I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. She winked at me.
No wonder she always won.
When Boone returned, Ellie dealt the next hand. The ace still up her sleeve.
Round after round we played. Ellie won the majority, but of course, she had to throw some or it would get suspicious.
I liked that I knew her trick. It was our little secret.
5
ELLIE
Today was going to be a better day.
That’s what I chose to tell myself as I drove into work, my fingers curled tightly around the steering wheel, determination pulsing through me. After the emotional meltdown I’d had the other day, I knew I needed to pull myself together. Living this way, constantly on edge, was not benefiting me in the slightest.
I cracked my window, letting the crisp morning air rush in and fill my lungs. The early sun, soft and golden, brushed against my skin. It felt like a reset—a small gift from the universe, wrapped in orange skies and the quiet hush of a town just waking up.
This. This was one of the things I loved about Faircloud.
There was something sacred about these early hours, when the light was low and slanted, pouring over the mountains. The world felt soft. Kind. And for a minute, so did I.
I was feeling great.
Right up until I turned the corner and saw that damn Mercedes.
Parked inmyspot. Again.
The calm I had worked so hard to build shattered like a dropped glass.
“You son of abitch,” I hissed, slamming my palm against the steering wheel as frustration surged through me.
He had balls to take liberties. The noise. The parking spot.
I let out a humorless laugh. Today, I wasn’t just going to swallow it down and move along. No. Nope. Not at all.
I jerked the gear into park right in front of the alley, intentionally blocking in his stupid, too-clean, too-perfect car. Let him try to leave without dealing with me first. He’d either have to reverse down the one-way or sit tight until I felt like moving. I didn’t care if I got a ticket. I’d pay that fine with a smile on my face.
Yanking open the glove box, I dug out a napkin, then fumbled in my purse for a pen. My fingers trembled with pure annoyance as I scrawled out my very official note:
Dear Annoying Neighbor,
This is my parking spot. Kindly move your fancy car somewhere else. If not, prepare to face the consequences of your actions.
Sincerely,
The neighbor you keep irritating
Climbing out of my truck, I stomped toward his car. I lifted his pristine windshield wiper and tucked the note right where he couldn’t miss it. Though, if I’m being honest, there was a good chance hewouldmiss it. Every time I’d seen him, he’d been glued to his phone or lost in his own world, barely noticing anything or anyone around him.
Still, I left it there like a little grenade waiting to go off.
Then, chin high and mood slightly improved from the petty thrill of retaliation, I turned and marched into the shop to start my day.
The soft humof my playlist filled the flower shop, something light with a twang—just the way I liked it. I hummed along, spinning and gliding across the hardwood floors, the scuff of my cowboy boots echoing through the empty space. My one-woman show in full bloom.
Well, almost one-woman.
