“Am I going the right way?”

“Yes, just take a left here.” Iliana indicated a side road.

“As you wish,” he said, steering Kestral in the right direction. After half a minute he spoke again. “So, do you work at Madame Suri’s Flower Shop?”

“Yes.” There’s no use denying that. Why else would I be picking flowers and then going to a flower shop?

“I believe Madame Suri is very lucky to have you. You pick the most beautiful flowers,” he said, peeking into her basket. Iliana smiled a very small smile. No one except her mother had ever told her personally that she picked beautiful flowers. Most of the time Iliana was late for work, and she had to rush around to put them all in their vases and get them watered. The customers that complimented the flowers said it to no one in particular, mostly when they are just glancing around the shop when they passed by.

“You are very kind to say that,” Iliana said.

“Oh, I am not being kind. I’m being honest.” Her smile widened a tiny bit.

This has to be the most compliments I’ve ever received in one day.

“Whoa,” Dray said, tugging gently on the reins, and the carriage stopped. Iliana looked around in surprise. There already? Sure enough she saw the familiar flowered sigh above the door that read:

Madame Suri’s Flower Shop

“I believe this is the place.”

“Yes, thank you,” Iliana said. Dray got down and helped her to the ground. For a moment they were only a hairs-breath apart, and then Iliana stepped back onto the sidewalk.

“It has been a pleasure,” Dray said, bowing low, “to escort you this fine morning Miss Iliana, and I hope I will have the pleasure of doing it again sometime.” With that he climbed back onto the carriage and with a wave and a high-pitched whistle, he was gone.

I didn’t even get to say thank you, Iliana thought. She shook her head and went into the store. What a strange man.

Iliana wasn’t late, but she wasn’t exactly early, either. Thankfully Madame Suri was out of the shop that day for some reason, so she didn’t get any glares or reprimands for it. Iliana put on her apron and put all the flowers in their vases as usual. The Blue Jewels she put in the special vase on the window sill. The other flower shop girls, Celsey, Emelia, Deline, and Sandie, bustled about straightening flowers and laying out ribbons. Celsey kept on giving Iliana a funny look. Iliana wondered if her friend had seen Dray dropping her off.

If she saw, the others must have as well. Oh dear…

All the girls were terrible gossips, and she knew that Celsey in particular was probably dying to know all about Dray. But the shop was now open, and customers came one after the other, filling the day with orders of bouquets, table arrangements, garlands, and much more.

It was a few hours after their lunch break, and the other girls were amusing themselves by helping a flustered young man pick out the perfect bouquet to propose with. They were having a little too much fun tormenting him, and now they were having him practice asking Emelia to be his wife, because he had made the mistake of saying that she looked incredibly like his bride to be. Iliana was standing behind the cash register, trying not to laugh at the color of the young man’s face. The bell for the door rang, and Iliana quickly wiped the amused smile off her face, replacing it with a helpful one, and looked up into a familiar face with deep blue eyes.

“Hello, miss,” Dray said, taking off his top hat and tuckng it under his arm. Iliana was shocked to see him again.

What is he doing here?

“I was wondering… is it possible to buy only one flower, or do you have to buy a bouquet?” It seemed like a rather odd question to Iliana, but she could only be kind and helpful to a potential customer.

“Um, I guess you could buy one flower,” she said. “But it would be a very small amount of money. I don’t think they make coins small enough.” Dray nodded, seeming to have expected that answer.

“Then I shall have to buy a bouquet,” he announced, looking around the shop. “Is it possible for me to make my own?”

“Yes please, help yourself.” Iliana tried not to watch as Dray went from vase to vase, picking only one or two flowers at a time, and busied herself by straightening her apron. At that moment the bell rang again, and she had to help another customer, grateful for the distraction. Iliana greeted the older woman that had just come in, recognizing her as a fairly regular customer.

“Hello, ma’am, how may I help you today?” The woman came over to the counter and smiled sweetly.

“Hello, yes, I need to pick up an order?”

“Can you give me your name please?” After receiving the name for the order, Iliana went into the back of the shop and found the flower arrangement the woman had come to collect. An assortment of gold, yellow, and pink blooms. As she carried the flowers back to the front, Iliana saw that the young man the other girls had been tormenting had fled, probably overwhelmed by their teasing. All they had to occupy themselves with now was Dray, and they watched intently as he continued to build his own bouquet a few flowers at a time.

Iliana returned her attention to the customer in front of her, placed the arrangement on the counter, and rang up the price on the register.

“That will be five coppers,” Iliana informed the woman, who handed over the money promptly. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”

“Thank you, you too,” the woman said, then she gathered up the flowers and headed out the door. Dray appeared in front of the counter, hiding his bouquet behind his back.

“Have you decided on a bouquet?” Iliana asked, beyond curious as to what he had created.

“Yes,” Dray said, and brought it out for her to see. Iliana stared in amazement. It looked exactly like the meadow outside of Abelton, the clumps of colors spread out beautifully. He had separated the different colors with tiny white flowers, and in the very middle was a single Blue Jewel. He had captured the beauty of the meadow in a single bouquet.

“It is beautiful,” Iliana said when she found her voice again. Dray smiled, then dug a hand into his pocket and brought out a few coins. She took the money he offered her, and was surprised to find that it was exactly the amount she would have asked for. “Have a nice day, sir,” she said automatically as she put the money in the register.

“Miss Iliana, I thought I asked you to call me Dray,” he said, sounding cross. But when she looked up at him there was a glint in his eye. Iliana felt herself relax inexplicably, then she realized what he was doing. He was teasing her. She almost smiled back, but then decided to play along with the little game.

“Well you call me miss,” Iliana said in her best superior tone.

“Yes, because that is an appropriate title for a young woman.”

“Then should I call you boy?”

“No, I’m not a boy,” he chuckled. “You shall call me Dray.”

“And you shall call me Iliana.” Dray scowled, but only for a moment.

“Very well. But if you slip up and call me sir, I shall call you ma’am.” He grinned slyly. Now it was Iliana’s turn to scowl.

“Ma’am is for old ladies,” she complained.

“And sir is for old men.” Iliana couldn’t help but let the smile she had been holding in break through. “No harm done. Since you have convinced me not to call you miss, you deserve a prize.” He looked around and his eyes settled on the bouquet he held. He plucked the blue flower from the center, and held it out to her across the counter.

“Oh, no, thank you,” Iliana said quickly. She didn’t feel at all comfortable accepting flowers from strange men. Even if the particular strange man in question was very nice.

“But you must have something,” Dray insisted, still holding the flower out to her.

“No, I couldn’t,” she said again. The discomfort was creeping back in now. Why does he insist on this?

“If you won’t take the flower, then you must have something else,” he said. He thought for a moment. “Perhaps my watch, or my hat.” 

He took both and placed them on the counter in front of her. Iliana shook her head and Dray took them back, but still held out the flower. He thought again, then his face broke out into a huge smile. Iliana wondered what he had thought of. 

“I’ve got it,” he said with a snap of his fingers. “A kiss.” Iliana could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and she knew she must be bright red. “A kiss or a flower, your choice,” Dray said, still grinning. She was much too embarrassed to answer, so she ducked her head. Dray reached out and tucked the flower behind her ear. She looked up at him, and his deep blue eyes melted all of the embarrassment away. He smiled widely, took his bouquet, and with a tinkle of the bell he was gone.

Iliana stood there for a while, completely stunned. How could she be so comfortable with a man she hardly knew, and then become so uncomfortable that she wanted to crawl under a rock, in less than ten seconds? She reached up and touched the flower that he had so confidently tucked behind her ear.

No one has ever given me a flower before…

Remembering where she was, Iliana startled out of her thoughts, looking all around her. She saw the other girls openly staring, obviously having nothing better to do the last few minutes than to listen in on her and Dray. The heat came back into her cheeks. The bell sounded, and Iliana ducked into the back room and started sweeping, forcing the other girls to help the new customers. Thankfully they were all kept busy until closing time.

What does he think he’s doing…? He seems to be giving this girl an abnormal amount of attention… could he be… no, it can’t be that… He doesn’t have the attention span… better warn her off… Nothing good could come of it…