That he couldn’t even be bothered to call or text her that he couldn’t come to the party was a big red warning sign. He had appeared to be considerate, but he didn’t act that way. She remembered their discussion at Fifty-Six Union, how she’d gotten all defensive when he talked about helping the island. Maybe she’d put him off by her bristly reaction. But all her life, she’d seen people come to the island, fall in love with it, and then try to change everything about it. Maybe she’d overreacted. Maybe he thought that underneath her pleasant personality she hid a hot-tempered harridan.

“Stop!” she said, so loudly that the cat jumped out of her lap.

She would not sit here and blame herself for ruining a possibly important relationship. She would not allow herself to sit around like a teenager, making up excuses for Andy, trying to figure out why he’d been so very interested in her and then not even bothering to be polite enough to call.

She was an independent woman. And she had a shop to run tomorrow. She would go to bed now and not think about Andy anymore!

—

The next day was warm and sunny. Christina biked to her shop, thinking that this weather was, frankly, a bummer. She liked cold, crisp air in December. It inspired the holiday spirit. She really wished it would snow.

Sunday mornings were often slow. Christina got a lot of paperwork done and organized the shelves. She stood on a ladder to hang the paper snowflakes she’d cut out, and afterward, the shop looked much more Christmasy.

“Hi, Christina!” Wink walked in at one o’clock on the dot.

“I didn’t think you’d come today, not with your mother on the island,” Christina said.

“I told her I have a responsibility,” Wink said seriously. “Anyway, she’s on the phone with lawyers all the time.”

Wink handed Christina a bundle of white roses wrapped in cellophane and tied with a red bow. “These are for you.”

Christina took them. “Thanks, but they’ve, um, wilted.”

“I know. I told Mom they would. Uncle Andy told Mom to take them to you at the party. Mom forgot.”

Christina smiled wryly. “She forgot to put them in water, too.”

“And Uncle Andy had written a card, but Mom lost it. I’m sorry.”

“Wink, it’s not your fault. Or your mother’s. She has so much on her mind.” Knowing that Andy had bought her flowers made it easy for Christina to be charitable. “I’ll get some water at the restroom and we’ll see if we can revive them.” With a smile, she thought: Just like the hope in my heart has been revived by the wilted flowers.