“Hey! Did you guys start without me?”
“Someone couldn’t wait to get flowers,” Jade said as she walked toward us with a bouquet of yellow daisies.
“Those are nice.”
“She likes to keep some in her room. A habit she picked up since we moved in.”
Ilsa giggled as she nodded her head. “Flowers are pretty.”
I took my gaze toward the market, and my eyes froze when I spotted Nora a few stands away. She was wearing a sweater dress with long black boots. Her hair was under a sun hat, and she looked stunning as the sun shone on her. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at her, taking her in.
She’d been avoiding me since her proclamation. She hadn’t come over to Jade’s house when I was there, and anytime I ran into her, she somehow slipped away before I could even catch her to talk.
“Who are you staring at?” Jade asked as she hit me with her elbow. Her eyes froze as she spotted Nora. “I didn’t realize she was here.” Jade looked at me. “Did something go on between you two? You guys seem off.”
“No,” I told her, shaking my head and quickly putting on a smile. “Nothing. Let’s get shopping.”
Jade narrowed her eyes at me, not believing me, but she didn’t press the issue. Her eyes traveled past my head, and they widened. “Oh, come on. I asked for one day, Kaleb. You had to bring him?”
I frowned, confused at her. “What?” I turned, and my body stiffened as I spotted our father walking across the yard toward us, but he wasn’t alone. He had a young, blonde gal walking with him.
“You invited Dad to join us for this? I didn’t want the farmers’ market to be a family event, Kaleb.”
“I didn’t invite dad, I don’t even know how he knows…” I paused, remembering that I had told him I was going to be here today.
Jade threw a glare my way before our father stopped. “Jade, Kaleb. This is Elizabeth.”
Jade nodded. “I know who she is. She’s Dr. Laurence’s eldest daughter.” Jade offered a tight smile, but I could see it didn’t reach her eyes.
Elizabeth gave a smile in return. “It’s lovely to meet you both.”
“As much as I would like to stay and chat, Ilsa and I are here to get stuff, and we only have so much time before all the good produce is gone.” Jade gave another forced smile. “It was lovely to meet you, Elizabeth.”
Jade took Ilsa and turned, leaving me with them. I was half ready to run away with my sister, but I knew better. My father was here for a reason, and I didn’t know what it was.
“What brings you two here?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at my father.
“I ran into Elizabeth while I was on my way to get a coffee, and I figured I could bring her down to meet you.”
“Yeah, I’m actually newly back in Belrose. I just finished college and decided it was time to come back to my roots and settle down.”
My eyebrows went up, and I glanced at my father, who held a smug smile. It then clicked in. This wasn’t just a meeting. My father was trying to set me up.
I ground my teeth together. “Is that so?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I actually start working with my father in a month. Gave myself a little wiggle room to get comfortable again. I have a few houses I’m looking at.”
“Kaleb is in the middle of purchasing a house,” my father added.
Elizabeth’s eyes seem to twinkle. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve looked at some. Having a hard time narrowing it down.”
“Isn’t that just the truth?” Elizabeth chuckled softly. “I was just about to go grab myself some of their pumpkin spice coffee. Do you want one?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m good. I’ll take a black coffee, though.”
Elizabeth nodded as she walked away, heading for the coffee stand. I turned to my father and growled. “What the hell are you doing?”
