Passing Luke, she moved to the open front door and stepped outside.
Directly across the street, Theo, just having turned the lock on his own office door, turned around. When he saw her, he stopped. Gave a little lopsided smile as he lifted one hand, the oversized scissors dangling from his fingers.
“Found the ribbon cutters!” he called out.
He dodged the oncoming traffic, jogged lightly across the street, and met her on the other side, eyes shining on the woman who’d turned from childhood best friend to lost love, to next-door neighbor, to wife, and now the latest: neighboring business owner and daily lunch date. And all it took was thirty-six years.
She took the scissors from his hand and reached on tiptoes for a kiss, her cheeks glowing like the soft pink rose petals on their wedding day. “Just in time.”
Dedication
To James. I love you.
Chapter 1
“I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to pass out right now.”
Sophie Morgan chuckled, knowing full well her mother wasn’t serious. But she didn’t doubt Mom was surprised by Sophie’s announcement. She snipped the end of a rose stem and added it to the pink glazed vase on the table in front of her. “Very funny.”
“I’m telling you the truth. My heart just stopped from shock.”
Adjusting her earbud, Sophie rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to be dramatic, Mom. All I said is that I’m going on a date.” As soon as someone asks me out, that is.
“You can’t expect me to take this news lightly.” Her voice became muffled as she said, “Roger, our baby is finally getting married.”
“What?” Sophie dropped the pink carnation she’d just picked up. “I never said that, Mom.”
“Oh, but it will happen eventually. I’m sure of it.”
For a brief second, Sophie wished she were as confident as her mother. Then again, sometimes her mother’s confidence bordered on annoying, especially when she was being helpful.
“How’s life in Arizona?” she asked, eager to change the subject. Her parents had moved away from Maple Falls, Arkansas, ten years ago to Tempe to be closer to the daughter who had fulfilled their mother’s dream—Lis was not only married but also had two children.
“So, who’s the lucky man?” Mom asked, ignoring Sophie’s question. “Where did you meet him? How many times have you gone out?”
Sophie sighed, not surprised that her mother didn’t take the bait. The woman had a one-track mind. Fortunately Sophie’s two coworkers, Hayley and MacKenzie, were busy with customers up front and not back here to listen to what was turning out to be an embarrassing conversation. Then again, Sophie should have known not to call with such momentous news during work hours.
“Mother,” she said in the same tone an irritated parent would use when calling a child by their first and middle names. “I only said I was ready to date. Not that I had a date. Please don’t rush me.”
“Rush you? When have I ever rushed you? When have I ever pointed out that you’re thirty-six and it’s high time you have a social life—”
“Thirty-five,” Sophie corrected.
“Really? I thought you were thirty-six. You know how I am with dates and ages. Anyway, when have I ever put pressure on you to marry, er, date?”
Despite her mother’s insistence on being exasperating, Sophie couldn’t help but smile. She had spent the last decade devoting her time and money to Petals and Posies, the floral shop she bought after saving for it for years. Keeping the shop afloat had been a struggle since the town had been in a steady decline for a long time. But things were changing in Maple Falls. She was busier than ever, and now that she could afford to hire help, she could also afford to take some time off. Which meant she was finally ready to go on her first date since high school. Maybe now her mother would quit bugging her about her social life, or rather, her lack of one.
“Let’s just say you’ve been very insistent.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
Sophie could practically hear her mother rolling her eyes. “Mom, I need some space. Dating takes time. It’s not as if my future”—she almost said husband but caught herself—“date is going to walk into my shop in the next two hours.”
“Then you don’t have any prospects yet? That’s wonderful.”
“It is?”
“There are some lovely single men here at church. One of them is even a doctor.”
Sophie snickered at her mother’s reverent tone. “Ooh, a doctor. Let me book my ticket now.”
“You joke, but I’m serious.” Mom harrumphed. “It’s not like Maple Falls is teeming with single men your age.”
She couldn’t argue with that. In fact, she knew only two—Landon Ferry, who didn’t even live in Maple Falls anymore, but had moved to Malvern several years ago. For the past two weeks he had stopped by the shop three times, buying a bouquet each time. He was just as handsome as he’d been in high school, and although he was twice divorced, she knew through the grapevine—which consisted mainly of her friend April—that he was available. He was also in a profession her mother would get giddy over—a lawyer with his own practice.
The other single guy was Joe Johnson. The two men couldn’t be more different, in both looks and occupation. Landon was tall, fit, an impeccable dresser, and he had the thickest black hair she’d ever seen. He always looked as if he’d walked right out of a high-end barber shop. Joe, in contrast, was on the short side, barrel chested, never without a worn-out baseball cap, and probably had no idea where to buy a suit, much less owned one. He was a high school history teacher and football coach, and excellent at both. None of those qualities were strikes against him. She had never been one to get hung up on looks or professions. She’d known Joe since kindergarten, and not a single time had she ever thought of him in a romantic way. Then again, she’d forgotten what it was like to think about romance at all.
“Sophie? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I am,” she said quickly, going back to work on the bouquet she was making for an online order. She added the carnation, then picked up a few stems of baby’s breath.
“Well, I was just saying that you should try online dating. Lis said it’s all the rage now.”
“How would she know?”
“Her friends tell her. I’m sure she can give you some helpful advice about dating.”
No thanks. “That’s okay, Mom. I’m sure she’s busy with the kids and everything. How are they doing?”
Mom launched into a detailed explanation of everything Sophie’s niece, Addison, who was in preschool, and her nephew, Sebastian, who was a toddler, had done for the last two days. Sophie interjected a “hmm” and “you don’t say” at all the right moments as she finished the bouquet. She already knew everything the two kids had done since Lis never failed to post a social media update every day about her perfect family. Unlike other families, Lis’s truly was perfect, and Sophie was glad she and her husband and kids were happy. She just wished her mother hadn’t always held up her younger sister as the ideal Sophie consistently failed to meet.