Page 91 of Out on a Limb
Collette added the three plants to the woman’s bill before carefully packing them into a flat-bottomed paper bag and passing them over with a smile. “See you soon.”
“Didn’t expect you to sell your grandmother’s babies so easily.” I leaned against the counter as Collette went to the cart to look through the plants.
“I can’t believe she didn’t think of this herself.” Collette picked up a few of the Dewdrops and walked to a rack right at the center of the shop. “She wanted everyone to love plants as much as she did.”
The smile on her face got me thinking. “I could start working up a way to keep you supplied with plants.”
“Really?” Her smile was all for me now. “Do you think that’s something we could do?”
“Absolutely.”
She’d been so sad for so long.
The past year her light had dimmed and I fucking hated it.
Whatever it took to bring that back I would make happen.
I’d make a thousand plant babies if that’s what made her happy again.
The automatic doors opened, dragging my attention from Collette’s smiling face to the newest visitors to the garden she might love as much as her grandmother did.
Only it wasn’t visitors coming through the doors.
Chapter Nineteen
Collette
I ALMOST TOOK a step back, but Andrew’s hand on my back kept me in place.
“Just relax.” His voice was low in my ear.
I wanted to relax.
Knew it was the best way to react to this situation.
But the sight of three cops coming through the automatic doors made me anything but relaxed.
Especially considering the looks on their faces.
They appeared to mean business.
And they were coming right for me.
“Afternoon.” Andrew’s tone was cool and collected. Like he wasn’t concerned at all about the way the police were sizing me up.
“We got a call about some chickens in a trailer.” The same cop I’d talked to this morning watched me closely. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you, Ms. Johnson?”
I shook my head, pressing my lips together. “Nope.”
“Chickens?” Andrew sounded surprised. “That’s interesting.”
“Is it?” The cop’s attention slowly slid Andrew’s way. “Why is that?”
“We had an issue with chickens a couple days ago.” Andrew scratched at the hair poking through the skin of his jaw. “A whole bunch of them came through the back fence.”
The cop’s eyes came back my way. “And you didn’t report it?”
“You wanted us to call you because some chickens got into the garden?” Andrew snorted. “We got a shitload of squirrels too if you’re interested.”
