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I followed Cliff to a worktable at the far end of the greenhouse As he began repotting the flower I said, “I had no idea you had such a fondness for roses”

Cliff actually stopped what he was doing and stared at the flower He went fro like a spry old man to a broken one in the space of a few seconds “Shit, Cliff, I’ I’d said or done that had upset him

Cliff wavedwith the rose He didn’t say anything for a long tiet the impression he wanted me to leave

“I hated the things,” he finally said “See that would draw blood if you weren’t careful,” he continued “My Cassandra, she was the one who treated them like her children She believed plants had souls, if you can believe it”

“Cassandra?” I asked softly

“Love of irl as soon as I laid eyes on her”

Cliff’s voice was soft but there was a sadness to it And since I’d never heard or read anything about so ood But the avewith anyone

He just didn’t

He’d learned long ago that doing so would just leave hiossip for lesser things and countless people had tried to use personal inforal or illicit means

Much like the asshole who’d been threatening to hurt Cliff by cohts i that went through ony

“Who is she?” I h I couldn’t help but think about what had been going through my mind when I’d laid eyes on Nikolai No, I hadn’t knoould ht and wrong about that

“Was, ood Lord before she reached her nineteenth birthday”

“Cliff,” I y on the end It wouldn’t serve any purpose