Page 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

OLIVIA

Humming a tune, I pushed open the door to Novel Gossip and walked inside, pulling the cart of flowers and candles behind me. The mouthwatering scent of caffeine and baked goods hit me.

George rushed over from the counter to hold the door.

“Morning!” I said, grinning at her.

“Hey! I love the purple flowers!” George exclaimed as I parked the cart and we began to unload the bouquets and place them on the café’s tables.

“They’re hyacinth. They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?”

A pang of sadness gripped me as I remembered Jim dropping off the hyacinth last week, his final delivery as owner of Red Tractor Farm. He’d been so proud of them. I sighed. Jim had been an amazing mentor and colleague. At least he’d moved into Sapphire Springs, so we’d be able to keep in touch. But I’d miss working with him.

“Do you have time for a coffee?” George asked.

I glanced at my watch. It was only 8:15 a.m., and I didn’t usually open Sapphire Blooms until nine. “That would be great!”

We finished unloading the flowers and candles, and then I leaned against the spotless wooden counter as George made a latte for me and an Americano for her.

“It must be a huge relief about the sale,” George said as she frothed a pitcher of milk.

“It all happened so quickly—Jim has already moved out and the new owner has moved in. I’ve been meaning to go over and introduce myself once she’s settled. I know we’re unlikely to have the close relationship Jim and I had, but hopefully we’ll get along well enough. The fact she’s keeping the farm running makes me like her already.”

“Well, she seems to be the main topic for gossip here,” George said. “I don’t want to alarm you, but apparently Roslyn Kennedy is a little intimidating.” George began pouring frothed milk into my cup.

“In what way?” Frowning, I straightened a pile of leaflets on the counter, advertising an upcoming paint and sip night George was hosting at the café.

“It sounds like she’s a straight shooter and very much focused on the numbers. One of the teens who works at the petting zoo told me she cross-examined him about which animals were underperforming.”

“Underperforming? What the hell does that even mean?” I wrinkled my brow.

“He thinks she wants to get rid of the less popular animals as a cost-cutting measure, so he gave a vague answer about how they were all loved.” George handed me my latte. “She glared at him and stomped away. Oh, and she also asked him if the cows could be rehomed.”

My eyes widened. “Not Thelma and Louise!”

George cupped her Americano in her hands and took a sip. “Don’t worry, Liv. I’m sure she’ll be fine. The kid probably misunderstood. She has an MBA from Harvard and was a partner in a top consulting firm, so I’m sure she just has a bit of a different style from Jim that’ll take some getting used to.”

My frown deepened. “So you’re telling me she’s totally unqualified to run a farm as well as an unpleasant person to deal with? Shit.”

I’d been so focused on the fact she was going to keep the farm running that I hadn’t thought to ask about her personality or farming credentials. I should give Dana a call and find out what was going on over there.

I took in a slow breath. I didn’t need to be friends with this woman. I didn’t even need to like her. As long as she kept supplying me with flowers, I’d be fine. Totally fine. And I hoped to god all the animals would be fine too.

I sipped my latte and closed my eyes. Thank goodness for George and her amazing coffee.

My phone pinged. I pulled it out of my pocket and frowned. It was a notification from the app I’d installed last night.

Complete your profile to start dating!

“Is everything okay?” George asked.

“Yes, just a pushy app reminding me I haven’t set it up properly,” I replied, tucking my phone back into my pocket.

Perhaps it had been too premature to download the app, thinking Sapphire Blooms was out of danger and I had time to prioritize dating. I’d started to set up my profile last night, but stumbled at the “sexual orientation” question. The app had listed over twenty options. Some I had heard of, others I’d had to Google. I loved how inclusive the app was, but all the choices were a little overwhelming. Was I bi, queer, pansexual, heteroflexible, homoflexible, a lesbian or something else entirely? I’d lived in Sapphire Springs long enough to know that someone in town would see me on the app, and word would spread about whatever orientation I selected. I needed to get it right. I was tired of choosing the wrong thing—whether it was a boyfriend or one of my failed business ideas—and suspected my family and friends were tired of hearing about it too. But this time, I wasn’t going to rush into anything until I was sure. Perhaps tonight I’d look for some sexuality quizzes online that would give me clarity.

The bell on the front door jangled. George looked up, a smile spreading across her face, her right cheek dimpling. “Maybe Dana can offer you some comfort.”

I turned around to see Dana walking up to the counter in brown boots and green overalls, her chestnut hair in a ponytail that fell down her back.

“I was just thinking about you,” I said. “How are you doing?”

Dana shook her head, grimacing. “Ugh, don’t ask.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” George tapped the coffee machine. “You want your usual?”

“Make it a double shot,” Dana said, flopping down onto the seat near the counter. “I’m going to need it.”

My stomach churned. “What’s going on?”

Dana snatched up a sugar packet and twisted it between her fingers. “The new owner is driving me up the wall. I love the farm, but I don’t know if I can keep working with that woman.”

Shit. So much for Dana bringing me comfort. She adored the farm and her little cottage next to the Christmas trees, so if she was considering leaving, things must be bad.

“What’s wrong with her?” I pulled a chair up next to Dana and sat down, holding my coffee.

“Where to start?” Dana pursed her lips. “She doesn’t know the first thing about farming, she’s obsessed with finances, and her people skills need a complete overhaul. Oh, and she’s planning to get rid of the flowers.”

“What?” I yelped.

Dana rubbed her forehead, wincing. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Liv. She told me she’s planning to pull them all up and lease the fields to our neighbor for his cattle.”

My hand clenched the handle of my cup. “Why would she do that? Jim told me the flowers were profitable, and he invested a lot of money building the greenhouse only a few years ago. It doesn’t make sense to pull it all up if she’s going to keep running it as a farm.”

Dana held her hands up. “It doesn’t make sense to me either. She said she wanted to focus her efforts on agritourism and that she can make more profit by leasing the fields than continuing with the flowers. She seems to have it in for them; I even caught her glaring at a bunch of tulips the other day. Maybe she’s allergic or something?”

I huffed. “That’s ridiculous! Does Jim know? Surely he wouldn’t let her destroy his flowers.”

Dana twisted the sugar packet so tight it broke, sending sugar spilling onto the table. “I spoke to Jim. He was upset, but he said he can’t do anything about it. The farm is hers now. She can do what she wants with it.” She swept up the sugar with her hands.

“Well, it’s a stupid business decision. If she’s so focused on money, she should know better.” I gripped the handle of my coffee cup so tight my knuckles turned white.

“I tried to talk to her about it, and she totally shut me down.” Dana grimaced.

“Well, I’m not going to just stand around and let her destroy the flowers.” I slammed my coffee cup down loudly on the saucer. “Sorry, George. But I’ve got to go.”

“Maybe you should sleep on it and speak to her tomorrow if you still think it’s a good idea,” George suggested, sliding Dana’s double shot cappuccino over the counter.

I narrowed my eyes. George was always full of sensible advice, but I was too worked up not to take action right away.

“Okay, okay,” George said, holding up her hands. “I’ll pour your coffee into a to-go cup. I want you thoroughly caffeinated if you’re going to face her. It sounds like you’ll need it.”

“Thank you.” I shot George a grateful smile.

“Good luck.” Dana stood up and grabbed her coffee off the counter. “And don’t let her get anywhere near you with a tractor. You should see her car.”

I stared at Dana, making a mental note to ask her about that curious comment later.

George handed me the to-go cup, and I stormed out of Novel Gossip, grabbing the cart on my way. I was going to give this Roslyn woman a piece of my mind.

Except… like Jim said, it was her farm. I didn’t really have the right to tell her what to do.

But I could at least try to convince her not to get rid of the flowers. If she really was allergic to them, she could just take some damn antihistamines.