Page 19 of Love Without Demands

I glanced up to see a flower delivery person approaching and put on my brightest smile. “Hi, can I help you?”

“Delivery for Miss Kincaid.” He squinted at the card. “Um, Lora? Leera?”

“Lehra. That’s me,” I said, accepting the bouquet of a dozen red roses. Opening the small envelope, I found a typed card with the words,Sorry. Dwight.

My forehead creased and I checked the back of the card, but there was noI love youor anything else. Disappointment flooded my system, and I instantly felt ungrateful. Dwight had been thoughtful enough to send apology flowers, and here I was, trying to read too much into the wording on the card.

It’s fine. He was probably just in a hurry when he talked to the florist.

“Those are pretty,” Anita commented, and I plastered a smile on my face.

“They are very pretty. My boyfriend sent them.”

Anita’s eyes flashed toward the front of the building, and she said, “I think your ride is here.” My gaze followed hers and found one of Bouvier’s black delivery vans at the curb.

“Crap, I better go.” Placing the flowers on the center of the desk so everyone could enjoy them, I stuck the card in my purse and grabbed my coat from the hidden closet behind us.

I shrugged it on over my ice-blue pantsuit and rushed to the door, my low-heeled boots tapping across the black marble floor. Cruz was waiting beside the passenger door, and his face brightened when he saw me.

“Hey, Lehra. I heard you’re cruising in elegance with me today.”

He instantly made me smile, and I said in my poshest voice, “Who needs a Bentley when you can ride in a van?” For the record, it was a very fancy van, a sleek black vehicle withBouvierin the brand’s signature font down the side.

Cruz opened the door for me and then closed it when I climbed into the passenger’s seat. He was in another finely cut black suit and black leather driving gloves, looking like danger and sin, but I couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t wearing a jacket.

“Aren’t you cold without a coat?” I asked when he took the driver’s seat.

“Nah, I run hot.”

I bet you do, my wayward mind said, and I mentally slapped myself. Rock music played softly on the radio, and I stared out the window, lost in thought as Cruz drove down the block and took a right at the next corner.

“You’re quiet today,” he noted, and I pulled my head around to face him.

“Just tired, I guess.”

“Are you okay?” The concern in his voice melted me a little.

“I’m fine.” But that wasn’t entirely the truth. I was still upset about this weekend and a little confused at the curtness of Dwight’s note.

Cruz stopped at a red light, and his lips tipped up on one side. “Tell me a happy thing.”

My heart did a stutter step because he remembered that little thing I mentioned to him weeks ago. “It’s supposed to snow again this weekend, and I plan to go to the park on Saturday with my friends, Artie and Nicolette.”

“Sounds fun,” he said, returning his attention to the road when the light turned green. “We didn’t get to see much snow in Galveston.”

“You’re welcome to join us,” I said without thinking. “I mean, you probably wouldn’t want to do that. We plan to act like children.”

His smile was so warm, I could practically feel it radiating through the cab of the van. “I’d love that.” Then his face fell. “Oh never mind. I’m supposed to babysit my niece that day.”

“Bring Noelle along. I love watching kids enjoy the snow. We can make snow angels.”

“You sure? She’s a handful.”

“Of course. Your sister and brother-in-law will thank you for wearing her out so she’ll sleep like a log on Saturday night.”

Cruz nodded toward his phone in the console. “Put your number in there and then send yourself a text so you’ll have my number. My code is 0204.”

“Oooh, trusting me with your code? What if I change all your predictive text to crazy things when you’re not looking?”

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