Page 194 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
“Coach, is Gwen here?” Silas stood there, holding a giant bouquet and two boxes. The beta was one of the equipment managers. He was in his forties and the one that worked the most with us EBUGs.
How dare they send gifts to mywork?
“I didn’t know it was your birthday. Happy Birthday.” Silas put the flowers and boxes in front of me. One box was from a high-end boutique, the other from a fancy bakery.
“Who’s Sof?” JP snatched the card from the flowers.
“Isn’t your birthday in February?” Dean asked.
Tears brimmed in my eyes as the fragrance of omega lilies and roses filled the room. These weren’t my favorite flowers. They were my mom’s.
“How dare they?” I blinked back tears, not wanting to cry in front of the team.
I wanted to pick up the bakery box and chuck it across the room. That would be wasting food though and I couldn’t bring myself to do that.
Instead, I stared at the stupid flowers, wishing they’d incinerate.
“Can we eat these?” Ty asked, taking the card off the bakery box. “Who’s Joe?”
“My brother. Sof is my sister. They think it’s my birthday. It’s not.” I gulped down the tears, trying to grow a pair.
I opened the giant box from the Fairytale Bakery, which held fruit tarts with sugar crowns, beautifully decorated brownies, and my favorite–tiny cream puffs shaped like swans. At least Joe sent me something I liked.
Ty took a brownie. “My mom stomps on my boundaries, too. Sucks ass. But we can’t let good food go to waste.”
“True. I… I’m going to put these outside.” The smell of the flowers made my stomach churn. It was too much like her funeral.
I put them on the table outside the conference room and took a deep breath, trying to get it together.
When I returned, Coach Kirov reached for a pastry. “I’m sorry you’re having a shitty day, Ladybug. We need to get back to work. Thank you for sharing your treats.”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to be unprofessional.” My head ducked, and I bit my lower lip to keep it from quivering. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Dean pushed the box toward me. I took a swan and bit the head off.
We went back to the films, analyzing the forwards of the Gears and going over strategy. My fingers itched for my phone so I could read Lenny’s email. By the time we were done, we’d demolished most of the box. I took brownies for Clark and Tens.
“Can I take Jonas a tart? They’re his favorite,” Dean asked.
“Take them all,” I told everyone.
“If you’re not going to, can I open it?” Arden picked up the brown and gold box from Faun off the floor. “I’m so curious.”
“Isn’t that where they sell the purses that cost as much as cars?” Ty asked.
“Yes.” JP nodded sagely. It was one of Celine’s favorite purse brands.
Dean shrugged. “I like their wallets.”
“So does my dad,” Arden replied. “The card say “For Buttons. Please stop being a fashion disaster. Love Isa.” She shot me a sympathetic look as she undid the ribbons. “I have a sibling like that.”
I still had no idea what Isa meant. Because even to class, I was mostly wearing all the cute stuff Valya got me.
“Shit.” Arden took the small, dark purple bag out of the tissue paper. “If you don’t want it, you can sell this easy peasy. Haven’t seen one like this.”
“Why do I need a fancy purse?” I eyed the leather purse. It was pretty, but…
JP grinned. “You need a fancy purse to keep up with the MASOs.”
