Page 45 of Passions & Peonies

“There you are!” Sophia says. “We thought you weren’t coming.”

“I’m a couple of minutes late. You could’ve gone in already.”

“We were having fun looking at all the different flowers out here. I love spring flowers. I understand why you gush over the peonies,” Jocelyn says. “Too bad the wedding’s in October. I’m not sure you can get them at that time of year.”

“Chloe’s probably going to hate me because I don’t have a clue what I’m looking for. But she was super nice on the phone, and I’m sure she’s dealt with worse.” Sophia giggles excitedly. “Let’s go in.”

My stomach ties itself into knots, my heart beats like a massive drum, and my earlobes are hot. Why am I so afraid to meet her? Because she’s the closest thing to Will I’ll ever get.

They open the door and chimes ring overhead. A couple of other customers stand at the register. Sophia and Jocelyn go straight over and mention they have an appointment.

Chloe walks out from the back, and I go into panic mode. I freeze. If this is what an anxiety attack feels like, it’s horrible. I watch as they introduce themselves, and then Sophia turns toward me.

“Come on, Lacey.” She waves me over.

Chloe looks at me, and her eyes flash. She cocks her head slightly—or maybe I just imagined all of that.I can’t.

I look away and walk out of the store. I stop on the sidewalk and face-palm myself a couple times. What the hell am I doing? I have got to wake the fuck up! The weight of not telling my family about Will and faking my happiness is weighing on my chest to the point I can hardly breathe.

“Lacey?” Jocelyn says from behind me. I turn to face her. “What’s the matter? You’re pale as a ghost.”

“I don’t feel well. I think I should just go home. Tell Sophia I’m sorry.” I look everywhere except her face.

“Are you sure you can go alone? Should I take you?”

“No. I’ll be fine. I probably just need to sleep a little bit. Sky should be at the apartment soon. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, or I’ll see you at work on Monday.” I turn away and don’t wait for her to respond.

“Thanks for listening.Again. I know it’s getting old,” I admit to Sky. “More wine?”

She covers her glass and shakes her head. I put the bottle on the table next to my phone. I’ve turned it off because Sophia has been calling for an hour. I sent her a text saying I’m fine, but she won’t give up. Drew even tried to call. What’s the big deal?

“Can I ask you a question?” Sky asks, twirling her hair. I nod.

“What will it take to make you happy again? Because nothing seems to be working.”

Good question. I fantasize that he’ll show up and tell me he’s going to live in the Hamptons all year round. Other than that, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. Should I start over somewhere new where nothing reminds me of him? That’s a bit drastic. Running won’t solve anything.

I open my mouth to say something, but someone knocks on my apartment door. It’s probably my neighbor who’s always asking for eggs or milk. I look through the peephole, and my stomach drops. It’s Jocelyn and Sophia. I take a deep breath, then unlock the door and open it. Both of them glower at me.

They burst into the apartment and say hi to Sky. Then Jocelyn whips around and points her finger at me.

“You are going to tell us right now what is going on with you. Ever since you came back from vacation, you’ve been walking around with a fake smile, pretending life is a basket of roses. But you aren’t fooling us.”

“That sparkle that you’ve had ever since I met you is gone,” Sophia adds. “You hardly talk about your vacation. Actually, neither of you do. Did something bad happen?”

Jocelyn interrupts, her eyes blazing. “Did someone do something to you?” I almost laugh. She’s the sweetest woman, and you’d think she’d never hurt a fly, but she’d go to battle if anyone hurt her family or friends. She’s badass like that.

“No, no.” I wave my hands in front of me. “It’s nothing like that.”

“And!” Sophia raises her hand. “How does Chloe know who you are? She says you know her brothers. Why didn’t you tell us that?”

Will told her about me.She did recognize me. Maybe he showed her one of the pictures I sent him.

“Oh, shit,” Sky mumbles.

Jocelyn glances at Sky. “Why would you say that?”

Sky’s eyes bulge. “Say what?”

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