“I’m good, Noah,” she responded thickly, and when his eyebrows rose in disbelief, she chuckled. “I swear. Tyler showed up at the sto—”
“Where is he?!” Noah dropped the bags of takeout, looking around wildly as though Tyler might step into the kitchen at any moment. “I’ll kill him, I swear—”
“Whoa there, big boy,” Luke said cajolingly. “April’s already dealt with him. You can stand down.”
“You did?” Noah faltered, his eyes swiveling back to April.
“Yep,” she said. Now that she was no longer worried about whether Tyler’s words had held any truth, she was able to fully enjoy how effective her takedown of her ex had been. “Left him speechless. Heliterallyran away with his tail between his legs.”
“He sure did,” Luke backed her up, grinning as Noah’s face morphed into a look of pure delight.
“My girl always was able to wipe the floor withpretty much anyone at Debate,” Kathy piped up, her pride evident as she brushed April’s hair back from her forehead.
“Anyone except for me, don’t you mean, Kathy?” Luke quipped, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
“Ugh, asif, Pointer. Remind me, who was Debate captain three years in a row?” April swatted at Luke’s arm, failing to suppress the grin spreading across her face. When Luke didn’t respond, she sat up a little straighter. “That’s what I thought. Now, what have you brought us for dinner, Noah?” She smiled sweetly at her brother as he hastily picked up the takeout bags.
“Nothing for you, freeloader,” he grumbled, but nonetheless he walked over and placed the bags on the table, before wrapping April in a firm hug and muttering in her ear, “I’m proud of you for standing your ground, Bug, but say the word and I’ll drive to New York and tear him a new one myself.”
“God, you’re so melodramatic,” April sighed, hugging her brother back.
“It’s what Dad would have wanted,” Noah said confidently, as if that ended the conversation.
He strode off to find plates, and April opened her palm, looking down at the seed that had been clutched in her hand. She’d never know exactly what her dad had wanted for her, but maybe her finding happiness was enough. One thing she did know, though, was that this was the last plant her dad would ever give her, and she would find a way to make it count.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“This one’s nice,” Luke said as they paced around the large living space in the third apartment they’d viewed that day.
Now that her mom was feeling more comfortable alone in the house again, April was ready to reclaim her own space. Though she wasn’t in a rush. She wanted to find the perfect place, close to the store and her family … and Luke.
“Eh,” April said, shrugging. “It’s nice. Sure. I just don’t know if it’s veryme.”
“You can always paint it green,” Luke teased and she giggled. “But if you’re not sure, that’s fine. We can keep looking. Plus, you know Sadie and I are happy to have you whenever you want a break from being at your mom’s.”
Luke had made a few small hints and offers lately, which she appreciated and which made her feel very loved—in fact, it was more than a little tempting. But she didn’t want to jump into anything too soon. She wanted some time to just have her own space before she moved in with anyone else again. Maybe if she’dmoved a little slower with Tyler, she wouldn’t have found herself in too deep, too fast. Not that Luke and her ex had any similarities.
“Well, I think you’ve seen everything in town now. So you’ll have to wait and see what comes on the market, unless you want to expand your search to the new town?”
She shrugged. “I’m not in a rush, but I’ll think about it.”
He nodded, accepting the decision easily. They thanked the realtor and headed back out to Luke’s car, which was parked a little way down the street. The hem of her oversized white shirt, which she’d paired with some faded jeans and a pair of loafers, fluttered gently in the breeze as they walked. Her blonde hair, left loose that day, blew around her face, and when they reached the car Luke stopped, tucking the stray strands behind her ears.
“What have you got planned for the rest of the day? Is your mom working in the store all day?”
April smiled. “Yeah.” After Tyler’s visit on Tuesday night, her mom had declared that April needed a little break, so she’d taken over the shop for the day. She’d tried to protest, but her mom had been firm. “Is it bad that I kind of want to check in and see how she’s doing?”
“Yes,” Luke said and then laughed. “But we can, if you want. Plus, I guess this means we could check out the flower displays, too.”
“Oooh, yes, let’s do that!” April squealed. She’d been so wrapped up in apartment hunting that she’d forgotten today was the first day of the Spring Flower Festival, but now she was filled with excitement to see what everyone had done with the flowers she’d provided.
“OK, come on, then,” said Luke, unlocking the car and opening the door for her.
“Such a gentleman,” she teased as she climbed in.
Fifteen minutes later, they were parked up, walking toward Main Street, and April felt like she could float away with excitement. The magnolia trees all over town were in full bloom now, as though they’d known to wait until the festival before putting out their best flowers. The smell of the blossoms was carried along by the breeze and April smiled to herself as they walked hand in hand toward the center of town.
There was a buzz in the air, a joy that didn’t usually roll around until the later months with the Christmas market. April soon saw glimpses of several stores’ spring-themed displays, the decorations only adding to the air of change that made things feel electric.