Page 62 of Bloom

“Boyfriends, huh,” he said, as if he was trying how it sounded for size.

“How about you leave your answer until we see each other,” I suggested. “Say, Wednesday night? My place?”

“Sounds good.” Then he added, “What about your answer?”

“I already know my answer.”

He chuckled. “Fucking hell.”

I was now grinning like an idiot, my dinner long forgotten. “Unless you wanted to come over tomorrow night...”

He barked out a laugh. “You have no idea how much I’d like that. Six o’clock okay?”

“Perfect. We can order in some dinner.”

“Deal.”

We were both quiet then, but I didn’t want to hang up. “I should let you go,” I tried.

“Yeah,” he breathed but made no attempt to hang up.

“I’ll text you my address.”

“Okay.”

More silence. “Okay look,” I said. “I need to go before I ask you to come over tonight. Or before I find myself going to your place.”

He laughed. “Yes. Same. Okay, good night, Keats.”

“Good night, Linden.”

I had to make myself end the call, but I smiled for the rest of the night.

I was still smiling, even when I got to the flower markets early the next morning and all the way into the shop.

Robbie gave me one look, then rolled his eyes. “Oh god. It’s getting worse.”

I laughed but Lina chided him. “Leave him alone. He’s happy.”

We unloaded the van and began our workday, and I couldn’t remember ever feeling so damn happy.

Then around ten o’clock, my phone rang andMumflashed on the screen. I held it up for Lina to see. “Just be a minute,” I said, then walked outside and answered the call. “Hey, Mum.”

“Oh hey, love, just thought I’d call you to see how you are.”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I replied. Not even the grey day outside could ruin my mood. “Everything’s good.”

“How’s the store? Busy as ever?”

“Yep.”

There was a beat of silence. “What’s wrong? That sounded unfinished.”

I laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. The opposite, actually.”

“Oh?”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Maybe I’m jinxing myself here, but I might have met someone.”