Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Griffin
I step back out into the chill, my coffee breath fogging the air. I’m still regrouping. Clutching my phone, I shudder to think what would have happened if it had hit the café’s parquet floor. My entire life is in this thing.
That woman who crashed into me was different. Mid-to-late forties with a head of wild auburn curls beneath a knit hat with little bear ears. Laugh lines framed her generous mouth. Her gray eyes were bright and open, like she sees the world in softer colors than everyone else.
I unlock my car, grabbing my briefcase just as a woman donning a red hat with a small, feathered bird, approaches me. If forced to guess, I’d put her just shy of seventy. She invades my personal space while eyeing me like I’m prime rib at half price.
“Is that your Jaguar?”
“It is. Am I parked illegally?”
She glances at my hand. “No wedding band.”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you new here or just visiting?”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“I’m Mrs. Eunice Periwinkle. And you are…”
“Griffin Renshaw.”
“Pleasure is all mine. What brings you to town?”
I want to get this show on the road but the lady is positioned strategically between me and the flower shop. “I own the flower store.”
“Ah, the new owner!” She leans in like I’m about to give her the nuclear codes. “Will you be making big changes?”
I have no idea how I got sucked into this conversation. “I am on a tight schedule. Nice meeting you.”
I attempt to walk around her and like an awkward two-step, she matches my movements until she finally lets me get by. “See you again soon,” she vows.
Can’t wait.
I study the flower shop’s exterior. The place is larger than I’d expect for a small-town business. Someone has framed the front window with glittered paper hearts, each one scribbled with a name in crayon.
The window displays an array of colorful flowers in what appear to be antique vases. Through the glass, I catch a glimpse of a woman spinning in circles near a bucket of roses, her ponytail swinging like a metronome. She’s singing loudly enough that I hear her through the closed door.
I check my watch, steel my expression, and step inside. The bell over the door jingles.
And just like that, the whirlwind turns and smiles straight at me.