With Liam gone, the night felt still again, the only sound the hum of crickets in the tall grass. Jackson leaned against the porch rail, the ghost of a smile lingering. He thought about the way Zoe smiled. The way her hands moved when she talked, how she still smelled faintly of lavender after a long day in the shop.
He took another pull from his beer, already picturing the soft glow spilling from the flower shop windows, the scent of soil and blooms hanging thick in the air. She’d still be there, working too late like always, music playing low while she rearranged vases or sketched out arrangements.
And if he showed up…if he locked the door behind him and kissed her the way he was thinking about kissing her—slow, deep, no distractions—he knew exactly how it would end. With her pressed against the counter, laughter caught between their lips. Her fingers fisting in his shirt. That quiet, breathless sound she made when she let him in.
Jackson exhaled hard, angling his head back toward the stars. He wasn’t sure if it was madness or love, or if there was a difference anymore. He didn’t care, as long as they were together.
The only thing was, he knew Zoe so well. And he could tell there was something still between them. It wasn’t only that she was guarded; there was something deeper, left unsaid. What wasshe hiding? And when it came out in the open, would it tear them apart?
FORTY-ONE
ZOE
Wednesday, April 2nd
Almost a week had gone by since Eleanor had granted them the funding. Zoe spent most of the day flitting around her flower shop, arranging vases, tidying shelves, and fussing over the folding table she’d set up in the center of the room. By the time the sun had begun to dip toward evening, she realized she’d been smiling for hours without even trying.
Maybe it was because Jackson had been coming by almost every night. Sometimes it was to help with deliveries, sometimes just to kiss her breathless against the counter, and always he proved that real-life boyfriend Jackson was better than any fantasy version she’d imagined over the years.
Whatever the reason, Zoe couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the start of something good—and she didn’t want it to end. If only she could completely ignore that deep anxiety inside her about their future.
The bell above the door chimed, and Mrs. Humphrey strolled in, a lime-green Jell-O mold balanced under one arm and her well-worn crafting tote in the other. “What’s got you so chippertoday?” she asked, setting the mold carefully on the refreshment table.
“It’s just a beautiful spring day, isn’t it?” Zoe said quickly, too quickly.
She barely had a chance to blink before Madison walked in behind her, a wave of red curls, purse looped over her arm. “What she means to say,” Madison announced with a grin, “is that she’s getting laid.”
Zoe’s cheeks flamed hot. “Madison!”
Kit bustled in after them, lugging a cooler large enough to feed half the town. “For once, I’m not the one blurting it out,” she said, shaking her head as she hefted it onto the counter.
“You’re all awful,” Zoe muttered, though she couldn’t stop smiling.
“And yet you’re still grinning ear to ear,” Madison said, dropping her purse on one of the chairs Zoe had lined up neatly around the folding table.
“What did we miss?” Mrs. Bishop asked, walking in with Mrs. C. seconds later.
“Nothing!” Zoe was quick to say before shooting her friends a look that said,Zip it!
Zoe had debated holding tonight’s crafting club upstairs in her apartment, but decided the shop was better—closer to all her tools, ribbons, and the fresh blooms. Tonight’s project was Easter-themed: delicate floral eggs adorned with petals from the newly cultivated Moonlight Kiss wildflowers she and Jackson had discovered. The blue petals were soft and silvery, unlike anything she’d ever worked with. They shimmered faintly when the light caught them—like they’d bottled a bit of moonlight itself.
“These are beautiful,” Edith said, picking up one of the finished eggs as she joined the group. She ran a thumb over the petals, eyes glinting with pride. “I still can’t believe you foundthem. You’ll have half of Maple Falls clamoring for a bouquet once they find out.”
Zoe smiled, brushing a stray curl from her face. “That’s the plan. We’re going to unveil them at the town Easter egg hunt. I think that’s the next big community event.”
“Brilliant idea, really lovely,” Edith agreed. “Maybe after Hank and I get back from our honeymoon you can show us where they’re at.”
“Well, I think it’s romantic you two haven’t shared the location yet,” Madison chimed in.
“We will. I just want to make sure they’re protected first. If we can get them to thrive year-round in the greenhouse, maybe we can bring the species back for good.” Zoe’s eyes lit as she spoke, her mind already ticking through the conditions she’d learned the flowers needed. A steady water source nearby, soil rich and loamy like the kind Jackson had collected from way up near the ridge, and plenty of warmth and sunlight to coax them into bloom. They were delicate and precious, but resilient too, just like the town that had given them a second chance.
Cassidy arrived a little later, arms laden with pastel boxes from the Cocoa Corner. Together with Kit, she laid out a spread for the refreshment table: the Cinnamon Spice Inn’s famous cinnamon rolls with apple butter, coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate, lemon squares dusted with powdered sugar, and a basket of foil-wrapped robin’s eggs nestled in paper grass. The whole shop smelled sweet and comforting.
Krista had wanted to join them, but there was just too much work at her grandparents’ campground right now for her to sneak away. Zoe felt bad, knowing how hard her friend worked, but she understood how it was when helping family run a business.
Just as Zoe reached to grab a plate, her phone buzzed. She glanced down at the screen, meaning to silence it, but the callerID made her breath hitch. The IVF clinic. A voicemail preview slid across the screen, confirming her new patient appointment for next Monday.
Her smile faltered for just a beat, a ripple beneath the surface, before she quickly tucked the phone face-down on the counter and rejoined the chatter.
