Page 108 of Lessons in Heartbreak

“Edinburgh. Did you see my pictures on Facebook? I just uploaded everything from our stops in Scotland and Wales.” She pulled the phone away and said something to my dad in a muffled voice. “Your dad says hi.”

I managed a smile, a headache stemming from the tension I was holding at the base of my neck. “I didn’t see the pictures, no, but I’ll go check. I’ve been staying off the internet as much as possible.”

Social media wasn’t my favorite thing in the world to begin with—I’d had to reset a forgotten password just to be able to follow my parents’ trip—but now my internet was effectively trained to serve me everything about Griffin. I’d seen more gossip-column articles in the last month of my life than in the previous ten years combined. Everything from recaps of his outings in Denver with teammates to the ice cream he was spotted buying at an upscale grocery store near themansion he’d bought in Cherry Creek—a $2 million home with seven bedrooms, and maybe he was looking to fill it with a family? I clicked out of that one quickly.

I blinked, realizing my mom was still chatting about things they’d seen.

One of our library trustees was in my office doorway, a manila folder in her grip, and I held up my hand to ask her to wait. She nodded.

“Mom, I have to go. Have fun in Edinburgh. Have a beer for me,” I told her.

“I will, honey. You’re taking all your medicine? Working out?”

“Every day,” I promised. “Even started doing some strength training about a month ago.”

“Good! That’s wonderful. Not too much, though?”

“Hard to say. I’ll be so bulked up when you get back home you may not even recognize me.”

She sighed. “All right. I’ll leave you alone. Love you, Ruby.”

I rubbed wearily at my forehead, quietly chastising myself because it was her love that caused her to worry. My mom was probably doing the same thing, reminding herself that when I used humor to deflect, it was because I didn’t really know what else to say. “Love you, too,” I told her quietly.

I hung up and aimed a smile in Carol’s direction. “Sorry about that. How can I help you, Carol? I didn’t expect to see you today.”

She held up the manila folder. “Have something for you. I almost waited until the trustee meeting next week, but I decided you deserved to see it first.”

Carol was a successful real estate agent, and she’d worked in the Welling Springs area for the last fifteen years. The last time we spoke was when she broke the news about losing the land. This time, though, she looked substantially happier.

I stood, holding my hand out for the folder as I moved in front of my desk, a quick whirl of nerves hitting my stomach at the excitedglimmer in her eyes. There was nothing written on the folder, and I should have waited until I was seated again before I opened it.

For a long moment, all I could do was stare at the innocuous black ink printed on the pristine white paper.

My breath caught in my throat. “What is this?” I whispered.

Carol didn’t answer.

Tears filled my eyes, and I blinked furiously to clear them. There was a lot of legal jargon on the paper in front of me, but I recognized the outline of the land like I was looking in the mirror. “Carol, this says we own the land ... How ... how is this possible?”

She smiled. “Because we do.”

My hands were tingling, and I blindly sank back onto the surface of my desk, thankful that it was there as my knees gave out. “How?”

She shrugged lightly. “I got a call last week from the developer’s agent. Someone approached them and gave them an offer they couldn’t resist. It took some time for the deal to close, but it’s ours, Ruby.”

Shock had my head spinning, and I laid a hand over my chest, the pounding of my heart mimicking the racing thoughts as they split out into a million directions.

Carol took a seat and pinned me with a mischievous grin. “Someone likes you an awful lot, Ruby Tate.”

My head snapped up. “What makes you say that?”

“They had one stipulation for the transfer of the land,” she said.

“What was it?”

She handed me another paper. It was thick, with another render on it, one that I’d never seen. The weeping willow was there, and in the background was the bench. But in front of it was a drawing of a sign.

Ruby Tate Gardens and Nature Preserve.

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