Forty-Nine Roses by CJ Julisch

Forty-Nine Roses by CJ Julisch

There were forty-nine white roses in the arrangement nearest to me. I counted them twice. Someone at the florist wasn’t paying attention.  The front-row chairs were upholstered in dark red velvet, which was thinning at the edges. I rolled the threads between my thumb and middle finger because it was better than fidgeting. Grandmother hated fidgeting. Ruby sat to my left, her hand on my forearm. Resting there, the way the paperweight on my desk h…