Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Griffin
I’m still riding the high when I drive into town the next morning. Last night was perfect. The dance, the music, the way Ruby laughed when I spun her under the lights. And that kiss. Oh, man. Earth shattering.
For the first time since I landed in this town, I felt like maybe I belonged.
I used to think towns like this only existed in chick flicks.
A charming mountain enclave with virtually no crime and where everyone has each other’s backs.
But Silver Pine is real, and I’ve somehow started wanting to earn a place in it.
I pull up to Oopsie Daisies, nervous as a teenager, ready to talk to Ruby and figure out what is happening between us.
Then I see it.
A huge padlock on the front door of Oopsie Daisies. A plain white sign stares back at me through the glass:
CLOSED - OUT OF BUSINESS
My heart drops. I yank out my phone and call Logan.
He answers on the second ring. “Morning, bro.”
I cut to the chase. “Did you have the flower shop locked?”
“As I recall, you told Jean to contact the lawyer to have it locked up unless notified otherwise.”
My stomach aches. I completely forgot. “Everything’s changed.”
“With Ruby?”
“Yeah.”
Logan says, “Sounds like you should be talking to her, not me.”
“She’s not here,” I say, sounding pathetic.
“Then go find her.”
He’s right. I end the call and look around Main Street. No sign of Ruby. I try calling her. Three times. It goes straight to voicemail.
I start walking fast, checking the café, the library, the bench by the river. She’s nowhere to be found.
Then I spot Desiree passing by.
“Desiree.” I hurry toward her. “Have you seen Ruby?”
She gives me a look that could curdle milk. “I plead the Fifth.”
Great. I drag a hand down my face. “Can you tell me where she went? Please? The shop is locked and I—well—I need to find her.”
Desiree juts her jaw, crossing her arms. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you locked her out of the store.”
I wince.
“You hurt my best friend, Griffin,” she sighs, softening just a hair, “even if you never meant to.”
“This is business,” I mutter. “Why can’t anyone in this town understand that?”
“We all understand business,” she says. “I run a café. But business without heart is just an empty shell. And if you truly had no choice but to close it, you should have found a better way to let her know.”
She leaves me standing there, feeling like the biggest jerk. I head back to the store, clueless about what to do now. Ruby’s gone, the shop dark and cold.
I can’t stand the idea of it sitting here empty. Without her.
I take a steadying breath.
Fine. If I can’t find Ruby, at least I can take care of the place she loves. Which means I need to get inside. Which means I need bolt cutters. I turn and head down the street toward the hardware store, moving fast.
Because whatever mess I’ve made, I’m darn well going to fix it. Starting now.
I spend the rest of the day filling the few recent orders that were still pending. Busy hands, quiet mind. That’s the hope, anyway.
I’m in the back when I hear the bell jingling, my heart leaping.
“Yoohoo!”
Yikes. Mrs. P. If I could slip out the back I would, but the old hinges would creak like a tattletale.
“I’ll be right with you,” I call, aiming for Ruby-style pleasant. When I step out front, judging by her heavily-lined lifted eyebrow, I missed by a mile.
“I heard you drove Ruby clean out of town,” she says. It’s hard to look her in the eye. She’s dressed like a cabaret dancer. Huge feathery hat, clunky heels, fringe swinging beneath her coat’s hem.
I blow out a lungful of air. “How can I help you today, Mrs. P.?”
“It is how I can help you, young man.” She taps her cane twice, the universal signal for incoming judgment. “You had better make up with Ruby. She is a gem of Silver Pine. Town treasure. If she leaves for good, you’ll have thrown the town’s entire emotional ecosystem off balance.”
There’s a sarcastic laugh stuck in my throat that absolutely should not escape. “I don’t know where she is. Do you?”
She shakes her head. “I would tell you if I knew.”
For a town with the best gossip chain in the entire Western hemisphere, they are suddenly as tight-lipped as CIA field agents.
I rub the back of my neck. “I still can’t believe she just left without a word. Not even a goodbye.” My voice dips before I catch it.
Mrs. P. meets my eye. “You broke her heart, dear. Ruby’s not a runner. So if she is gone . . .” She lifts her brows pointedly. “You must have upset her pretty good.”
That goes down like a stone.
“Where should I look?” I ask quietly.
“If I knew,” she says, tightening her feather boa, “I would already be there coaxing her back.”
When she leaves, I am alone again. My chest tightens. There is nothing left to do. If Desiree won’t talk and Mrs. P. doesn’t know where Ruby is, then there’s no one else to ask. I feel truly helpless. Ruby is gone.
One thing I know for certain is that I need a solution. One that saves the shop and maybe saves us, too. But for now, all I can do is wait and hope she comes home.