“I appreciate that, and thanks for everything.” Lily stood up, gave Polly another hug, and walked her to the door.

She had a couple of browsers in the middle of the morning, and then a very serious buyer right after that. She felt better after she’d rung up a $500 sale for a few pieces of antique crystal. At noon, she was about to have another doughnut when Teena breezed into the shop.

“You might not recognize me because I haven’t been much of a friend since you came home,” she teased as she took off a long black leather coat, “but I’m Teena.”

“I guess I haven’t been such a good friend, either, because I haven’t called you. Everything has been crazy what with getting the kids settled in and school, and the fancy new job.” Lily giggled and took Teena’s coat, hung it on a rack just inside the door, and motioned toward the doughnuts. “We’ve got instant coffee if you want some.”

“No thanks on the coffee. I like sweet tea better. I just talked to Sally. She said to tell you she’s bringing pizza for dinner today.” Teena crossed the floor in a few long strides—Lily had always envied Teena’s long legs—and hopped up on the counter. “It’s been hectic at home and at the real estate business. I haven’t even been to church in two weeks because I had property to show on Sunday morning, so let’s catch up. What’s this I hear about you and Mack dating?”

“We’ve got to start getting together at least once a month like we did when I was in Austin.” Lily sidestepped the question about Mack.

Teena shook her head. “We don’t have to do that. I’m in and out of this place a couple of times a week. Sometimes I bring lunch with me; sometimes Sally has it delivered. We’ll be seeing each other more now that you’re here every day and my crazy world has settled down. Kudos on the new job. Sally’s needed help for quite a while now.”

The bell above the door jingled, and both women looked that way. Lily even inhaled deeply to see if she could catch a whiff of pizza, but it wasn’t Sally.

“Lily Anderson?” the young lady asked.

“That would be me.” Lily stepped forward.

“This is for you.” The woman put a bud vase with a yellow rose, a pink rose, and a white daisy arranged with greenery and a pink bow in her hands. “Y’all have a great day now.”

Lily set the vase on the counter, removed the card, and read out loud, “Congratulations on completing your first week at the new job—Holly, Braden, and Mack.”

She hadn’t received flowers in years, not even on her last anniversary with Wyatt. He’d gotten her a box of candy, but he’d had to work late that night—supposedly. She had found out a few weeks later that he’d taken Victoria to a fancy restaurant in San Antonio and then to a five-star hotel for a round of sex before he came home to her and the kids.

“Flowers?” Teena raised an eyebrow.

Lily handed the card to her. “Pretty sweet of them, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is, but then Mack is a sweet guy,” Teena answered. “You should give him a chance. I hear that y’all have been sitting beside each other in church the past couple of Sundays and that Braden adores him. You know that sitting together in church and sharing a hymnal causes folks to wonder what’s going on behind closed doors.”

“Who sent me flowers?” Sally pushed her way into the store with a huge pizza box in her hands. “I got the deal that has pizza, breadsticks, and cinnamon sticks all in one big package.” She set it down on the counter beside Teena. “I’ll get the sodas from the fridge, and we can dive right in.” She headed to the back room.

“The flowers are from Mack and the kids, and they’re for Lily,” Teena yelled toward the back of the store.

“I already knew that,” Sally hollered back. “Polly heard about it from Dorothy down at the flower shop. I saw her at the pizza place.”

“I’d forgotten that Dorothy is Polly’s daughter,” Lily said.

Sally set three bottles of soda on the counter. “Coming home is like riding a bicycle. Even if you haven’t ridden in five years, it don’t take you long to remember all the parts.”

“Amen to that,” Lily said.

Lily had talked more and used more words that day than she’d used in years, maybe even a decade. The afternoon was so busy that she seldom had time to sit down after lunch. Folks dropped into the shop to buy or just to look around, but they all wanted to talk. She was glad to get home to a few minutes of blessed silence that afternoon. She plopped down on the sofa, kicked off her shoes, and leaned her head back. She must’ve fallen asleep, because she didn’t even hear the school bus when it let the kids off. The front door opened, and she sat up so fast that the whole room took a couple of spins. She tried to get her bearings, but Holly and Braden had stormed into the room before she was fully awake.

“Did you like the flowers? I picked out the daisy because you’re always doodling them,” Braden said.

“They’re on the kitchen table if you want to see them,” Lily said.

“I wanted the pink rose since pink is my favorite color,” Holly said.

“It was so sweet of y’all to think of me.” Lily followed them to the kitchen, leaned forward, and smelled the bouquet. “They’re beautiful.”

Braden threw his arms around his mother and said, “It was Mack’s idea, but we each got to pick out one of the flowers.”

“Well, you all did really good, and that makes them even more special.” Lily hugged him back and wished that Holly would make it a three-way hug.

“So how did things go today?” Holly asked as she sat down beside Lily. “Did you sell any of Granny Hayes’s earrings?”

“Not today.” Lily took a chance and draped her arm around Holly’s shoulders. “But I did sell two scarves and a shawl.”

Holly clapped her hands and jumped up. “I can’t wait for her to teach me how to crochet.”

“How did your day go? Did Rose and Ivy like your braids?” Lily wanted her to sit back down, but she didn’t.

“No, they thought they were ugly and made me look like a little girl. But Faith loved them. I even braided her hair during lunch period. We’re going to wear them again tomorrow, and she’s got a pair of earrings like mine, so she’s going to wear them, too. What’s for after-school snack today?” Holly asked.

“The cookie jar and the fruit bowl are both full,” Lily answered. “Who’s Faith?”

“She’s my new friend. Faith Torres—Isaac’s big sister. And she’s real smart, like Isaac. She’s doing her history paper on her mama’s great-great-grandmother who came over here from Ireland,” Holly answered.

“So she’s Irish?” Lily asked.

“I guess a little bit, but she’s mainly Mexican like Rose and Ivy. There’s lots of Hispanic kids in the school, just like in Austin. Faith is real sweet, and I like her a lot,” Holly answered. “I think I’ll have a banana and some milk. Can I take it to my room and do some of my homework while I eat? I sure can’t do it with Braden around. He wants to argue about everything.”