‘FLOWERS, TEA, COFFEE OR BOOKS?’ The words rolled off my tongue with a melodic sound. For Gram. Just for Gram. She was home, resting, with Gramps spoiling her. I had placed her bicycle out the front of the store early with one of every single type of flower Gram had in the cold room. The blooms were magnificent, and the floral scent was profoundly magical.

‘Flowers, please. In fact, Fleur had a bouquet of spiral looking flowers in a vase the other day. I was wishing for one of those, if you have one?’

‘Not at the moment, but I can make one for you.’

‘That would be perfect, dear.’

‘Please go and have a complimentary tea of coffee at the café. Just tell Darcy that Andi sent you.’

The mature-aged woman smiled at me. She was the colour of olive green—peace. ‘Thank you,’ she said and left.

I began to panic. There was a queue of customers with flowers in their hands like we had never seen before. How was I going to create “Fleur’s Fury” and serve everyone?

Like an answered prayer, Charlotte weaved her way through the store, the sun’s rays frolicking behind her. She was the perpetual colour of happiness: yellow. She grabbed her apron and tied it on. ‘Morning, Yolande!’ she said, and placed a gerbera in her hair.

I laughed, remembering our crazy hair day on wild, wicked, Wednesday. I followed suit and grabbed a gerbera and threaded it through my hair, then left to create “Fleur’s Fury” at the workbench of flower imagination. I pulled out Gram’s design book and ran my finger down the contents—Fury. Page 50.

I turned to the flower recipe and noted the ingredients to the spiral creation, then went to the cold room at once and collected the green trick, caspia, curly willow, mini carnations, and wax flowers—pinks, purples, hues of green. I laid them in a tight row on the workbench as Gram had done, then ran tape along the stems and rolled them so they were like a spiral. Then I added the gold and silver ribbons—the Meniere’s ribbons.

‘Perfect,’ I whispered. The spiral of colours was a mass of beauty. Pleased with myself, I meandered my way through the store to the café to the woman and presented them to her, much to her pleasure.

I returned to the workbench and worked on orders that needed to be delivered, including my own special creation to be delivered to Gram, then set about ordering more flowers as they were disappearing fast.

At 5pm I closed the doors to Flowers for Fleur and took a breath like it was my first for the entire day.

I hugged Charlotte. ‘Thanks for rescuing us, yet again. Will you work for us full time until we know what is happening with Gram?’

Charlotte pressed her lips together. ‘Hmmm ... I’ll do some shuffling of my diary, but yes, I’d love to.’

‘Thanks. See you at 7am.’

Pleased with Charlotte’s commitment, I walked over to Darcy and wrapped my arms around him. ‘Thanks,’ I said.

‘What for?’

‘Being you!’

‘My pleasure, Yolande.’

‘Can we talk, after I finish preparing for tomorrow?’

‘Sure.’

I dashed off and attended to the must do’s that I did each evening before Xander arrived. At 5.55pm I sat opposite Darcy at a table. A pot of tea and cupcakes were between us.

‘I want to raise money to find a cure for Gram’s disease.’

Darcy looked at me and nodded his head. ‘Go on ...’

‘We add some items to the menu with wacky names that suit the symptoms of Meniere’s disease. The sales from those items are donated to research, one hundred percent.’

‘What were you thinking of?’

‘I’m leaving that in your capable creative baking hands. Do some research, then create a menu to match.’

Darcy nodded his head and raised his eyebrows. ‘Sounds like my type of challenge.’

‘I thought so ... ah ... don’t tell Gram what we’re doing.’

Darcy raised his hand and gave me a three-finger salute. ‘Scout’s honour.’

I frowned at him. ‘I didn’t know you were a boy scout!’

‘I wasn’t. I just always wanted to do the three-fingered salute!’

I smiled at Darcy and punched him on the arm. ‘Gotta run. See you tomorrow!’

I grabbed my backpack from the office and left through the front doors, locking them behind me, then walked to Xander’s car. He stood there holding the door open for me.

‘Thanks,’ I said as I slid into the passenger seat.

He gave me a nod before he went to the driver’s seat, started the engine and drove to the hall for dance session number ten.

‘You should invite your father to watch you dance,’ I said while we sat on the floor and stretched.

Xander pressed his lips together and shook his head ever so slightly. ‘He’s not ready.’

‘But it’s not ballet, and you’re dancing with me. He’ll think we have something going on ...’

‘True.’

‘Think about it. I’m happy to say that I asked you to dance with me, and that you went along with it, begrudgingly ...’

We stood.

‘We’re doing just the waltz tonight, three times without a foot wrong. Tomorrow night it’s foxtrot, then full-dress rehearsal the night after ... and ... I’m taking you to a movie tonight.’

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if there was a motive behind his movie plan. ‘Darcy won’t be happy,’ I said.

‘Is Darcy your boyfriend?’

‘No. But he keeps asking me to go to the movies with him, but I’m always with you.’

‘Good,’ Xander said, and we took our positions and waited for the music, Once Upon a Dream, to begin.

After four rounds of waltzing we had finished for the night. I sat down to change back into my work boots.

‘No work books, Yolande,’ Xander said. ‘You don’t need them when you’re with me.’ He looked into my eyes and raised his eyebrows at me.

I put my dance practice sneakers back on. ‘Can we stop at my place on the way, so I can change?’

‘Sure.’

*~*~*~*~*

I hooked arms with Xander as we walked to the movie.

‘Is your father, right?’ I asked.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Do you prefer men, and I’m your cover up?’

‘Does it matter who I prefer?’ he said.

‘Yes, and no.’

Xander looked down at me and frowned.

‘No—it’s the way you treat others that matters, not your sexuality, and yes—if a woman really, really likes you, she needs to know if you’re unavailable.’

He gazed deeply into my eyes and my body filled with warmth.

‘Yolande, I’m—’

‘Alexander! It’s so good to see you! Join us at the bar! Josh is there too!’

‘He is?’ Xander said. I watched Xander’s face light up at the mention of Josh’s name. He had just answered my question.

I looked down at my feet. I didn’t have my safety boots on. A wave of anxiety washed through me. I pulled out my phone. 

‘Go to the bar with your friends, Alexander. I’ll make my own way home,’ I said, filled with disappointment, and it had nothing to do with not seeing a movie. I unhooked my arm from his.

He found my hand and held it. ‘Come with me ... just one drink ... and then we’ll go to the movie,’ he said. ‘Please.’

‘I don’t want to make you look bad. Please go without me.’

Xander shook his head at me and frowned. ‘Let’s go.’

I followed behind him, my head down, preferring not to go with him.

There was a great raucous when he entered. Josh ran over to him and hugged him, way too generously. Xander let go of my hand, and I watched as he struggled out of Josh’s hold. I looked away, embarrassed for him.

I went and sat on a stool at the bar. Out of earshot. Out of enquiring looks. Out of Xander’s way while he socialised with his male friends.

Xander kept glancing over at me. Each time I held up my thumb to let him know I was okay.

As I sipped on a glass of iced water Josh appeared beside me.

‘You know I don’t like you, don’t you!’ Josh’s words were curt.

I took another swig of water. ‘Now I do,’ I said, not making eye contact with him.

‘You’re stealing the man I love.’

‘I’m just dancing with him. It’ll be over soon, and you can have him back,’ I said, and looked him in the eye. If I could have stepped off the edge of the earth into eternity I would have chosen now—except there is no edge. Imagine how many people could have chosen that option if the world was flat.

A hand rested on Josh’s shoulder: Xander’s. ‘Josh, I’d like you to meet Yolande.’

Josh held out his hand. ‘Nice to meet you, Yolande!’ he said, changing his entire voice, body posture and attitude.

I didn’t place my hand in his. ‘We’ve already met, remember? When you were buying flowers for your boyfriend at Flowers for Fleur!’ I gave him a smile, then looked up at Xander. I clicked my fingers pretending to try to remember something. ‘Who did you say the flowers were for again?’ I knew very well he didn’t mention his boyfriend’s name at the time.

‘Matt,’ Josh said. ‘He’s over there if you’d like to meet him?’

I was confused and looked up at Xander. I was one hundred percent sure the flowers were for him. ‘No. It’s all good,’ I said.

‘Are you scared of our type?’ he asked.

‘Not at all. I just don’t like being threatened, as you did to me.’ I took a sip of my water.

‘Josh?’ Xander said.

‘Just marking my territory, Alex.’

‘And that would be?’

‘You.’

Xander raised an eyebrow at Josh. ‘I’m not yours, Josh. Best friends, remember.’

I wanted to step out of this conversation, now. I looked at my fingernails. Something I never did, but it reminded me I should have them done for the dance competition. 

‘If you’ll excuse us, Yolande and I are going to see a movie.’

I looked at Xander at the mention of my name. He took my hand in his and we left.

Xander took long strides as he walked with a quickened pace.

‘I’m sorry. If you were alone that would never have happened, and you would still be with your friends,’ I said as we walked.

‘It’s not your fault. Josh gets insanely jealous of my friends. I thought he would stop once he and Matt connected. But apparently not ...’

‘I don’t blame him. I would fight for my best friend, too.’ I gazed ahead of me, looking but not looking. I did fight for my best friend, Mia. That, I did do right.