Chapter 3
THREE
ZOE
Sunlight spilled through the front windows of the Cherry Crush Flower Shop, catching on glass vases and colorful ribbons.
Zoe stood in the middle of it all with hair twisted into a messy bun, apron dusted with flecks of greenery, a cinnamon bun perched on the edge of her worktable beside her tea.
The faint scent of freshly cut stems and damp soil clung to the air.
Outside, Zoe could see Maple Falls waking up in true spring fashion.
Across the street, Meg was washing the bookshop’s front windows, sleeves pushed up.
Two empty planters waited by her feet, soon to be filled with fresh blooms. Down the block, Madison and Zach were hard at work at the Cinnamon Spice Inn.
Zach was power-washing the front porch while Madison knelt in the flower beds, pulling away winter’s dried leaves.
Spring cleaning in Maple Falls was a ritual, and the whole town seemed to hum with it.
Zoe had always loved the season’s energy, the return of color and the sense of new beginnings.
Even if her own version of “spring cleaning” usually meant rearranging her display window and pretending that counted as dusting.
A light breeze rattled the bare upper branches of the maples outside her window, though the lower limbs were lined with tight buds.
Zoe’s gaze followed the movement until she spotted Emma—a sweet eight-year-old who loved flowers almost as much as Zoe did—munching on a powdered donut while her dad, Tyler, trailed behind her, deep in conversation with Mrs. Bishop.
Zoe smiled. If Tyler wasn’t careful, Mrs. Bishop would have him set up on a blind date before they finished their coffee.
She was just checking her phone for new orders when an email caught her eye.
It wasn’t just any email. It was an unread email from Eleanor Davenport.
Zoe stared at it, her pulse quickening. She had nearly forgotten about the message she’d sent weeks ago.
It had been late at night, after she and Jackson had spent hours researching grant funding opportunities.
She’d sent the half-hopeful, half-desperate message after she’d read about the retired CEO in a sustainability magazine.
Eleanor Davenport had spent her childhood in the Midwest. After graduation, she’d built her company around eco-friendly practices and now dedicated her wealth to funding projects just like Local Blooms.
Zoe’s teacup sat beside her, steam curling lazily into the air. Whiskers hopped up onto the counter and nudged her elbow.
“I know, I know,” she murmured, absently scratching the cat’s chin. “It’s probably just a nice rejection.” She didn’t want to get her hopes up. But with the way her pulse raced and her heart hammered, she knew it was too late for that.
Zoe’s thumb hovered uncertainly over the screen. Whiskers’s tail brushed against her wrist. She took a steadying breath, and finally tapped the message open.
Dear Ms. Hart,
Thank you for reaching out and for sharing your vision for Maple Falls Local Blooms Project.
I was impressed by the practicality of your goals and the heart behind them.
An educational program for young people and tying in support for veterans is inspiring.
It’s never too early to teach the next generation how to care for the Earth.
I would very much like to hear more. I happen to be traveling through the Midwest this season and could arrange to visit in the coming weeks.
If that would be agreeable, please let me know what dates would work best on your end. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Davenport
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
Zoe quickly took a screenshot and was in the process of texting it to Jackson when her mom, Gertie, burst through the front door.
The bell jingled so hard it startled Whiskers from her perch on the counter. She shot Zoe a reproachful look before leaping down and padding off toward the back room, tail flicking.
Zoe hadn’t seen her mother with that much of a spring in her step in…
Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen her mom that springy, not since her arthritis had gotten so bad.
Her health had been the catalyst for handing over the reins to Zoe.
Gertie wanted to enjoy a little bit of retirement while her old bones still let her—her words.
Zoe was just happy to see her mom relax and enjoy life a bit.
Being a single mom to Zoe had meant long hours, hard work, and zero vacations.
Honestly, she wasn’t sure how her mom had managed.
“What’s gotten into you?” Zoe smiled.
“Me?” her mom replied, a sparkle in her blue eyes as she smoothed back her silver hair. It was clipped short, showing off her favorite dangling turquoise earrings. “Nothing, why?”
“Because you practically skipped in here.”
“Well, if you must know… I stopped by yesterday.”
“Here? I didn’t see you.”
“No, I expect not.” Gertie laughed. “Through the window, sweetie.” Gertie pointed at the full-size front window behind her.
Zoe glanced out the window. Baskets overflowed with soft pink English roses, bold fuchsia peonies, vibrant tiger lilies, and sunny yellow daffodils.
The arrangements spilled from vintage glass vases, old-fashioned milk jugs, and terracotta planters, each staged at different heights to create a layered, garden-like display.
“And what did I see?” her mother continued. “You and your boyfriend Jackson, cozy as can be. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Wait—what?”
“Oh, I know true love when I see it,” Gertie said adamantly. Zoe was too shocked to speak. “You two are going to win Spring Fling Couple of the Year. I just know it!”
The Spring Fling Couple of the Year was part of Maple Falls’s annual spring celebration. One lucky pair was crowned King and Queen, voted in not by judges, but by the whole town. Neighbors cast their votes during the fair, slipping ballots into a glittery box.
It was all about who seemed the most smitten.
How in love, romantic, and downright adorable a couple had appeared that spring.
People watched closely in the weeks leading up to the fair, trading whispers at the Cocoa Corner and jotting names on their ballots after seeing who held hands at the library or shared pie at the Maple Leaf Café.
Zoe had considered nominating her best friend, Cassidy, and her boyfriend, Liam, this year.
The two had been inseparable since Christmas.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen two people more in sync—well, except for Madison and Zach, who spent half their time out at his farmhouse, making up for their lost years.
But Madison and Zach already had a holiday planned soon, so she figured they’d want someone else to win.
In addition to bragging rights, the winning couple received an all-expenses-paid weekend getaway to a destination of their choice and a Maple Falls prize pack complete with a romantic dinner at the Cinnamon Spice Inn, a couples massage at the spa, champagne, chocolates, the works.
“I’m so confident you two will win that I placed a bet on it,” her mom added proudly. “I’d thought you’d like to know.”
“Wait, hold on—you bet that Jackson and I are going to be Couple of the Year?”
“Sure did.” Gertie waved one hand. “I thought it would be a smart move. You see, I was crunching the numbers, and even though I planned ahead, there’s just not as much money in my retirement account as I’d like.”
Zoe blinked. “Mom…”
Gertie kept going, undeterred. “I was thinking I’d have to cancel my vacation with the girls, but then I saw you and Jackson and thought, bam! There’s my answer! I’ll bet my money on you two becoming Couple of the Year, double my holiday fund, and I won’t have to cancel my trip!”
“You gambled your vacation account?” Zoe repeated, stunned.
“Why not?” Gertie shrugged, grabbing a stray stem from the counter and twirling it between her fingers. “You can bet on just about anything these days. Betsy Copplehagen is keeping the book. You know how Mrs. C. is—no-nonsense kind of lady. I trust her to keep the contest honest.”
Zoe stared at her mother, utterly speechless.
She hadn’t realized a single hug could spiral so far out of control. And it broke her heart a little to hear that her mom didn’t have as much in her retirement fund as she’d thought.
But this couldn’t be the answer. She just had to figure out how to explain that to her mom and get her money back.
“Hank! Did you hear the exciting news?” Gertie called the moment Edith and Hank Bloomfield—Mayor Bloomfield to most of Maple Falls—stepped into the shop. “Jackson and Zoe are going to be Couple of the Year!”
Mayor Bloomfield’s eyes widened behind his wire-frame glasses. “Well, I’ll be. I knew there was something special going on between you two,” he said, his voice booming. “Your face lit up when he walked in yesterday, Zoe.”
Zoe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned quickly to fuss with an arrangement of tulips, praying her cheeks weren’t as pink as they felt.
Edith clasped her hands under her chin, her bracelets jingling. “Zoe, you didn’t tell me you were dating Jackson! And here I thought Madison would’ve spilled it first.”
“It’s… very new,” Zoe blurted. “Hot-off-the-presses new. We were kind of keeping it quiet.”
“Well, looks like your mom beat you to it,” the mayor said with a grin, giving Gertie a playful wink.
“I did, I most certainly did,” Gertie said proudly, puffing up like a hen. “And I can’t wait to see these two crowned King and Queen.”
Edith clapped her hands, delighted. “Oh, won’t that be romantic, Hank?”
Hank slid an arm around his fiancée’s shoulders. “Anything’s romantic if you’re there, sweetheart.”
Edith swatted him with her purse, blushing like a schoolgirl. “Oh, hush. You old flirt.”
“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Gertie continued. “You and Jackson have been cute since preschool. Do you remember your mud pies?”
“Mom,” Zoe groaned.
“They were darling,” Gertie pressed on. “They served up the finest playground cuisine in Maple Falls. He was her first kiss, too! All innocent.” Gertie waved her hand. “Five years old and already breaking hearts!”
“Should we print the wedding invitations now?” Mayor Bloomfield chuckled.
“Ha, ha,” Zoe said flatly.
“Oh, come now. Just having a bit of fun,” Gertie said, clearly pleased with herself.
Zoe seized her chance to change the subject. “Speaking of weddings… Mom, do you remember a local flower that was blue with a white center? Edith mentioned it. We’re trying to find it for their wedding.”
Gertie’s brows lifted. “My word, I haven’t thought about those flowers in years. Seems like they just disappeared, no?”
“They were never easy to come by in the first place,” Edith reminded Gertie.
“No, that’s true. Everyone said you had to find them in the wild, over the ridge where the snow melted first,” Gertie recalled.
Edith’s eyes lit up. “That’s exactly what we came to tell you, Zoe! I couldn’t stop thinking about those flowers after we talked yesterday.” She turned to Hank with an excited little clap. “Hank, tell her!”
Hank chuckled, shaking his head fondly. “She’s been up since dawn talking about them,” he said.
Edith ignored him good-naturedly and leaned toward Zoe, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
“I remember a meadow up in the mountains. I must’ve been eight or nine the first time I saw it.
It was blanketed in wildflowers, blue and white as far as the eye could see.
Near a stream that ran down from the ridge.
I haven’t been up there in years. These knees aren’t what they used to be, but you love to hike, don’t you, dear? ”
“I do,” Zoe said, her pulse quickening. “A hidden meadow?”
Edith nodded, her eyes shining. “That’s the place I’d start looking. You and Jackson could do it together!”
“Now wouldn’t that be lovely!” Gertie said.
But Zoe barely heard her. Thanks to her mom, half the town would soon think she and Jackson were Maple Falls’s newest power couple. She had no idea what to do about that—especially when all she could think about was him.
The way his voice dipped low when he teased her, the rough brush of his fingers against hers, the quiet steadiness that made her feel like she could breathe again. It was crazy, really, how just the thought of him could leave her warm and restless all at once.
But they were just friends; he’d made that clear. What would he say now that everyone thought they were together?