Wild Flower Read Online Free Page B

There are loads of hippies and new age stuff. Everyone talks to plants in California. You’re considered crazy if you don’t.’
    The tension loosened as she laughed.
    ‘I thought you were a fairy when you appeared yesterday,’ he revealed. ‘An apparition, shouting at me. You have a loud voice, for a flower fairy.’
    ‘Flower fairies are called devas,’ she told him. ‘They’re supposed to protect different flowers and help them to grow.’
    ‘Now I know. You’re a plant deva.’
    Another giggle. Her shoulders relaxed even more.
    ‘Singapore and Western Australia.’ He added some sauce to his own plate. ‘Do you speak Chinese?’
    ‘Of course. I speak Mandarin. And I have a Chinese name too. It’s Mei-Hua.’ She pronounced it May Hwa. ‘I’m named after the song Mei-Hua by Teresa Teng, my dad’s all-time favourite.’
    Her voice wobbled. Only slightly, but he noticed.
    ‘I know that name.’ Wade frowned as he chewed his fish. ‘Why do I know that name?’
    ‘It’s a flower name. Beautiful plum blossom. You know Chinese?’
    ‘I don’t mean Mei-Hua. Wait!’ He slapped the table. ‘Teresa Teng. Of course!’
    ‘What?’ She widened her eyes. ‘No one Western knows about Teresa Teng. No offence.’
    Wade reached for his smart phone, punched in a few letters. ‘She’s a Chinese singer, right?’
    ‘Yes, she is. Or she was. From Taiwan. How do you know about Teresa Teng?’
    He grinned. ‘Because recently she came back to life.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘I told you that I work in Silicon Valley. Well my area is 3D imagery.’
    ‘Your camera. The tiny one. It’s 3D? Wow.’
    ‘We aren’t the only US company working on 3D images. Another Californian company recently created a hologram that performed on stage.’ He smiled. ‘Of Teresa Teng.’
    ‘You’re kidding,’ she gasped.
    He clicked a few more buttons, tried to ignore the waft of vanilla that hit him as soon as she craned over to look. ‘This hologram of Teresa Teng can walk and talk and even sing. She died eighteen years ago, but here it appears as if she’s alive. This hologram has given a performance on stage, singing a duet with a real life singer from today.’
    He hit play.
    ‘That’s incredible!’ Dianella’s face lit up as they both watched the hologram of the singer perform to the cheers of the crowd. ‘The hologram looks exactly like her, and the audience really love it. My dad would have loved to see that.’
    The wobble reverberated in her voice again.
    Wade clicked off the video as it ended. ‘They’ve done a good job with that hologram. I watched some of her original videos from the 1980s to check it out.’
    ‘So that’s why you know her name.’ She flashed a cheeky grin. ‘You don’t look like a computer geek.’
    He hoped that was a good thing. ‘3D is my area. Techies like me have been trying to create 3D software to make holograms for years. Actually, that’s what my company is all about.’
    ‘Have you done it? Created the software?’
    Wade hesitated. It seemed unlucky to get ahead of himself. It was why he’d needed a holiday so much, some space and time to work out what he wanted to do, before taking the next big step.
    ‘You don’t have to tell me.’ She smiled that extraordinary sweet smile. ‘My magical fairy powers tell me you’ve done it.’
    ‘No, it’s okay.’ He wanted her to know. ‘We’re close to making a massive deal. A life-changing deal.’
    ‘Life-changing?’
    Dianella’s mobile phone beeped.
    He snagged a chip. ‘You’ve got a text. Grab it.’
    Tugging it out of her pocket, she stared at the screen. ‘It’s Borrie. That’s weird. She hates texting.’
    Wade watched her face change, her nose crease up in concern.
    Dianella leapt up. ‘I have to get back to Go Native, right away.’
    ***
    ‘Are you going to be all right?’ Wade spun the steering wheel as he turned the SUV into the Go Native Nursery car park.
    Dianella halted her fingers on the door handle, touched