hogwash,” she chided before taking another dainty sip. “You got knocked down by that human piece of garbage you called a husband. Then that waste of oxygen he’s shacking up with kicked you while you were down. As if that wasn’t bad enough, those vultures we’re related to came to pick over your carcass as you lay bleeding. And here you are, sitting right before my very eyes and laughing. That precious girl up there might partly be the reason why, but the rest, my lovely Hayden, is sheer resilience and a spine of steel. And no one can take that away from you. Hear me?”
“I hear you,” I said softly, a smile pulling at my lips.
“Good.” She knocked on the table decisively. “It’s a good thing you’re here. Not just because the mountain air will work wonders to soothe the soul and calm the mind, but because there’s somethin’ in the water here that makes the men folk all kinds of fine, believe you me. If I were forty years younger. Phew.” She waved a hand in front of her face, making me laugh again.
“Believe me, Sylvia, the last thing I’m in the market for is a man.” Tell that to your vagina that’s still thinking about Micah the sex god, the little devil on my shoulder said. “But it’ll be nice to have some eye candy.”
“If it’s eye candy you want, then you’ve come to the right place. Why, just next door there’s a man who could make your spine melt and your mouth water. Bonus, the fine young man wears a badge. Them boys in uniform are really somethin’.”
I already knew all about melting spines and watering mouths, and I seriously doubted Sylvia’s next-door neighbor could compete.
We spent the next few minutes catching up and finishing our cocktails. Sylvia left a short while later, taking the cobblestone path out back to her apartment, and I moved through the house, shutting off the lights and locking up before climbing the stairs to my new room.
It amazed me how, as soon as I laid my head on the pillow, I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be.
It was on that thought I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Chapter Five
Hayden
I’d officially been in Hope Valley for a week and a half, and with each passing day, I grew happier that I’d taken Sylvia up on her offer. I felt a peace in this small town that I hadn’t known I was missing until I experienced it.
I’d worried about putting Ivy in daycare while I worked the shop since she had stayed home with me every day since she was born, but the moment she caught sight of the coloring station, she was in heaven. She loved the place and was already making friends with the other kids.
Aside from adding a few personal touches, I hadn’t changed much of Sylvia’s—my—house. To me, it was perfect just the way it was, from the chunky crocheted afghans to the macramé wall décor.
Every evening after work, Sylvia took Ivy and me through yoga poses to help us relax and unwind from the day—my girl was surprisingly good at yoga—then I’d make dinner for all of us. I’d forgotten how nice it was to eat a meal as a family, sitting around the table and listening to Ivy as she regaled us with exciting tales of the life of a preschooler.
Once I put her down for bed, Sylvia and I would share a cocktail, sometimes at the kitchen table, but more often in the back garden where I found it the most tranquil. She told me stories about the people she knew in town, going on about kidnappings and drug dealers and such. Most of what she said sounded too farfetched to believe. Hope Valley was a quiet, idyllic little town you’d expect to see in a Thomas Kincaid painting. I couldn’t imagine it being a hotbed of criminal activity.
Still, as she ordered, I made sure to lock all the doors and windows, even when Ivy and I were home. Although I hadn’t met our new neighbor yet, it was comforting to know there was a police officer living right next door.
I was finding my footing at Sylvia’s shop, Divine Flora. She was slowly starting to shift the responsibilities of running the place to me while teaching me everything she knew. I’d always been good with plants and flowers, but she was teaching me how to make eye-catching arrangements as well