Page 77 of Wild Flower

“I have to take this seriously,” I admit. “You’re right when you talk about my parents. It isn’t healthy. Any of it. And that contract is the nail in the coffin.”

“Wow, alright.” Miranda turns to the green field before us. “This is beautiful, Becca. There’s plenty of room for the farm, a greenhouse, and space to grow. But …” She eyes me tentatively. “Can you afford it?” Then her face falls. “Wait. Are you about to tell me I’m being laid off?”

“No! Of course not.” I shake my head at how ridiculous that suggestion is. “I’d never fire you.”

“I didn’t say fire,” Miranda corrects. “I said layoff—as a business decision. How can you possibly afford this and me?”

“I can’t affordnotto have you,” I reply. “In fact, I might have to start hiring more employees to up our production. Simon helped me lay out a projected budget to scale up. We’ll need to take on more clients—weddings, corporate, shop sales. Especially, if we do this.” I point to the land.

“We?” Miranda looks at me surprised.

“Yes,we,” I insist. “I’m not making a huge decision like this without you on board. It’s going to be stressful to move the farm, and I’ll be distracted. I’ll need you to take on a bigger role at the shop—manage it, run it, hire help.”

“Did you just go from laying me off to promoting me?” Miranda stares at me bug-eyed.

“I told you this was going to be a surprise,” Finn says, walking up to us with Archer in tow.

Miranda turns to her cousin with a frown. “How do you even know about this?” she accuses. “I thought you didn’t even know Archer that well. And now what? He’s your BFF, and you’re attached at the hip and he tells you everything my boss is doing with her business?”

“Well, actually,” I interject, walking over to Finn and taking his hand. “I wanted to talk to you about that, too.” I wrap Finn’s arm around me. “I’m not just dating Archer.”

Miranda stares at me like I’ve lost a screw. No, not just one screw, but all of them!

“Huh?” she grunts.

Archer wraps his arm around the other side of me.

“What—?” Miranda points at the three of us. “What is happening right now?”

“I’m dating your cousin,” I explain, nodding to Finn on my left. “And I’m also dating Archer.” I nod to my right.

“Like … this is an open relationship?” Miranda asks, her face bunching up.

“No,” Finn corrects. “It’s a three-person relationship.”

“Wait—” Miranda’s eyes flash up to her cousin. “Are you bi?”

“No.” Finn shakes his head. “Archer and I don’t—”

“But itisthe three of us,” Archer jumps in. “With Becca. Do you need me to draw you an Alien Overlord diagram?”

Miranda flushes. “You heard that?”

“You talk quite loudly,” Archer says dryly.

“Wait!” Miranda turns to me. “You’re in an alien-overlord-menage-a-throuple with my cousin and the hot waiter?”

“I think I prefer alien overlord with multiple appendages,” Archer quips.

“No one’s an alien overlord,” I correct. “But the rest … yes.”

“Oh my God!” Miranda squeals, making a noise that I’m not sure is approval or disapproval. “Since when have you been … making the beast with three backs?”

“Is that another romance novel thing?” Archer asks.

“No, that’s actually Shakespeare,” I inform. “Othello. And it’s beast withtwobacks, but in this case—”

“You’re not answering the question,” Miranda interrupts.

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