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I wasn’t sure I’d heard right. Taylor Frank knew what lavender was? Most kids couldn’t identify a lavender plant if it was labeled. “I’ve been meaning to come back and plant some bulbs. In fact, I’m going to the garden center after I’ve finished here. I have to buy some for another client, so I thought I’d get some for here, you know, fill in the gaps.”
“That’s what I was planning to do,” she said, excitement building in her voice. “Plant some daffodils and tulips.”
My head was in a spin. Taylor Frank knew her flowers! We had so much in common!
“No way!” It was like the universe was bringing us together. “Hey, what are you doing now?”
“Going for a run,” she said.
“Come with me,” I said boldly.
“What?” The slight dip of her eyebrows didn’t deter me.
“Come with me. To the garden center. You go for your run, and I’ll finish up here and wait for you. Then we can pick out the bulbs for your house together.” My impulsiveness was surprising even me. “Come on, you train so hard. You need a break.”
“I just had a break. I ate ice cream at Peter’s cafe.”
My heart jumped. “With Tennessee?”
She frowned. “No. With Millie Conway.” I blew out a relieved breath, but her eyes narrowed. “Why did you think Tenn?”
I scratched the side of my neck and shrugged nonchalantly, but my heart was rejoicing, even though it seemed she was familiar enough with him to call him by his shortened name.
She folded her arms across her chest, straightened her spine and threw out an unexpected challenge. “I’ll come with you if you play tennis with me later. Not a game, just practice.”
I stalled, brought to a standstill. Taylor Frank was asking me to play a game of tennis with her. Not even that. She just wanted to hit tennis balls with me.
How had the tables turned? A minute ago I was the one being brave. Now she was asking me to do the one thing that would make me a traitor—a traitor to Phoenix. A traitor to my best friend.
“Well?”
“I can’t.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could claim them back. And I wanted them back, because in a flash she had put her air pod back in her ear and given me an icy cold dismissal.
“Okay. And don’t worry about the bulbs. I’ll get them myself.”
And she was off down the driveway, out to the sidewalk, gone. No warm up, no stretch, straight into a full on sprint.
I stood at the gate, staring helplessly at her fleeing figure. It was a mystery how heavy my legs had become, how a moment of magic had turned into a moment of madness.
All because I burdened myself with a mantle of martyrdom.
But it was one I deserved.
Because it had been my fault that Phoenix had been injured in the accident.
––––––––
Iwas at Mrs. Jacques’shouse trying to plant a floral masterpiece, but my heart wasn’t in it. Neither was my brain. It was taking way longer than I thought, and I was starting to think that turning down Taylor had been the biggest mistake of my life.
I’d finished up the yard, been to the garden center, bought the bulbs on my list. I could have stayed at Taylor’s house and waited for her to come back from her run, or gone to the tennis club, explained how I was messed up, that my best friend was recovering from a bad accident and having a game of tennis with her wasn’t as simple as...having a game of tennis with her.
There was so much more to it.
Mrs. J had gone to the Country Club, so there was no break for a glass of lemonade either. I muddled on, dehydrated, getting my bulbs mixed up, confused by my own blueprint which I thought I’d labeled meticulously—spring was probably going to be a disaster.
By the time I headed for home, I’d decided I’d cancel with Miles and wallow in self-pity for the rest of the evening. At the sight of Laura Carter’s SUV in the driveway, I immediately changed my mind. The last thing I wanted was to be forced to make polite conversation with her all night.
I paused in the entranceway to take off my boots, listening to determine whether the voices were in the living room, the dining room or the kitchen. I was hungry and thirsty but I would wait, if necessary.
