I walked through the store to the vast backyard. Beneath the angular plastic greenhouse roofs were rows of flowers and plants that I didn’t know, and even more pots spread out on a long, low platform. They were glazed in violet or Mexican blue or goldenrod, the colors bright as jewels.

An employee who was pricing the pots asked me, “Can I help you find anything?”

“No thanks, I’m just looking,” I said automatically, and then wondered if I should have asked for Steph. What if I couldn’t find her? What if she wasn’t working at all?

But I wanted this to be accidental. Getting someone else involved made it feel planned, and I didn’t have a plan.

I kept searching. At the back of the yard, the plastic roof ended, leaving the open area baking under the bright sun. Here there were pallets of soil and fertilizer and rocks, but still no sign of Steph.

It was too hot out here, so I headed back to the covered area. Down the aisle to my right a middle-aged blond woman was pointing at something on the ground, and as I approached, I realized she was gesturing to a person who was nearly hidden behind a cart full of plants. When the person stood up, it was Steph.

Once I saw her it felt inevitable, even though a second before it had seemed impossible. She didn’t notice me until the woman left with another plant in her basket. Steph was clearly expecting another shopper with another request, and the moment she recognized me, her entire expression changed, polite blankness swept away by surprise.

“Aria? What are you doing here?”

I gave her a tentative smile. “I was across the street, and then I remembered you work here. Hi.”

“Hi.” She smiled back. She began to move small pots of white and purple flowers from the cart in the aisle to the platform beside her. I walked down the aisle and looked at the plants; I was pretty sure I’d seen them in Joan’s yard.

“What are these?” I asked.

“Impatiens.”

“Impatience?”

“No.” She pulled a stake out of one of the pots and handed it to me. Impatiens.

“Oh. I don’t know much about plants.” I gave the stake back to her, and her fingers brushed mine as she took it.

“That’s what I’m here for.” She glanced up at me as she worked, and there was something knowing in her expression as she said, “So, are you here to broaden your knowledge of plants?”

There was a teasing tone in her voice. I knew she was giving me an opening to flirt with her, and I felt a thrill go through me.