Page 15 of Layne Closure Ahead

The starburst-shaped lilies had deep violet hues on the edges of the petals that grew lighter in a gradient effect towards the pistil in the center. By contrast, the tightly wrapped rose petals were a lighter shade of purple on the outside that darkened with each layer until they were nearly black in the center.

A shining silver card was tucked inside with a handwritten note which simply read:

My little harpy.

With all these deliveries, it was making it difficult to take her mind off the choice she was going to have to make in a few weeks. Not to mention, her house was beginning to smell like a florist as she tried to find a spot for each new delivery.

Layne chose to put this newest set of flowers inside her home office, arranging them in a vase that was centered on one of the shelves of her bookcase.

As for the other man weighing heavily on her mind, if Joey had been snooping around and keeping tabs on her, she hadn’t caught him in the act…yet. After catching a glimpse of a sports bike outside of O’Reilly Manor the other day when she met with Liam, it left her questioning if she was just being paranoid, hopeful, or maybe both.

He was particularly adept at lingering without making himself known, she had learned that very early on after their first encounter. However, she still hadn’t been able to fully anticipate his next steps and that’s what drove her crazy the most. Joey was capable of living in her blind spot when he wanted, and she hated not being able to get ahead of his every move.

As far as she was aware, he was behaving himself and keeping his distance. He had left her a new number to reach him at so they could talk over some of the more mundane details of getting him into the Ellis residence on the night of the party.

Layne pulled out her phone and texted his contact number.

Layne

Did you get your tux?

Joey

Just got back from the fitting.

Layne

Are you still set on meeting me at the party instead of picking me up like a gentleman?

Joey

You know I don’t do the knight in shining armor act.

I will leave that to Prince Charming.

Even though she hadn’t heard his tone, it was clear he had some opinions on Eric’s affections towards her in referring to him as a prince out of a fairy tale.

Word was making its way through the grapevines around that Ellis and Layne had some personally driven interactions. Undoubtedly, Joey’s tap into the criminal underworld hadn’t spared him that knowledge. Unbeknownst to her, he may just have been seeing more than he was letting on.

Layne

Well, if you’re late, I’m going in without you.

Joey

Layney, you should know by now, I’m never late.

Layne

Yes, I know, you’re obsessed with punctuality.

Joey

( . . . )

Layne saw the text bubble that indicated Joey was typing a response, but one never came. She waited a few minutes before giving up and determining he thought better about what he wanted to say to her.

Frustrated, yet mildly curious, she contemplated calling him out on his unsent thoughts. However, knowing Joey, he would just ignore the inquisition. She sighed and decided she desperately needed a distraction from all of this before her thoughts drove her crazy.

---