Page 83 of Moonlight Hearts

“No.I think I’ll have to go find a bucket for these.Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”

“Very.We’ll come by when it isn’t as crowded.Have a good day.”

“You too.”

She headed back to the elevator, and I was left standing there.Ben was still leaning out of the way of a big flower that had orange in the center.The color faded to red at the edges, which made it look like small flames, and of course that reminded me of phoenix fire.

“I’ll go get you a bucket from the back.”Ben slid off his chair and headed through the swing doors.

“’Scuse me, coming through.”Thaeros was behind me, a laden tray in their hand.

“Right, sorry.Lots of flowers.”

Thaeros made a big face at the bouquet.“Are we friendly enough for me to ask if he’s sending flowers to compensate for shortcomings in other areas?”

I chortled.“You can ask, but I’m not answering that.”

“Fair enough.I’ve been given flowers many times, but not like this.”

I shifted them from one hand to the other.I wasn’t sure what Soyer had been thinking, sending me this big a bouquet.

“Not this many, you mean?Or by delivery?”

“No, reeking of love.All I ever got were flowers speaking of lust.”In a lower voice, he added, “You’re lucky.”

He headed away to feed our hungry patrons, and Ben came back a few seconds later, not with a bucket but with what looked suspiciously like a kitchen pot.I frowned at him.

Ben shrugged.“Kasey said this was okay.It’s the spaghetti pot, he says, and he doesn’t need that.”

I nodded.“He runs the kitchen.Can you put that on the counter over there?”

Ben helped me navigate the magnificent blooms and the pot onto the corner of the counter.While it was the bushiest of bouquets Soyer had ever sent my way, I couldn’t argue that it looked beautiful here.The colors were fire colors—reds, oranges, and yellows—and some of the flowers came with their own scents, which mixed with coffee and the sugar from the whipped cream of our milkshakes.

Ben crossed his arms and looked at the bouquet.“Takes me back to that first delivery.”

I grinned.“Right.I thought you’d mistaken the apartment number.”

“You looked very surprised when I told you I hadn’t.Sir.”

I slapped his arm.“Oh, stop.”

He glanced left and right, then leaned in close enough to whisper in my ear.“I’d never heard of him doing anything like sending anyone flowers, ever.I was almost convinced it was a prank until you opened the door.”

“Really?”I was whispering too.Not that this was gossip.

Ben nodded.“Obviously I couldn’t tell anyone.But…” He checked again to see that no one was watching us.“…I was the first person to see you.the first of our kind.”

He smiled like this had been a point of pride for him for too long, like he’d been aching to share this.

“What did you think of me?”

“Hmm.That I’d just woken you.And that you were very confused.”

I smiled.“Yeah, right on both counts.Oh, there’s a card there.Can you get it?”

I pointed, and Ben easily grabbed the card.He had a few inches on me and could reach much more easily.

He handed me the little envelope and went back to his usual spot.Like all of Soyer’s cards, this one was fancy.It was silver embossed, with a crescent moon that shimmered in the light.