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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

OLIVIA

Roz jogged down the stairs. I pressed the door shut, leaning against it for a moment, unease swirling in my stomach. What had just happened?

I trudged to the kitchen and switched the kettle on. I must have misread the signs. It had been stupid of me, thinking that the last forty-eight hours might have been more than a one-off weekend of mind-blowing sex. I grabbed my sunflower mug from the cupboard and leaned against the counter, staring blankly at the kettle as it began to tremble. Roz made it very clear the first night we met that she didn’t date. I chewed on my lip. She’d been so warm and affectionate this weekend, such an entertaining rom-com watching companion, that I’d foolishly let myself imagine what it would be like if we were actually together. Cozying up on the couch for pizza and movie nights, enjoying coffee together on the back deck every morning, raising kids on the farm… A pang vibrated through my chest. I’d gotten way ahead of myself there. Roz doesn’t want that.

I dropped a tea bag in my mug and poured the water on top. I finally understood the U-Haul jokes about lesbians. I hadn’t wanted Roz to leave. God, I was pathetic.

I grabbed my phone from the charging station on the kitchen counter, and returned to the couch, sitting down and drawing the throw blanket over me. It was no substitute for Roz’s warm body. I pulled it up to my neck. The house felt very quiet. The falling rain, which had been delightfully cozy when I was snuggling with Roz on the couch, suddenly seemed gloomy. I pulled out my phone, ready to do some mindless scrolling.

The photo of Roz on my phone wallpaper stared back at me. Another pang hit me, harder this time. Even with her mouth pulled into a half grimace, half smile, she looked stunning. It was hard to believe it had only been just over two weeks ago that I’d snapped it in Sapphire Blooms.

My stomach dropped as I paid attention to the notifications on the screen. Shit. I’d been so consumed with Roz I hadn’t looked at it since breakfast.

A message from Jenny.

“Hey! Just checking in that everything’s okay for the wedding on Friday? I know you mentioned there were a few issues with the flowers.

My chest constricted. I’d planned to finalize the new plan for the politician’s wedding, taking into account the flowers damaged by the aphids and cows, yesterday. Needless to say, I’d made absolutely no progress on that front.

There was also a text from Mom.

Are you coming to lunch? Dave, Rach and the kids are here.

My stomach twisted. I was dropping balls left and right. I glanced at my watch. 2:30 p.m. I was supposed to be at my parents’ house for lunch at noon. My brother and his family would be heading back to New Jersey any minute, if they hadn’t already left. Shit . I shot off a text apologizing for missing the lunch to Mom and Dave.

I pressed my lips together and stood. As appealing as moping on the couch was, I couldn’t let Roz distract me anymore. I’d already missed out on some quality family time, but at least I could get back on top of work. I made my way downstairs to Sapphire Blooms. As I walked to my workbench, my gaze fell on the front door. The memory of Roz’s body pressed up against mine, of her fingers inside me, slammed into me, sending my core tingling. I dragged my eyes away. Goddamnit . I’d never be able to look at the door or the chaise lounge in the same way again. Even so, I had no regrets about Friday night. But letting it continue over the weekend, letting myself hope it might be something more… That had been a mistake.

Just then, a family walked past the shop window. I froze, watching them. A small child, perhaps three years old, squealed with delight as his parents, holding a hand each, swung him up and down. His mom was laughing, while his dad was smiling at his older sister, who was pushing a scooter down the street, rainbow ribbons streaming from the handlebars. Invisible strings tugged at my heart. That was what I wanted. And Roz couldn’t offer me that.

Letting out a loud sigh, I made my way to the workbench, where I grabbed my laptop, pulled up a seat, and threw myself into work.

* * *

“Morning! You’re early today,” George called, rushing to get the door as I pulled the cart of fresh flowers into Novel Gossip. I’d vowed to be completely on the ball this week and had set my alarm for the crack of dawn to ensure Monday got off to a good start. As a result, I’d arrived before George opened the café to the public. “How was your weekend? You must be relieved about Fred green-lighting the investment.” I’d told everyone the good news after Fred had left on Thursday.

“I am.” I smiled. I’d gotten so caught up thinking about Roz, the fact that the farm and Sapphire Blooms had been saved had been pushed to the back of my mind. “My weekend was good. How was yours?” I wasn’t about to tell George that Roz and I had spent the weekend having sex before she ran out on me.

“Pretty busy! We took Mom and Barb to visit Saugerties and it was a mission to stop them from buying the entire antiques shop.” George grimaced.

I chuckled at the thought of George’s mom and Hannah’s former nanny grumbling, their arms piled high with knickknacks, as Hannah and George tried to round them up and push them out of a dusty antiques store.

We unloaded the flowers, a spring mix of pink and purple anemones, and swapped out the older flowers on the tables.

George surveyed the café once we’d finished and gave an approving dip of her head. “They look great. Thanks, Liv. Do you have time for a coffee?”

I glanced at my watch and nodded. There was plenty of time before I had to open Sapphire Blooms and I was in desperate need of more caffeine. I hadn’t slept well last night, tossing and turning, painfully aware of Roz’s absence.

“So, how are things going with Roz?” George asked as she frothed the milk, peering at me over the shiny red coffee machine.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. Did George suspect something?

“Fine,” I said, my mouth dry. “Now that Fred has agreed to the investment, I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of her.”

George fixed me with a steady gaze. “Look, Liv, you obviously don’t have to tell me what’s going on, but if you want to talk, I’m here.”

Tears welled in my eyes. The subtext to her comment was clear. George knew. Why was I feeling so emotional all of a sudden? I blinked the tears away.

“Oh, shit.” George turned off the steam. “Are you okay?”

A lump formed in my throat. Was I ready to talk to people about this? I’d kept it so close to my chest for so long now that it felt like a bigger deal than it probably was. She already knows. And talking to someone might help.

“Yes. I—” I swallowed. “Roz and I, um… actually slept together.”

I watched George closely for her reaction. To my relief, it was almost immediate. George’s face broke into an enormous, genuine beam, her dimple on display. “That’s awesome, Liv!”

The corners of my mouth wavered. “It was amazing. We spent almost the whole weekend together. But then she ran out acting weird yesterday afternoon.”

George’s dimple vanished, replaced with a frown. “Shit. I’m sorry. Do you know what happened?”

I shook my head. “Nope. And I haven’t heard from her since.”

George dropped her head to focus on pouring the frothed milk into two mugs and then slid one across the counter to me. I took a large sip of the warm, golden liquid.

George cradled her mug in her hands, her elbows resting on the counter, and stared at me. “Can you go and talk to her about it? I know it can be awkward, but Roz seems like a complicated woman. Who knows what’s going through that sleek blond head of hers?”

I laughed weakly. “Definitely not me.” I took another gulp of coffee. “But she made it clear when we first met that she wasn’t interested in dating. So, it was presumably just a one-off thing for her. That’s what I thought it was at the start of the weekend too. But by yesterday things felt different, like maybe there was more to it.”

“Is that what you want?” George’s eyes were soft.

I shrugged, swallowing down the lump again. “It doesn’t really matter what I want if Roz doesn’t want the same thing.”

I should throw myself back into dating again, find someone who actually wanted to have a relationship and kids, before it got too late. Once the politician’s wedding was over, I’d finish setting up that dating profile. Although, I probably shouldn’t make it public until Fred’s investment paperwork was all signed, just in case Fred somehow got wind of it—assuming Roz let me know when the documents were signed. My chest tightened again.

George brushed a few coffee grains off the counter. “Ugh, I’m sorry Liv. That sucks. Are you going to mention this to the others—about Roz and being interested in women?”

“I don’t think so. Things between us clearly aren’t going anywhere. I’m not even sure if I’m bi, pan, a lesbian or something else.” I peered at George over my coffee cup, the corner of my mouth twitching up. “Honestly, after this weekend I’m veering toward lesbian.”

George chuckled. “It was that good, huh?”

I laughed. “It was incredible.” I looked down at the golden-brown coffee in my mug, my laughter subsiding.

“But in all seriousness, you don’t have to label your sexuality if you don’t want to. You don’t owe anyone a label.” George’s voice was so warm and kind my eyes filled with tears again. Roz had said something very similar while we were at Prue’s winery. God, that felt like eons ago.

“That’s true… But I’m sure people will want to know.”

George pressed her lips together. “Maybe. But that’s really none of their business.”

“Given my history of choosing the wrong thing, whether it’s jobs or boyfriends, I think I’ll keep it quiet for now.” I snorted. “Knowing me, I’ll announce I’m a lesbian and the next day fall madly in love with a man. Everyone is sick of watching me flip-flopping around, making terrible decisions. I’ll save them the pain of having to hear about the time I had a weekend of amazing sex with my enemy-turned-fake-girlfriend.”

The memory of me standing in the beer garden of Builders Arms on my thirtieth birthday, holding a glass of champagne, and loudly declaring that failed businesses and relationships were a thing of the past, flashed through my mind. I winced. Well, that hadn’t lasted long. Why had I thought another turn around the sun would magically improve my judgment?

George set down her mug and stared at me. “Liv. No one thinks you’ve been flip-flopping around, making terrible decisions. You’ve just been working out who you are, what you want to spend your life doing and who you want to spend it with. That takes time. It took me ages to work out I wanted to be a café owner and find Hannah.” George smiled. “There’s no pressure to come out or talk about Roz if you don’t want to. You should do it on your own time—or not at all. But I just want to make sure you know that everyone will be here for you if you do.”

I smiled at her, my chest filling with warmth. “Thanks.” George was seriously the best.

The door jingled and Ben walked into the store. “Morning! Should I flip the sign to open ?” Ben asked. “A line of cranky uncaffeinated customers has begun to form outside.” His hand hovered over the sign hanging on the window of the door.

George glanced at her watch and straightened. “Shit, how did it get that late already? Yes, thanks, Ben.”

“Well, I think that’s my sign I should be getting back to the store,” I said. “Thanks for the coffee, and the pep talk.” I downed the last of my drink and headed toward the door, standing aside to let the rush of customers enter. Being trampled by caffeine addicts desperate for their hit was not on my bingo card for this year.

My step was lighter as I walked back to Sapphire Blooms. It felt good to finally talk to someone about Roz. Now I’d gotten that off my chest, maybe I’d be able to move on from this weekend and focus on what really mattered—Friday’s wedding and finding someone who actually wanted to spend time with me.