“I hope the rain stops sometime soon,” John commented as Evelyn was taking off her very wet oilskin.
She felt damp even though she’d had the oiled leather overcoat on. “I hope it’s done before I have to put the chickens up for the night. The oil skin is getting damp on the inside.”
“That could be the humidity in the greenhouse. The plants are loving it,” John’s deep soft voice calmed Evelyn’s slight irritation with the rain.
She looked around the greenhouse at all the brilliantly flowering plants, and she found herself smiling as well. They truly did look like happy plants.
“I should spend some more time here just appreciating the flowers,” Evelyn commented as she went over to the section where they had the beds of small local wild flowers for filler flowers.
The flower bed was a sea of tiny little flowers and she could barely see the plants underneath. She hadn’t expected the wildflowers to bloom quite as voraciously as they were. At the time they’d been a cheap and easy thing for her to grow as an arrangement filler, but now she truly could see the beauty of all the tiny flowers most people overlooked.
“These little guys sing your praises. Most people just trample on them and they struggle to survive. Here they can thrive and show their beauty,” John said as he moved to stand next to her.
He put his hand against the side of the flower bed and reached under the thick blanket of flowers to touch the soil. “They need just a touch of water today.”
Evelyn chuckled. That was a greenhouse environment. She stepped out of the way as John came back with the watering can and watered the wildflower patch.
“You should braid some wild flowers into your hair for the flower festival,” John said as he felt the soil of a pot of Lilies next to the wild flowers.
“I couldn’t waste flowers on myself. We have paying customers who will want them,” Evelyn shook her head at the thought of frivolously wasting flowers in her greenhouse.
He laughed. “No need to scowl at me like that. I won’t be taking any flowers from the greenhouse,” the corners of his lips curled in a mischievous smile.
What was he planning? Evelyn shrugged. As long as it wasn’t coming from her flowers, she was fine.
Evelyn thought about heading back into the shop, but she could hear if the door opened. She’d made it that way when she was the only working the shop before she’d hired John. She made up her mind to spend some time with the flowers and went through the checking on each and all of them making sure there weren't any bugs,rot, dry soil, wet soil, or mineral deficiencies showing up in the way the plants looked. They all looked perfect. In fact, she would swear they had more flowers than was normal for each plant to have.
“They all look exceedingly healthy. Healthier than when it was just me working the greenhouse,” Evelyn said as she finished checking the tulips. She looked around and saw John leaning over the Gladiolus flowers.
He looked up from the flowers. “The plants appreciate attention. The better their nutrients, soil, and conditions match perfectly to what they need, the more they thrive. Much like every living being.”
Evelyn flinched and eyes fell toward the ground pulling her body into a defeated look. Was that a rebuke against her care of the plants?
His eyes widened as he realized the way his words came across. “I didn’t mean to say your care was wrong,” he hobbled toward her.
She looked up into his kind brown eyes that were creased at the corners with worry.
He took her right hand with his free hand. “The plants love you too. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just - “ he paused and chewed a little on his lip.
“Why would the plants do better under you?” She whispered, prompting him to continue.
He stared down at her and shifted his feet a little. Then he broke eye contact and looked over at the tulips. “Growing plants was the family business,” he shrugged. “We just have a knack or something for making them grow better than other people.”
He looked quite tense and started to pull his hand back, but Evelyn didn’t let him. “Like magic?” she whispered knowing the stigma against it.
His eyes grew wider than she had seen them before and he pulled back from her. Both his hands were clenched onto the top of the cane in front of him. “Not magic! It’s not magic. We’ve been tested by the King’s forces,” his voice was rushed and panicky.
“I don’t care if it is magic. I have nothing against magic even if the kingdom does. Remember, I’m not from here. I just want to know the truth. I won’t report you even if it was magic. You are amazing with the plants, and I couldn’t replace you,” Evelyn did her best to calm him down, and it seemed to work as his panicked breathing became his taking deep breaths clearly trying to center himself.
He took a couple more deep breaths and closed his eyes. “I - we have a knack; a knowing. Everyone in my village has it. We know how the plants are faring and what they need.” His eyes opened and he glanced at the tulips again and whispered. “It’s not magic. I swear.”
It sounded like magic to Evelyn, but clearly magic had a much different connotation then she was used to. Evelyn gently touched his arm and attempted to look into his eyes, “Then it just means you're even more indispensable to me.”
His eyes met hers, and she could still see the worry that she would reject him. He blinked, and as his breathing became more natural she saw more a look of awe and something else she couldn’t quite define in the way his face relaxed. A tired smile took over and he reached forward toward her, and then instead reached over and placed his hand on the hand she had on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, his warm hand over hers. “Thanks,” he whispered.
Evelyn wished she could comfort him more; that she could truly reassure him she wouldn’t judge him or treat him any differently for his knack. But her own heart was racing as she realized just how close they were. She couldn’t step back though. Not right now when he might take that as rejection. Heat rose to her cheeks as they stood there in silence.
He opened his eyes, and then his face turned the color of the tulips next to them. His hand dropped down and she pulled her hand back. “Sorry,” he whispered, his eyes unable to meet hers.
“It’s ok,” she laughed nervously and then rushed inside the shop. She started sweeping while taking deep breaths. At some point her racing heart and burning cheeks had to calm down.
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