Page 44 of Blood and Buttercups

He glances at his phone. “Yeah, I told the guys I’d be there by five.”

I gesture to the tables and canopy. “Thank you for putting everything up for me.”

My brother nods, still looking suspicious, and then reluctantly heads toward the music pavilion tent.

Olivia gestures to the wagon, though her attention is still on Max. “Should we…”

“I have help tonight. Do you want to go fangirl?”

She turns back, looking hesitant as her eyes flicker to Noah and then back to me.

“What is it?” I ask.

“What about Ethan?” she whispers.

Since I never fessed up that he bit me, Olivia and Max think he tried to force himself onto me in a different way, and she’s not keen to leave me alone.

“Noah knows what happened,” I remind her. “That’s why he’s here.”

Olivia’s eyes soften on my new extremely hot male friend. “Don’t leave her alone, okay?”

“I won’t,” Noah promises solemnly.

“Have you seen him?” I ask her, feeling edgy now that the subject has come up.

She shakes her head, looking down the street. “No, and I’ve been keeping an eye out.”

“Maybe he won’t show up tonight.”

“Maybe…” She scrunches her face. “But be careful, okay?”

I nod, and then she hurries after Max.

“Okay…well,” I say. “Looks like it’s all ready for the flowers.”

“It’s nice of your brother to set up your stuff,” Noah says.

“It really is. He started back when Kevin stopped coming.”

“Are you close?”

“Yeah,” I say, feeling guilty that there’s so much going on in my life he doesn’t know about. “Closer than I am to my parents. They’re not super happy with me right now.”

“Why?”

“Oh, you know.” I shrug. “Vegetarian. Flower farmer.”

“You eat a lot more steak than other vegetarians I know.”

“Don’t remind me,” I say darkly, pulling the wagon down the street.

Noah chuckles and follows me back to the truck. “Tell me more about this guy you’re avoiding.”

I peer at him. “I’m not sure that’s really a first friend-date conversation.”

“I cooked you a steak and held your hand at the doctor. We’re at least on our third friend-date.”

A smile twitches my lips. “You just said friend-date.”

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