Sarah Anne Crouch's Blog

The Love in Any Season Social Media Scavenger Hunt is here! To celebrate the release of their new novella collection, Love in Any Season, the authors are hosting a fun social media scavenger hunt.

Here are the details: The Scavenger Hunt opens September 23, 2022 and entries must be received by 11:59pm CST on October 4, 2022. One winner will be drawn from correct entries and announced on our social media pages on October 5, 2022. The winner will receive a $60 Amazon gift card. The contest is open to US only.

Many of our clues are found on social media sources that aren’t our own. Each author will keep a post where links to new clues will be updated each day. Here are the other places where you can connect with each of the authors:

Sarah Anne Crouch

WebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitter

Heather Greer

WebsiteBlogFacebookTwitter Instagram

Amy Anguish

WebsiteTwitterFacebook

Regina Rudd Merrick

WebsiteFacebookTwitterPinterest

SOCIAL MEDIA SCAVENGER HUNT LINKS (Updated with live links each day. Future dates with links already provided will not go live until the date listed.)

CLUE #1 – September 23 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #2 – September 24 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #3 – September 26 – https://heathergreer.com/2022/09/26/main-character-monday-interview-beth-norton/

CLUE #4 – September 26 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #5 – September 26 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #6 – September 27- (live link to be added)

CLUE #7 – September 28 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #8 – September 29 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #9 – September 30 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #10 – October 1 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #11 – October 1 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #12 – October 3 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #13 – October 3 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #14 – October 4 – (live link to be added)

CLUE #15 – October 5 – (live link to be added)

READY TO SUBMIT YOUR ANSWER? USE THIS LINK: https://forms.gle/JepDrB1Ron7jRwcq7

(Find the first four parts here.)

“What’s happening?” Piper looked to Brian walking down the hall. He must’ve dropped his students off at their special activity for the afternoon.

Brian quickly put his arm around her shoulders. “Wow, those look amazing! I’m sure Miss Markum loves the cards you made.” He smiled down at her students. “Let’s go in the classroom.”

He ushered the students inside before turning back to Piper.

“I told you I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Brian grimaced. “I know, but it was too late. We made plans for the surprise party weeks ago. I tried to tell your team, but the wheels were already in motion.” He shrugged. “And by that I mean, someone leaked the surprise to the kids and we couldn’t shut it down.”

“But this is exactly what I was afraid of.”

Brian took her hands. “The kids didn’t spend any money on you. But they did put a lot of time and effort into this little party. Can you come inside and act thankful?”

The words were like a slap to the face, but she knew he was right. She needed to get her act together. Her students couldn’t suspect for one minute she wasn’t grateful and overjoyed at their surprise.

Piper pasted a giant grin on her face and walked into her classroom.

“Happy Birthday!” The students cheered together. Every kindergarten student, the two other teachers, and about one hundred balloons filled the classroom. 

“We made you cards!” Her kids filed up one by one to hand her colorful construction paper cards. She gave them each a hug.

“Let’s all sing to Miss Markum and then we’ll go outside for recess.” Mrs. Johnson led everyone in the “Happy Birthday” song, and then guided the students to the door. 

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said to Piper. “We borrowed your keys for just a few minutes during your prep. But I left them right on the desk where I found them”

“I’ll watch your class and give you two some time together.” Mrs. Stills gave Brian a comically large wink as she walked the last child outside. She was forever trying to push Piper and Brian into alone time, even though Piper had made her stance on PDA between teachers at an elementary school very clear.

Once the room was empty, Piper fell into her desk chair.

Slowly Brian walked toward her. “That was really nice.”

She nodded.

“It looks like you got some great cards.” He rested his hands on her desk. “Have you read any of them?”

Piper pulled the stack in front of her.

Thank you for being my teacher.

Happy Birthday

I love you.

All spelled incorrectly, of course. But still. Her eyes began to water. “I think I forgot why I love this job so much.”

Brain pulled a small seat opposite her. Even though his knees stuck out at an angle, he gazed back at her with a straight face.

“What did you say earlier? That I underestimate my students and overvalue expensive gifts?” She swiped at the corner of her eye. “What did you mean by that?”

Brian took a deep breath before answering. “I know you’re here for the right reasons. But sometimes we can forget that even the poorest students have a lot to offer the world. And we don’t always need fancy dinners or extravagant presents to celebrate a special day.”

“When I first started teaching at Ingram, I was shocked by the level of poverty.” Piper stared at the ceiling, remembering her first week and taking a bus ride through the school district with her principal. “So many of them have basically nothing at home.”

She glanced back at Brian. “But you’re right. They have more than I give them credit for. Money isn’t everything. My students are generous with their time and their love, and I could stand to learn something from them.”

“Generosity is a blessing to the giver. And everyone deserves that blessing.” Brian stood and took her hand. “Let’s go celebrate.”

“This might’ve been my best birthday party ever,” Piper said as they walked towards the playground.

“Well, don’t expect something this great every year.” Brian grinned at her.

“Oh, I definitely will. I’m going to need a surprise party with balloons and maybe some cupcakes and streamers next time.”

“Ha.” 

“Or maybe some red fruit punch. And party hats.”

“Just wait until my birthday. It’s going to be wild.”

Piper laughed and bumped his hip. If teaching was going to be like this every year, she could see herself at Ingram Elementary and with Mr. Brain Jeffries for a very long time.

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(Catch up with Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.)

Something was up with Piper’s students. They kept giving each other furtive looks and whispering. Her kindergarteners never whispered.

Of course, maybe she was just paranoid. At one o’clock, she was so close to dismissal, she only actually had twenty minutes of instruction before the kids left for art class and then their last recess. She’d almost made it through a whole day of school without any students discovering it was her birthday.

“Who’s ready to check on our caterpillars?”

All hands shot up. A grin spread over her face. She never got tired of their enthusiasm. And caterpillars had to be one of their favorite lesson units of the year.

“Everyone, take a seat on the carpet.”

Although her students knew better, they scraped their chairs against the linoleum floor and practically ran to the carpet. Jostling each other, they all found seats on the round blue rug.

Slowly, Piper picked up one of the mesh cages and brought it over to the carpet. “Face out, and I’ll walk slowly around.” She didn’t need to tell them, they all remembered the routine from the last few days. 

“It looks like Lollipop and Soda Pop are growing. Can you see?”

“Where’s Snap?” Gracie asked.

“I think he’s under a leaf here”

“No, Miss Markum. That’s Crackle.”

“Of course.” She could never tell the caterpillars apart as well as her students could.

“See it has that little stripe next to the big stripe?” 

Next she brought over the second cage and went through the same routine.

“How long until they turn into mush?”

Piper had made the mistake of showing her class a video of caterpillars transforming into butterflies. It hadn’t seemed gross when she watched it by herself, but the kindergartners became fixated on the caterpillars turning to goo before reforming into butterflies. It didn’t matter how many times she taught them the words “chrysalis” and “metamorphosis.” All they cared about was the mush.

“Remember, Devon? The Monarch caterpillars grow for about two weeks before they form a chrysalis. Who can remember how long the caterpillars need to be?”

“Two inches!”

Soon the novelty of the caterpillars was gone. Piper’s students started wiggling and chatting once again. One whispered to another and smiled at her. It nearly gave her the willies. No telling what kind of trouble those six-year-olds were cooking up.

“Who needs a water break?” Thank goodness those kids were so easily distracted.

After everyone was sufficiently watered and pottied, it was time for art class. Sixteen pairs of shoes squeaked down the hallway while sixteen fingers covered sixteen mouths. Once they’d all marched into the art classroom, Piper breathed a sigh of relief. Time to clean up the room, sort papers and folders, plan for next week, check emails, and go to the bathroom. Too bad she only had forty-five minutes. 

Piper indulged herself in a quick listen at Brian’s classroom door.  All the windows were covered with paper and decorations, so she couldn’t look in without disturbing his lesson, but she loved to hear him teach. He was so great with kids—gentle and kind yet fun and engaging. He had high expectations for behavior, but his students always seemed up to the challenge. She couldn’t get the same good behavior from her students. Of course, he’d been teaching two more years than she had. And her students were mere babes compared to his third graders.

Checking her watch, Piper walked quickly to the teacher’s lounge. Time to get a move on. 

With only fifteen minutes to go, Piper had read every email, prepped every folder, and straightened every learning center. She had a question about student learning outcomes for the next unit and desperately needed the help of a teammate. Thankfully, the fellow kindergartener teachers were always happy to answer questions.

But when Piper checked both of their rooms, she couldn’t find either one. And when she got back to her own door, it was locked. Strange. I thought I left my door open like I usually do when it’s empty. 

No worries, she’d just use the key on her wristband. But when she reached for her wrist, it was bare. It wasn’t on the other arm either. Or in her pockets. She patted herself down. 

Okay. I know I used it to get in the building this morning. And I had it at lunch. Maybe it’s in the faculty lounge.

Piper checked the halls as she retraced her steps from the other kindergarten classrooms all the way to the faculty lounge. She didn’t find it on the table or any countertops, so she looked in chairs and on the floor. When the clock read ten minutes after two o’clock, she knew she had to give up the search. Perhaps she could stop by the main office and ask Trish or Mrs. Greggs to unlock her door for her. Then Brian and the other teachers on her team could help her search after school let out.

It was time to pick up her students. Piper quickly poked her head in the office to let them know she’d lost her keys. Mrs. Greggs said she’d send someone down in a few minutes.

Piper racked her brain on the way back to her classroom with her students. Where could her keys be? I bet I locked them in the room. That has to be what happened. Most of the school doors locked automatically, so that could easily be the case.

When she rounded the corner to the kindergarten hallway, she could see that someone had propped her door open. Mrs. Greggs must’ve come by. But when she turned to look behind her, she saw the secretary on her way with the large ring of backup keys.

What’s going on?

“Happy Birthday!”

All the other kindergarten students were in her classroom. They’d filled it with balloons and hung a huge banner above her white board.

She took a step back and bumped into Jaylee. “Happy Birthday, Miss Markum!”

Turning, Piper saw every one of her students was holding up a card. “We made them in art class!”

Piper froze. This was exactly what she’d been avoiding all day long.

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(Catch up with Part One and Part Two)

“What’s the deal, Piper?”

Brian closed the microwave door shut with a little more force than necessary and turned to face her. 

It was lunchtime. She’d gone all morning without any more mentions of birthdays. In the middle of morning recess, she’d asked one of the other teachers if she could have a bathroom break and snuck the flowers into the cabinet. 

After recess was story time and then centers. Of course, an argument broke out over who got to use the red marker at the writing practice table. By the time eleven-thirty rolled around, the students had forgotten any mention of birthdays.

 “I just don’t understand. Why don’t you want anyone to find out it’s your birthday today?” His eyes grew wide. “Are you actually turning forty and only posing as a first-year teacher fresh out of college?”

Piper rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain her laugh. “No. Nothing like that.”

“Are you waiting to receive a trust fund from a famous deceased relative that activates on the day you turn twenty-three?”

She shook her head.

“Why don’t you want anyone to know it’s your birthday?”

“It’s just the students.” Piper kept her voice low and pulled out the chair closest to where Brian stood heating his frozen lunch. Having a private conversation in the teachers’ lounge was basically impossible. “Obviously, my friends and family all know it’s my birthday.”

The microwave beeped and Brian took out his lunch. He held it delicately by the very edges of the plastic container, but it must’ve been too hot because he immediately set it down on the counter and sucked on his finger.

“You’re going to melt the countertop.” Piper rolled off a foot of the brown paper towel roll resting beside the microwave. She folded it neatly and set it down on the breakroom table like a placemat. “There you go.” 

“Thanks.” Brian settled into the chair in front of his lunch.

Pulling her lunch sack onto the table, Piper got to work assembling her meal. She had a salad container with separate compartments for her chopped lettuce, feta cheese, fresh berries, and poppyseed dressing. From a side compartment of the bag, she pulled a small bakery box.

“Looks good.” Brian gazed at her food longingly before he gingerly pulled back the plastic film on top of his chicken and broccoli pasta. “What’s in the box?”

“My favorite cupcake from that bakery by my apartment.” She opened the lid and showed it off—red velvet with the yummiest cream cheese frosting she’d ever tasted.

“You’re obviously not opposed to birthday treats.”

“No. I love birthdays.” She took a bite of her berry salad. Perfection.

“But you don’t want anyone here to find out it’s your birthday.”

“Just the students.”

He turned to her, exasperation written all over his face. “Why not?”

“I’m surprised you’re even asking.” She gestured around the room. “Look at where we are. Look at our students.” That second part was metaphorical, but she figured he’d understand.

“What about them?”

“Our kids can barely afford to celebrate their own birthdays, let alone their teacher’s. 

Frowning, Brian took a bite of pasta. 

“My parents are hosting that big dinner this weekend. And I’m sure you and I will celebrate.” She squeezed his arm. “But I don’t want to put any pressure on my students to get me something. It’s better they don’t know about my birthday at all.”

“I think you’re underestimating our students and overvaluing expensive gifts.”

She turned to ask him what he meant, but just then her mentor, Jody, walked in with a big smile on her face and started singing. “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.”

The five other teachers in the lounge sang along half-heartedly.

Jody set a pink card down on the table. “Hope you’re having a good day so far. Those little kids can really spoil you when they find out it’s your birthday.”

Before she could respond, Brian cut in. “She’s keeping it a secret.”

Jody widened her eyes at Brian briefly. To Piper she said, “That’s your choice, but you’re wasting a prime opportunity to guilt them into good behavior.”

“I hadn’t thought about that.” Piper laughed. “But I don’t want them to feel like they have to get me anything. They don’t have much—I don’t want them to spend it on me.”

“You’re right, they don’t have much. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t generous.”

Piper took a few more giant-sized bites of her salad. “I’d just rather not put any pressure on them. It’s better this way.”

She watched Brian frown again. It could be that his pasta was particularly bad today, but she worried he was still upset over her stance on birthdays.

As the bell rang at the end of lunch, she stood to gather her things while licking a bit of frosting off her fingers. “I hope you’re not mad at me, Brian.”

“Of course not.” He snuck a brief kiss on her cheek. “Happy Birthday,” he whispered in her ear.

She couldn’t wait to celebrate with him later. No students, no pesky lunch bells.

Just a few more hours and she’d have successfully hidden her birthday from a classroom of kindergarteners.

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(If you missed Chapter One, check it out here.)

Chapter Two

“That’s right, Gracie. And after ninety-nine comes…”

“One hundred!” A mostly toothless grin stretched across the little girl’s face. Kindergarten was rough. Piper’s students were learning how to navigate school, how to read, and then in the spring all their teeth started falling out. It was pathetic and adorable all at the same time.  

“But we only have room for nine squares in the tens column on our chart, so what do we need to do?” Scanning the room, Piper searched for a raised hand or an attentive look. She pointed to a small girl to her left.

“When are we going to switch the birthday calendar?”

Seriously? A groan threatened to escape from her lips, but Piper pasted on a smile. Just when she thought she was on a roll and had their full attention, one of her students derailed the whole train. “Not right now, Jaylee. Anyone else? What do we do with this extra guy?” She waved the wooden cube in her hand, bringing back a few wandering eyes.

“But it’s a new month today. Right, Miss Markum?”

Might as well address the question, since they weren’t going to let this one go. “Let’s change it out after lunch. Now, who can tell me—”

“But what if someone has a birthday today and they don’t get to wear the crown at lunchtime?”

“No one has a birthday today.” Piper hadn’t meant to lie. For a moment, she’d honestly forgotten that today was her birthday. 

All sixteen pairs of eyes were distracted. Not one of her students remembered the math concept they’d been on the cusp of discovering. “Tell you what. The first person to tell me where this hundredth counting cube goes can help me put up the birthday calendar.”

Sixteen hands shot into the air. 

“The first person to correctly tell me where the cube goes.”

Ten hands remained. Piper called on a boy to her right. “Weston?”

“The hundreds place.”

“And where is the hundreds place?” 

The little boy lowered his hand and pointed to the left of the tens place. “Very good.” Piper placed a magnet on her white board. “Remember when we counted to one hundred and wrote one hundred for the hundredth day of school?”

Hand high in the air, Jaylee blurted out again. “Can we change the birthday calendar now?”

Deep breath. In and out. One, two, three. Patience, Piper. “Class, I need everyone to place the wooden counting cubes back in the box on your table. Seat number three may take the boxes and put them back on the shelf.” 

She beckoned to Weston. “Let’s get that birthday stuff down.”

A closet at the front of the room held all the laminated displays she’d prepared for the year. And an entire section on the right half contained leftover supplies from the kindergarten teacher who retired last year. She’d never gotten the chance to sort through everything. Maybe over the summer. This year had been too busy with learning the ropes at Ingram Elementary. 

“Here’s the month. Can you read what it says?”

“April.”

“That’s right. And here are our cupcakes.” She handed Weston three laminated cupcakes with names written on them. As soon as she’d learned the names and birthdays of her students, her mentor teacher had recommended getting things like the birthday calendar ready. That preparation had kept her from scrambling at the last minute. Although if she’d really been prepared, she would’ve had the calendar switched over last Friday afternoon. Time had gotten away from her this month. Or maybe she’d been in denial about her birthday 

Once the new month’s calendar was up on the wall, Piper stepped back to show it off to her students. “Looks like Jaylee, Anythony, and Nevaeh all have birthdays this month.”

“But Miss Markum? Didn’t you say you have a birthday in April?”

“Huh?” All she could do was stare back at Nevaeh with wide eyes.

“When I told you I had a birthday in April, you said that your birthday was in April, too. I remember.”

“Oh, wow.” Piper glanced at the clock. It read nine-twenty, but her kids could only tell time on the hour and some of them didn’t even have that much mastered yet. “Look at that! It’s time for morning recess already.” She clapped her hands to a rhythm and the students clapped back. 

“It’s time to line up, it’s time to line up.” Singing the tune she repeated four times a day, she guided each child to the line. “My feet are ready for walking. My mouth will not be talking. I follow the line, we’re all doing fine. I’m ready to walk in the hallway.”

Nevaeh seemed to have forgotten all about birthdays, but no one could possibly miss the giant bouquet of flowers walking down the hall. That must be from Mom and Dad. It was far too large to have come from Brian. Quickly, Piper spun the line of students in the opposite direction. “We’re going to take a different way to the playground today. It’ll be so fun.” 

“But—” 

“Shh, Gracie. Quiet mouths and walking feet.” 

She breathed a sigh of relief as the student aide took her flowers inside the classroom. Now she just had to hide them before her class caught on.

South of Fayetteville, just east of Oklahoma, nestled in the rolling hills of Northwest Arkansas is a little town called Prairie Grove. When I lived there as a child, it only had one stoplight and one fast food chain restaurant (Sonic). The FFA in Prairie Grove is award-winning, the softball team is usually excellent, and square dancing is a rite of passage. Since my family moved there more than twenty years ago, Prairie Grove has grown and changed, but the small-town charm remains.

Growing up, I always felt that not enough books took place in my home state. When I started writing, I knew I had to set my first novel in Arkansas. Shady Springs is a little bit imagination and a few components of other towns I’ve known, but it is mostly based on Prairie Grove.

I changed a few things. The Prairie Grove Battlefield Park became Spring Park, I added a couple restaurants, and I moved a few buildings around. But my hope is that the heart of Shady Springs reminds people of the small towns they love.

Read more about Shady Springs here!

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A.J. Young

Age: 25

Profession: High School History Teacher (and Track Coach and Part-time Groundskeeper and Youth Minister)

Hometown: Shady Springs, AR (Formerly Little Rock, AR)

Myers-Briggs Personality Type: ESTP

Three years out of college and A.J. Young still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. Between teaching history, coaching track, maintaining the Shady Springs church building, and volunteering as a youth minister, A.J. keeps too busy to think—let alone plan for the rest of his life.

A.J.’s father always wanted a steady job for his son. Something requiring an MBA and a suit. But that lifestyle doesn’t feel right to someone as restless and athletic and free-spirited as he is.

He knows he wants build a family but hasn’t found the wife he’d like to share his life with. Then Madeleine comes to Shady Springs. Their friendship buds quickly, although it can never be anything more as long as she isn’t a Christian.

An undeniable attraction grows between A.J. and Madeleine, but she’s only in town for a few weeks, and he can’t date someone who doesn’t share his beliefs. How can Madeleine help A.J. discover a passion for the career he’s always wanted?

Read more about A.J.’s story in A Summer in Shady Springs!

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Madeleine Mullins

Age: 22

Profession: Artist

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

Myers-Briggs Personality Type: INFP

Madeleine Mullins has finally realized her lifelong dream of graduating from art school and sits on the precipice of an exciting new career. She’s just wrapped up a commission for a children’s hospital and anxiously awaits her next job. When her Aunt Clara e-mails requesting that Madeleine paint a mural for her church in Shady Springs, Arkansas, she plans to refuse. She hopes to never return to the small congregation that caused her mother and her to leave organized religion for good.

Though her artistic abilities are her obvious strength, Madeleine is also incredibly loyal. She sticks close to her mother and her aunt, even when it isn’t exactly convenient. She’s a deeply emotional and sensitive person. Sometimes this helps her connect with others, but usually it lands her in trouble.

As Madeleine ponders how to deny her aunt’s plea, she realizes that her love and loyalty trump any pain this visit to Shady Springs might bring. Madeleine reluctantly accepts the offer, but she has no idea what’s in store for her this summer in Shady Springs.

Read more about Madeleine’s story in A Summer in Shady Springs!

This is the fifth and final part of a birthday story I wrote. Catch up on Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four.

Don’t wait for me, I’m running late. Be there soon. Jasmine whipped out a text to her sister then promptly silenced her phone. She didn’t need Vicky interrupting her right now.

“You look gorgeous.” 

“Thank you, Ashley.” Jasmine bit her lip as she waved goodbye to her roommate. “I’ll see you at the restaurant.”

She was wearing exactly what she’d planned to all along, a navy dress with strappy sandals. She let her hair down and put in some flashy gold earrings. She might’ve paid a little extra attention to her makeup and spent a bit longer brushing her teeth, but otherwise she looked about like she always did. 

So would Dylan think she looked gorgeous, too?

Jasmine pushed down the anxiety bubbling inside her. She’d be lucky if he answered the door, no need to worry about appearances.

She’d finally worked up the nerve to text Dylan after confessing her feelings to Ashley, but he hadn’t responded. There was nothing to do but go to his apartment and beg for forgiveness.

The whole drive over, she brainstormed ways to get him to let her in. She could tell him the truth, but if he wasn’t answering texts, he probably wouldn’t want to see her in person either. She could pretend to be someone else, maybe someone with a package. That thought gave her another idea.

Bzzzz.

She rang the buzzer outside his apartment complex. 

“Yes?”

In her deepest voice she said, “I have your taco delivery.”

Silence.

“I’m coming down there, Jaz.”

Well, that hadn’t worked. He knew it was her and he wasn’t letting her upstairs.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs, and Dylan opened the door. He didn’t actually walk outside, he just poked his head around, as if using the door for a shield. 

“Dylan.” The hurt on his face broke her heart. He’d put himself out there, revealed his true feelings, and all she’d been able to do was stare back at him. “I’m so sorry.”

He ducked his head and stepped back. “You didn’t need to drive all the way over here to say that.”

“No.” She wasn’t speaking clearly. He thought she didn’t like him and had come to his apartment to tell him exactly how much she didn’t like him. “You don’t understand.”

“It’s okay. You’re trying to be nice, but I’d rather we didn’t have this talk.”

“Wait.” She pulled his hand right before he slipped back inside. “Come out here. I have a question for you.”

He sighed and stepped all the way out of the doorway.

“Dylan.” She pulled a red rose out from behind her back with the hand that wasn’t holding his. “Would you be my date to dinner tonight?”

He cocked his head as he reached for the flower. “Your date?”

“Yes.” Her lips tugged into a grin. “My date. As in, not just friends. A real date.”

Dylan’s smile matched hers as he met her eyes. “A real date with your parents and sister and Granny Mae.”

She shrugged. “You can ask me on a real date later then.”

“Okay, maybe I will.” He held up a finger. “But first I need to grab my keys. Be right back.”

Only one minute later, Dylan reappeared, smelling faintly of cologne. “My car or yours?”

“Yours.” She laughed. “You know I hate driving downtown at night.”

He turned to her with a raised brow. “Is that the only reason you asked me out?”

“You’ll never know, will you?” She gave a mischievous wink as Dylan opened the passenger door.

Later that evening, as everyone waddled out of the restaurant, patting their full bellies, Vicky pulled Jasmine aside.

“Did I see you and Dylan holding hands?”

Jasmine shrugged sheepishly. “Yes.”

“That’s great!” Vicky gripped her in a hug. “It’s about time.”

“Aren’t you surprised? Why is everyone acting like they knew all along?”

“You two are such good friends, it’s no wonder you’re compatible.”

“But I thought I was in the friend zone.” She poked her sister. “You never date guys who are friends.”

“No,” Vicky said. “But I want to. Friends make the best boyfriends, so I hear. I’ve just never had the chance.”

Jasmine huffed. “Because men always immediately ask you to marry them.”

“Because I haven’t met someone as special as Dylan yet. I just hope I do someday soon.”

He was pretty special. And, if those flowers were any indication, he thought she was something special, too.

“I’ll see you Sunday at Mom and Dad’s. Don’t think for one second you can get away with not sharing every single detail of how you got together.” Vicky waved and jogged to her car.

Jasmine hugged her parents, said goodbye to her friends, and found Dylan stuck on a bench outside the restaurant with Granny Mae.

“I think Mom and Dad are waiting for you in their car, Granny Mae.” Jasmine offered her arm, but Dylan got there first. He gently walked Granny Mae out to the parking lot and handed her over to Jasmine’s parents. 

“So what were you two talking about?” Jasmine slipped her hand into Dylan’s as they headed toward his car.

“Oh, just how much she likes my taste in flowers.”

“You told her you got them for me?”

“No, she just assumed. Correctly.”

“So was she also right about the meaning behind the flowers? Were you trying to pick ones that meant love and friendship?” Jasmine leaned against the side of Dylan’s car.

He winced. “I think somewhere in my brain I knew red roses were for love and pink for friendship, but I really just thought they looked nice.”

“They look very nice.” Jasmine giggled. “So why didn’t you sign your name at the bottom?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “That was an accident. I put my name on the order, and I just assumed they’d write it at the bottom with the note.” 

“Then why didn’t you just tell me? Why did you help me run all over town looking for the person who gave me the flowers?”

“I couldn’t work up the nerve at first, and then I just wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out.” He wagged a finger at her. “You might remember, I was not exactly a willing participant.”

“True.” Jasmine bit her lip. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I had no idea you thought of me that way. I’d always assumed friends couldn’t turn into anything more. That’s just how it worked for me in the past.”

“Well, Jasmine Reeves, I hate to prove you wrong, but …” He shrugged. “I like you.”

And just to prove his point, in case she’d completely missed all of the hints along the way, he leaned over and kissed her right on the lips.

Whoa.

As it turned out, Dylan wasn’t a half-bad kisser. To think she almost missed out on that, just because they were friends first.

“Happy Birthday, Jasmine.”

 “I think you just made it the happiest one yet.” 

The End

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Keep a lookout for my new book, A Summer in Shady Springs coming out in August. And click here to subscribe to my newsletter and get more fun freebies, book reviews, and updates every month.

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Missed anything? Here’s Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

…

Beautiful flowers!

Happy Birthday! Wish I’d sent those, but no money =(

HBD! It wasn’t me. That note sounds like it’s from a boy…

Oooooh! So romantic!

Happy Cake Day! Can’t wait to find out who your secret admirer is!

During a lull in the afternoon, Jasmine scrolled through the comments on the pictures of her birthday bouquet she’d put up on social media. The consensus between her friends and family seemed to be that the flowers must have come from a man.

A sinking feeling came over her. She’d exhausted all possible options. They hadn’t come from a close family member or any of her friends online. It wasn’t Kyle, and her boss hadn’t had any suggestions. 

What if I really do have a stalker? What if some creeper found out about my birthday and sent these to me?

But who would possibly be stalking her? A library patron maybe? She narrowed her eyes as she thought. Nobody came to mind.

Jasmine let her head hit her desk. She should be enjoying the beautiful blooms, but their mysterious origins haunted her. I should just accept that I’m never going to figure it out.

When the clock struck six, Jasmine was finishing up her shift at the circulation desk. She’d survived the rush of children and parents after school. Now everyone was eating dinner, presumably, and the lobby of the library was quiet. She had the perfect seat to watch Dylan plod down the stairs toward the entrance. He caught her gaze and walked toward her.

“How’d your performance review go?”

“Fine.” He blew out a breath. “Good, actually.”

Jasmine bit her lip. The last time she’d seen him, she’d been convinced that Kyle, the barista, had feelings for her and had sent her the flowers as a romantic gesture. She didn’t want to admit her failure, but she knew it would come out sooner or later. She had to confess the fact that, not only did Kyle not have a crush on her, he had a devastatingly beautiful girlfriend. To her surprise, Dylan brought it up first.

“So, how’d it go with Kyle? Are you two a couple now?” He didn’t look up as he tapped and reorganized the file folders in his hands. 

“No. I didn’t ask him, and we are not a couple.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Kyle has a girlfriend. A very gorgeous girlfriend.” She shrugged and fiddled with the stack of bookmarks in front of her. “It was silly, anyway.”

He didn’t respond. Maybe Dylan agreed with her that nobody could possibly have a crush on her. 

“I mean, everyone online seems to think whoever sent those flowers to me was a guy. And Granny Mae was sure they were some grand romantic gesture.” She swiveled back and forth in her chair. “But apparently not.”

“So you can’t think of anyone else? Anyone?” He stared at her, his expression baffled.

“What do you mean?” Was Dylan rubbing in the fact there wasn’t a single person in the world who might have feelings for her? 

“I mean, why don’t you think it might have been me?”

“Wha-?” 

“It was me, Jaz. I sent you the flowers. Is that so impossible to imagine?”

A million thoughts whizzed through her brain. Dylan? Weren’t they just friends? Why didn’t he say something earlier? Did he mean them to be romantic? Or was he just being nice? 

She tried to say something, but her mouth hung open stupidly and her eyebrows remained in their highest position.

Dylan’s face morphed from irritated to angry to hurt. And Jasmine didn’t do anything to stop it.

“I just thought …” He sighed and stepped away from the counter. “Sorry if I ruined your birthday with the flowers. I guess the feelings are one-sided.”

At the worst possible time, an elderly lady stepped up to the circulation desk. And Dylan walked away.

She should’ve run after him. The lady would’ve waited. But Jasmine could not get over the shock of Dylan’s revelation.

The lady had a sizable stack of books as well as a couple DVDs on hold Jasmine had to fetch from the back. Then she wanted information on the advanced crochet group meeting next Thursday. By the time the woman finally walked through the front doors, Jasmine knew Dylan was well on his way home. 

Sue came from the back room to relieve her, and Jasmine walked to her desk to collect her things. Well, just two things, really. Her tiny brown purse and a massive vase full of beautiful flowers.

All the way home, Jasmine kept glancing at the bouquet fastened tight with a seat belt. She lugged the flowers up the stairs to the apartment she shared with her friend Ashley. 

“Hey, Jaz! Look at those!” Ashley, who usually came home an hour earlier than Jasmine, had already changed out of her work clothes and into a sundress for the party that evening. She cleared a space on the table for the bouquet. “Did you ever figure out who sent them to you?”

Jasmine nodded, sitting in one of the barstools behind the kitchen counter.

Ashley held out her hands impatiently. “Who was it?”

“Dylan.”

“Ha! I knew it!” She pumped a fist. “I knew he liked you.”

“How’d you know? I had no idea. I thought we were just friends. I insisted to everyone that we were just friends.” She shook her head. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted to be sure. And I didn’t want to mess up his game.” Ashley grabbed a glass from the cabinet. “So? What’d you say when you found out?”

“Nothing. I just stared at him.”

“Umm, okay. And how did that go?”

“Not well.”

Ashley opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of water from their filtered pitcher. She frowned at Jasmine and handed her the glass. Jasmine supposed she looked in need of sustenance. 

“Thanks.” The cool water helped to steady her nerves. 

“Do you like Dylan back?”

Did she? Mere hours ago, Jasmine was talking herself out of thinking of Dylan in that way. Only to discover Dylan had a crush on her all along. For exactly how long, she didn’t know. 

So could she move Dylan out of the friend zone? Could she actually let herself have feelings for him?

“I think so, yes.” A flutter started up inside of her. She did like him. She’d always thought he was impossibly cute, smart, and kind. She’d just never dreamed he might think the same things about her.

“So what are you going to do?”

…

Come back tomorrow for the fifth and final part of the story!

Click Here to subscribe to my newsletter and get more fun freebies, book reviews, and updates every month.

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