Chapter 1As exhausted as he was at the end of his Friday night shift at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Dr. Mark Vance always found fresh energy by the time he reached Sheehan’s Nursery. It didn’t matter if the Baltimore streets were slick from melted snow that had frozen overnight or the sun was bright and chirpy. He always pulled the door open and set the tiny overhead bell into a ringing frenzy feeling like he could take on the world.
This particular morning, the shop wasn’t its normal empty self. From the radio on the narrow counter, Dinah Shore serenaded the two men already waiting for service. Mark took his dutiful place in line behind them, but tipped his head to the side in curiosity to watch the owner wrapping an order of long-stemmed red roses. Another discrepancy fro
