I leave Jack’s coffee on the kitchen counter, sending him a quick text to let him know it’s there. Climbing an additional flight of stairs multiple times a day to get to the studio is hopefully doing wonders for my butt, because damn, it’s tough sometimes. I stop in my room to change into an old T-shirt I don’t mind getting dirty, kicking off my shoes in the process. One of the best parts about working from home is never having to wear uncomfortable shoes ever again.

I grab my laptop and head up to the studio space, which I have lovingly dubbed BaBs (for Bridge and Blooms). I dump all my stuff on the counter and climb onto the bar stool I found at one of the local flea markets. Going through my calendar, and emails, and DMs, I put together a to-do list for the day. Since I don’t have any deliveries scheduled, today is mostly about catching up on admin stuff, which, not going to lie, has been kicking my butt. I love spreadsheets, but I’ve fallen so far behind on inputting info, I’m going to need the whole day to catch up.

When my eyes feel like they might actually fall out of my head, I push the stool back and go for a walk around BaBs. The space is big enough for me to do a couple of laps when I need a break. Normally it’s just a quick jaunt to give my eyes a rest and get the blood flowing, but today’s jaunt brings a small surprise.

Jack’s forbidden tarp still lives in the corner of the studio, and typically I breeze on by it, continually impressed with my no-peeking restraint. But today, said tarp has been haphazardly replaced, leaving a whole corner of the hidden contents exposed.

I check over my shoulder, even though Jack rarely comes up here when I’m working and usually sends me a text beforehand to give me a heads-up. Creeping on tippy-toes, I inch my way farther into the corner, low-key expecting some serial killer–esque corkboard with red string and pictures of his victims.

But that’s not at all what I find.

My brow furrows as I take in the smallest sliver of what’s revealed. And then I throw caution to the wind and push the tarp to the floor to get the full picture.