Font Size:  

“It’s complicated, but … yes. We have a few things to work through first.”

“Don’t we all? You can be married for forty years like me and still have things to work through. You’re the advice giver, but speaking from experience, it’s always wise to talk through issues and nip them”—she snipped something off the red rosebush—“in the bud.” She smiled. “Best to stem any possible heartache.”

“Nice horticultural humor there, Mrs. B. I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

She smiled. “Before you go, I understand you know the girl I wanted you to meet. Quite well, in fact.”

“Oh?” He retrieved a dog biscuit from the pocket of his jacket. Hay extracted it from his fingers and sat again, happily munching away. “What’s her name?”

“Violet Simmons.”

Hayden stared at her, bug-eyed. “You don’t say.”

“I feel rather foolish. I should have known you might work together since you’re in radio, and there’s only two stations in Goldenrod.” She gestured to her head. “The mind, you know.”

“No reason at all to feel foolish,” he said. “I appreciate your watching out for me. Is Violet aware of your matchmaking plan, Mrs. B.?”

“I doubt it. I ran into her mother in Arcadia about three months ago. I asked after Violet, and we got to talking. She mentioned Violet wasn’t dating anyone at the time.” His neighbor eyed him carefully. “Violet’s the one, isn’t she? The girl.”

Hayden nodded. “Yes. She is.”

A smile broke out over her face, and she nodded. “I could tell the minute I mentioned her name just now. See? If nothing else, I have great instincts.”

Hayden chuckled, looking down at Haystack when the dog nudged his leg. “You sure do, Mrs. B.”

“Feel free to help yourself to some of these roses anytime you want. Ladies love red roses, you know.” She waved her arm. “As you can see, I’ve been blessed with more than my share.”

“Thank you, Mrs. B. Your roses are beautiful, and I’m sure I’ll take you up on the offer.”

Chapter Fourteen

HOW HAD LUCY TALKED her into springing her and Theo from Golden Hills? Now, here she sat at a small table in the corner of Frankie’s Coffee House.

Lucy nodded to Violet’s glass of Diet Coke. “Drink up, girl. We need to loosen you up in case your soul mate shows up tonight.”

“I think you’ve had enough ginger ale,” Theo said to Lucy.

Violet sighed. She somewhat regretted the whole soul mate discussion. “So, I take it you heard the show Thursday night?”

“You know it, honey!” Lucy might be in her eighties, but her mind was sharp, her blue eyes clear. “I turned up the radio in my room, and you and your handsome co-host drew a crowd with all your flirting.”

“I’d hardly call it flirting—”

“Back in my day, I would havekissedthat boy to shut him up. I’m telling you, it’s the only way to get a man to see reason. You young people overthink everything. Isn’t that right, Theo?”

“Don’t ask me. I’m mainly here for the snacks.” The older man winked at Violet and popped a tortilla chip into his mouth.

“Careful now.” Lucy whacked him on the back after Theo coughed.

Violet pushed his water glass in front of him. “Here. Take a drink of your water.” After his coughing subsided, she focused on Lucy. “How do you know Hayden’s handsome?”Of all the questions you could ask, that’s it?

“Oh, everyone knows Hayden. He gets around in a good way.”

She recalled Dani’s remark on the Zoom call indicating the Golden Hills residents knew him. Hayden apparentlydidget around.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Frankie announced from the small stage in her smooth voice. If her heart weren’t invested in the hospitality industry, Violet would recruit her for the radio station. “We have a special treat for you tonight. This man has impressed me with his commitment to helping the young people in this town. You might recognize his voice as the ‘making hay while the sun shines’ host on KGOLD, but wait until you hear him sing. Join me in welcoming Hayden Brooks!”

Spontaneous applause broke out all around her.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like