14. Grier
Grier
Raven Reid wasn’t someone people said no to often. She was a lot like MiMi in that regard. When she walked into the barn, I knew she hadn’t decided to be another one of my Helping Hands.
Waffles saw her and sprinted over to greet her. With a laugh that my boy was able to produce from any kind soul, she rubbed his head. “Hey there, pretty boy. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
It probably did seem like forever and not less than a full week.
I’d lost count of all the calls I’d gotten from people in town, asking about Waffles, letting me know if there was anything I needed, not to hesitate to ask.
Once Finn alerted me that Hilary was out of jail, I hadn’t set one foot off my property, though.
I was starting to feel claustrophobic on my farm, but I didn’t want to end up doing something I couldn’t take back if I came face-to-face with my archnemesis.
Still scratching Waffles, Raven turned her gaze on me as I approached.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, then a sudden thought had me panicking. “Did something happen to Finn?”
“Finn is fine. I promise.” Before I could spiral, Raven hugged me. It took me a moment to get myself under control and hug her back, a little dizzy with relief. She gave me a genuine smile. “I stopped by to ask if you’d take a ride with me.”
“I feel like I should ask if this is a ride that ends with me being tossed into a very deep hole,” I said as I assessed her suspiciously, having lived in Trinity County long enough to know who the most dangerous people residing here were. Raven was in the top five on any given day.
“Fair.” I lifted my brows, waiting for her to respond. She snorted. “No, Grier. I do not have any plans to drop you into a hole of any shape or size. I actually have a surprise for you.”
“A yay kind of surprise or one where I question every poor life choice I’ve ever made?”
Amusement shimmered in her eyes. “It’s a fun surprise for everyone involved. Well, mostly everyone. I’ll even supply snacks.”
“Next time, lead with that.” I sent a text to Leo and a few other people to let them know where I was going.
Because I wasn’t a gullible idiot, even if I did adore this woman.
But also, they needed to know I was leaving since I’d been working on several different things all day.
If I randomly disappeared, they would send out a search party and turn it into a whole thing before the sun went down.
“Waffles can come with us,” Raven offered, and I hesitated, a ball of anxiety building in my belly once again. “He won’t be left unattended at any point. There will be plenty of people there to ensure he gets the attention he loves.”
Reluctantly, I gave in. Saying no to Raven didn’t feel like an option.
She opened the back door to her SUV, and Waffles hopped in without having to be told twice.
He plopped down in the seat like he’d done it a hundred times before, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if he had.
Finn wasn’t the only person who had escorted Waffles home after one of his many adventures.
Raven didn’t drive like she was in a hurry to get to where we were going.
Along the way, she asked me about the upcoming band fundraiser, offering assistance and advice.
I was so distracted by giving her the details that I didn’t notice when she slowed to a stop.
Looking through the window, I tensed when I realized we were only a block from Hilary’s flower shop.
To my surprise, though, there were barricades stopping the flow of traffic along this portion of Main Street.
Several large dump trucks were lined up along the road, while someone unloaded an excavator from a long truck bed.
People were already starting to gather in groups, asking what was going on.
I was just as curious as they were.
“Is this the surprise you mentioned?” I asked, hesitating to open the back door and let Waffles out.
“Yup,” Raven said, opening the back gate of her SUV and grabbing two huge containers of movie theater popcorn. “And, as promised, snacks. It’s going to be a great show.”
I kept my hand on Waffles as we walked along the sidewalk. Some of the crowd made room for us, others stopping their conversations to give my boy their attention. I stayed right beside him, my stomach in knots the closer we got to the spot where I’d nearly lost him mere days before.
Then I saw Finn standing in the middle of the road, his mother beside him.
He was still in his uniform, hands resting inside his Kevlar vest as he watched men in hard hats working.
The excavator was loud as it was driven down the truck bed and onto the street before turning toward one of the buildings.
“What in the world is going on?” I asked, pausing to stare in gaped-mouth fascination at all the activity taking place.
Finn spotted me and jogged over to us. Grasping my waist, he bent his head to kiss me. “Hey, baby. Glad you made it in time to see the best parts.”
“What am I even looking at, Finn?”
Lexa appeared beside him, a bouquet of pink roses in her hands that she offered to me. “Happy Demolition Day!” she announced. “I saw these, thought of you, and had to rescue them.”
I took them from her and pressed my face into the petals, still confused. “Could someone please explain all of this to me?”
“Happily,” Finn said, giving me another deep kiss. Then he cleared his throat and stepped back, speaking to the growing crowd as well. “After our careful negotiation with the new owner of Miss Hester’s shop, they have decided to donate the property to the citizens of Creswell Springs.”
A ripple went through the crowd. I blinked at my boyfriend, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. New owner. As in it no longer belonged to Hilary.
Lexa stood beside her son, a beaming smile on her face for the residents.
I glanced around, noticing a news camera and a local anchorwoman.
They were set up to record the event. Farther back, I spotted my parents and then Love Bug with her mom and dad, along with all four of her brothers.
Max and his family had arrived, along with at least thirty other MC members.
For a surprise event, this had a great turnout.
“We will all treasure Miss Hester’s memory, and in honor of her, we’re going to plant a garden full of her favorite roses.”
“That’s what you’re doing?” shrieked a voice I instantly recognized. “You’re demolishing a flower shop to plant a garden? That’s fucking ironic.”
“I don’t think she understands what irony means,” Raven commented beside me, munching on a few pieces of popcorn. Waffles nudged her hip with his nose, and she offered him a handful of kernels.
Lexa continued as if she hadn’t heard Hilary’s outburst. “Although our small town prides itself on its history, it is natural succession to replace this once beloved shop with something we can share as a community.”
“I can’t believe this is happening!” Hilary shouted, stepping out of the crowd. “You can’t just take my shop from me and do whatever you want. This is my legacy.”
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you not to be disruptive,” Carlos said, appearing in front of her. “If you continue to make a scene, I’ll have to escort you from the premises, and you will be trespassed.”
“Fuck you, Carlos. I’m exercising my freedom of speech.”
“Freedoms don’t negate consequences, ma’am,” Carlos told her patiently.
The cameraman had shifted from recording the mayor and sheriff to the spectacle Hilary was creating.
While the deputy had a discussion with the irate woman, I shot a glance at my best friend and wasn’t surprised to find Uncle Luca had his hands covering Love Bug’s ears, his face a thundercloud trained on Hilary.
Love caught my gaze and rolled her eyes.
Hilary’s outrage was drowned out as the excavator began to tear down the former flower shop. The last glimpse I had of Hilary was the deputy dragging her away in cuffs, while the anchorwoman narrated the events leading up to the moment for her live broadcast.
Finn slid his arm around me, grabbing a handful of popcorn for himself from the container his grandmother offered.
Around us, the kids were cheering as they watched Reid destroy Miss Hester’s shop.
For a moment, grief tugged at me, all the memories I’d made with Miss Hester floating through my mind—planting that rosebush, keeping her company while she worked, buying a bouquet for no other reason than the flowers made me smile. It was gone now, just like her.
But grief was quickly replaced by a feeling of relief.
“Hilary is going to be strongly advised to relocate,” Lexa told me as she popped a few kernels into her mouth. “She will be escorted out of town tomorrow.”
“Will her destination be a very deep hole?” I asked casually, fighting a smile.
“Only if she decides to return.”