𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕠𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕌𝕤

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕚𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟 | ᴄᴀʀʟᴏꜱ

Hudson

Leaving the library felt like a punch to the gut. After seven years there, I never imagined I'd be fired-especially not for something as ridiculous as falling for someone. I knew there was more to it than that; I understood Mrs. Thompson's position, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being punished just for loving Colton.

Colton had quit his job at the library before Mrs. Thompson even had a chance to pull him aside to discuss the issue. He was bummed-he loved those kids, and he really needed the extra cash. My heart broke for him. He didn't deserve this drama, especially with everything else going on at Phoenix Cycles. He told me it'd be fine, that Chuck was helping him invest after his dad pulled the plug, and I really hoped they were going to be alright.

As much as I missed the comfort of those shelves, the quiet corners where I could lose myself in a book, and Jackie and Evelyn, I knew I couldn't stay stuck in that chapter of my life.

The same day I got back home from my camping trip with Colton, I started applying for jobs. Weeks went by until I finally got a call for an interview.

I was lucky enough to land a job at a plant nursery.

It was an entirely different world-one where the air was fresher, and life moved at a different pace. Instead of the hush of turning pages, I was greeted by the rustle of leaves and the soothing smell of earth. The plants didn't care about who I loved or what had happened to me. They just needed water, sunlight, and a little bit of care, and they'd grow.

Jenna, the no-nonsense manager with a soft spot for succulents, was the first to make me feel at home. She reminded me of Mrs. Thompson in some ways, but with a little more edge. She'd bark orders one minute and then show me how to coax a stubborn cactus into blooming the next. She was also into tea, and we could chat non-stop about tea leaf combinations during lunch breaks. Carlos, a part-timer who knew everything about herbs, was always around with a quick joke and homemade snacks he insisted I try.

We'd hang out after work, sometimes grabbing dinner at a local diner. The conversations were easy, flowing from what we'd done that day to what we wanted to do next.

It was different from the quiet solitude of the library, but I absolutely loved it. I almost felt like I was supposed to be there... Like everything that happened to me at the library was leading to me finding this new home to grow, thrusting me into this new chapter of my life.

Working at the nursery felt like I was planting new roots of my own. I was learning, growing, and finding out that there was more to life than what I'd left behind.

• • • • •

It was a super slow afternoon at the nursery that Monday, the kind where even the plants seemed to be taking a break from growing.

Jenna had left me in charge of reorganizing the display of ferns, but my mind kept drifting back to Carlos's latest attempt at culinary creativity.

Carlos was one of my coworkers at the plant nursery, around my age and my height, maybe a bit shorter, with curly black hair that always looked like he had just rolled out of bed-though I was pretty sure he spent a good amount of time making it look that way on purpose. His skin was a warm olive tone, and his eyes were sharp and playful brown that made you feel like he was always up to something. He had a lean build, the kind you got from constantly moving around and working with plants. And then there was his smile, which was a mix of innocent charm and devilish mischief, like he was always thinking of the next joke he was going to pull on you. Even when he was serious, you could tell there was a hint of laughter lurking just beneath the surface.