Chapter 20
JULES
By the time we tumble into the church office, the clock on the wall edges toward three. The air smells like old hymnals and lemon polish, but Cara doesn’t notice. She’s already on the floor, elbow-deep in her emergency kit, muttering like she’s negotiating a hostage release.
Then she freezes. Pulls out a crumpled receipt. Stares at it.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispers. “I know this florist.”
Her hands shake as she dials. One frantic call, three minutes of pacing, and she hangs up, eyes wide. “They had a cancellation. They can be here in twenty minutes.”
By the time Calvin and Riot return with armfuls of wildflowers, Mrs. Dorsey’s parading her silk roses like they’re crown jewels. Then the florist arrives last with white peonies, blush roses, and soft greenery. Gorgeous, but too polished, too small on its own for Maddie’s vision.
So we spread everything across the kitchen table: the wildflowers, the greens, the silk roses, the florist’s bouquet, and start weaving it all together.
Scissors snip. Ribbons curl. Stems trimmed and tucked. Lavender sprigs, peach blossoms, and daisies slip between the roses until it feels like Maddie’s bouquet, not someone else’s.
Someone’s phone plays an ’80s love ballad, and for a little while, the chaos becomes almost joyful.
When the bouquet’s finally finished, wildflowers peek between the roses and silk petals are woven in like a secret. It isn’t perfect. It’s better.
Maddie holds it like it’s made of gold. “It’s everything I didn’t know I wanted.”
Cara swallows hard, blinking fast. For once, she doesn’t rush to the next task. She just lets Maddie hug her. Lets me squeeze her hand.
When I glance up, Calvin’s watching from across the table, one hand braced on the back of a chair. No smirk. No teasing. Just a gaze that’s impossible to ignore.
It lingers a second too long. Not accusing. Not inviting. Just… there.
I manage a small smile, something halfway between truce and thank you.
He gives the barest nod before looking away, passing Cara a pair of scissors like nothing happened.
And for the first time today, the storm inside me quiets.