Page 44 of Flowers Near Me

Charon tilted her head. “I work. That’s what I like to do.” There was more, but it didn’t look like the psychopomp was ready to reveal it yet. Whatever Charon did in her free time was not something she let spill into her work life. Could Charon secretly be a gambler or partier? It was silly but Charon’s tight-lipped manner intrigued Persephone.

“Have you always worked for Underworld Unlimited?”

“Yes, since the beginning. You know how it is with a career. Once you’ve worked somewhere long enough, you know all its secrets. It’s satisfying to have the power you need to complete the tasks ahead of you. I like the feeling a lot.”

Persephone hummed her agreement, holding her phone tighter. It was a Thursday and had she still been working at Demeter’s Bounty, Hermes and she would be in the middle of their ops team’s weekly debrief. Wondering how they were doing, she typed a short message to Hermes. She hadn’t heard much about DB in weeks.

The stylist began combing Persephone’s hair.

Persephone

How’s everything going? How’s my mom?

Three little dots appeared immediately, and Persephone watched the screen.

Hermes

Has she called you?

Persephone

No. Is she in the office?

Her heart sped. Why did Hermes asked if she had called? He ought to know more since he was still at DB. Why hadn’t her mom called? Even checked in? It wouldn’t take more than a minute for her to say she was thinking of her.

It would do her no good, fretting over her mom’s behavior. Demeter was a capable goddess. And if Persephone kept worrying, she’d look angry or sick in the recordings. She stashed the phone into her bag.

“Is everything okay?” Charon asked, leaning closer to Persephone.

Persephone swallowed. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”

“Oh. Okay.” Charon’s expression softened in understanding.

They sat in a companionable silence as the stylist worked on Persephone’s makeup. The nagging worry of her mom still lingered. If Demeter could just say something,anything, then she could let it be. She stopped texting after the first couple of weeks of trying to get a hold of her. Eventually, she gave up. She’d have to wait until her mom was ready.

Charon asked, “So tell me, what areyourhobbies?”

Chasing after my mom,was her first thought. “I love to garden. Back home there are fields of wildflowers and herbs I’ve tended for years. That’s why I was so excited aboutFlowers Near Mein the first place.”

“It sounds beautiful. The potted garden you’ve grown in the apartment is so lush. I bet your wildflower one is unlike anything else I’ve seen.” Charon’s calm voice stirred something in Persephone’s chest.

“I would love to show you. It’s funny because when Eurydice first told me about the app, I pictured gathering bundles and bringing them to the city to sell. Of course, each time I was called into the office, I was in such a rush that I never did it.”

Charon chuckled. “Why not grow more flowers in the apartment?”

Did Charon really not know how to garden? She seemed more than capable of keeping a plant alive but maybe not if all her life she’d lived underground. “Flowers need a lot of sunlight.”

“Not whenyou’retending to them,” Charon quipped. “Anyway, your mom’s estate sounds lovely. We should’ve shot footage there.”

Persephone shook her head. “I doubt my mom is keen on helping with any of this.”

“Have you spoken with her recently?”

Persephone swallowed against the thickness that grew in her throat at the mention of her mom. She wasn’t normally one to let her emotions get the better of her, but the weeks of no contact from Demeter were starting to take their toll and she was perilously close to tears as she said, “I haven’t.”

Charon fiddled with her necklace. “Want me to bring her to you?”

Persephone’s eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise. “You could really do that?”

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