Chapter 10: The Invitation

The envelope arrived at Bloom House Floral just before closing.

Lillian noticed it immediately because it did not pass through the mail slot.

It was waiting on the counter when she returned from the back room, placed precisely beside the register as if it had always belonged there. No smudge. No crease. No explanation.

She stopped walking.

Florentis Quarter did not do things like this.

The envelope was heavy, cream colored, and sealed with a raised crest pressed so cleanly into the paper it looked embossed by hand rather than machine. There was no return address. No courier mark. Only her name written in careful, restrained lettering.

Lillian Bloom.

Not Miss Bloom. Not Bloom House Floral.

Her.

She set her bag down slowly and locked the front door before touching it. The shop felt quieter than usual, as if it were listening.

She turned the envelope over once. Twice.

Then she opened it.

Inside was a single sheet of thick paper and a smaller folded card tucked beneath it.

The letter was