Lydia's POV:
Mornings in Alderwick smelled of cool, damp earth.
I was sorting a fresh delivery of flowers in the backyard of Abby's flower shop. Buckets of blooms stood beside the sink. Abby was making coffee inside. She leaned out to look at me.
"You've only been here a few days, and you're already better at picking flowers than I am."
I smiled without looking up.
Growing flowers and plants meant knowing how much water each one needed, what kind of light it liked, and which soil suited it best. You couldn't rush pruning, either. One cut in the wrong place could make a stem wither too soon.
I liked that sense of control, knowing what to do and what to expect. People weren't like that.
I'd loved studying plants since I was little. But I'd been so determined to prove myself that I'd f
