A strange moan came from the van. Even Tess was getting into the drama.
“I’m so glad I timed this correctly,” the man breathed as he stopped next to me. “Have you rung the doorbell yet?”
I nodded stupidly.
“Good.” He took a deep breath. “I hope this works.” Mr. Jeffers glanced down at the flowers. “Oh. Wow. Impressive. Worth the extra money.”
His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and I was charmed in spite of myself. I hoped this guy wasn’t a cheater. He seemed like a good dude.
Moira and I gave each other a confused look. Footsteps sounded from inside, and the door creaked open, revealing a lean, dark-haired man. He had bright blue eyes and salt and pepper hair, and offered a polite smile when he saw me, which widened when he saw the basket.
“Goodness. He outdid himself this time, didn’t he?”
Mr. Jeffers stepped forward. The man looked up, eyes widening when he saw who stood before him. “Wayne,” he breathed.
“Liam.” Mr. Jeffers reached out and took Liam’s hands.
I winced and motioned for Moira and Ash to set the basket down. “Come on,” I whispered. They set the flowers to the side and walked down the steps.
“I am so sorry. For everything.” Mr. Jeffers inhaled and bowed his head. “This is the last delivery. I’m here to see if you’d consider giving me a second chance.” He dropped down to one knee and pulled something from his jacket pocket.
“That woman wasn’t his wife,” I said with quiet glee.
Moira swore viciously under her breath. Ash let out a long sigh. And we stood there and watched Mr. Jeffers propose to the apparent love of his life, who accepted with a shout of delight.
Tess leaned out the window. “Mrs. Jeffers is his sister.”
Ash and Moira spun, identical looks of astonishment on their faces. I let out a loud laugh and opened the van door.
“You little—you knew the whole time?” Moira sputtered.
Tess gave a tiny little grin, leaned back, and rolled up the window.
“She’s a menace,” Ash muttered.
I waved at the two men, but they were so wrapped up in each other they didn’t notice. I was glad they’d already paid me.
When I started to get back into the car, Moira nudged me. “Nope. I’m driving home.”
“I need to stop at least once,” I tried to argue. Even after making the bouquet for Mr. Jeffers, I hadn’t expended enough magic.
“Then we’ll stop. Just point out the place, and I’ll pull over.”
“Fine.” I dropped the keys in her hand. Once we were settled in, she pulled out of the driveway and back onto the country road.
“How’d you find out about Mrs. Jeffers?” Ash asked Tess a few minutes later.
“The internet,” Tess said simply. “There’s a picture of them together on her social media and the caption is congratulating her big brother on his promotion. Of all people, I wouldn’t think you’d assume she was a traditionalist and automatically took her husband’s name. Mrs. Jeffers kept her maiden name.” The banshee paused. “I guess it was an easy assumption to make. If you’re living in 1955.” She smiled sweetly at him and popped her headphones in.
Ash stared at her open-mouthed, then shook his head. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I didn’t either,” Moira said darkly.
Fingers of dusk brushed across the sky as we drove, streaks of orange and purple turning the sunset into a glorious riot of color. Now that I wasn’t white knuckling the steering wheel, I could get a better look at the landscape on either side of us. This part of the state was an odd mix of wide-open spaces, scrubby plants, and rolling hills crammed with native plants and wildflowers.
“Over there,” I pointed. A large hill filled with flowers of all colors lay about half a mile ahead. It’d be the perfect place to release some magic. As a bonus, or maybe not for the locals, by tomorrow it’d be a picturesque stopping point for tourists heading into wine country.
Moira pulled the vehicle over, and I slipped out. “Give me half an hour.”
