She secures the seat belt and puts out her hand. “Give me your keys.”
“Poppy!” My voice rises, but her hand doesn’t lower.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“What are you going to do?”
“There’s a lot of twine in that shop. I can bind you and toss you in the trunk. Summer owes me two favors, and I’m not opposed to using both of them to get you through this.”
I look at the store to see Summer’s face pressed to the window. No doubt she would help Poppy.
“Fine, but I need to get Leia.”
“Leia’s at school for another two hours.”
“I’m picking her up early.”
“Why?”
She keeps her hand out, waiting for me to give her the keys, then I hear a UTV coming down from The Knotted Barn. I drop them in her hand because the last thing I want is for Bennett to return her UTV. I can’t face him right now.
I round the front of the car and get into the passenger seat right as Romy and Lottie turn the corner in a UTV of their own. Oh god, the catalyst of my decision all those years ago hits me. They’re Leia’s aunts, and I’ve stripped them of a relationship with her too.
“Can we go?” I ask quietly, but Poppy rolls down the window.
Fuck, I’m not in the mood for this. Are they here to kick my ass? Surely Bennett went to his family for support after what he just discovered.
“I gotta go. Flowers are in the cooler.” Poppy rolls up the window and puts the car in reverse.
They both step out of the UTV with their eyebrows furrowed as they watch us drive away. I hold it together, pretending I’m not about to have a breakdown.
Once we’re off Plain Daisy Ranch, I finally release a breath—until I realize Poppy isn’t driving me to the school. She’s turning onto the county road toward Hickory.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
“I’m not in the mood for games.”
“I know.”
The truth rests on the tip of my tongue, knowing I should just tell her, get it over with. It’s my car, so I won’t be stranded, but every time I open my mouth, shame silences me.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulls into an ice cream shop I’d forgotten all about, a place I should take Leia to.
Poppy parks and turns off the ignition. “There’s nothing a sundae can’t fix.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong.” I stare through the windows at everyone smiling inside.
“Listen, I’m not going to push you. I mean, Nash says I’m super pushy, but I want to be here for you. You’re my best friend, and I know we’ve had some distance, but that changes nothing for me. I was so happy when you came back. Let me be your person.” Her shoulders dip. “Until B comes to his senses.”
I put my hands in hers. “You’ll always be my person, and believe me, he’s not going to come to his senses. Any hope that you had for us to get to where we were in the past is dead and buried.”
“I doubt it, but let’s go.”
We head into the ice cream shop because I always drown my sorrows in sugar. Maybe I should ask them if they have a loyalty card since I’ll probably be here a lot after today.
Once we’re settled in a booth and have both ordered our sundaes, me a peanut butter one and Poppy salted caramel, she sets her gaze on me.
