Zinnia’s heart broke for Alvin; it looked like his heart kept mending as she supplied him with distractions and then breaking as the thoughts of Sloane filled his head again. There was no real way for her to take the heartache away as much as she wished she could, it would heal in time, or at least she hoped it would. Maybe not completely, the loss would always be there, but enough that he could feel alive again.

She squeezed his hand gently, offering him a gentle smile. “Shop’s been keeping me busy,” she replied, keeping her voice soft, “Seems like an influx of people having odd requests, but I let mama handle those. I’ve seen a lot of new customers, but some old.” She could sense the weight of the world on his shoulders, so she kept talking like it was going to provide a momentary distraction from his grief. “You should stop by sometime, maybe use the greenhouse as some inspiration.” It was a lot like the flower show, just on a smaller scale; she had her favorite corners and Zinnia would be more than happy to show him.

---