“He’s going to need encouragement,” Magnolia says thoughtfully. “Men always need a helpful push.”
“You think I shouldtellhim I’ve fallen in love?”
The two of them nod. “That is not something you want to carry around in your chest. You should tell him as soon as you get the chance. Everything you’ve told us sounds like he loves you back, though maybe he hasn’t put words to his feelings,”Charlie declares. “I wouldn’t know anything about that. I’m very good at sharing my feelings.”
Magnolia looks at her with narrowed eyes. “You’re horrible at sharing your feelings! It’s like trying to pry them out of a lockbox.”
“It’s a very special box,” Charlie retorts.
“What if he doesn’t love me back?”
Charlie and Magnolia give each other a knowing look. “Wouldn’t it be worse to live in uncertainty?”
I take another sip of coffee. “It’s been incredibly awful, actually. It’s like I’m playing games in my head twenty-four-seven, and I’m exhausted.”
“You have to tell him then,” Magnolia agrees. “He’ll tell you he loves you too, and then the two of you can live happily ever after.”
She has a point. I can’t live in uncertainty my whole life. Unfortunately, it’s going to take putting my heart on the line—and it might break.
After another long pep talk and two more coffees, I extricated myself from being a taste tester and returned home to make some dinner and plan my speech to Zane. It all sounds good in my head, but I know that the words will leave the second I try to say them.
So instead of overthinking it, I get busy making soup. My mom always told me that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I’m about to put that advice to the test.
But not long after I finish throwing dinner together, Chip barks from the front porch. That’s strange. He’s not much ofa barker unless there’s something unusual. I move from the kitchen to the front entryway and open the door. I can see a cloud of dust coming up the driveway. It’s not a car I recognize.
The last thing I want is to visit with strangers. I want Zane to come home so I can tell him something important. Like, “Hey, I love you. I know we’re already married, but I’ve fallen for you all the way.” I can’t think about it too much, or I know I’ll be too scared to say anything.
“Good boy, Chip,” I tell him as he runs up and down the steps, barking like he’s applying for a job as a fire alarm.
The car pulls to a stop in front of the house.
I step out on the porch as a woman steps out of the sedan. “Hi there!” I call out. Maybe she’s with the census bureau. Those are usually the only strangers that risk driving down a gravel lane this far unannounced.
Maybe she’s lost. Sometimes, that happens out here. Cell service can be a little spotty, depending on the carrier.
The woman smiles at me and walks toward the porch. She looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place her.
“Hi. I’m so sorry for just dropping by like this.” The closer she gets, the easier it is to see that she really is nervous. Her smile is stiff, and she’s clutching her hands together. “I don’t even know if I’m in the right spot or not.”
“Well, where are you trying to get to? I’d be happy to help.”
This time, her smile softens, and relief flashes across her face. “Thank you so much. You see, I thought this was Zane Madden’s house. But he might have moved in the last few years.”
A sick feeling of dread settles in my stomach. “Zane?”
“Do you know him?” She sounds so hopeful.
“Um, yes.” I nod slowly, fighting the rising nausea.
“Do you know where he lives now? Is he still in Pine Ridge?”
I force a polite smile on my face as I say, “He still lives here.”
Her shoulders drop as she sighs. “Oh, good. You wouldn’t happen to know what his new address is, do you?”
“No—I meant, he still lives here. This is his house.”
His house. Not our house.
