Page 31 of Chasing Shelter

“These are for you.”

“You can keep them.” The words were out before I could stop them.

The man frowned. “Keep them?”

“Yes. I don’t need them. Maybe you can donate them to a retirement home or hospital.”

His frown deepened. “I have to deliver where I’m supposed to, or I’ll get in trouble.”

“It could be our little secret,” I begged.

Panic spread across the driver’s face. “I-I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“It’s okay. Sorry I pushed.” I took the flowers, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

“Have a good day.”

I was sure that was the last thing the guy wanted to say to me as I struggled to balance the massive vase. I set it in the open doorway and glared down at the blooms. Bradley’s favorites.

A card was tucked into the top of the flowers, taunting me. At least my name was written in an unfamiliar script. I’d memorized Bradley’s handwriting over the decades I’d known him, and this wasn’t it. Which made me let out a breath. At least he wasn’t in Sparrow Falls.

I plucked the card from the arrangement and opened it.

You can’t live without me. Come home. – Bradley

Rage washed through me, hot and fierce like some sort of instantinferno engulfing a hillside of dry tinder. I crumpled the card in my fist. What kind of florist delivered that sort of message? They were going on my shit list.

I shoved the crumpled card into the flowers and picked them up with a grunt. Not only was Bradley leveling threats, he was also going to throw out my back. I tried my best to navigate the porch steps with the arrangement and headed toward the side of the house where the trash cans lived, but it was nearly impossible to see around the preposterous bouquet.

I almost tripped when grass turned to the pavement of the driveway but finally caught a flash of blue. The trash can. I flipped up the black lid with a muttered curse, getting a face full of lilies in the process. I instantly started sneezing.

Cursing louder this time, I heaved the vase into the can and grinned when it shattered against the bottom. Justice. But my satisfied smile fell when I heard a deep, familiar voice behind me. One I knew was paired with hypnotic green eyes.

“What’d those flowers ever do to you?”

9

TRACE

She was beautiful.Even sneezing and struggling with a flower arrangement almost as big as her. Nothing could take away from all that Ellie was. And her fierce determination was a big part of that.

She whirled, her hair in two pigtail braids that swung wide as she gaped at me. She’d changed at some point and now wore a neon blue sweatsuit covered in shimmery stars. The sweatshirt’s sleeves were pushed up to reveal colorful bracelets in a rainbow array that accented the various rings dotting her fingers.

She opened her mouth to speak, likely to issue some pithy retort, but stilled when she saw my tiny companion. “I’m allergic to lilies.”

My eyes narrowed. Something about that wasn’t the whole story. “Might want to tell whoever sent those.” I gestured toward the trash can.

“Not wasting my breath,” Ellie muttered, then turned to my daughter. “Miss Keely, how was your day?”

Keely beamed up at Ellie like she’d hung the moon. “It was the beeeeeest! Everyone wanted to know whodid my hair and how.”

An authentic smile lifted Ellie’s lips, and I nearly stumbled back a step. It was then that I realized I’d never seen one from her before. Not once in the half a dozen or so family gatherings we’d both attended or when I saw her around town. This was the first genuine smile I’d seen Ellie wear. And it was devastating.

“We’ll have to see if we can up our game next time.”

Keely’s mouth dropped open. “There’s more?”

Ellie’s smile only widened. “Bestie, I got you covered. We’ll do Dutch braids next time.”

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