He hoped that she would think about what he’d said and wished her the best in her quest to find happiness. He rolled his windows down slightly so Tex could get some air. Then he got out of his truck and jogged across the parking lot. When he went inside, the first people he saw were April and Nessa at a booth on the far side of the place. He crossed the room in a few strides and said, “I thought y’all were going for groceries.”

“We did, and now we’re treating ourselves to brownie sundaes.” April scooted over. “You can help me eat mine. It’s pretty good, but Weezy’s beats it all to pieces.”

“I would, but Tex is in the truck. The windows are down a little, but it will get hot in there pretty quick. Tilly showed up at the house and tried to drag me to a dance with her. I’m just getting my ice-cream cone to go,” he explained.

“You can’t drop that on us and then leave. At least give us the short version of what happened,” April teased.

Flynn told them what he’d said, but that Tilly wasn’t ready to change. “She’s a lot like my dad. She likes her life just the way it is.”

“I admire you for trying,” Nessa said.

“I feel sorry for Tilly.” April finished off her ice cream. “If she’d admit it, she just wants someone to love her. I’ve been where she is, to some degree.”

“Maybe so, but she knows now that she and I want two different things out of life,” Flynn said. “I can’t leave Tex alone in the truck much longer. See you at home.”

He got his ice cream and then got in behind the steering wheel. Even with the windows up and the AC going, he had to eat fast. When the cone was half-done, he offered what was left to Tex. The dog gobbled it up in one bite, his tail thumping against the seat the whole time.

“That didn’t last long, did it?” Flynn smiled. “Ready to go home? As a thank-you for keeping me company, I’ll even drive you to your house this evening.”

A vehicle turned off the paved road right behind Flynn, and for a minute he thought Tilly was back. Maybe she’d taken time to think about things and had decided that she did want to talk some more. He was actually looking forward to visiting with someone who had the same problems he was trying to overcome. Then he realized that the vehicle was a truck and not a car. Jackson must have gotten his business taken care of and was on his way home, too. Flynn took the fork leading up to Jackson’s house and parked in the front yard. He opened his door, and Tex bounded out between him and the steering wheel.