Page 20 of Tempest’s Torment

I pour myself a coffee and get started on the morning orders. Buckets of fresh flowers line the workbench. I sort through the ranunculus first, stripping the leaves from the bottom of each stem before cutting them to length. A few are already starting to turn, so I set them aside for the compost bin and keep going.

"Louise called in," Cara says from the other end of the bench. "She's running a little late."

"I can cover the front."

"I know you can," she tells me as I reach for another stem. "You're taking a lunch break today."

I shake my head. "I'm fine."

"I didn't say you weren't." I glance up at her words and see that Cara's looking at me over the top of her glasses. "I said you're taking a lunch break."

"Cara..."

"Lilah," she imitates, and I sigh. "You've worked through lunch three times this week. At noon, you're leaving this shop, finding yourself something to eat, and staying gone for an hour."

"That's crazy."

She tsks at me, shaking her head. "It's called a lunch break, it’s mandatory, Louise said so herself."

"I don't need an hour."

Cara doesn't even look up. "You're getting one."

I sigh. "There's a delivery at one."

"I'll do it."

"The wedding order⁠—"

"It'll still be here when you get back." She snips another stem, calm as anything. "Noon, Lilah."

I know that tone; I've heard it enough over the last past two years to know arguing is a waste of breath. "Fine."

"I'll believe that when I see you walking out the door."

A laugh slips out before I can stop it, and I see Cara’s little smile as she goes back to work.

The bell above the door jingles a few minutes later, and a woman in navy scrubs steps inside, her hair tied up in a messy knot on the top of her head; she’s got a sweet smile on her lips as she steps close to the counter.

"I'm looking for flowers," she says. "One of the nurses is retiring tomorrow."

I return her smile. Helping people pick out flowers is one of my favorite things to do. "Any favorites?"

"Sunflowers, she talks about them constantly."

I nod and get to work, and she tells me stories about the nurse that’s retiring. The woman sounds extremely fond of her. "She sounds well loved."

"She is."

I finish the bouquet, tie everything together, and then wrap the bouquet in brown paper. The nurse's face softens the second she sees it. "Oh... that's beautiful."

"I hope she likes it."

She nods, her eyes filling with tears. "She's going to cry."

I smile as I hand it over. "I'll take that as a good sign."

I watch her carry the bouquet out of the shop before turning back to the workbench. I throw the stripped leaves into the bin and pull the next order across the bench.