EPILOGUE
Lynn
Autumn – a few months later
Saturday morning, Brian and I stop by Green with Envy on our way to Logan and Lola’s for an afternoon garden party.
Lola thought calling it a garden party sounded more fun than what we’re really doing—planting hundreds of spring bulbs.
Smart woman. She managed to get half the home wrecker’s construction crew to help.
There might have been a promise of burgers and brews, too. So technically, it’s a party.
Their backyard project is finally down to the finishing touches. All that’s left is plants, flowers, and a lot of labor.
Daisy stands behind the counter, tapping at the keyboard while I lean against it.
“We’ve got plenty of daffodils in stock, but we’re running low on irises.” She scrolls down the page, turning the screen so I can see it. “Do you think Briar might like alliums instead? They’re purple.”
“I’ll check.” I pull out my phone and tap out a quick text before hitting send.
While I wait for Briar to answer, I lean farther over the counter to see what Daisy’s looking at. A picture of enormous, pink flowers catches my eye.
“Ooh, those are pretty. What are they?”
“Stargazer lilies.” Daisy clicks on the picture to enlarge it. “They smell amazing, and they’re pretty hardy.”
I turn toward Brian. “What do you think about the lilies?”
He throws both hands up. “Picking them is your department. Planting them is mine.”
“Helpful.” I tilt my chin and give him a playful frown.
“Don’t shoot the messenger.” He shrugs his shoulders. “I know my strengths.”
My phone dings, and I flip it open.
Wrong number, but hey, does the garden center have peonies?” – Wrong Number
I snicker. “Oops.”
Brian glances over my shoulder, but I’m already turning back to Daisy. “Do we have peonies?”
She clicks on the inventory sheet. “Yep. But we’re down to our last pallet.”
I type out a reply.
They do, but they’re down to their last pallet. – Lynn
Then type out a quick text to Briar about the alliums, double checking to make sure I click Briar’s name this time.
“So, what did Lola decide about the alliums?” Daisy asks.
“Oh, that wasn’t Lola.” I glance sideways at Brian and smirk. “I texted the wrong number.”
His eyebrows rise. Before he can comment, my phone dings again.
Perfect. Would you mind asking the front desk to hold them for Lily? I’ll be right there. – Wrong Number/Lily
“Absolutely,” I murmur as I type back. Then I look at Daisy. “Lily is on her way. She wants to know if you’ll hold the last pallet of peonies for her.”
“Sure.” Daisy makes a note on the computer.
Ask for Daisy at the front desk. I’m Lynn BTW. We were just talking about lilies. I think it’s a sign we should get them.
The phone dings mid message. I hit send, then back out of the conversation to find the new message. This time it is Lola.
“Lola wants the alliums.”
I go back to Lily’s text and create a new contact for her number. Brian peers over my shoulder.
“Are you saving a random stranger’s number to your phone?”
“Why not?” I hit save, officially adding Lily to my contacts. “We’re hardly strangers now. We’ve had an entire conversation.
Brian shakes his head. “We’ve got to get you a new phone before dialing another wrong number gets you in trouble.”
I close the phone and turn into him. “Are you jealous?”
“Maybe.” He slips his arm around my waist. “But better safe than sorry. You never know who might be on the other end of the phone.”
“Tell me about it.” I laugh and poke him in the ribs. “Pure trouble. But I love you.”
When I pull back, his grumpy exterior has softened around the edges.
“Don’t worry.” I smile up at him. “You’ll always be the right number for me.”
***