I thought of what it must have been like for her. My grandpa Errol was the best man I’d ever known, and when he died, Mo didn’t get out of bed for a week. For a long time, it was like she was going through the motions. She would get up, shower, eat, and go to work, but it was like a shadow was constantly hanging over her—over us, because we mourned with her.

It only got better when we went to counseling and got the help we all needed to process what had happened. I couldn’t imagine how things would have been if we hadn’t gone. Maybe Circe didn’t have that opportunity. Every new thing I learned about these people made them more real.

The trees surrounding the grave site bowed their limbs, a reflection of my own sadness.

“I didn’t bring you here to make you sad,” said Marie. “I wanted you to know that you have a connection here that’s bigger than what happens in the shop, and the Heart is that connection. They all took their turn protecting it, but as much as I tried to understand it, they guarded their secrets fiercely. It was like they couldn’t allow anyone else to share their burden.”

“You don’t know why they kept it hidden?” I asked. “Why is it a burden at all?”

Marie walked over to a meticulously maintained grave. A fresh vase of fuchsia orchids sat next to it. The name read Astraea Colchis 1643–1680. She knelt and dusted off the grave marker. “When I was younger, I was ready to take on the world. I wanted to leave this place so badly—until I met Astraea. I stayed here because of her. She was my best friend during a time when I had none at all.” She swallowed hard. “One summer, I got sick. Sicker than I’d ever been in my life. My sister and my father had already died, and I knew I’d be next. Astraea saved me.”

My heart ached for her, but I couldn’t pretend that other parts of what she was saying weren’t bothering me. “You just said ‘when I was younger’ like you’re not young now. I’m confused.”

Marie sighed. “I’m thinking of how I can make it clearer for you.”

“See? Saying things like that makes no sense, and I’m not gonna lie, it scares the shit out of me. Like, literally scares me to death.” I recalled how, twice now, just being in her presence had sent fear rippling through me. It wasn’t the only thing I felt for her, but it still concerned me.

Marie shook her head. A pained expression stretched across her face. “I don’t want that.”

“Then you gotta start being honest with me. How could Astraea have been your best friend if she died in 1680?”