Page 107 of Changing Rules

No.I push away thoughts of his motives and focus on my breath.

Once I’ve cued up my Spotify playlist, I pick up my pace and focus on the music, reminding myself it’s pointless to worry about things I can’t control.

Tomorrow will be a new day, filled with a huge pile of work and lots of phone calls. Maybe another person would dread it. Maybe I should. From the look of it, I returned to a total mess, but I’m thankful for the distraction.

And if someone doesn’t jump in and help Ben get the business in order, he’ll lose it all. For the next several months,I’ll focus on helping him get things back on track. I want him to succeed. Everything else can wait until I’m in Santa Clara.

As I’m cooling down,Jess calls.

“I’m bored,” she says. “And I haven’t been on a date in ages.”

“Welcome to the club.” I laugh, tucking stray hairs behind my ears. As I approach Aunt Millie’s house, I zero in on the driveway and instantly let out a relieved sigh.

He’s gone.

“I don’twantto be part of that club. You shouldn’t either,” Jess whines. “We should have men falling at our feet, armed with flowers and promises of everlasting love.”

“Not my type of man, but I get your point,” I chuckle.

“So,” she hedges, “what do you think about going out? We could dance and have a few drinks.”

I shake my head as I climb the porch steps. When I hit the last stair, a splash of pink on the doormat stops me short.

Speaking of flowers.

“Izzy, are you still there?”

“Yeah,” I breathe, my focus fixed on the bouquet of peonies.

“Yeah?”

I bend down and pick up the bouquet, instantly hit by its scent. As I straighten, I notice a little note tucked between the flowers—a hand-drawn heart and the letter X. That’s it.

“I just found peonies at my aunt’s front door.” I prop the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I step inside. “They’re from Xander.”

She whistles. “For real? I’d say he wants you back.”

In the kitchen, I go searching for the vase I brought from New York. “He showed up at Meg’s party last night, and when Iwent for a run this morning, he was waiting out front. A couple of fans stopped him before I made it to the park, and thank God for that. It gave me time to unwind, but now these stupid flowers—aha. There it is.” The vase is in the cabinet over the fridge. Aunt Millie probably put it there.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for a vase.”

She chuckles. “If he annoys you, why do you need a vase? The bouquet will be a constant reminder of him. Am I wrong?”

“But they’re so beautiful.” I stand on my tiptoes and snatch the vase. “Peonies are my favorite.”

She bursts out laughing. “Heknowsyou. All your favorite things, places, flowers.”

Peonies in hand again, I hide my nose in the petals, inhaling deeply. Such a sweet scent, almost intoxicating, just like the man who left them. My head spins, and I’m once again assaulted by memories of Xander, including the kiss we shared last night.

Just the thought makes my lips tingle.

I pull my head back and exhale.We can’t be together.

Shoulders set, I stomp straight out of the house and only stop when I’m standing in front of the garbage can.

But that’s where I freeze. It’s for the best. Really, it is. But then I inhale, and once again the scent stirs up a memory of a time when we were happy and in love. When our biggest problem was not knowing which movie to watch.

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