Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
A sizable chain of phone tag occurred the next morning to inform any and all residents of Stirling that Ralph Lewis had been picked up by police and was now being questioned. Scarlett’s link to the chain happened when the town’s 9-1-1 dispatcher, Rachel, told Ruby, Cormac’s sister, who told Cormac, who told Lucy. Lucy then called to let Scarlett know.
“That means the party’s on,” Lucy said.
“Good,” Scarlett said and promised to see Lucy later. She hung up the phone and met Archer’s gaze, where he sat at the kitchen peninsula across from her. “They picked Ralph up last night. He’s been held all night.”
Archer’s face remained blank as he dipped his chin. “Good,” he said. “At least he’s in custody.”
At the carefully neutral expression Archer kept on his face, pain pierced Scarlett’s chest. He’d been distant last night. He’d held her, and they’d fallen asleep next to each other, but she could tell Archer wasn’t fully present. She wished she could draw him back to her, back to himself.
Moving to the other side of the peninsula, Scarlett slid her hands over Archer’s shoulders. His muscles were stone-hard, his jaw clenched. She didn’t know what to say to him to make him feel better. “I’m sorry,” she finally whispered.
He lifted a hand to place it atop hers on his shoulder, patting gently. “You should get ready. Lots to do today.”
He was right. Once Scarlett was dressed, she headed to the nearest flower wholesaler to restock her shop ahead of the party. It was a forty-minute drive away, so the errand took a couple hours to complete. They were low on a few staples and some of the greenery Scarlett liked to bulk out bouquets, so she made a pit stop at the second-nearest wholesaler afterward.
After hauling her flowers inside Pushing Daisies, Scarlett inhaled a quick peanut butter sandwich and got to work creating some bouquets. She wasn’t sure how many people would attend the party or if they’d be interested in buying, but the businesswoman in her wanted to give them the option.
As she chose delicate blooms and gathered them together, her shoulders relaxed and her breaths deepened. Arranging flowers was one of her favorite tasks. It was meditative; she was able to focus on the color of the delicate petals, the vibrancy of their green leaves, the floral scents that mingled and deepened. Flowers had become such a pillar in her life over the past years, and even a few days away from the shop had been difficult. As she tied twine around the stems of her latest bouquet, she took a moment to admire the blooms.
Flowers were a lot like life. If you didn’t enjoy them while they were alive and vibrant, you’d miss the whole point of having them in the first place.
Scarlett wouldn’t let her life pass her by any longer. She’d spent so many years mourning the loss of her relationship, grieving the life she thought she could have had with Jackson. But now she’d found a beautiful town, precious friendships, and a wonderful man.
It was time for her to stop running. Tonight, she’d tell Archer what he meant to her. She’d tell him that she’d fallen in love with him and that all her hesitations had only been caused by fear. Fear of losing her friends, her community, her future. But he was worth the risk. His devilish grin, his clever hands, his deep laugh—he was one of the blooms in the bouquet of life, the centerpiece that made it worth living.
“Okay, I managed to get some folding tables from the community center,” Camilla announced as she blew through the door without warning. “I need some help to get them out of the car. Marlon’s sending some of his guys over to watch over us, so if you see some big muscular security guys lurking in the distance, don’t worry about it.”
Scarlett grinned. “Sounds good.”
They hauled the folding tables out of the back of Camilla’s car, threw tablecloths over them, and arranged a couple of bouquets in the corners. By this point, it was just after noon, and the party would start within an hour or so. While Camilla, Lucy, and Amelia began stringing up decorations outside the shop, Scarlett ducked into the back and changed into a little black dress and patent pumps. She clasped her grandmother’s necklace atop the black fabric, touching the purple stone with delicate fingers.
Her grandmother was here with her, if only in spirit. She’d been another flower in Scarlett’s bouquet, an important figure that taught Scarlett that beauty was everywhere, and it was worth cherishing.
Everyone Scarlett cared about was in this town, and today was a time to acknowledge that. It had been a harrowing week, and this event would wash clean the memories of Ethel Brown lying on her shop floor.
It was time for Scarlett to claim her place in this town. She was ready.
Meanwhile, Archer struggled. His mind ran over the events of the week on an endless loop. He thought of the visit he and Scarlett had paid to Ralph, trying to examine it from every angle. When Ralph had first stepped out of the workshop, had he looked angry? Was that only because he didn’t like being disturbed? When had he and Ada split? Would he have become involved with Ethel?
Last night, he’d held Scarlett close, feeling like a little orphan boy clinging onto the only bit of kindness anyone had ever shown him. Deep down, he knew he didn’t deserve her.
After doing his rounds to the job sites he was managing in town, Archer sat at his desk in his home office and attempted to reconcile the invoices for the week. The numbers swam on the page, and after a painful hour that left him with a pounding headache, he gave up.
Even now, when he’d managed to build a business and use his disability as a strength, he felt like a pathetic failure when he couldn’t complete a simple task like reconciling a few bills.
He checked the time. He could head over to Muriel’s place and give her a quote on the new deck. At least that would be productive. But he’d only managed to grab his keys when his phone rang.
Sighing, Archer swiped to answer. “Hi, Mom.”
“Archer, how could you?” she wailed.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Archer leaned against the wall in his foyer. “How could I what?”
“Everyone’s talking about that monster, Ralph Lewis. They’re saying he and Ethel Brown were sleeping together, and that’s why he killed her. Just like that poor wife of his.”
That barely made sense, but Archer didn’t have the energy to protest.
“Didn’t your father and I tell you to go to college instead? But no! You had to pursue carpentry , of all things. And now this!”
“Mom, what Ralph may or may not have done has nothing to do with me.”
Her voice turned vicious. “If that’s really what you think, you’re even dumber than I thought.”
Archer blinked. “Mom…”
“Oh, don’t give me that pitiful tone. You know as much as I do that you’ve screwed your life up, Archer. Well, let me tell you, your father and I spoke about it, and we’re not going to support it any longer.”
“Support?” Archer scoffed, his chest still stinging with the hurt of her words. “Maybe you could tell me how, exactly, you’ve been supporting me so far?”
“You are nothing but a disappointment, Archer.”
The line went dead. Archer pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen in shock. He’d known, of course, that his parents felt that way. He knew they viewed him with contempt and disappointment. But to hear it said so plainly…
His chest burned, fire licking at the base of his throat. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he stomped outside and slammed the door on the way out. He made it precisely three steps before he noticed a man exiting a sleek black Mercedes parked on the street outside his home.
“Who’re you?” he barked.
The man wore a knee-length pea coat of black wool, along with gray pants and a white button-down shirt. His clothing looked expensive, possibly bespoke. Sharp blue eyes assessed him from across the lawn. The man was tall, about the same height as Archer. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket and gave Archer a rueful smile. Dimples appeared in his cheeks.
This was the type of man Archer’s parents wanted him to be. Some slick professional who looked down on people who worked with their hands.
“You must be Archer Jones of Jones Contracting,” the man said, nodding to the truck branded with Archer’s company name. “Pleased to finally meet the man who stole my woman.”
Archer’s body went still. His vision narrowed. “Your woman?”
The other man gave him an easy smile, stepping onto the grass of Archer’s front lawn. He spread his arms. “You know she’ll get bored of you, right? That’s what happened between us.”
“She told me you ghosted her after four years together.”
The man snorted and slipped his hands into his pockets. “It was a little more complicated than that.”
“Enlighten me.”
“I was doing my PhD, and Scarlett was needy. She couldn’t handle the fact that I wasn’t there all the time. She liked being the smart one in the relationship, you see, but she wasn’t able to find a job when she graduated with her master’s degree. Our relationship became strained. I think…” He let out a sympathetic sigh. “I think she was a little jealous.”
Archer held the other man’s gaze, then shifted his focus to his truck. He pressed the fob to unlock the doors. “Why are you here?”
“I just wanted to warn you. Hell, maybe I was just curious. But now…” He glanced at the truck, then at Archer’s plaid jacket. “Now I think I understand. Scarlett’s the type of person who likes to feel superior. But she’ll get bored. My advice to you is to cut and run while you can. She’s not a one-man kind of woman.”
Teeth grinding, Archer ignored the dagger that the other man’s words stabbed into his gut. “Right. And what if Scarlett had taken you back? You didn’t come all the way to this town to warn me about her.”
“No,” he replied, smirking. “I came because I wanted her. But now I remember why it never worked out between us. She’s a fine piece, but she’s not worth the hassle.”
Archer took a step toward the other man and was gratified to see him flinch. Scarlett’s ex covered the movement with a scoff, then headed back to his car.
“Just trying to warn you not to make the same mistakes I made,” he called out over his shoulder. “But it seems my good intentions aren’t welcome. Good luck.”
Archer watched him get in his car and drive away, vibrating with anger and confusion and pain.
He was wrong about Scarlett. Wrong about Archer.
Scarlett didn’t want him because she felt smarter around him. They weren’t together because Scarlett was looking for someone to pass the time. Their connection was deeper than that.
But Ralph’s arrest had thrown him. His phone call with his mother had exposed some sliver of vulnerability in Archer’s armor, and Scarlett’s ex had managed to hit it with well-placed words. Head spinning, Archer got behind the wheel of his truck and started the engine.
In twenty-four hours, he’d lost his mentor and the last whisper of his parents’ approval, and now Scarlett’s ex’s words rattled around his skull, unable to be ignored.
If she got bored of him and tossed him aside, the worst would happen. He’d lose his friendships, the only support system he had. He’d been so sure that Scarlett was worth that risk…but what if she wasn’t? What if his friends chose her? And why wouldn’t they? Could Archer really handle being on the outside of the only family he had left?
It was almost time to head to Pushing Daisies for the party, but he needed to clear his head. He put the car in gear and started driving.