Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Jane’s heart leaped as she spotted the magnolia tree which had offered such amazing and terrible advice as she’d struggled under the influence of jimsonweed. Long story involving the accidental ingestion of poison.
The tree’s words haunted her. You’re regret. Miss Regret Cursed the Fourth.
She reached up and smoothed her finger over one of the still green leaves. “Not regret any longer,” she mumbled. From this day forward, she’d be Miss Joy, uh, Blessed the First. Or something like that. She would workshop the name.
“What did you say?” Conrad asked.
She smiled up at him. “Someday I’ll tell you all about the conversation I had with this very magnolia after accidentally consuming that thorn apple seed.”
His shoulders shook with laughter. “I still have some of your voicemails saved on my phone.”
What! Jane paused to plant her hands on her hips. “Sir, I insist you delete those immediately.”
He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “But you were so adorable.”
Well…how was she supposed to argue with that? “Though you don’t deserve it,” she said, dragging out her phone and pressing play, “we shall begin.” A soft, instrumental melody filled the air. Then she drew him to a small “gravesite” she’d arranged earlier. A wooden headstone rose from a mound of dirt, bearing the words Conrad and Jane’s Breakup.
He barked out a laugh. “I thought I’d get a tour, but you’re hosting a funeral.”
Using her most soothing tone, she said, “Well, I’m so sorry for your loss, Officer Detective Inspector Special Agent Future Sheriff Ryan. The time has come to acknowledge the passing of our breakup.” Taking her performance to the next level, she patted his shoulder in a gesture of faux comfort.
His amber eyes twinkled in the moonlight. “I’ve been over it. Actually, I never acknowledged it in the first place.”
“Yes. Well. Denial is a stage of grief. And now it’s time for the reading.” Jane cleared her throat as she pulled a piece of paper from a coat pocket. “It’s often said that for every woman with a broken heart, there is a man who knows how to weld.”
His warm chuckle thrilled her. “I do know how to weld. Consider your heart whole with me.”
Jane lifted a finger in mock sternness to show that now was not the time for an interruption. “In closing, some breakups are meant for makeups. And that concludes our service for the evening. Refreshments will be served in the cottage, but stay here as long as you need, alright? Silently reflect on the good times. Say a few words. Whatever feels right. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here with you. I’ll help you through this difficult time however I can.”
Laughing again, he swooped down to give her a swift kiss on the lips. Her heartbeat kicked into overdrive. She offered him the bundle of roses he’d given her, and he accepted.
He crouched before the gravestone. “I can’t say I ever liked you.” He laid the flowers over the dirt mound one by one. “You challenged me, humbled me, and forced me to be patient. I now know the meaning of long-suffering. And yes, I rejoiced as you breathed your last breath. But in the end, you crushed and burned, gifting me with my great happiness.”
Flutters here, and flutters there. Flutters everywhere.
When he straightened, he slid his arm around Jane’s waist once more, as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from her too long. “I think my favorite part of our breakup was the moment I realized you had switched into matchmaker mode. I got to plead my case before the judge, before I realized my trial had even started.”
Smiling and blushing in unison, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Want to know what tipped the scales in your favor?”
“Only more than anything,” he admitted.
“It’s simple, really. You are you.”
His grip on her tightened. He kissed the top of her head. “Your turn to have some fun. Let’s go to the mausoleum and solve that mystery already. I know you want to. And I’ve been thinking about that map. There’s something about it…”
“Yes! The map,” she said, two thousand percent on board. “I agree there’s something there. Let’s go.”
“Along the way, you can tell me all about your run-in with Tiffany Hotchkins.”
Her jaw slackened. “How did you know? I never told you.”
He gave her one of her favorite looks: Sweetheart, please. Your man has ways.
As he escorted her along the path, her mind whirled. No doubt he’d heard in one of two ways. “Either gossip spread to Fiona’s wellness center, and she let you know, or you’re logging too many hours on the Headliner. Considering my darling Fiona is practically living with Sheriff Moore now, I’m going with the Headliner. Final answer.” The message board allowed residents of Aurelian Hills to stay up to date on all the recent happenings.