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‘Not exactly green magic, but still a regular part of my job.’ She threw another puff-bow at him. ‘It’s good to see you out and about, J.’

‘It’s for Mia. No way I’d miss this.’

‘Yeah. You, her and Katie were always inseparable as kids.’

Something in her voice made him look up, then reach out to cover her hand with his – briefly stilling the twisting, tying motion. ‘You were there more often than you weren’t, and we liked having you around too.’

‘I know.’ She grinned at him briefly. ‘And I appreciated it. But you know me, I’ve always liked plants better than people.’

‘I don’t think there’s anyone in Hudsbury who doesn’t know that.’ He chuckled and let her get back to her work.

‘Plants are just easier than people.’ Lily-Ann shrugged.

‘So you still don’t see yourself ever doing something like this?’

‘Me? Nope!’ Her fingers stilled again, and she looked up at him. ‘How are you doing, J?’

‘I’m… getting there.’

‘Getting there is positive movement. Better than standing still.’

‘I keep telling myself things like that,’ he admitted.

‘Well, if today gets too much, come find me. We can escape together and go play in the flowers. So long as you promise to watch where you put your feet.’

‘Thanks, Lils.’

‘Ugh. Don’t call me that,’ she grumbled and threw more fluff at him. ‘So what do you think of all this?’

‘I think Mia will love it. And Aiden will love it because she does.’

‘You’re probably right.’

‘It’s just a shame it wasn’t a few weeks ago.’

‘Why?’

‘The blossoms were amazing then. They’re past their best now.’

‘You bugger, you distracted me!’ Lily-Ann laughed as she stood, causing an avalanche of fabric and bows. ‘That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.’

‘The whole orchard? All of these trees?’ Jamie gawped at her. He’d always known Lily-Ann was gifted, but this was a lot of trees.

‘Pay attention, J.’ She grinned and kicked off her flip-flops. ‘You might learn something.’

He watched, slightly awed, as Lily-Ann walked slowly to the trees and they stretched towards her, branches rustling in a welcome he’d never truly hear or understand as she stood at the edge of the grove. Her lips moved in a tune he couldn’t really hear but could feel in his bones as a pleasant tug. He didn’t understand it or know it, but something deep inside him from generations ago recognised the rhythm and pull of the magic.

He blinked a few times until he could see as well as feel, and watched as tiny pale-green tendrils of magic drifted lazily from Lily-Ann to the trees closest to them. They stretched nearer to her, and he half-fancied he could hear them sigh and whisper in happy welcome as their branches, twigs and leaves shivered and their blossoms shimmered and renewed, almost sparkling with bright new energy and growth.

Jamie watched, his feelings of awe growing as the magic picked up speed as it spread throughout the trees in a wave of rustling, rapidly pinkening blossoms until the whole place glowed with fresh new flowers – even heavier and more beautiful than the week he’d sat beneath them with Amrita and his friends.

He waited, watching silently as Lily-Ann worked until the very last blossom unfurled. Then she turned to him with a huge grin. ‘Well? What do you think?’

‘You are an absolute artist, Lily-Ann. It’s perfect. Beyond perfect.’

‘Thank you.’ She yawned. ‘Do us a favour? See if you can’t rustle me up a brew and one of those bacon sandwiches I smelled earlier? Even with all the love and joy around here for Mia and Aiden that I could push into the spell, that was still a lot and I’m bloody famished now!’

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