“Is this the surprise you mentioned?”I asked, hesitating to open the back door and let Waffles out.
“Yup,” Raven said, opening the back gate of her SUV and grabbing two huge containers of movie theater popcorn.“And, as promised, snacks.It’s going to be a great show.”
I kept my hand on Waffles as we walked along the sidewalk.Some of the crowd made room for us, others stopping their conversations to give my boy their attention.I stayed right beside him, my stomach in knots the closer we got to the spot where I’d nearly lost him mere days before.
Then I saw Finn standing in the middle of the road, his mother beside him.He was still in his uniform, hands resting inside his Kevlar vest as he watched men in hard hats working.The excavator was loud as it was driven down the truck bed and onto the street before turning toward one of the buildings.
“What in the world is going on?”I asked, pausing to stare in gaped-mouth fascination at all the activity taking place.
Finn spotted me and jogged over to us.Grasping my waist, he bent his head to kiss me.“Hey, baby.Glad you made it in time to see the best parts.”
“What am I even looking at, Finn?”
Lexa appeared beside him, a bouquet of pink roses in her hands that she offered to me.“Happy Demolition Day!”she announced.“I saw these, thought of you, and had to rescue them.”
I took them from her and pressed my face into the petals, still confused.“Could someone please explain all of this to me?”
“Happily,” Finn said, giving me another deep kiss.Then he cleared his throat and stepped back, speaking to the growing crowd as well.“After our careful negotiation with the new owner of Miss Hester’s shop, they have decided to donate the property to the citizens of Creswell Springs.”
A ripple went through the crowd.I blinked at my boyfriend, unsure if I’d heard him correctly.New owner.As in it no longer belonged to Hilary.
Lexa stood beside her son, a beaming smile on her face for the residents.I glanced around, noticing a news camera and a local anchorwoman.They were set up to record the event.Farther back, I spotted my parents and then Love Bug with her mom and dad, along with all four of her brothers.Max and his family had arrived, along with at least thirty other MC members.
For a surprise event, this had a great turnout.
“We will all treasure Miss Hester’s memory, and in honor of her, we’re going to plant a garden full of her favorite roses.”
“That’s what you’re doing?”shrieked a voice I instantly recognized.“You’re demolishing a flower shop to plant a garden?That’s fucking ironic.”
“I don’t think she understands what irony means,” Raven commented beside me, munching on a few pieces of popcorn.Waffles nudged her hip with his nose, and she offered him a handful of kernels.
Lexa continued as if she hadn’t heard Hilary’s outburst.“Although our small town prides itself on its history, it isnatural successionto replace this once beloved shop with something we can share as a community.”
“I can’t believe this is happening!”Hilary shouted, stepping out of the crowd.“You can’t just take my shop from me and do whatever you want.This is my legacy.”
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you not to be disruptive,” Carlos said, appearing in front of her.“If you continue to make a scene, I’ll have to escort you from the premises, and you will be trespassed.”
“Fuck you, Carlos.I’m exercising my freedom of speech.”
“Freedoms don’t negate consequences, ma’am,” Carlos told her patiently.
The cameraman had shifted from recording the mayor and sheriff to the spectacle Hilary was creating.While the deputy had a discussion with the irate woman, I shot a glance at my best friend and wasn’t surprised to find Uncle Luca had his hands covering Love Bug’s ears, his face a thundercloud trained on Hilary.Love caught my gaze and rolled her eyes.
Hilary’s outrage was drowned out as the excavator began to tear down the former flower shop.The last glimpse I had of Hilary was the deputy dragging her away in cuffs, while the anchorwoman narrated the events leading up to the moment for her live broadcast.
Finn slid his arm around me, grabbing a handful of popcorn for himself from the container his grandmother offered.Around us, the kids were cheering as they watched Reid destroy Miss Hester’s shop.For a moment, grief tugged at me, all the memories I’d made with Miss Hester floating through my mind—planting that rosebush, keeping her company while she worked, buying a bouquet for no other reason than the flowers made me smile.It was gone now, just like her.
But grief was quickly replaced by a feeling of relief.
“Hilary is going to be strongly advised to relocate,” Lexa told me as she popped a few kernels into her mouth.“She will be escorted out of town tomorrow.”
“Will her destination be a very deep hole?”I asked casually, fighting a smile.
“Only if she decides to return.”
Epilogue
Finn
