Wild as Her (Beckett Family #2)

Chapter 29

Indie

T he first day back to work after a long vacation is the absolute worst—no matter how much you enjoy your job and the people you work with.

“Delivery for…” The man looks at the name on the card. “Indie?” he questions, looking at me and holding the flowers in my direction.

“Thanks,” I say, taking them and signing the form on his clipboard.

I pluck the card from the plastic holder nestled into the beautiful crimson-red roses.

Beautiful as always.

xo

I tuck the little card back into the flowers and inhale them deeply.

Why does he keep getting me flowers twice?

Last night, I sang at The Cozy Cup, and Wild brought me a cute assortment of flowers, as he always seems to do.

“Who sent those?” Sadie, one of the new girls at work, asks when she walks around the corner and sees the roses on the counter.

Her daughters Hadley and Brinley stand beside her because, once again, her babysitter bailed on her. They are a spitting image of their momma with chocolate brown hair so dark it’s almost black and a dusting of freckles across their noses and cheeks.

“Probably the same guy as last time,” Lucy says, winking over at me as she walks out of her office.

“Maybe,” I chuckle, fighting back the blush caused by thinking about Wild.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what he said on our trip about doing something that would make my mom and myself proud. I believe this fundraiser for the traveling clinic is just the thing.

I know I can’t offer much, but spreading the word and volunteering anything I can is still something. I’m supposed to call the doctor, Megan, tonight to work out some more details.

Since I was out of town all last week, I wasn’t very helpful. I know she has a full plate with trying to plan the whole thing and still do her job, so I need to step it up. Tonight, I need to see how else I can help her now that I’m home and my plate’s a little more empty.

The bell above the door chimes, and a woman with long chestnut hair in a boysenberry-colored coat walks in. As if her ears must have been burning from me thinking about her, I see that it’s Megan.

Maybe I should think about a million dollars next, I laugh to myself.

“Hey, I was hoping I’d run into you here,” she greets, strolling up to the counter.

“Hey, what’s up? Everything alright?” I ask, uncertain why she’d come all the way over here to talk to me when she has my number.

“Well, someone stole my flowers from out front of the truck, so I need some new ones.”

“Those fuckers.” I slap a hand to my mouth. “Sorry, you’re gonna learn pretty fast that I wasn’t born with much of a filter,” I admit with a laugh.

“It’s totally fine, Indie. Trust me, I hear plenty in my line of work,” she chuckles back.

Some people are fortunate in life to find their true calling. This woman is one of them. The sincerity in her voice and the kindness on her face make that fact abundantly clear. I can imagine being a terrified woman going to the doctor and being comforted by her calm presence and caring demeanor.

“Let’s go see what we have out back.”

I walk around the counter and head toward the back door. Megan walks beside me, and I can feel the unease drifting off of her.

Peeking over, I see her gnawing at her lower lip.

“You sure everything’s alright?” I ask, keeping my eyes fixed on her.

She stops walking and lets out a long sigh.

“I’m so sorry to ask more of you, Indie,” she says with apologetic eyes, “but the band I had lined up to perform for the fundraiser backed out. I remember you saying that you sang, and I was hoping you might be able to perform for us?” she finishes with a nervous tilt of her lips.

A big, open-mouth smile overtakes my face, knowing that I can really contribute something to this event besides my time and little things here and there. I can actually do something that I feel is helpful and meaningful for this fundraiser, which will help bring in money for the women who can’t afford health screenings and prenatal care. I can entertain and feel like I’m more a part of the event than I would have otherwise.

“I would absolutely love to,” I respond genuinely.

Relief washes over her face as her shoulders relax back down to a normal height. “You would?”

“Of course! I love singin’,” I happily shrug.

I don’t add that it would also mean even more to me to do this at something I feel so connected to—something that makes me feel a little closer to my mom.

“You’re sure you have enough time to prepare?” Her brows knit closer.

“Not much to prepare,” I laugh honestly. “Just me and my guitar,” I shrug again.

Megan lets out another sigh of relief, placing her hand gently on her chest.

“I was so nervous to ask more of you.” She leans in, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. “Thank you so much. I couldn’t do this without amazing people like you.”

“You’re welcome.” Still not a fan of others touching me, I awkwardly hug her back, patting her back once and stepping away. “Anyone would do the same.”

“They wouldn’t, though. It’s surprisingly hard to find people willing to give up their time.”

I know what she’s saying is true, but I don’t want her to think I’m a saint.

“Well… I haven’t said anything about it, but what you do is something that’s close to my heart. I lost my mom in childbirth. If she would have found something like this, maybe she’d still be here today. I feel like doin’ this with you is a small way I can honor her memory. And it would feel good to maybe help prevent some other little girl from growin’ up without her mom.”

The familiar burn pinches in the back of my throat as my nose begins to burn with the impending show of emotion.

I clear my throat before I let the tears take over me. “So I’m not totally being selfless,” I admit.

Megan’s hand reaches up, rubbing my shoulder. “Indie, you’re a sweet girl, and your momma would be so proud of you.”

Her tear-filled eyes shine above her caring smile. The words she’s just let out mean more to me than I thought they would.

She wraps me in another hug. “I’m glad we met, Indie.”

After returning the affection, I clear my throat again, taking a step back. “Let’s find you some flowers,” I say with a teary-eyed smile.

“Yes, let’s do that,” she smiles back at me, patting my arm.

Once we finish up, I watch her pull out of the parking lot, and a new excited flurry jumps to life inside of me.