“Exactly how I feel.” I put my arms in the air. “Don’t you think that if someone really wants you, they’ll find a way to make it happen? They wouldn’t let eight years go by and then show up to confuse things.” The second beer had hit.
“Are we talking about Cole?” Brandy furrowed her brows. Tori had filled her in with a brief summary, and I could see Brandy trying to put the pieces together.
I smiled and grinned. “I still can’t believe I’m giving him the time of day. To think, I almost wound up doing wedding flowers for my high school—”
“And college,” Sophie interrupted.
“Boyfriend.”
“Fiancé,” Sophie mumbled, correcting me again.
“That’s brutal,” Aaron said.
“It wasn’t the highlight of my year. But I’m actually glad I got to see him again. Before he left, we chatted, and I felt closer to him than I ever did.”
“Therein lies the problem,” Sophie added. “And his fiancée is horrible. She cheats.”
“And he’s still getting married?” Aaron asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Not sure. But I haven’t heard otherwise. Anyways, nothing like talking about something so romantic with a couple that’s about to walk down the aisle themselves.”
Brandy giggled. “I actually find relationships fascinating.”
She made me feel completely at ease, and I vowed to put Cole out of my mind for the rest of the evening.
“Are you getting married on the island?” I asked. They didn’t live here, but a lot of couples flocked to Fireweed and the surrounding islands to get married. The islands dotting the Puget Sound were unlike anything in the world. Their rugged beauty provided an amazing backdrop and the tranquility calmed even the most agitated of brides.
“Actually, no, but we were hoping you’d be able to travel to our site.”
“Absolutely. Where are you thinking?”
“We’re still rolling around a few places.”
“That’s so sweet of you to think of me to do your flowers. It really means a lot.”
Aaron wrapped his arm around Brandy and squeezed, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, and I swore I felt the love from three feet away.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else. Gabby is making my cake. It makes me feel better if people I know are part of our happy day.” She squeezed Aaron’s hand, and I knew I’d love getting to work with them. “I’ll send over an email with details, and maybe we can set up an appointment?”
“Sounds perfect. I’m so excited. I’d feel absolutely honored to hear your ideas.”
Brandy bent over and whispered. “Our love wasn’t always easy or perfect, but it’s been worth every single second.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind when I run into Mr. Right.” I grinned and glanced over to the bar, wishing I saw a certain someone.
But I didn’t and I wouldn’t.
It was time I moved on.
For real.
I meant it this time.
I really did.
No more tugging on the dreams of my childhood. I needed to create a future open to the possibilities of love with someone other than Cole Hill.
It was the week of Valentine’s Day, and orders were flooding in left and right. Valentine’s Day was on a Friday this year, which always led to more orders, and today was Wednesday so my time was limited. Walled in by thousands (yes, thousands) of red roses, I felt right at home. Pink roses, yellow roses, and white roses also speckled the shop, but most orders were for long-stemmed, red roses, and who was I to buck tradition?
Weeks had gone by since the Cole debacle, and I had rebounded much better this time than way back in college. The first week was rocky, but I eventually stopped hearing imaginary voices, and I took that as a positive. Every so often, I’d think about what he must have gone through as a boy and my heart ached. I couldn’t picture that kind of cruelty, but I knew it existed in our world. Cole and his brother were the sweetest kids, and I would know. I was there from first grade onward. I took comfort in Cole revealing something so personal to me, but I didn’t allow myself to read anything into it. After all, I hadn’t heard from him since.
I stopped incessantly checking my email for a message from Cole, and Pickles even warmed up to me this week. Maybe she realized she could have been stuck with Cynthia, and no one wanted that.
Not even Pickles.
I switched music channels on my laptop and electronica filled the shop, making Pickles run and hide inside a cardboard box. She’d survive. Pickles enjoyed classical and…well, that was about it. But I needed something that turned my brain off and put me in a trance. I had a lot of work left. Sophie would be here in thirty minutes, and I was looking forward to the company, but for her to help most efficiently, I had to get everything organized. Every holiday, Sophie always lent a hand. It was a great way for her to earn some extra cash, and she helped me so much.
I cut the bands off a bunch of red roses and untangled the leaves of the first stem. Grabbing the rose stripper off the counter, I slid it down to remove the thorns. Normally, I just used my knife, but with the quantity I had stacked up, this tool saved the tips of my fingers. I quickly dethorned twenty-four roses and made two arrangements. Another order slid into my email with a ping, and I groaned.
It was good to be busy, and I was grateful for each and every order on this tiny island, but I hoped I wouldn’t run out of flowers.
I had completed forty-five arrangements since early morning, and it was time for me to put them in the cooler. I’d completely run out of counter space. I rolled the cart that was a foot taller than me over to the table where all the arrangements were, and I began organizing the crystal vases on each level.
The door chimed, and I stood on my tiptoes to see if Sophie came early, but I didn’t see her or anyone. My heart rate climbed as footsteps fell onto the tile floor.
Again, my imagination was out of control.
“Hello?” I called out tentatively, glancing out the window to see if maybe someone just opened the door and didn’t come inside, but I didn’t see anyone on the sidewalk either.
Pickles peeked out of her box, and I watched where her gaze went.
“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked to no one in particular, as my pulse quickened.
I bent down and followed Pickle’s gaze to see the waist of a man.
My heart sputtered, even though I knew I was just gearing up for disappointment.
“I’ll be right over,” I hollered into the air, wiping my hands on my apron and tightening my ponytail.
Still no response.
I scooted past the cart and took in a deep breath, unsure of who I might find. I took a few steps forward, and my eyes landed on the person I least expected to see but shouldn’t have been surprised about.
It wasn’t Cole Hill.
Why would it be?
It was the wonderfully kind and generous Mr. Harten. Our town’s pharmacist who happened to like to do all his business in person with cash. He came every holiday.
I should have known because he also was a tad hard of hearing, and the ease of interacting always hinged on whether or not he turned up his hearing aid. Turned out, today he’d forgotten to turn it up.
“Natalie, I was hoping you weren’t out to lunch. It’s so quiet in here.” His gaze caught mine, and I waved, quickly turning down the music that apparently only I could hear and made my way over to him.
“How are you doing?” I gave him a quick hug and worked my way behind the counter.
“I’m doing mighty fine. Taking Ruth to the cabin tomorrow so I need an arrangement early.” He grinned from ear to ear and my heart filled with joy. Seeing the love he had for his wife gave me hope.
“What are you thinking?” Every year, he changed it up. Ruth loved flowers, and he loved buying them for her. Actually, he loved picking them out, each and every stem.
His thin-skinned hand pushed into his back pocket as he searched for somet
hing. He pulled out a crinkled photo and slapped it on the counter.
“This was our first Valentine’s Day, fifty-five years ago. I’d like to replicate that arrangement.”
I picked up the photo and squinted at the image, hoping to bring the flowers into focus better.
“It looks like there are white roses, tiger lilies, and baby’s breath surrounded by leather leaf ferns.”
“Sounds about right. Can I see what you’ve got?” His eyes glinted with excitement and I led him to the cooler.
“Careful. It’s a little tight in here.” I opened up the door and stepped inside with Mr. Harten right behind me. I slid over the buckets filled with tiger lilies and baby’s breath. He bent over slowly and began selecting the flowers for Ruth’s arrangement. My eyes filled with tears as I watched him examine each stem. I turned away quickly and pretended to be doing something with a bucket of long stemmed pink roses when he cleared his throat.
“You doin’ okay?” he asked, straightening up and handing me his flower selections.
“I’m doing great. It’s just nice to see a love like you have. My parents have it too.”
His smile deepened and he nodded slowly. “I don’t think it’s as easy as it used to be to find the one. Let’s get out of here before I freeze to death.”
I followed him out of the cooler and pondered what he said as I laid the stems on the counter to examine. Was that true? Had things become more difficult or had we just turned away from love?
Mr. Harten picked out a vase, and I filled it up with water and flower food before slicing the ends of the stems and arranging them into a replica of his first Valentine’s Day with Ruth. It was impossible to be a florist and be cynical. The two didn’t go hand in hand.
“Does this have to do with that Hill boy?” Mr. Harten asked, completely out of the blue.
“Who?” I asked, bringing my eyes to his and he shook his head.
“You can’t fool me. I remember you two running around this place like you owned the island.” He stopped for a second as I continued slipping in the roses and lilies. “I heard he was back a few weeks ago.”
I nodded. “He was, but it was a quick trip. And he’s getting married.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He looked toward the cooler and brought his gaze back to mine.
“I think back in my day there was very little interference. People fell in love and out of love, but they did it on their own. It wasn’t uncommon for high school sweethearts to get married right away or at least while they were in college, if they were even lucky enough to go. That doesn’t seem to be the case any longer. Lots of interference.”
“How so?” It felt like Mr. Harten was trying to tell me something, but I was too exhausted to read between the lines.
“Between what is it? Tweeter and Facebook where photos can tear couples apart and all these so-called friends start commenting on relationship statuses? It’s all beyond me.”
My heart fell when I realized he wasn’t talking about my relationship specifically, and I glanced back down at the arrangement and stuck in the last rose.
“And parents. Parents always wanting the best for their children and interfering, telling them there are more fish in the sea and don’t settle. It’s beyond crazy why a parent would involve themselves in their children’s love affairs. We never did that to our kids.”
“I heard that same thing about fish in the sea,” I laughed, remembering how annoyed I was that my mom kept repeating that over and over that first summer I’d come home without Cole.
The door chimed and Sophie came in. Spotting Mr. Harten, Sophie’s smile widened immediately.
“How are you?” she asked, giving him a quick hug.
“Doing well. Miss Jennings and I are just talking matters of the heart and the interference nowadays. We had very little of that in my day.”
“Very little of what?” Sophie asked, tying an apron around her waist. She had on a pair of worn jeans and a black hoodie.
“Interference. You know the Tweeter and all.”
“Twitter,” Sophie chuckled.
“Well, I was just telling Natalie how back when I dated Ruth, we didn’t have any interference, not from parents, not from friends. Nothing. We were just allowed to date and have fun. It was a much simpler time. Expectations were completely different.”
“I don’t think I had much interference back when I dated either.” I tipped my head, thinking about it. No one really seemed to care one way or another. “Yeah, I think Cole and I dodged that bullet.”
Mr. Harten’s thoughtful expression changed to more of a grimace as his eyes steadied on mine.
“I think you had your fair share of interference, if I remember correctly.”
What in the world was he talking about?
“How so?” I asked, sliding the vase toward Mr. Harten.
“Your mom was absolutely torn up about you. She didn’t know how to make you happy.”
“What do you mean?” I folded my arms and Sophie leaned on the counter.
“I remember her coming into the pharmacy looking for something to give you.”
“What?” I had no idea this happened.
“She was looking for vitamins to lift your spirits,” he laughed softly. “I told her the only cure was time. There was no magic pill for a broken heart.”
“I had no idea my mom was so worried about me. I feel bad.”
He shook his head. “Don’t feel bad. It’s what parents do. I probably shouldn’t tell you about this.”
“Well, now you can’t not tell me,” I chuckled. “Did my mom make me drink a potion that repelled men or something?”
“Worse,” he said, his expression fell. “She interfered.”
I shook my head. “Not really. My mom certainly used the more fish in the sea line a lot, but she let me wallow in my pain alone for the most part. Unless she did slip something into my water.” I grinned.
Sophie eyed me carefully and I shrugged as confused as she was.
“I’m going to be in so much trouble with your mama. It’s good I’m retiring soon.”
“What are you talking about?” My pulse started pounding.
“All those years ago…”
“Eight,” I supplied.
“She came into the shop and began describing your symptoms. She was desperate to fix you so I made her some tea and tried to settle her down. She sat at the counter and explained the entire situation. She rehashed everything, including her part in it.”
“What do you mean her part it in?” I asked, the pounding in my chest moving to my ears, followed by ringing.
“Don’t be mad at her. Your mom thought she was doing the right thing. All her friends told her you and Cole were way too serious. She never could have predicted just how strong your love for that boy was. She thought your love for him was unhealthy. That’s what society tells us nowadays. Love is supposed to fit rules and guidelines. Too much love is a bad thing and not enough is applauded. Drunken one-night stands are the norm.” He shook his head in disgust. “But love is about a crashing of emotions. I tell ya, when I look at Ruth, my world still stops. Life is a rollercoaster ride with that girl. One look from her, and I know I’m in the doghouse or another tells me I’ve made her the happiest woman in the universe. Love is about those all-encompassing, heart-wrenching emotions. Or it was supposed to be… until all this interference.”
I loved Mr. Harten, but I wanted him to get to the point.
“Are you saying Mrs. Jennings interfered with Cole and Natty?” Sophie asked.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” He turned to face me. “When your mom first started intercepting the mail from Cole, she hid it in the closet, but she became afraid that you’d find it so she gathered all his letters and sent them back to him.”
My heart raced wildly and the room began spinning as I watched Mr. Harten continue to relay the events of the summer that forever changed my life. How could this be?
“Your mom
confessed that Cole had been trying to reach you all summer, and she was in tears about what she’d done. You were about to go back to college when she came into the shop. She realized you were no happier at the end of the summer than at the beginning, but she felt she couldn’t tell you what she’d done or you’d never speak to her again.”
“And you never told me?” I was seeing spots.
“It wasn’t my place, but when I saw Cole with that woman, I knew I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. Your mom changed the course of your history because she wanted to protect you, and I thought maybe it would work out. When you came back to the island you seemed so happy. I assumed I was wrong about you two, and maybe Cole wasn’t the one after all, but your mom visited me yesterday. Told me you hadn’t taken things well with his return.”
“He never mentioned he sent letters,” I whispered more to myself than to anyone.
“Why would he? He thought you sent them back,” he replied.
My hands trembled and my chest ached. No, it didn’t ache. It actually hurt. Sharp pains radiated under my ribcage, and the muscles felt like they were tightening. I rested my elbows on the counter and Sophie flashed me a worried look.
“I’m so sorry I never told you. I really should have.” He reached for his wallet and I shook my head.
“This one is on me.” I smiled.
“I can’t do that.”
“You must.” I squeezed my nails deep into my palm from the pain and Sophie noticed my hands fisting. “Hearing this has helped a lot of things fall into place. It’s the least I can do.”
Mr. Harten shook his head, but Sophie began patting his back and gently pointed him and his arrangement toward the door, helping him graciously outside.
“Absolutely our treat,” Sophie assured him.
He stopped at the exit and smiled. “Things will work out the way they’re supposed to. I just felt you should know.”
“Thank you, and I don’t doubt it,” I agreed, trying to take slow, shallow breaths to stop the pain from worsening.
Sophie closed the door behind him and locked it, turning off the open sign and rushing over.
Love Redone in Hidden Harbor (Island County Book 2) Page 10
