Page 51

Chapter 14
Sariah walked intoTwo Scoops, her friend Sully’s ice cream shop, with her grandma beside her. She’d taken a break from work to meet up with her grandma. She hadn’t talked to her grandma much about what had happened with Kane. When her grandma asked her the night before why she wasn’t spending time with Kane, she’d brushed her off, saying she was busy with her store and he was busy helping his grandma pack up. She had a feeling that wasn’t a good enough excuse for her grandma. It was only a matter of time before she started questioning her all over again. Sariah suspected that her grandma had invited her to eat ice cream so she could grill her about Kane some more.
Sully greeted them at the counter with a big smile. “Hey there, Sariah. What can I get for you?”
“I’ll have a couple scoops of the pumpkin ice cream in a bowl.”
“Pumpkin ice cream?” her grandmother said. “That sounds delicious. Can I try a sample of that?”
“Sure thing!” Sully reached into the glass case with a little spoon, dipped it in a tub of ice cream, and brought out a little scoop for her grandma. “Here you go.”
Her grandmother tasted the sample and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll take two scoops of that in a cone.”
“You got it.” She dished out their orders, and they moved down to the register. She handed them their ice cream, and Sariah’s grandmother paid for them both.
“You don’t have to pay for my ice cream,” Sariah said.
“I told you I was treating you today. I’m happy to do it.”
She really was up to something. Sariah could sense it.
They found a table in the corner and settled down to enjoy their sugary snacks.
“What’s going on with Kane?” her grandmother looked at her pointedly.
Sariah shrugged. “He’s going back to New York.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
She dipped her spoon into her pumpkin ice cream. “It’s where he lives. We all know that.”
“I thought you two were becoming a couple.”
Sariah swallowed her ice cream. “We never decided that.”
“What happened?”
“What makes you think something happened?” Sariah was starting to feel defensive. She didn’t like her grandma grilling her like this.
“It was obvious. You two were in love. We could all tell. Now you’re avoiding each other.”
“It is because we can’t be together,” Sariah tried to explain.
Her grandmother gave her an exasperated look. “Whyever not?”
“Because we live in different cities.”
“Then one of you can move,” her grandma pointed out.
“We talked about that. It won’t work. He has a kid coming in New York, and I have my business here in Maple Creek.”
“He has a kid coming? What are you talking about?”
Oops. She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you. Kane could get in big trouble if that secret gets out.”
Her grandma leaned forward and whispered. “Did he get Orchid pregnant?”
Sariah nodded. “And now he’s tied to New York if he wants to be in the baby’s life.”