Page 26 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
Saphira made a thoughtful sound. “What’s that?”
He sometimes forgot not everyone knew the specificgardening jargon he did. “Sorry—it’s those geometric shapes. They’re made up of plant beds and low hedges,” he explained, “which are then separated and connected by the path, so you can walk along it and see.”
“Oooh pretty. There’s a bit of formality to it that makes me feel like I’m inPride and Prejudice.”
“Yes, they’re the kind of thing you’d often find at great estates. Each parterre contains a particular species of rose.” He pointed. “So here we have old garden roses, which are double-flower blooms that emit a really strong fragrance, but they only bloom once per season, unlike modern roses.”
As they reached the section of modern roses, he pointed again, showing her. “These are what you’ll most likely find everywhere. They were bred after 1867, and continuously bloom, and they have a larger bloom size, as well. Plus, they have a longer vase life. The downside is that they don’t have as strong a fragrance, and are a bit less hardy and disease-resistant than the old garden roses.”
They continued on, and he pointed out the next section of roses, which were all pink. “And these are the wildflower roses, which usually have five petals, and are always pink! It’s actually super rare to find a red or white wild rose.”
Aiden stopped then, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Was he being lame? He must have been boring her with his superfluous botanical knowledge. He stopped, feeling awkward.
Silently, he admonished himself. He knew girls loved flowers, but that didn’t necessarily mean they loved all the random facts about them. His family members would always tease him about his obsessiveness. “Girls want flowers, not a history lesson!” Emmeline would tease.
But it was just so fascinating!
“Sorry,” Aiden said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t mean to bore you.”
“No!” she said, brown eyes wide. “You’re not. I think it’s cool!”
Aiden was not one for swooning, but if he was, he most certainly would have swooned in that moment. His gaze went to the rose bush, and his eyes fell immediately to a perfect rose: perfectly in bloom, the petals lush and bright.
He picked it, careful of the thorns, then handed it to her.
“Thank you,” she said, taking it and pressing it to her nose. Surrounded by all these roses was heady, as he now associated the scent with her.
Aiden stared as she breathed in the fragrance, watching her chest expand with the inhale, then deflate with a large exhale. Heat warmed through him.
Quit being weird, he reminded himself, averting his gaze.
“What’s your favorite flower?” Aiden asked. “Is it roses?”
She smiled. “Oh, that’s easy! And no, not roses. I’m actually not sure what it’s called in English but Nani-Ma and I love the amaltas trees.”
He hadn’t heard of them before. “What do they look like?”
“They’re usually in bloom around the end of June, and they have these beautiful yellow petals all raining down from thin branches.”
“Oh! The golden shower tree.”
Saphira’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Is that what it’s called?” He nodded and she said, “Makes sense … I love them. There aren’t many in Starshine Valley, but there were a few trees up by our old house, in the hills.”
Her smile deepened at the memory, the dimple making an appearance on her cheek. He resisted the urge to press his finger just there.
“What about you?” Saphira asked, waving the rose at him. “Is it roses?”
With her holding the stem, it would have been impossibly easy for roses to be his favorite.
It was usually a difficult question for him, for each flower had its own beauty, its own purpose.
“Ah, that’s like asking a parent who their favorite kid is,” he said.
Saphira laughed. “Parents definitely have favorites. I lucked out being an only child, but I bet yours have a favorite.”
“Oh, definitely,” Aiden replied. “It’s Ginny—she’s everyone’s favorite princess. Gets treated like it, too.”
“As she absolutely should,” Saphira concurred.
