Nothing bad could possibly come of pretending to date the man she’d secretly loved for twenty years. Right? Except when she let herself imagine his hand sliding over hers across the worktable, steady and warm. Or how easy it would be to tilt her head and kiss him, to find out if he tasted as good as she’d always imagined. Heat pooled low in her belly, and she nearly clipped the daisy stems too short.Snap out of it, Zoe.You’re supposed to be arranging flowers, not daydreaming about kissing your fake boyfriend senseless.
She knew life was not as simple as her daydreams. Because deep down, she was terrified of repeating her old mistakes.
Not that her ex, Ben, had been a mistake. She had loved him, and he had loved her. They’d built a good life together, which had made the break-up so much harder.
But there were certain things a relationship couldn’t compromise on, and wanting children had been one of those things.
She had brought it up gently, just after her ob-gyn appointment last year. The doctor had ordered a few routine labs and mentioned that Zoe’s FSH levels were lower than average. Nothing urgent, but something to keep an eye on—especially as her mom had gone into early menopause. Zoe gently broached the topic with Ben. Thought it would lead to a conversation about their futures. Plan out their wedding, kids—things they’d talked about. Things they’d both said that they wanted.
That’s when Ben dropped the bombshell—he no longer wanted kids. It hadn’t been, “Let’s wait a few years,” or “Maybe someday.” It had been, “I don’t see children in my future at all.”
Zoe considered it. She really did. She loved Ben; shouldn’t that be enough?
She had friends who were child-free on purpose, and they loved their lives. She didn’t fault them for not wanting a family, but it was something she wanted more than anything. A chance to be a mother was deeply rooted in her soul, just like the flowers she planted and tended to in her shop.
In the end, it was just too big a compromise to make.
Zoe did what she had to do. She broke up with Ben, moved home, and planted roots. She’d even researched a couple of local IVF clinics she’d been debating reaching out to. If she never became a mother, it wouldn’t be from a lack of trying.
At least here, in Maple Falls, she knew she wouldn’t be alone. It really did take a village, and she had one—the kind of close-knit community where neighbors showed up with casseroles and friends doubled as family. She had Gertie, the best mom anyone could ask for, and she had her circle of girlfriends who always had her back.
And there was Tyler, raising little Emma on his own and somehow making it look easy. Half the town doted on that sweet girl. If she ever had a child, that child would grow up wrapped in the same love, laughter, and the kind of belonging that only Maple Falls could give.
Zoe knew, because she’d lived it herself. She’d grown up in a single-parent household, but she’d never wanted for affection. Her mother’s love had been more than enough.
Still, it wasn’t quite the future she’d once imagined for herself. She had dreamed of romance, of building a life hand in hand with someone who wanted the same things. But maybe that was for others—for Liam and Cassidy, who couldn’t keep their eyes off each other, or Madison and Zach, who were making up for lost years with every stolen kiss.
Maybe she was destined to stand on the sidelines, cheering them on, crafting the flowers for their weddings…but never her own.
And now there was Jackson. Different man, same dead end. Because as much as her heart tripped every time he walked into the room, he didn’t see her that way. He’d tucked her safely in the friend zone years ago, and he’d never given her any reason to believe that had changed.
She couldn’t afford to fall for someone again when there was no future waiting on the other side.
Zoe finished arranging the bouquet and set it aside for a morning delivery, then turned to her laptop. It was time to focus on something happy, and maybe a little magical.
The mysterious flower Edith dreamed of having in her bouquet had captured Zoe’s imagination. She could already see it: the rare silvery blue petals tucked among spring blossoms, and Edith’s smile as she walked down the aisle.
She pulled up a few plant identification databases. Zoe was no stranger to native Midwest flora; between working at the national parks in the last decade and helping out at the shop when she was a kid, she could rattle off wildflower names like most people did breakfast cereals. But nothing she found quite matched Edith’s memory.
She frowned, flipping through digital records and archived news clippings, but she came up empty.
Zoe was wondering where she should look next when she received a text from her mom. It was a selfie of Gertie with Mrs. Humphrey. Zoe’s first-grade teacher was holding out five twenty-dollar bills splayed out in her hand like a fan.
Dolores needs a new microwave. Told her to put her cash on you!
Zoe stared. Her mother was out of control.
She glanced up from her computer screen just in time to see her friend Krista walking past the flower shop window with herdachshund, Frankie. The pup wore a red bandana and trotted ahead like he owned the sidewalk.
Krista herself looked like she belonged on the cover of a lakeside lifestyle magazine. She was casual but effortlessly stylish in a striped linen top, cuffed jeans, and lemon-yellow sneakers. Her dark curls were pulled into a low ponytail, a few wisps framing her face. In one hand, she carried a recycled cardboard drink carrier holding two glass jars filled with something golden and fizzy.
Zoe walked to the door, unlocking it and pushing it open with her hip.
“Hot Honey Spritz,” Krista announced proudly, walking into the shop. “I’m testing cocktails for the Hideaway’s summer menu. This one’s got honey, lemon, a splash of prosecco, and”—she lowered her voice conspiratorially—“just enough kick to make you forget your problems.”
Zoe raised an eyebrow. “One of your experiments?”
Krista grinned. “Relax. It’s not as bad as the tabasco lemonade fiasco. Probably.”
