“You starry-eyed fool,” I whisper to myself, wiping my cheeks.
I love him. There it is. The awful truth.
I fell in love with a man who padlocked the door on the thing I care about most.
I take one more look at the sign on the door.I can’t stay here. Not right now. Not with that sign on my door. Not with my heart feeling like it’s been uprooted. So I turn on the engine. And I drive.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Griffin
I’m still ridingthe high when I drive into town the next morning. Last night was perfect. The dance, the music, the way Ruby laughed when I spun her under the lights. And that kiss. Oh, man. Earth shattering.
For the first time since I landed in this town, I felt like maybe I belonged. I used to think towns like this only existed in chick flicks. A charming mountain enclave with virtually no crime and where everyone has each other’s backs. But Silver Pine is real, and I’ve somehow started wanting to earn a place in it.
I pull up to Oopsie Daisies, nervous as a teenager, ready to talk to Ruby and figure out what is happening betweenus.
Then I see it.
A huge padlock on the front door of Oopsie Daisies. A plain white sign stares back at me through the glass:
CLOSED - OUT OF BUSINESS
My heart drops. I yank out my phone and call Logan.
He answers on the second ring. “Morning, bro.”
I cut to the chase. “Did you have the flower shop locked?”
“As I recall, you told Jean to contact the lawyer to have it locked up unless notified otherwise.”
My stomach aches. I completely forgot. “Everything’s changed.”
“With Ruby?”
“Yeah.”
Logan says, “Sounds like you should be talking to her, not me.”
“She’s not here,” I say, sounding pathetic.
“Then go find her.”
He’s right. I end the call and look around Main Street. No sign of Ruby. I try calling her. Three times. It goes straight to voicemail.
I start walking fast, checking the café, the library, the bench by the river. She’s nowhere to be found.
Then I spot Desiree passing by.
“Desiree.” I hurry toward her. “Have you seen Ruby?”
She gives me a look that could curdle milk. “I plead the Fifth.”
Great. I drag a hand down my face. “Can you tell mewhere she went?Please?The shop is locked and I—well—I need to find her.”
Desiree juts her jaw, crossing her arms. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you locked her out of the store.”
I wince.
