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I shook my head. “No, that’s all I’ve got. Thank you, though. For everything.”
Joanne gave a brisk nod and walked out the office door, closing it behind her. I thought about everything we’d said in the few minutes before she had left. Even though she had disagreed with me—and had successfully argued her point—about the timing of selling the shop, it hadn’t been anargument. There hadn’t been the unpleasantness or the awkwardness that I had felt after dinner the week before.
I finally felt like Jo and I were trying to—and hopefullystartingto—understand each other. At least a little. And even though we might still have a long way to go, and might not ever really get to that point, there was one thing I had no doubt about: Dad had been lucky to have a woman like Joanne working for him… and I was just as lucky that she had decided to stay on and help.
I would have been in over my head without Joanne there, and we both knew it. But rather than use that as a bargaining chip, she had gone out of her way to be as helpful as possible while still sticking to her principles.
I never would’ve thought my father could’ve inspired that kind of loyalty and dedication, but now that I was the one benefiting from it, I wanted to be worthy of that kind of loyalty and dedication, too.
Now, whether I liked it or not, I had a month to prove that Henry wasn’t the only Davis man who could follow through on commitments and get shit done.
With Joanne’s help, I would make this wedding a success for Patty’s Petals. I’d do the right thing to make Joanne proud. To makemyselfproud.
To make my father proud.
Chapter Twenty - Brady
“Brady Davis?” I looked up when Will Whitley’s familiar voice echoed across the lobby. “I knew that was you the minute you got out of that truck. Is that the same one you drove back in high school?”
The man’s face had looked vaguely familiar from across the room, but I hadn’t quite been able to place it. His voice, on the other hand, was unmistakable.
“Not quite the same truck,” I answered, grinning as Will closed the distance between us and pumped my hand vigorously. “But it might as well be, it’s so old. How the hell have you been?”
“Can’t complain, really. Let’s step into my office and catch up. I’ve got the paperwork you called about earlier.”
I followed my old high school friend into the glass-walled office and sat down opposite the big desk with its stacks of neatly organized papers.
Will had always been a bit of a perfectionist, nice and orderly. A job at the bank was perfect for him, and he seemed to be happy.
“So, what have you been up to since you left the Hawks?” Will asked, once we were both settled. “Sorry to hear about your old man, by the way. He was a good guy.”
“Thanks, man. Yeah, I’ve just been back in Castle Falls temporarily, tying up loose ends and trying to sell his flower shop.”
It was a little surreal to be sitting across from someone I’d known back then. Even though I hadn’t done a good job of keeping in touch with any of my old friends, Will was still a link to my past. He was the first person I had seen since I’d been back in town who had actuallyknownme back then.
And while it didn’t necessarily make memissthose days—not completely, anyway—it made it impossible not to think about that time in my life. Things had definitely been different then.
“That’s what Joanne said when she was in here last week asking about a loan. I was surprised at first, but…” Will chuckled and shrugged a little, “it’s not like I can really see you keeping the place and working there, either.”
I had barely heard the last part of what Will had said. I hadn’t heard much past Joanne’s name, actually, aside from the wordloan.
“Um, what? Joanne was here for a loan? For what? To buy the shop?”
It wasn’t any of my business, of course, but I’d been so surprised by the news that the question had slipped out before I could stop myself.
In an instant, Will’s expression changed, a wary look replacing the open, friendly expression he’d been wearing. When he spoke again, he was all business. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything. And of course, I can’t say whether another client of the bank actuallygota loan, or what it might have been for. I only brought it up because I assumed she’d spoken with you about it.”
I stifled an exasperated sigh. I wasn’t trying to get Will in trouble for divulging top-secret information or whatever. I’d just wanted a few more details.
“No, Joanne didn’t mention it. And I’m not gonna bring it up with her, obviously. It just caught me off guard, that’s all.”
Will looked relieved at my explanation, no doubt thankful that he wouldn’t have to explain the reason he’d been discussing one customer’s business—no matter that he’d been maddeningly obtuse about it—with another customer.
“That’s understandable,” he said. He stood up and pushed the folder of reports across the desk to me. “I guess I won’t keep you too much longer. Here’s the paperwork you asked for—say, do you ever talk to any of the guys anymore?”
I shook my head. Even without mentioning names, I knew which guys Will was talking about. Another pang of nostalgia hit me as I remembered our old football buddies—Stu, Cole, and Ben—and some of the fun times the five of us had had together.
“I can’t even remember the last time I’ve talked to any of them,” I said. “In fact, I don’t think I’veseenany of them since graduation. I heard Mike Finnegan made it to the NFL as well a few years back, but God, eventhatfeels like forever ago.”
