades of white and dark-pink lined the cases of the shop, ready to go when they’d deliver for the wedding. She surveyed the work with pride, immeasurable pride at what they had been able to accomplish in such a short time. Elon would not have been able to handle the order alone, she knew, no matter what he told her. It made her feel a bit better for asking her sister to drive in the weather.
A box tipped on its side and fell. Aisanna jumped at the sound before giving herself a slap on the wrist. There were no monsters lurking. Nothing lingered in the dark to swallow her whole or suck her into visions.
This was her space, her hour. If she didn’t feel comfortable in her workplace…then where?
The magic was slow in coming when she concentrated on the need, the pressing need for it. She’d used too much for healing and left no time to recharge the proverbial batteries. If she didn’t have those freesias in the next few hours, then it would be for nothing. She knew how particular brides could be, especially when their parents controlled the purse strings. One small slip, and a hard-won reputation was potentially besmirched by unhappy customers.
She’d gone the extra mile for Mrs. Ulrich. She could do it here.
Aisanna drew on every ounce of power she could muster and felt a swell of relief when heat built at her fingertips. This was real. This was stable. This was a physical manifestation of her soul. Maybe her doubts were misplaced. Maybe she and her sisters were powerful enough to face the beast before the eclipse.
“Come to life for me,” she muttered, closing her eyes and picturing what she desired behind her lids.
Instantly the scent of buds assaulted her with a sweetness so keen and sharp it brought tears to her eyes.
Branches of flowers sprouted from nothing, boughs dripping with red and orange blossoms and tufts of long narrow leaves along a slightly angled stem. Loose one-sided spikes of funnel-shaped flowers filled the air with delicious perfume.
Only when she was sure to have enough did she release the flow.
Freesia blossoms surrounded her, enough to decorate the entire room with their beauty. It took her longer than expected to gather them together, placing each delicately into a box and making sure Elon did not hear her tape the cardboard lids together.
That would do nicely.
She slid the box into the walk-in cooler, tucked it just under the bottom shelf.
“Hey!” she called out, standing near the box and holding the cooler door open. “Elon. Come take a look at this.”
He shuffled over from the front and flip
ped the wall switch on to flood the room with light. “What?”
Aisanna gave the box a small kick with the toe of her boot. “Just open this up and tell me what’s inside.”
Elon did as she asked. He removed a box cutter from his back pocket and released it with a slight snick. Bending, he slid the blade through the newly placed tape and drew the sides apart. For a moment he could only look at her.
“Holy shit!” His smile was wide and relieved. “How did you find these?”
“They were right here the whole time. They must have come sometime during the week. Like I said, mislabeled.” Aisanna surveyed her work. “This is why I stress the importance of knowing your inventory.”
She hated lying to Elon, hated hiding her gift from him and the others. Unfortunately, she knew the consequences of telling normal people of her magic. Resentment and bitterness grew at their lack of power. Soon they came to fear what they didn’t understand. It was a risk the higher-ups in their community refused to take. The rules were in place to protect everyone.
That was where the Claddium came into the picture. They had been birthed after the Spanish Inquisition in an attempt to close ranks on the community and protect those with magic from the rest of the world.
Elon could never know what she was. And she was not prepared to face the penalties if he ever found out.
She watched the play of emotions on his face. He peered up at her with happiness so acute it brought an answering grin, her lips drawing back.
“I can’t believe we missed this.” Elon dug down and removed several of the blossoms, bringing them up to his nose. “I feel stupid for calling you in. If I’d taken a second look I would have found it myself.”
“No, you needed the help. I should have been here, anyway. I hate sitting idle when I should be doing something. At least we found the box before it was too late.”
“You’re right. As usual.” He didn’t sound bitter about it.
She held the door open. “Do you want to bring those out? We can do the finishing touches.”
Elon lifted the package, sailing by her and bringing the entire container to the front room to complete the wedding preparations. Aisanna spared a quick glance at his skinny jean-clad rear before averting her gaze.
“Johan needs to get his eyes checked. With those Coke-bottle glasses, he still couldn’t see a bulls-eye on a horse’s ass,” Elon joked. “He helped me look yesterday. Olivia, too. I double checked today. Maybe I’m the one who needs his eyes checked.”
“You’re right about Johan. He just refuses to buy new ones. He still insists he has perfect twenty/twenty vision.”
Aisanna stifled a laugh at her oldest employee, the first one she’d hired. She kept him on because of sentimentality, when his work was not quite up to par and his eyesight was, indeed, going-going-gone. He was also a classic misanthrope who didn’t quite understand the concept of pleasing the customer.
“The other day, I caught him putting salt in his coffee instead of sugar. Do you know, he drank the whole thing instead of admitting he was wrong. I watched him do it. I’ve never seen someone so committed.” Elon shook his head. “He really is a character. I’m sure there are other things he’s done, funnier things, but I can’t think of them right now.” He dug into the confines of the cardboard for a bunch of flowers, delighted when she grinned. “I really am happy you came in today.”
“You want to know something? I’m happy about it, too.”
“Even if it’s just you and me? Alone?”
She exhaled a warm puff of air to move her hair from her brow. “There seems to be a bit more of you and me alone lately than I would like. But you know what? Yes, if it’s you and me, I’m happy.”
He gave her a quick laugh. “I’ve waited three years for you to tell me that.”
“Glad you didn’t hold your breath.”
“I think I would have died waiting. Now I know you’re not feeling well. You’re doling out compliments like Halloween candy.”
She schooled her face into one of annoyance. “I compliment you. Often.”
“I think I can count the times on one hand,” Elon insisted lightly, getting into the spirit of their teasing. “Don’t worry, I understand why. You wouldn’t want my head to swell up larger than yours.”
At her outraged gasp, he tossed a freesia blossom her way. Aisanna snapped it out of the air and used her other hand to smack his shoulder. “Maybe I should start putting salt in your coffee. How would you like that?”
“Probably as much as Johan.”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you,” she let her hand linger on his arm a split second longer than usual, “but thank you. It helps.”
He placed his fingers over hers. “Anytime. Bet you didn’t realize I had such a rapier wit.”
“I might have had an inkling. If you can get out of your head long enough to show it to me.”
“I think what you meant to say was, ‘If I can stop yelling at Elon long enough for his creative thoughts to materialize.’”
They stayed like that for a moment longer, eyes locked and fingers touching. Then she broke contact. Elon cleared his throat. “How about you tell me how you’re doing. Or do I have to beg you?”
“I’m doing much better,” she said finally. “Thank you for asking. I’m trying to heal.”
“You ready to give me the truth of the nitty-gritty details? I’m working with the word on the street, which is cut brakes, and you said it wasn’t true.”
“Not true, still awful.” Aisanna eased back and contented herself with watching him. “I thought I saw someone in the backseat of my car. I freaked out, ran into an SUV, and then it was lights out.”
“I’m surprised your hard head didn’t damage the SUV,” he quipped.
“Always makes me feel better to hear you say it.”
He made her laugh, put her gently at ease once more. He had that way about him. They chatted about several nonsense topics, from employee idiosyncrasies, to the weather, to plans for the coming months.
She did like the way he moved. Patient and steady. He nursed the bouquet, made a few finishing touches, until he was sure everything was exactly right before moving to the next.
Before Aisanna knew it, she was telling him about various family feuds over the years.
“Russian temperaments never mix well, especially with everyone in one house,” she said. “I can remember one day my mother wanted to bake a cake. She does not cook well in the first place, let me tell you. My father brought her flour for the mix. In her mind, it wasn’t the right kind. She threw the flour, the pot, the spoon, and several knives in his direction. He managed to get to the door in time to avoid the butcher knife before it embedded in the wood. He still refuses to change the door. He keeps the gouge mark as a memento. Or a reminder whenever he wants something and she’s hesitant to agree.”
Because the sky had darkened with the swarm of clouds and snow, Elon took it upon himself to light several candles despite the fluorescents overhead. He retrieved two candles from the emergency kit beneath the counter and soon both wicks were lit. “I wasn’t really welcome in the kitchen. I had no idea about the danger of baking cakes. I should have realized what goes on behind those closed doors.”
“Not to mention having three girls and one boy under the age of fifteen,” she added, placing flowers intermittently amongst the vases. Oh yes, much better. Amazing how things came together with the smallest addition.
Elon sent her a look. “How did I not know you had these siblings?”
The thought of her missing brother had her stomach twisting in a sailor’s knot. She pushed the feeling aside and reached for the next bloom. One thing at a time. “I suppose it never came up before. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’m an only child. My parents decided they could only handle one of me. Apparently, I was a terror. I didn’t sleep for more than three hours at a time.”
He adored the look of her in any light. The muted golds of the candles di
d wonders for her complexion, put little flecks of light in those interesting eyes. He tried not to stare too often, although lately he could not help himself.
“I was never one for the kitchen. No, I wanted to be an explorer.” He smiled at the memory. “I was always outside, skinning my knees, breaking things.” He rolled up his sleeve to show her a long, crooked scar running from his elbow to mid-bicep. “Here I was crossing a grapevine between trees and I landed on a rock. Hard.”
“That looks like it was painful.”
“Yeah, no shit.” He yanked his sleeve back down. “I was always into something. Even the broken bone didn’t stop me. I was back at it within a week of getting my cast.”
“You should have seen some of the things my sisters and brother got into,” she started.
“But not you?”
“I’m the oldest. I was not supposed to do those sorts of things.” She leaned in close for a conspirator’s whisper. “Although I’ll admit to you, I did. I threw rolls of toilet paper at my neighbor’s trees on Halloween, and eggs at their windows.”
His smile was quick to come. “You little devil, you.”
“And I sold marijuana in college for about a week. Then the guilt had me straightening out.” The admission brought a blush to her cheeks. She could conjure plants, could she not? It was simple to produce a few buds and use the extra spending money for textbooks. It sure beat asking her parents for a loan.
“Wow. A devil and a rebel. I would never have guessed.”
“There’s more to me than meets the eye.” Aisanna tapped a finger to her chest. “I was a revolutionary.”
“Yeah? Not me. I did get into a pack of my father’s cigarettes when I was five. I ended up eating one instead of smoking it and being so sick I didn’t think I would recover.” Elon stood back and surveyed their work. “You think it’s good enough for the wedding?”
“Yes. We’re on the right track.”
While they continued, he poured two glasses of water and set them down on the counter.
“I can picture you as a little boy. You still have the touch of youth on your face…” Aisanna trailed off when Elon picked up his glass and downed the whole thing. He used the inside of his elbow to wipe his mouth, leaving his lips pink.
