Chapter 62: Coneflowers

I woke up the next morning to find Nicholas gone, as expected. I heard him leave in the middle of the night. Instead of sticking to the agreed two hours, he managed a solid five. Not that I was too bitter about it—I couldn’t bring myself to wake him.

Ironically, I barely slept, dozing off for just two hours. The swirl of questions and scenarios kept me tossing and turning, rendering my night unproductive. And that carried into the next day, dragging on until the dreaded Monday rolled around.

Ugh, Mondays.

Despite my mind bugging me and heavy with worry, I pushed myself to carry on with the day and headed to work. Greeting customers with a forced smile, I did my best to maintain a cheerful facade.

I swear, pretending to be cheerful and happy was more draining than spending a day renovating my house. Emotional and mental exhaustion always do that to a person.

I was in the middle of arranging flowers on the stalls when the gentle chime of the shop's door drew my attention. Sammy was mann