Elly kissed her mother’s forehead and handed her the syrup.
That Sunday had been a wonderful day. Elly laid down a blanket in the yard, where Sarah could be surrounded by her garden, those flowers that she had loved and cared for. She made hibiscus tea and chocolate mocha cookies, and they had lain in the sun, alternately laughing and crying. There were no grand statements, no whispered secrets of wills or pasts; just a mother and her daughter, feet entwined, saying goodbye without needing to say a word. When the golden light of sunset illuminated the yard, making every blade of grass a sun-kissed wonder, Sarah had become very tired, very quickly. She cried out for her daughter and took her hand in her strong grip. Elly pulled her Mother into her arms and rocked her slowly to the edge of forever sleep.
“Eleanor…” her mother put her fingers on her face. “I will love you forever.” She closed her eyes. “You will survive.”
Elly sobbed. “Survive what?”
She gave Elly one last smile and opened her eyes into the sun. And just like that, Sarah Jordan was gone. The scent of her gardenias drifted out of the yard into the warm Georgia air.
Elly stayed with her mother until the stars and the katydids arrived. Later that night she wandered the garden with Aaron, reeling from the shock of it all. She pointed out every plant and every flower, touching each one of them, each one a result of her Mother’s love. She lay down with Aaron onto the soft white blanket, the blanket that she had laid on with her mother, just five hours earlier. Wrapped around each other, they fell into a deep sleep. When she awoke, the sun was rising. She looked at Aaron sleeping beside her, his beautiful hair matted against his forehead. Yes, she would survive, she assured herself. As long as she had Aaron, she would be fine. She watched a daffodil dance with the breeze and remembered her mother’s round behind peeking out from behind her garden bushes. Thank you for my mother, she prayed, Amen.
That day, thought Elly, now back in the dark Posies studio, the day when her mother died, that day had been the beginning of Aaron’s betrayal. Elly angrily yanked the cooler door open. She grabbed some pale green kale roses, plum veronicas, baby blue agapanthus and bright pink poppies. Cadbury sat patiently by her feet. She leaned over and kissed his furry head. In the back, there was a crackled old vase that was too delicate for everyday use. Moving carefully, she placed flower after flower into the vase, until she had created an overflowing garden arrangement. She stepped back and admired her work. Her mother would have adored this.
She glanced down at Cadbury, who was snuffling around at the floor near her feet. She smiled. Her mother would have adored him too. Her cell phone vibrated, illuminating the massive pile of stems on the table. She glanced at it. Isaac. And just like that, her heart leapt up from the floor and settled itself back onto her sleeve. His voice, like warm caramel, dripped against her ear.
“What are you doing?”
Elly leaned against the counter. “Just thinking about my mother and making an arrangement for my kitchen table.”
“That sounds…lonely.”
Elly laughed. “It is. But I’m not alone. Cadbury is here with me.”
“I think I can officially state that he is the worst guard dog ever.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m here.”
Elly spun around. There was a figure standing in her doorway. She was instantly aware of her purple track pants and stained black camisole, as well as her hair, which was damp and in some sort of half-bun. She wiped her fingers under her eyes. They came away black with mascara. Great. She peered out the window.
Isaac stood in the misty rain, looking dazedly handsome and dangerous, his dark brown hair jet black in the moonlight. Elly opened the door.
“You know, that’s not romantic. It’s just kind of creepy.”
Isaac stepped in the door and quickly cupped her face in his hands. “You’ve been crying.”
“I have been. There was this mother at the wedding today….anyways, I get like this sometimes.” Please don’t notice the half-eaten bag of Oreos on the counter, she prayed.
Isaac kissed her mouth quickly. “I’m sorry you’re sad.”
Elly smiled. “That means a lot coming from a stalker.”
He grinned back. “Hey, I have some friends over upstairs – Tifah and Gene and Michael – and we’re working on this amazing track. I was wondering if you wanted to come have a listen, have a glass of wine. A beautiful woman always makes the music better. Also, we have carry-out.”
This did not sound appealing at all to Elly, but she was pretty sure that she could never say to no to Isaac’s brown eyes. “Sure – just give me a few minutes to close the shop up.”
Isaac ran his hand through her hair. “You can be my muse. I just want you to sit and be lovely.”