Free Daffodils and Danger by Mary Manners

on anything beyond the cooking and sadness. While he does that, the rest falls apart. He’s stuck in a time warp and we’re in danger of losing it all, Wyatt. The very thought scares me to death. What then? What comes next? Unlike you, I don’t feel the urge to board that doomed plane. I want to stay here. I want to fix things.”
    “Maybe it’s not for you to fix.”
    “And maybe it is .”
    “Wait a minute.” Wyatt reached for her hand, his forehead furrowing into the telltale crease she’d begun to know only appeared when he was troubled. “Now I’ve made you mad, too. I’ve upset you.”
    “Yes, you have.” Kami’s heart softened just a bit at his distress. “Doesn’t it mean anything to you—all of your Dad’s sacrifice and hard work, what your family has so painstakingly built? Can you just walk away again so easily, with all that’s transpired? Don’t you feel even the smallest desire to hang onto it, to help the nursery thrive once again? Don’t you care even the smallest bit to stay close to those who—who love you?”
    Wyatt stood speechless, as if her words were a flash of lightning that struck him to the core. The furrow at his brow deepened to a line across his forehead, temple to temple.
    “No come-back?” She turned, paced. “No quick-witted response? It’s hard to crunch numbers when you’re dealing with emotions, isn’t it?”
    “I came back to Clover Cove, to the nursery and my family, didn’t I?” His words coiled like a snake. “I can’t help it if I’m confused. I’ve been working on a plan for the nursery. I unveiled it today. Mom and Reese both seemed to like it. I think they’re on board, which means I’ll stay, help see it through.”
    “But you’re not sure that you’ll remain beyond that? Not one-hundred percent positive?”
    “No. I’d be lying if I said I was. I can’t lie to you, Kami. I’ll never lie to you.” He reached for her once more, drew her close. “But I do know, with one-hundred percent certainty deep down to my soul, that I care about you. I think I’m even…falling in love with you.”
    “Well, then, I suppose you have a problem.” Tears filled Kami’s eyes, turning the moonlight to shimmering glass. “I suppose I do, as well.”
     
    ****
     
    Wyatt padded to the kitchen, filling his coffee cup for the third time since he’d returned home for the night. If his heart didn’t explode from the caffeine, it would be a miracle. He should wean himself off the stuff or at least switch to decaf, but the very thought mortified him.
    The house was quiet—too quiet. Maybe he should look into adopting a dog. The local shelter overflowed with abandoned mutts desperate for a home. Why not rescue at least one?
    But a dog would mean roots and a home. It would mean staying.
    “Well, then, I suppose you have a problem…I suppose I do, as well.”
    Kami’s words echoed through Wyatt’s mind. What a mess he’d made of things. That was one area he seemed to excel at…making messes. He glanced out the kitchen window and saw Kami’s house was dark. Of course it was dark—she’d be up at the crack of dawn and off to Pappy’s to help Anthony prepare for customers once again.
    “Laughter and love, that’s what fueled me for all those childhood years, at least until Mom died, taking the laughter with her. The restaurant is a chore now, something I’m beginning to despise.”
    The words were an icepick to Wyatt’s heart because, in them, Kami’s grief mirrored his. Yes, being the eldest he’d shouldered the lion’s share of responsibility for his younger siblings, often taking the blame for things beyond his control. He’d wanted out, wanted freedom. But at least he had siblings to argue with and to lean on when he needed them. And his mom, although most certainly filled with grief, had managed to carry on admirably, despite her loss. Kami was alone, without siblings, carrying a father who was consumed by his own grief with little or no