It was a good thing that Mrs. Patterson had gone for the night or Marie would have gotten a stern scolding for the way her mind kept wandering after Steve had gone. Steve. Her soulmate. It was such a crazy thought, to know that her soulmate wasn't just out there, but had suddenly dropped into her life out of nowhere. Just walked into the shop to buy some flowers for his mother, just another day of average, normal life.

But what if their hands hadn't touched at that moment? What if they'd never seen each other again after that moment? New York was a big place after all. Even thought of it made her feel sick. They'd only just met, but that feeling of rightness, of belonging with someone, had settled into her quickly and deeply, and she was very much looking forward to seeing him again.

Things were right on schedule that night. No late customers, the till had evened out, and all her receipts were in proper order for the morning. She'd even gotten a head start on the next day's order. So when her time was up, she turned off the lights and stepped outside, locking the door behind her.