Ruth wandered around town aimlessly. She could’ve gone somewhere—the Greengage, maybe—but it had been a while since she’d walked through Ravenswood just for the pleasure of it. And really, if one ignored the large number of irritating inhabitants, it was a beautiful place. She’d missed it.

Plus, she had time to kill.

So she wasted an hour at the park, studying the blooming tulips and following the paths drawn through the thick, verdant copse. By the time 5 p.m. drew near, Ruth had counted seven grey squirrels. No red. She and Hannah had a twelve-year-long bet about who would be the first to see a red squirrel, and apparently, Ruth would not win that bet today.

But the thought of Hannah made Ruth pause to lean against an oak’s wide trunk and pull her phone from her waistband—no pockets.

Most people would say that Ruth should call her sister. And, while Ruth disliked phone calls—it was hard to really hear someone’s words, when you couldn’t see their face—she made them often enough.

Well; not often. But she could, was the point. If she wanted.

Only, she didn’t want to now. Hannah was at work anyway, and one phone call per day was quite enough, and—

Well. Ruth wanted to say something important, and important things were so much easier to write down than to say out loud. So she texted.

What you said on Sunday was right. I’m going to do better.

She paused for a moment, pursing her lips, looking down at those words as she organised the next few in her mind.

I think I’ve been selfish. I concentrated on feeling guilty about you instead of actually helping you. And I isolated myself without thinking about how that would affect you.

Yeah. That sounded right. Ruth read over the message again and felt pleased; the words actually conveyed what she wanted them to. That didn’t happen very often.

She added the most important part.

I’m sorry and I love you.

Then she sent it.

After a last look around the park, Ruth reached down to pluck one of the tulips that had so captured her attention. She felt slightly bad as she snapped the crisp stem, but the things literally carpeted the grass. No-one would miss this single bloom. More importantly, it would grow back. It would recover.

Things usually did.

Hannah rarely used her phone at work, so Ruth wasn’t expecting a reply for hours. She got one within ten minutes, though.

Hannah: I love you too. So much.

* * *

Ruth wound her way to the outskirts of the town’s industrial estate, following the low wall that circled the Burne & Co. forge. They had a showroom in town, but this was where the blacksmiths worked. She knew because, once upon a time, she’d been forbidden to come here by Daniel.

Well, Daniel could get fucked.

She searched out Evan’s crappy old car and perched on the wall beside it, waiting for him to appear. As she waited, Ruth rolled the tulip’s bright green stem between her fingers. Its sunshine-yellow bell was streaked with scarlet. The colours reminded her of ripe fruit.

As she trailed a finger over one silken petal, a shadow fell over her. Ruth tensed.

She looked up to find a vaguely familiar man standing before her, his hands in his pockets. She studied his dark hair, his pale skin and piercing eyes, for a long moment before placing him.

“Zachary Davis,” she said, speaking the words aloud as they came to her.

He smiled. It was a cute and crooked tilt of the lips that made him look almost boyish, despite his size. Apparently, Burne & Co. only hired enormous people.

“I didn’t think you knew my name,” he replied.

Oh, she knew his name. She knew his name because he was the town’s male equivalent to Ruth—though, being a man, he was tacitly approved of rather than ostracised. She remembered his name because, despite his reputation, he had never tried to get in her pants. Or lied about getting in her pants.

Which made him unusual for a young, single man in Ravenswood.

But instead of admitting any of that, she tilted her chin defiantly and said, “Of course I do. Don’t you know mine?”

“Yep.” Ah. She’d walked right into that. But then he said, his explanation unexpected: “You’re Evan’s girlfriend.”

She blinked. “Am I?”

“Aren’t you?”

She twirled the tulip. He’d taken the words as denial, when really they’d been shock.

You’re Evan’s girlfriend. He’d said it so casually. Imagine that. She was with Evan, really with Evan, and it was not a secret.

“Yes,” she said finally, firmly. “I am.”

His little, crooked smile became a bigger, crooked smile. “I was in the year below you at school,” he said.

Ruth, conscious of the typical escalation of polite conversation, was confused by the subject change. But still, she said, “I know.”

He leant against Evan’s car. “I always thought you were cool.”

Nothing could’ve possibly shocked her more. Ruth was impressed with herself for not falling off the wall. She maintained her composure and her seat, and said with clear scepticism, “You did?”

“Yeah. You always used to iron Storm patches onto your rucksack. And you had those cool glasses.”

Ah, yes; her thick, turquoise, milk-bottle glasses. She thought they were cool too. No-one else had.

Except Zachary Davis, apparently.

“My mother ironed on the patches,” she said. “I wasn’t allowed to use the iron.”

His lips quirked, and she realised that she’d given unnecessary personal information. Oops. It was his fault for being so… non-threatening. He was kind of like Evan, without the intimidating sex appeal.

Although, she thought wryly, Evan’s sex appeal didn’t seem so intimidating anymore.

“Hey,” a familiar voice called. Zach stepped aside to display Evan himself, coming through the forge’s front doors with a wide smile on his face. He reached the car with a speed that belied his easy stride, elbowing Zach in the ribs. “You chatting up my girl?”

“I’m confessing my childhood hero-worship,” Zach said. “It was nice to… officially meet you, Ruth.”

Because in this town, you could know someone without ever actually talking to them.

She smiled. “You too.”

Then Zach clapped Evan on the back and said, “See you later, mate.”

“Say hi to your mum for me.”

Zach nodded and wandered off. He seemed to do everything with an oddly casual air. In fact, she wondered if he knew where he was going, or if he was just… walking.

Then he stopped by a grey Golf and unlocked the door. Apparently, he had indeed known where he was going.

Ruth hopped off the little wall and moved closer to Evan, feeling herself smile. It was a ridiculous and involuntary smile that she wasn’t in the mood to stifle. In fact, after her success at the library, she felt more relaxed than she had in a while.

He slid an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. “You’re cheerful.”

“I suppose I am.” She held up the flower. “Want this?”

“Is it for me?”

Ruth bit her lip on a smile and shrugged.

Evan’s grin widened. “You got me a flower. How romantic.”

“Don’t get carried away.”

“I think I’ll press it,” he said, a teasing glint in his eyes, “and treasure it forever.”

“Behave yourself. Are you busy tomorrow night?”

Evan plucked the flower from her fingers before unlocking the car. “Me and Zach were talking about a drink after work. Why?” He opened her door, waiting for her to get in.

“Well, I wanted to go somewhere with Hannah. Somewhere in Ravenswood. Like, the Unicorn.”

Evan nodded and shut the door behind her, holding up a finger. He was opening the drivers’ door moments later, sliding into his seat. “I see. Did everything go okay today?”

Ruth nodded, watching as he placed the tulip carefully in a cup holder. “I signed up to volunteer at the library.”

“You used to do that, right? Before?”

“Yeah, I…” She trailed off as they pulled out of the little staff car park, driving right past the forge doors. Right past Daniel, who stood in the doorway, his eyes wide.

Ruth turned away, looking straight ahead. She wasn’t going to spend the rest of her life tiptoeing around, just to avoid him. He didn’t bother avoiding her. It was well past time to start living her life.

“He hasn’t even looked at me all day,” Evan said quietly. Ruth jumped slightly in her seat as the words pulled her out of her defiant thoughts.

“Daniel?” She asked.

“Yeah. He’s always in my face, one way or another, but today? Nothing.”

She drummed her fingers against her thighs. “Maybe Mr. Burne said something to him.”

“He told me I could lose my job if I didn’t leave you alone.”

Ruth’s jaw dropped. ”Mr. Burne?”

“Oh, no. Daniel.”

Ah. Her growing outrage soothed, and she relaxed back into her seat. “Don’t listen to that. He puts his dad’s name on his own bullshit. Mr. Burne doesn’t even like Daniel. I don’t know why they work together.”

“Probably because Daniel’s so good at his job.”

Daniel was good at everything.

Except people, she finally realised. People, and relationships, and happiness and… sex.

Speaking of which…

Evan’s muscles shifted as he changed gear, pulling into Elm’s little car park. She watched the glide of power beneath his golden skin and felt a familiar tightening between her legs.

“So,” she said. “Wanna fuck?”

Evan jerked his head round to look at her. Then he burst out laughing. “I really never know what you’re going to say next.”

She grinned. “Does that mean no?”

“I need to shower. And I said I’d fix your bed. I got the wood.” He yanked up the handbrake and nodded towards the beam laying across the back seat.

But she saw the way his hand tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles whitening. And she saw the way his eyes darkened from summer sky to tempestuous ocean.

So she said again, “Does that mean no?”

He stared at her for a moment. Then he slid a hand behind her neck, pulled her to him and growled, “Nope.”