Page 42 of April Flowers

Margot’s cheeks were hot. “I never thought I’d see him again.”

“He’s on Nantucket, isn’t he?”

Margot laughed girlishly, in the same way she’d laughed when she’d seen Noah earlier today.

“You’ve seen him,” Gabby said softly.

“Yes. I mean, briefly. But we’re going out. Today.”

Gabby gasped. “Oh. My. Gosh. You’re never coming back, are you?”

Margot cackled. “What are you talking about? Of course, I am. I can’t just leave my life behind.”

Gabby sniffed. “Flower shops are ubiquitous. You can open them wherever you want to.”

Suddenly, from the stairwell came the sound of Lillian’s voice. “What is that racket?”

Margot got up and called to her mother, “Sorry, Mom! I’m just on the phone. It’s a business thing.”

“It doesn’t sound like a business thing,” Lillian said. “When your father took business calls, he never sounded like that.”

It was the first time today that Lillian had used the past tense when referring to her long-dead husband. Did that mean this version of Lillian was closer to the “real” Lillian? Was the Alzheimer’s medication working?

“Let me know if you need anything,” Margot said to Gabby.

“Good luck,” Gabby called back. “Miss you. Never come home.”

“Ha.”

Before Lillian’s big card date, Margot helped her get ready. Together, they picked out a pretty dark purple dress and styled Lillian’s copper hair into a big updo that made her look grand and stately. She styled the dress with a brooch. Margot wondered when it was that women stopped wearing brooches as often. They were quite beautiful. She searched through her mother’s brooches and selected an emerald-green one for herself, thinking it was something that she and Noah could laugh about later.

Noah!

But what if he thought the brooch was weird? She stumbled with indecision.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Lillian hurried for the staircase. Removing the brooch quickly and putting it back, Margot went after her and came up behind her just as Lillian opened the door to greet Vic Rondell. Lillian blushed like a schoolgirl.

My mother had a crush. Margot knew for certain.

Vic Rondell was just as handsome and charming as he’d been yesterday. He kissed Lillian on the cheek and handed her a small bouquet—white roses and lilies, the formation of which Margot had to applaud. Vic knew how to pick ’em.

What if Margot did open a flower shop in Nantucket?

What if she stuck around to see what happened?

What if she opened her heart to change?

Don’t get ahead of yourself, Earnheart. For all you know, Noah has a girlfriend and doesn’t want to get involved with you.

Remember what you did? Remember how you abandoned him?

Remember how you don’t deserve love?

Vic looked Margot in the eye. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier to catch up with you, Margaret.”

Nobody called Margot that. She fixed her smile. “Oh, it’s okay. Really.” Then she added, “Margot is fine, by the way.”

Vic waved his hand. “Of course. I didn’t want to be too familiar.”

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