my moonflower. - damie.

nine.

as the day went on, business was normal at the manor.

jamie tended to her plants, making sure each bud and bloom was perfectly healthy and cared for.

dani tutored the kids for an hour or two, then watched as they went off and did their typical activities of miles aggravating flora and flora running to the au pair to tattle on her older brother.

as evening began to set in, everyone made their way inside for dinner. luscious, delectable scents floated around the room as everyone sat at the table.

small talk arose between the crowd, laughter filling the room as witty jokes were cracked by owen as he set food down at the table. for tonight's meal, shepard's pie. 

"my mum's favorite." owen recalled, digging his fork into the meal and taking a bite of the steaming dish.

"god owen, you've really outdone yourself." jamie remarked, her mouth full. the children snickered at the gardener and her poor table manners.

"well, thank you madam." owen smiled, taking a sip of his tea. 

"so, how was everyone's day?" hannah asked, crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair.

"well, my day was great, until miles decided to throw dirt on me! so i had to change my blouse." flora frowned, glaring at her older sibling. the two erupted into a small argument, nothing unusual for them. the adults had learned it was better not to intervene, to let them get it out of their system.

over the heated conversation amongst miles and flora, everyone else summarized their days.

"well, i picked roots out of the statue garden for most of the day." jamie motioned to her dirt-covered attire, "if you couldn't already tell." 

"i'm trying to teach miles and flora fractions, when quite honestly i don't completely get them myself." dani sighed, disappointed in herself. 

"hell, who even needs fractions? when have you ever used them after gradeschool?" jamie asked, shrugging. "if it were up to me, i wouldn't teach 'em. fractions are completely pointless anyways.

"i mean, you aren't entirely wrong." dani said, "maybe i'll cut that lesson short."

hannah began to tell the group how she'd walked all around the grounds today, exploring the perimeter. "mostly just overgrown bushes and trees covered with vines, nothing special. it was peaceful though, quiet." she remarked.

"as for my day, "owen piped up, "i ran into town to get the supplies for this meal we're all feasting on, and the grocery store was a nightmare!" he emphasized the final word, "so crowded you couldn't hardly imagine, it was like everyone was preparing for the apocalypse!" 

"gosh, i wonder why?" hannah asked, perplexed. "i couldn't tell you, it was incredible the amount of people you could fit into that small, little corner-store." owen responded.

jamie pushed her now completely cleaned plate towards the center of the table. she let out a long sigh, "phew, i'm absolutely stuffed." she tossed her napkin up onto the table from her lap, "i'm gonna go shower, thank you for the meal owen." she faced her attention to the chef. 

standing up from the table, jamie put her hand onto dani's shoulder for support as she stood. walking out of the room and towards the staircase, she redirected her attention to the au pair, locking eyes with her for a second. jamie mouthed the words, "i love you."  dani just smiled, her cheeks flushing. jamie smirked, knowing she'd just made dani flustered. grabbing the handrail, she'd make her way upstairs and into the bathroom, closing and locking the door.