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Valerie Leighton was a jeweler. And there was only one thing he thought she’d suggest he might need for Ana.

“Good luck,” she said with a half-smile that was much warmer than her usual neutral expression, before walking on through gusts of snowy wind to the quick pace of an unknown drummer.

“Heaven help me,” Rory murmured to himself, wondering how half the town seemed to know exactly how he and Ana felt about each other when he wasn’t sure of her himself.

“Oh,” a familiar voice said from behind him.

He spun around to see Ana, watching him watch Valerie heading back up Ambler to Park.

“Ana,” he said, forgetting the whole romantic speech he’d planned. “Hi.”

A blast of wind lifted her dark hair, swirling it up and dotting it with snow.

“Are you meeting Maggie too?” she asked.

All the warmth and sparkle that was usually in her dark eyes was gone. Even the bright color of her sweater seemed to have faded until it blended in with the wintry world around them.

“Maggie’s not coming,” Rory said, drawing on a strength he had forgotten he had. “It’s just me.”

“She’s not?” Ana asked, looking as befuddled as Rory felt. “We were supposed to go to lunch.”

Suddenly, instead of feeling sad or desperate, Rory realized he wanted to laugh. He and Ana were two peas in a pod. Surely the universe couldn’t hold them apart forever.

“I’m going to take you to lunch, Ana,” he said gently. “And then we’re going to go for a nice walk.”

“We are?” she asked.

He held out the flowers and her eyes widened.

“These are for you,” he said.

Ana’s face lit up as she took the bouquet.

Rory watched her take a deep inhale among the blooms, her beautiful smile telling him she loved the scent of the fresh roses.

“Hang on,” she said, beaming up at him. “I’m just going to put these in water.”

“Take these too,” he said, pulling the chocolates from his pocket.

“Wow,” she said, heading back into the store and leaving him standing on the sidewalk feeling cold but hopeful.

When she reappeared, her expression was curious.

“What’s going on, Rory?” she asked him, stopping just shy of the close distance their friendship normally allowed them to stand. “Why are you bringing me flowers?”

“Because I care about you, Ana,” he told her honestly.

“As a friend?” she prompted him.

“Yes,” he told her honestly. “And more than that.”

She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to analyze what he was saying.

“Aren’t you with Maggie now?” she asked him.

“I heard you left,” he said. “When we won the costume contest?”

“Yes,” she admitted, looking down.