Page 32 of Hoax and Kisses
“What? Why?”
He shrugs. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this interested in someone.”
“I’m not—”
He gives me a stern look.
“Fine.” I sigh, deflating. “She got intriguing for a second, but that’s all.”
“Sorry, man.” He mindlessly pushes the hair off his forehead, only for it to immediately fall back into place. “It would’ve been nice for you to meet somebody new.”
I’m grateful for what he doesn’t say, even if the message is clear. Four years later, and it still hurts to hear her name. Hell, just thinking about her still makes my chest ache like there’s a tight fist around my heart. Because I wasn’t enough. Pine Falls wasn’t enough. And my family was too complicated for her.
That last part brings with it a bolt of anger. Nobody—nobody—will ever be more important to me than my sister is. If she couldn’t accept that, couldn’t deal with the fact that a good chunk of my time will always be devoted to Daph, then I wasn’t the guy for her.
Even if I had all of it mapped out for us. A slow, mellow life in this small town. The traveling, the kids. But it was growing old by her side that I looked forward to the most. Seeing the gray in our hair and the wrinkles on our skin.
I thought she wasitfor me. So much so that I—
With a sigh, I push the memory aside. No need to rehash the past or dwell on it. It’s never done me any good. It doesn’t matter. None of this matters. And Zoey will never matter now.
“It is what it is,” I reply flatly, picking up my shears. “Are you going to the town meeting tonight?”
“I was planning to. Lola is joining us there.”
“Good. That’s good.” I use the back of my forearm to wipe a stray strand of hair from my face. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting this project go through. That’s not what Emile would have wanted.”
James snorts. “Whatwouldthat old bastard have wanted, except for the whole town to grunt and frown till the very end the way he did?”
I chuckle. He’s not wrong. The old man gave us shit every day.
“Remember the time he took our soccer ball away when we were playingin a parkbecause his car was down the street?”
James snorts. “Or when he gatekept Oli’s mail for years because he was convinced he got food poisoning after eating at his grandparents’ restaurant?”
I laugh, shaking my head as I continue to peel the damaged petals from roses. “I thought Oli was about to strangle him. But you can’t say the guy didn’t love this town. He was a mean one, but he cared for Pine Falls the most.”
“Yeah. I’ll give him that.” James nods, his attention on his work again.
I devote the rest of the morning to processing orders, creating bouquets, cleaning vases, watering pots, and cutting stems to preserve flowers. I adjust the window display to include fall accents, change the name of the week’s bouquet on the chalkboard outside, and check in with my supplier about the next delivery.
Throughout the day, and even on the way to pick up Daphne from school, a single thought consumes my mind.
Tonight, Zoey is going down.
Chapter Nine
ZOEY
The space is bursting with loud chatter when I arrive, the buzzing sound reverberating against the bare walls.
I weave my way through the crowd. At the back of the room, pastries and half-full pitchers of lemonade are displayed on a long table. As I burrow deeper, furtive glances shift in my direction, and whispers grow louder, more insistent.
“Are you sure you heard right?”
“Her? Really?”
“Not again.”
