Chapter 26 #2
It makes me think of the store I dream of opening one day. I can almost picture it, rows of homemade tinctures, different selections of herbal teas, natural skincare products, and plants hanging from every corner of the ceiling. I could host workshops and be involved with community events.
It would be a space people could walk into and instantly feel safe in. It’s been my dream since the beginning, one I probably shouldn’t let myself think too hard about. Right now, I need to focus on making it through this last year of school. Then—and only then—could that dream become possible.
The funny thing is, I can’t shake the feeling that God has been preparing my heart for Covewood all along. He brought me here for a reason. I’m starting to suspect that He’s been leading me toward this, one small step at a time.
“Well, there’s my favorite customer.”
I glance up as Marie Tompkins appears from the back room, carrying a small wooden crate filled with dried bundles of rosemary. Her silver curls are pinned loosely at the nape of her neck, reading glasses hanging from a chain around her neck.
I smile immediately. “I bet you say that to everyone.”
Marie pats my hand once as she passes. “No one has visited my store twice in a week like you have.”
I chuckle while I wander toward the herbal shelf. “I can’t believe I only have two more weeks here before I have to go back to Westbridge.”
The words leave a strange ache behind. Marie studies me knowingly while setting the crate onto the counter.
“You don’t sound very excited about that.”
“I’m excited for school,” I admit and glance toward the front window where downtown Covewood bustles outside.
“But I don’t like the idea of leaving. I’ve fallen in love with this place.
I’ve already decided I’m willing to make the drive.
Three hours isn’t that bad a few days a week.
I just…” I smile softly to myself. “I want Covewood to be my home.”
Marie’s expression is gentle as she says, “You know, I meant what I told you at the Fourth of July festival.”
I glance back at her. “About selling the shop?”
She nods slowly. “My children are all out west now. And ever since Harold passed, I haven’t had the passion for this place like I should.”
Sadness flickers quietly in her smile, softening the fine lines around her eyes. Her gaze drifts toward the back corner of the shop where an old wooden rocking chair sits beside a shelf of herbal teas.
“My husband used to sit right there every morning. He’d drink a cup of tea and would complain every time I rearranged anything in the store.
” She lets out a soft laugh. “He passed away three years ago, and ever since then, this place hasn’t felt the same.
I’ve only kept it going because it’s what we built together. ”
I can see it, early mornings unlocking the doors side by side as they shared routines and dreams together. They loved something enough to spend years nurturing it together, and now she’s standing here alone inside all those memories.
“I’m tired, sweetheart. I think I’m ready to be near my family again.” Marie exhales softly and glances around the store with affection. “I still love this place. I just don’t know if I can give it everything it deserves.”
I glance around the store again, seeing what it could be. The classes that could be held in the back room. A workbench filled with seedlings. Being a part of community events. Teaching kids how to grow their first plant. A place of my own.
The realization hits so suddenly I almost laugh. Maybe this is why God brought me here. Not only to help my family, or to rediscover myself after Derek, or to meet Zane. No, what if it was to discover a life I never would have considered for myself?
My heart pounds with excitement, and before fear can talk me out of it, I turn to Marie.
“If you’re wanting to sell…” I pause, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m even asking. “How much would you want for it?”
Marie blinks in surprise before a slow smile spreads across her face.
We spend the next twenty minutes talking quietly at the counter while I ponder on every detail she gives me about inventory, the building lease, the loyal customer base she’s built over the years.
Ideas begin to stack themselves together so quickly I can barely keep up with them.
It’s both terrifying and exciting. By the time we finish talking, my pulse feels unsteady with so many possibilities. I don’t make any promises to Marie yet, because buying a business is a huge risk. I’d need time to form a plan and come up with some money that I definitely do not have right now.
“I’m going to think about it,” I tell her honestly while gathering the elderberries and dried ginkgo leaves I came in for.
Marie reaches across the counter and squeezes my hand. “That’s all I ask.”
A few minutes later, I step back out into the afternoon sunshine with my paper bag tucked against my hip, my thoughts spinning so fast. A smile tugs at my mouth as I head down the sidewalk toward The Groovy Bean.
“Max!”
I stop short and glance around before I spot Zane across the street outside of MJ’s Diner.
The second our eyes meet, his entire face lights up, and so does mine.
He waves once before jogging across the street after checking both ways, his work boots pounding lightly against the pavement.
He’s wearing a faded gray t-shirt dusted with drywall and dirt.
His baseball cap is backward today, brown hair curling slightly at the edges from the heat.
“Hey,” he says breathlessly when he reaches me, smiling so wide that it causes a flutter low in my stomach. “What are you doing downtown?”
“I just left Covewood Botanicals.” I lift the bag in my hands. “I’m making my dad another tincture.”
His brows lift with interest. “The stuff for his stroke recovery?”
I nod. “It’s mostly for circulation and cognitive support. It’s been helping some alongside his therapy.”
“Have I ever told you how incredible you are?” He places a hand onto my hip, pulling me closer toward him.
“A time or two, but it never gets old.”
The busy sounds of downtown seem to blur around us—the passing cars, the distant chatter drifting from the diner patio, and the soft hum of music spilling from The Groovy Bean down the sidewalk.
But all I can focus on is him. The heat from his palms through the thin fabric of my dress.
The drywall still clinging faintly to his shirt from work.
The way his eyes search mine like he’s trying to memorize every detail of me.
“I’ve missed you today,” he admits.
My fingers curl lightly against the front of his shirt. I could get used to running into him downtown. I could get used to all of it.
“I’ve missed you too,” I reply breathlessly.
His gaze drops to my mouth, and he leans in slowly until his mouth finds mine. The second my lips move against his, the rest of downtown ceases to exist. My eyes drift shut, and his grip tightens at my hips, fingers pressing in. His kiss tastes faintly like sweet tea and sunshine.
A horn honks somewhere down the street, but neither of us moves. It isn’t until Ashton’s voice cuts through the moment like a wrecking ball that we finally pull apart.
“Zane! Quit making out with my sister! We’ve gotta go!”
I laugh against Zane’s mouth as he groans dramatically and drops his forehead to mine.
“Your brother ruins everything,” he mutters.
We both glance toward the diner where Ashton and a few members of the construction crew stand near the truck. Someone beside him whistles while Ryland’s shout echoes from the diner parking lot. “We’ve got five minutes!”
Zane sighs before finally stepping back enough to look at me again. “You’re still coming over for dinner tonight, right?”
I grin. “Yes.”
“Good.” His gaze drops briefly to my mouth before meeting my eyes again.
Then, like he physically can’t help himself, he leans in and kisses me one more time.
Quick and smiling this time. After he pulls away, I stand there, grinning while he jogs across the street toward the diner, with Ashton already shaking his head at him.
Halfway across the street, Zane glances back to make sure I’m still watching.
When he finds me standing exactly where he left me, his smile returns, and it makes my entire day better.