holy ground ★ conrad fisher (1)

this is me trying ★ taylor swift

thirty | 1x06

RORY WALKED TOWARDS THE HIDDEN FAIRY GARDEN in the backyard, where Susannah was painting Belly's portrait in her deb gown. The setting was peaceful — soft sunlight filtering through the trees, the smell of fresh flowers lingering in the air, perfect for the portrait.

Susannah sat in front of her canvas, her brush moving with practiced ease, while Belly fidgeted slightly in her pose. It was Belly who noticed Rory first. "Hey, Rory!" she called, pausing her fidgeting for a second.

Rory smiled, stepping closer. "Hi, guys. Susannah, has the florist called yet?"

"I tried this morning, but it went straight to voicemail," Susannah replied, her voice calm despite the minor hiccup.

"Crap, okay. Well, I'll try Tony's personal cell then." Rory nodded, already pulling out her phone as she took a closer look at the portrait.

Susannah glanced at her fondly, setting her brush down for a moment. "I don't know what I would do without you, my sweet girl."

She pulled Rory into a side hug and kissed her cheek, a gesture so familiar, so full of warmth, that Belly couldn't help but smile as she watched them. Rory returned the hug, then turned to Belly with an approving nod. "It looks amazing," she said, complimenting both the portrait and Belly herself.

With that, she headed back toward the house, her mind already shifting to the next thing on her list. She walked past the kitchen and straight to the foyer, where she spotted her mother coming down the stairs just as she was putting on her shoes. Car keys in one hand, clipboard in the other, Rory was already in motion.

"Where are you going?" her mother asked, pausing on the last step.

"I'm picking up Taylor from the bus stop and then I'll stop by the flower shop on the way there, to check on the order," Rory said, slipping her shoes on.

Her mother nodded in approval. "Drive safely."

Rory pushed open the door and stepped outside, dialing Tony's number again as she got into her car. She connected her phone to Bluetooth, waiting for the familiar ringing. Just as she buckled her seatbelt, he finally picked up.

"Hey, kid! I was just about to head out with your delivery," Tony greeted, his voice warm and familiar.

Rory sighed, reaching over to the passenger seat to grab her clipboard. With a quick flick of her pen, she crossed flowers off her to-do list. "Come on, Tony, you gotta be better at answering your phone."

"Sorry, Rory, but I've got everything under control," he assured her.

Rory nodded to herself. Tony had owned the largest flower shop in Cousins for as long as she could remember. At the start of summer, he always set up small pop-ups at the edge of the neighborhood, and she and Susannah would go the first week to pick out fresh flowers. She could still picture it — Susannah running her fingers over delicate petals, Tony sitting at the stand himself, smiling as he recognized them, ready with lollipops of all flavors for Rory to choose from.

He had practically watched Rory grow up, from an over-excited little girl buying flowers with her aunt to a young woman, setting up orders and handling club arrangements on Susannah's behalf.

"Okay, text me when you reach the grounds," she said, before ending the call. She turned the key in the ignition, pulled out of the driveway, and made her way to the bus stop. She arrived just in time to see Taylor stepping off the bus.

The younger girl scanned the small parking area and immediately spotted Rory's car. With a bright smile, she bounded over, excitement radiating off her in waves.