Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Sophie
“Okay,” I call to Willa, who is waiting just inside the stairwell with Archer. “Come on out!”
I focus my phone camera right on the love flower and wait for what I know is going to happen. Sure enough, as soon as Willa and Archer are within sight, the closed bud on the flower slowly unfurls, revealing the creamy white petals and dark pink center. It’s the first time I’ve gotten the entire process on film, and I just barely keep myself from squealing.
I’m still getting to know Archer, but I know enough to guess he’s not the kind of man who appreciates a good squeal.
“Did you get it?” Willa asks.
“I totally did,” I say. I open my gallery to watch the video. The actual process of blooming doesn’t look all that different from that of a moon flower, though a moon flower doesn’t bloom quite so quickly.
“Look,” I say as I pull up the video, turning so Willa and Archer can watch too.
Except, there’s nothing to watch.
The video plays, but the image on the screen is completely blurry. “What on earth? I swear, it was totally clear while I was filming. I was staring at the screen the whole time.”
“Maybe you moved a little?” Archer suggests.
“Or maybe the flower just doesn’t want to be filmed,” Willa says.
I give her a dubious look, and she rolls her eyes.
“So you think it blooms in the presence of true love, but you’re too much of a skeptic to think it doesn’t want to be caught on camera?”
“Okay, fair point,” I say. “But this totally sucks. I really wanted to show Peter, and he’s still refusing to come up and see it for himself.”
“Why?” Willa asks. “He loves your garden.”
“Not in the spring. He has terrible seasonal allergies. Once the pollen dies down, he’ll come.”
“Honestly,” Archer says, “maybe it’s better if the flower isn’t ever caught on video. Can you imagine how the world would react if everyone knew there was a love-detecting flower on our roof? This probably needs to remain one of The Serendipity’s secrets.”
“Oh, like the corpse flower,” Willa says. “I’ve heard people buy tickets and stand in line for hours to smell those things.”
I definitely don’t want people waiting in line to walk through my garden, so as much as I wish Peter could see the flower bloom, I have to agree with Archer and Willa. “Corpse flowers absolutely smell like death,” I say. “And I think you’re right. The broader public might ruin the magic.” What I don’t say out loud is that I don’t think the magic showed up for everybody else anyway. I’m pretty sure it showed up just for me.
“I wonder if it would work on your mom,” Willa says. “Maybe help her find someone she could finally settle down with.”
Willa has heard enough of my grumbling when it comes to my mom’s dating habits, I’m not surprised by her suggestion, though I have absolutely no confidence it would ever work.
“I think she’d have to want to settle down first,” I say, and Willa chuckles.
“Ha. True. Which is why it’s absolutely going to work for you,” she says. “You want it to.” She looks up at Archer. “Sophie has a new dating plan, and it’s totally brilliant and amazing. She’s calling it Operation Soulmate.”
“Do I want to know the details?” he asks dryly.
“Don’t sound judgy,” Willa says. “It’s a good plan.”
“I don’t know that I would call it brilliant or amazing,” I say. “It’s actually pretty simple. I opened a dating profile on Swipe Rite, and every time I match with a guy, I’m just going to invite him up here. If the flower doesn’t bloom, no date. If it does, well, then I’ve found my one true love.”
Archer frowns. “Sophie, it’s not a good idea to invite strange men back to your apartment.”
“Not back to my apartment. Just to the garden,” I say. “And Peter already promised he would help, so I’ll be safe.”
“I thought you said Peter can’t come on the roof because of his allergies,” Archer says, arms folded across his chest.
Goodness, this man’s good opinion is hard to earn.
“I already worked that part out,” I explain. “I’ll be on the roof when my date arrives, and Peter will let him in the building, then walk him up here. He’ll hover in the stairwell, out of sight but close enough to hear me should I need him, and stay long enough for me to flower-check the guys.”
Archer’s frown doesn’t budge even the tiniest bit, and I begin to question the merits of my plan. “I know it seems harsh to cancel dates if the flower doesn’t open,” I add, “and I might have to get creative in how and why I do it since I can’t exactly be honest. But I’m most concerned about efficiency, and I’d rather not make a guy buy me dinner when I know I won’t say yes to a second date.”
Even as I say the words, a smidgen of doubt—or is it guilt?—wriggles in the back of my mind.
I really don’t like lying to people. But ending dates before they’ve even begun will definitely require some lying. I could always tell the truth, but is that truly a better option when it will invariably make my dates think I’ve completely lost my mind?
“That’s generous of Peter,” Archer says. “How long will you keep him hovering in the stairwell?”
“That was actually his idea,” I say. “I told him he could just prop the door open and leave, but he insisted he wouldn’t leave me alone with a man I’ve only just met. But it shouldn’t take long. Just a few minutes of chatting for me to see if the flower blooms.”
“Peter’s right to stay with you,” Archer says. “A lot of things could go wrong.”
“They won’t, though,” I say. “I trust the magic to take care of me. It certainly took care of you and Willa.”
His expression softens the slightest bit. “All right. Just don’t get yourself hurt,” he says, this time with a hint of warmth in his voice that makes me think he cares, even if he does think my plan is completely ridiculous.
Which, I’ll be honest.
It might be.