Page 99 of The Floral Arrangement

“It seems she’s not the only one.” Fred smiled weakly.

I sat up straighter. Could he…? “You’ve seen how incredible the farm is, providing entertainment to thousands of families year round. It would be a huge loss to the Sapphire Springs community and the greater region if it was bulldozed to the ground.” I blinked away the tears that had started to brew in my eyes. “Not only that, but Dana, Ronnie and all the other employees you’ve met would lose their jobs.”

Fred’s face softened. “Discovering the two of you had been lying felt like a huge breach of trust. And based on what you’ve said, Roz wasn’t completely blameless in this.” He sighed. “But while it seems like a completely bizarre set of events, I appreciate that you didn’t set out to trick me into investing in the farm. And while there are clearly much better ways you could have handled this situation, it does make some strange kind of sense to me—not that I would have ever gotten myself into this position.”

A lightness rose in my chest. Was he going to agree to the funding after all?

Fred opened his mouth again. “I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll think about it.”

At least it wasn’t a no. Not yet.

“Thanks, Fred. I really appreciate you hearing me out, and I’m so sorry that things happened the way they did. Even if you don’t decide to invest, I hope you’ll pop into Sapphire Blooms to say hi.” If it hadn’t closed already. I dug my fingernails into my hand.Do not cry.

“Thanks for coming in, Olivia.” Fred reached out his hand and I shook it. “I’ll walk you out.”

We walked in silence back to the reception area, my chest heavy. In my more hopeful moments, I’d imagined Fred agreeing to invest after all and me racing to the farm to tell Roz the good news and apologize for storming out on her.

As the elevator doors closed behind me and I began my descent to the ground, I exhaled. Whatever happened next was out of my control, but at least I’d tried my best. I would go back to Sapphire Springs knowing that I’d done everything I could to try to save Red Tractor Farm.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

ROZ

“Happy birthday to yoouuuu!”We were out of tune and out of time, but Lottie didn’t seem to care.

She knelt on a chair at my dining room table and blew out the candles on the chocolate cake with a giant puff. I cheered along with my parents and Matt. This was Lottie’s first birthday without her mom, so I was trying my best to push my worries aside and focus on ensuring she had a good time. It had been easier to be present earlier in the afternoon when, as a special treat, I’d taken her on a pony ride outside the usual petting zoo route, weaving through the apple orchards and out to the Christmas trees and back again, the fresh air tinged with blossoms and pine and Lottie’s squeals of delight keeping me in the moment.

I cut the cake and served everyone a slice. Hopefully, it tasted good. I’d never baked a cake from scratch before.

Lottie gobbled hers down, then looked up with chocolate smeared across her little face. “Can I open my presents now?”

“Okay, fine.” Matt grinned.

Lottie shrieked and began ripping the wrapping paper off an enormous box. Would Matt be able to transport its contents home in their small Toyota Corolla?

“Oh, wow!” Lottie exclaimed, as her efforts revealed a drum set, complete with cymbals. “Thanks, Nana and Pop. This is amazing!”

Matt shot me a horrified look, his eyes wide and his mouth puckered. I choked back a laugh.

Lottie smashed a drumstick on the cymbals, sending an ear-shattering clang reverberating around the room. I flinched. If Matt couldn’t fit it in his car, I’d insist on dropping it off to him at the first available opportunity.

“Perhaps we could keep it at Nana and Pop’s house.” The corner of Matt’s mouth pulled up. “We could turn their library into your drum studio, honey. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

Mom frowned at Matt and I chuckled under my breath.

I walked over and knelt next to Lottie, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into me. “Happy birthday, gorgeous.” I handed her my present.

Lottie unwrapped the box. Her face lit up as she pulled out the headlamp, kids Swiss army knife and sleeping bag.

“You said before that you’d like to go camping, so I thought the two of us could camp out at the farm—and that these would come in handy.”

Little arms enveloped me. “Thanks, Auntie Roz! Can we do it tonight?”

“Not on a school night, sweetie, but perhaps next weekend?” I glanced over to Matt, who gave me a thumbs up and a grin. He didn’t get many nights to himself these days.

“Speaking of school, Margie was telling me that Radford has just finished building a state-of-the-art science lab and that her grandchildren are doing robotics and virtual-reality field trips to explore the solar system.” Mom put down her fork and peered over at Matt.

A muscle twitched in Matt’s jaw, but he kept his voice calm. “That’s nice, Mom.”

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