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The bell above the door of TARDIS & Co Flowers rung, and Ace glanced up from where she’d been flipping through some of the Doctor’s old magazines.
“That you, Professor?” she called, thinking he must’ve doubled back, but it was instead a rather harried-looking - but fashionably dressed - young woman, Ace’s own age, who came into view, holding a paper list in one hand.
“Oh, thank god,” she exclaimed, and stepped over to the work counter in the centre of the room. Ace checked the time on the wall, confirming that it was still just a few minutes since they’d opened, and then pushed the magazines to the side. “I need quite a lot of flowers.”
“That’s fine,” said Ace, and pointed to the pricing sheet on the wall. “We -”
“Price isn’t an issue.” She glanced at her list for a second, then back to Ace. “And I’d like all the flowers wrapped separately, if you could.”
“It’ll drive up the price a little.”
“That’s fine. My brother’s paying.”
Ace didn’t say anything more about price after that. Families were other people’s problem - a fact she repeated to herself with worrying regularity.
“Peonies, first.”
Ace shook herself out of her thoughts and went to gather a handful of them. “This many good?”
“Perfect.” Her tone was warming now. “Narcissi.”
“Same amount?”
“Yep.”
Ace went to gather them. “Is it the Chinese New Year that brings you here?” She was never good at keeping time, but keeping track of major holidays and associated flowers was always a good habit.
“It is.” She was given a pleased smile. “Me and my brother are supposed to drive up to Carbury today. He spent a while yesterday finding all the relevant fruit and flowers at the wet market, but there was an accident today on the way to the car, and so we’re getting last-minute replacements. I don’t suppose you have any pussy willows?”
“You should know better than to ask something like that.” The woman bit back a snort, her mouth curving up at the corners. “Round the back. We don’t get asked so often.”
“We?” asked the woman, as Ace returned. “Chrysanthemum. This shop isn’t just yours?”
“The Doctor - um, a friend of mine; bit of a local character - owns it and the flat above, but I run it most of the time.”
“Orchids?” Ace stepped from the counter to get some. “Some more. To make my parents happy.”
Ace kept to what she was good at. “Anything else?”
She pursed her lips for a moment. “I know they’re not flowers, but do you have any peach blossoms? Plum blossoms would be fine too.”
Ace shook her head, then leaned closer. The woman leaned in too, surprisingly close. “I don’t, but if you go a street down and across there’s a pretty big peach tree, and I could lend you a ladder and some clippers.”
She laughed, and Ace couldn’t hold back a smile of her own. “Are those extra?”
“You’re brother’s the one paying.”
“That is tempting. But no. I’ll manage without.” She pulled back as Ace started wrapping the flowers, taking out her wallet.
“Put them in a vase with water when you arrive. This -” Ace passed over a few small packets of plant food - “should go in too. Do you want to keep the leaves?”
“That’ll be fine.”
Ace tied a red bow around the flowers, then passed them all over in one final bouquet. “I hope your family like them.”
“I’m sure they will.”
“Happy New Year.”
“You too, when it comes. Thank you.” She took the flowers in one hand and glanced at the card reader for a moment, then tapped her card. Ace was broken from her reverie by a quiet beep of denial, and with an apologetic face took it around the back to try again, pressing various buttons and shaking it a little before finally getting an acceptance message. She returned, handing the woman the receipt, who thanked her and took off outside. She stood there for a minute, putting a few loose leaves into the organic bin, tidying up the work station, and finally pulling her magazines back, then glanced at the card reader.
£0.00. The woman hadn’t been charged anything.
…Oh, shit.
Ace grabbed the reader and sprinted outside. She slowed in the street, and then called over to a woman sitting outside.
“Excuse me! Did you see a woman just leave here? Chinese, long hair, holding flowers?”
“Yeah, why?” She was regarded with curiosity. “Met up with a man outside the grocer’s -” she pointed along the street - “and then they got into a car together and drove off.”
“Bugger,” muttered Ace.
Almost two weeks later, she heard the bell ring and looked up. It took just a moment to recognise the new customer, and she stilled. The woman didn’t approach the counter right away, lingering by the door and picking a few of the Valentine’s day leftovers, and some sage-green accompaniments, then approached the counter a little bashfully, taking out her receipt.
“I think I owe you this.”
Ace swallowed. “My fault, really. I should’ve made sure the reader was charging you the right amount before you paid.”
The woman set down the flowers and slid the receipt over. It listed everything Ace had given her, for a total of absolutely nothing. “I only looked at it once me and my brother had actually arrived at my parents’. I would’ve come right back if I’d known. Best I could do was come over once I’d got back.”
“And these…?” Ace pointed at the new selection she’d chosen.
“An apology for stealing your flowers.”
“You shouldn’t’ve.”
“No, please. Keep them.”
“It really was all my fault.”
“I won’t leave till you let me.”
Choosing not to fight any further, Ace reached under for the card reader, but the woman, after she’d taken out her wallet, pulled out physical cash.
“Figure it’s safer that way.”
“I’ll make sure not to let you walk out with it.” She slipped it into the - rather empty - cash drawer under the desk, and put the flowers into a cheap vase. She saw that the woman was still lingering, and turned back to her. “Is that all?”
“I looked online for the name of the shop, so I’d know where to go, and I found out about this local flower show. Apparently there’s some talks by some big names in the flower world next Sunday, just before it opens to the public. Just stayed on my mind, and thought I should mention it to you.”
“The…” She wracked her brains for a moment. “...RHS one? I thought I probably wouldn’t go. Honestly, I’m not as into flowers as this whole shop makes me seem.”
“Oh. So I won’t see you there?”
“You’re going?”
The woman paused for a moment. “I… thought it might be interesting. Not… Just a bit.” She, Ace noticed, feeling a stirring in her stomach, was starting to blush. She clearly hadn’t thought of what she’d been revealing. “I mean, I probably won’t…”
“Look,” said Ace, scrambling for a notepad. “If I give you my number, you can send me the details later. No need to fuss trying to look it up here. The signal’s terrible, after all.”
The woman looked relieved, though her cheeks were still flushed. “That sounds good. What shall I add you as?”
“Ace,” she said. “Ace McShane. And I’ve really got to get your name by this point.”
“Shou Yuing. I’ll text you everything.”
“And I’ll see you there.”
“Definitely.” And with that, Shou Yuing left the shop. Ace inhaled the scent of her flowers - mismatched, but sweet nonetheless.
By the end of the day she’d got a text by Shou Yuing confirming the details of their meeting - not that she was quite calling it that - and had replied in the affirmative before clearing out the till. She glanced at the notes she’d been given, before noticing something odd about one. It didn’t quite catch the light right…
She tilted it this way and that, before finally realising. It was a counterfeit.
Oh, well. Shou Yuing could pay her entry fee for their date, and she’d call it even.