Page 18 of The Grump Next Door
Poppy blinks. “Excuse me?”
Nadine is already halfway gone. “Good night, kids!”
She disappears, orthopedic shoes thudding down the path like a drumbeat of doom.
I stare after her, my jaw clenched.
Next to me, Poppy stifles a laugh. Barely.
“She’s a lot,” she says.
“That’s rich,” I mutter.
Muffin lets out a sigh.
And Poppy?
Shesmiles again.
And I hate how much I don’t hate it.
Chapter Five
The Flower Witch Will See You Now
Poppy
The town feels like it stepped straight out of a Hallmark movie—if Hallmark movies featured better coffee and more women in athleisure who clearly do Pilates before 7 a.m.
The main street is cobblestoned, which is objectively rude to anyone wearing sandals with no arch support. However, I forgive it because every storefront is a delight. There are painted shutters, flower boxes, and hand-lettered chalkboard signs proclaiming things likeLife’s short, buy the croissant—which I gladly do.
I tackle my to-do list—confirm the final headcount with the caterer, swing by the florist—who happens to be my aunt Gloria—to check on the last-minute boutonnières Ivy added, and bribe the bakery into making two extra gluten-free cupcakes that weren’t in the original order. (I call it strategic planning; CeCe calls it wedding sorcery.)
Next, I pop into a tiny gift shop that smells like eucalyptus, where I find the prettiest sun-dried linen throw blankets I’ve ever seen. I don’t need them, but I buy two.
By the time I settle onto a bench outside the general store, cappuccino in one hand and local honey sticks in the other, I feel like I’ve finally exhaled.
I call CeCe.
She answers with a dramatic sigh. “Did you survive?”
“Barely. But I’m on the upswing.”
“Has he glared at you again today?”
“He monologued to a dog about my luggage.”
“This man sounds dangerously unwell.”
“That’s not even the weirdest part. His neighbor—Nadine?—showed up looking for the dog, wearing what I’m pretty sure were orthopedic wedges and harboring a personal vendetta against joy.”
“I cannot wait to meet her.”
“You’re going to love this town,” I say, stretching my legs out in front of me. “It’s sunshine, quirky little shops, and people who all know each other’s coffee orders.”
I could honestly live here—if my entire life weren’t back in California.
CeCe sighs dreamily. “I knew I should’ve come early.”
