my moonflower. - damie.

one.

"dani, you really have to try this sauce." owen called out to the au pair sitting at the table a few feet away from him.

dani had been at bly manor for a few months now, and she was finally beginning to feel completely normal again. miles and flora kept her busy, and she always enjoyed the company of jamie, hannah, and owen.

life at the manor did take some getting used to, although. compared to her old life in america it was quite different. growing up in a small-town neighborhood surrounded by the same people all your childhood never really prepared you for real-life. real-life being the very sudden and gruesome death of your ex-fiance and your immigration to a completely new country with nothing and no one by your side. 

the manor did have its perks though. an excellent chef preparing all of your meals, a very pleasant housekeeper to clean up after everything was done, a gardener who dani had taken interest in, and two kids who were nothing short of well-behaved. frankly, dani's new life was off to a great start in bly.

the gardener though, the gardener struck an interest in dani unlike anything else at the manor.

jamie, a particularly private person who'd been conditioned to build up walls around herself; she'd stood out to dani. dani could see the pain that jamie had lived through, the cards that she herself had also been dealt. 

so, this made dani try to break down jamie's walls. it wasn't the easiest task, jamie wasn't necessarily the friendliest character. 

dani was not aware that the same interest had also sparked up in jamie. jamie had been trying to figure dani out since the second they first met in that kitchen. why would a young girl move to a new country all alone? jamie had assumed that dani was fleeing from something in america, and she was right.

jamie had seen dani at some low points. stumbling across her crying in the front lawn on multiple occasions, jamie couldn't help but form a soft spot for her.

on their third encounter in the front yard, dani was crouched behind a flower pot trying desperately to hold herself together so that miles and flora who were playing on the lawn wouldn't notice. jamie saw her trying to conceal herself, so she'd walk up to her.

"everything alright?" jamie asked, already knowing the answer. she sat beside her and placed her bucket full of gardening tools down beside herself.

"i don't know what's gotten into me, i'm sorry." dani said, rushed. she was obviously flustered, desperately trying to wipe her eyes and straighten herself up. "i can't let them see me like this, imagine what they would think." her eyes drifted to glance at the children, running around.

"god forbid they see real human emotion, right?" jamie said, placing a hand on dani's leg. "listen, you're doing great. you're helping these kids get a real sense of normalcy for the first time in their lives. everyone here loves you, y'know?" 

dani nodded, dropping her head and sighing deeply. "i just don't know how to feel. i don't know how to completely help these kids. there always seems to be something going on, and it just gets exhausting, right?" she rubbed her hand over her eyes, then wiped it on her pants. "i'm really trying here, i just need a break sometimes."

jamie looked at dani, seeing how torn down she really was. "hey, i get it. we all need a break sometime. listen, tonight after the kids go to bed, how about you and i go in the greenhouse and just relax for a minute. it might be nice to have a little boring in your life every once in a while."

dani looked up, looking into the gardeners green eyes. "yeah, that might be nice." 

jamie smiled a bit, "good then, it's a date." she rubbed the au pair's shoulder for a brief moment before standing up and grabbing her bucket. "but, really, you're doing a great job. you're more put together than any of the other people on staff here, especially me." she chuckled. 

dani couldn't help but smile, "thanks, that means a lot." she wiped her eyes one last time, before reaching out and grabbing jamie's hand to help her get to her feet.

"back to it then." jamie said, and began walking back towards the garden, but not without one last glace at dani. god, she really is pretty, isn't she?  jamie couldn't help but think as she walked towards the well-kept garden.