Page 94 of Wild Flower

My cousin squeezes out from behind several arrangements and catches my eye, nodding for me to follow her to the sidewalk. “She has me screening all her calls and texts,” Miranda shares, keeping her voice low and pulling Becca’s phone out of her pocket. “I’m supposed to delete anything from you, Archer, or her family.”

“That’s dramatic.”

That’s the wrong thing to say. Miranda scowls disapprovingly. “Becca’s dealing with a lot right now. She’s moving out of her house and moving the farm.”

“Did she get the loan?” I ask, but Miranda shakes her head.

“She hasn’t heard back yet.”

“So why is she moving everything?”

“Her family found out about the three of you and everything blew up,” Miranda reveals. “She’s moving everything out regardless of if she gets the loan. She’s staying with me for the moment. And on top of that, the billboard has pulled in a lot of new business and we’re slammed.” She gestures to the van. “My point is, a lot is going on. The last thing we’re doing is keeping track of Archer.”

I glance at the van. “Do you guys need an extra hand? I can help move.”

“She wants space, Finn,” Miranda reminds me. “There are three hundred other things she’s worried about that don’t include knowing what to say to you.”

“I’m not the one who lied to her.”

“She knows that, but this is complicated, so back off.” She flips up Becca’s phone, showing me a text thread. “To answer your question, no, she hasn’t heard from Archer.” The last date in the thread is the day of the opening. “Unlike someone else I know.” She switches to a new thread with several messages from me that Becca hasn’t responded to.

“Miranda!” Becca calls from the back of the van. “Chop, chop!” She punctuates her words with two claps of her hands. “Let’s get to this venue. Can you lock up the shop?”

Becca hops out of the back of the van looking disheveled. She’s in a tank top and leggings, but there’s dirt and stems all over her. Her silver hair is up, but several wisps float like snakes on Medusa. And she’s still wearing those sunglasses like she’s hung over.

“Hey,” I say softly, afraid Becca might rip my head off if I talk too loudly. “I know you don’t want to see me, but I’m worried about Archer. He isn’t responding to my calls and he hasn’t shown up to work for several days. He didn’t call in sick. He didn’t quit. He’s just ghosted everyone—complete silence.”

Becca pulls off her sunglasses and I realize why she’s wearing them. Her eyes are all red and puffy like she’s been crying non-stop.

“Are you okay?” I move toward her, but she puts her hands up.

“There’s a lot going on,” she says sharply. I catch Miranda shaking her head at me, so I step back.

“Archer hasn’t contacted you,” Miranda confirms, holding up her boss’s phone, and a wave of exhaustion rolls over Becca.

“I haven’t seen him,” Becca says with an undercurrent of stress leaking into her words. I’ve just dropped another problem on her doorstep.

“You know what, I’ll figure this out on my own,” I say. “I’ll let Miranda know if I find out anything. It’s not your problem. Thanks for letting me know that you haven’t heard from him.”

That doesn’t seem to settle the concern in Becca’s gaze.

“And if you need any help with the move,” I offer, “I’m here for you. Even if that’s to move stuff when you’re not around. I can still help and give you space. The offer’s always open.”

She nods weakly, before turning to shut the doors of the van.

“I’ll check his house,” I say, not that she needs a play-by-play. “It’s good to see you.”

She nods again, heading to the driver’s side of the van. She has no smile or vibrance. Our Wild Flower is drowning and I don’t know what to do to help.

“Has Archer skipped work before?” Miranda asks, as she locks the front doors of the shop.

“Arie said he hadn’t missed a shift since he went into remission,” I share. I shake my head, not sure what to think. Did he decide to go to the doctor and got bad news? Is he MIA because of Becca? I wish he’d just answer his damn phone.

The van honks and Miranda squeezes my arm. “I gotta go, but I’ll keep you in the loop if I hear anything.”

“Thanks.”

She hops in the passenger seat and the two of them speed away. A few moments later I get a text from my cousin.

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