35

Eventually, Tayo catches sight of his wife in the crowd and excuses himself to go catch up with her. Now that it's just the two of you, Zoe smiles and holds up the flowers you gave her.

"Now, why don't I finally get a vase for these?"

Zoe gestures for you to follow her into the kitchen. It's a little quieter in here, with only a few small clumps of people chatting among themselves, some of whom look up just to say hi to Zoe as she passes through. You stand slightly awkwardly between everyone as Zoe pulls a simple glass vase from somewhere and sets it on the counter so she can arrange the flowers.

"It's wild bergamot, right?" she asks you over her shoulder.

"Um…I'm not sure," you reply, stepping a little closer to her so you can feel less stranded in the middle of the room—plus, you're kind of interested in what Zoe's doing with the flowers. Not wanting to stay totally silent, you add: "I think my grandma always called them something to do with bees."

"Oh, yes, they're called bee balm sometimes. Bees love them, obviously—and they're good for making tea, as well."

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