“Fine,” I say. “I’m going. I’ll tell her everything. About the shop… and how I feel.” I’m not sure which will be harder.
“Good,” Logan replies. “And Griff?”
“Yeah?”
He points to what appears to be the top of my head. “Maybe ditch the crown.”
I groan, removing the daisies from my head. I sign off with Logan.
I can do this.
I hop out of my car and head back inside the inn, mentally preparing my speech.Ruby, I’ve never met anyone like you before…
I’m ready.
Nick spots me in the doorway. There’s a heart-shaped streamer snaked around his neck. “What’s that goofy grin for?”
I walk past, scanning the foyer. “Where’s Ruby?”
He’s eyeing me with curiosity. “She left.”
My heart sinks. “I was sitting outside in my car. I didn’t see her.”
“Probably went out the back.”
But her car was out front. Something is up. “Did she say anything?”
“Yeah, we were talking about the shop closing and I expressed how sorry I was and that Clara would be thrilled with how much she cared for the place. I offered her a job here if she wants it. Next thing I know, she said she felt queasy, that she’s had heartburn before and would get over it with time.”
Every cell in my body feels worn down. Ruby didn’t mean heartburn. She meant heartbroken. Thanks to me.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ruby
The cold seepsthrough my coat, but it’s nothing compared to the chill sitting in the center of my chest.
I make it halfway down the inn’s walkway when I see Griffin exit his car and hurry inside. I hold back and wait until he’s out of sight. Seems the story about needing to check on his car was bogus. He was hiding from me. Hiding the truth. Then Nick came over to chat with me and told me about the shop.
Sorry to hear about Oopsie Daisies.
He went on to say how much he loved the shop and Clara and wished it didn’t have to close. The news hit me like a bullet to the chest.
Nick didn’t mean to hurt me. He just said it like it was common knowledge, like everyone already knew.
Griffin told me it’s the only logical move.
Logical. Maybe to him.
The words have been ricocheting around my head ever since. They hit even harder because ten minutes earlier, Griffin and I had been shoulder-to-shoulder stringing flower chains like a couple of kids, his fingers brushing mine, his smile softening just a little, the kind of moment that makes a hopeless romantic like me start imagining things she shouldn’t.
And then he’d gone quiet, pulled away, mumbling something about needing to check on his car.
Now, hands shaking as I dig for my car keys, the realization settles in. I’m falling for a man who is closing the shop.
My shop.
My bit of color in a world that once went gray for too long. The thing that, along with Clara, helped bring me back to life.
