If I asked Rowan to take me back on the Bloom team and he said no, Iwouldbe even more miserable than I was now. But if he said yes—
Janmohammads always succeed. And we couldn’t succeed if we didn’t even try.
27
THE BEST OF BOTH OF US
Icould hear Mom phoning Shar as I walked to my bedroom. I closed the door and plopped on my bed. I knew I’d promised Leanne I wouldn’t contact Rowan if I left the Bloom, but there had to be an exception for calling because I wanted to come back.
I phoned him.
He didn’t answer.
I texted him.
Tahira:I need to speak to you. It’s important. Can you call me?
There was no response for a while. Then I saw the three little dots appear under my message for what felt like hours. Finally the text came.
Rowan:I’m at work getting more plants.
Tahira:It’ll be quick.
My phone rang. “What’s up?” he said when I answered. He didn’t sound thrilled to hear from me. My heart sank.
“I won’t keep you long,” I said. I wanted to say that I missed him, even though I’d only been gone a day. I wanted to tell him about the photo shoot, about how weird Gia was being, and about how I was now questioning if I even wanted to go to FIT. I wanted to tell him about the hibiscus in the distillery, and about the churros dipped in chocolate. About how Matteo had the nerve to say he regretted cheating on meand he wanted me back. I wanted to tell Rowan that I shouldn’t have left Bakewell yesterday. I wanted to say so much, but I couldn’t. “About the Bloom. Can I come back?”
“What did you say?” There was a lot of noise in the background. I wondered if he was at the back of the greenhouse, where we took those pictures.
“Can I come back to your Bloom team?”
He didn’t say anything. Maybe he didn’t hear me again? “You want to come back,” he finally said. I could hear the disbelief in his voice. He was bitter. I didn’t blame him. “What happened to your fashion profile? I thought it was ‘important for your brand’?”
“I’d rather come back to Bakewell.”
It got quieter. Maybe he went outside. “I don’t get it, Tahira. You made it seem like this thing in Toronto was essential, and now you’re leaving it? This isn’t guilt or pity, is it? Because I—”
“It’s not guilt. I’d rather be in the Bloom than the fashion profile. Leanne can stay on the team if she wants—it would be just me coming back. Gia’s staying here.”
“Then why did you leave?” Rowan asked. “And I’m supposed to justtake you back, just like that?”
Was he talking about the Bloom or our relationship? I understood his bitterness. He had taken a risk on me from the beginning. His first impression of me was that I was a flighty, social media–obsessed influencer thirsty for fame. He didn’t want me on his team. And the first chance I got, I dropped him for “exposure.”
The flowers he’d given me when I left were his goodbye.
I took a deep breath. “I get why you don’t trust me after flip-flopping like this. I’m not asking you for anything else. Not friendship, not more. Just this. Let me be in the Bloom. That’s all I want. Just the Bloom.”
“But why?” he asked.
“I’ll explain it to you when I get there, but trust me. The Bloom means more to me than staying here.”
Rowan was silent a few seconds, then sighed. “Our team needs to be at the festival grounds early tomorrow. Can you be here at the house by eight?”
I did a silent happy squeal. “Yes. My dad offered to drive me to Bakewell tonight, so I can easily be there by then.”
“Fine. June would have my head if she found out you asked me and I said no. Be in the garden by eight tomorrow. Oh, and the petal tips snapped again when we did another test run today. There’s just too much pressure on them. We’ve switched to my design. We built the chicken wire frame earlier, and I’m picking up the colored flowers now.”
“No problem. I loved your design. It’s going to be amazing. Make sure you get lots of colorful primroses and begonias. Thank you. I’m sorry...” My voice trailed off.
