Page 34 of Living for Truth
“Well, I personally think it would belovelyto have someone come teach a class on, I don’t know, thelanguage of flowers.Or a bouquet design class. But who do we know that owns a flower shop?” She dramatically taps her chin in contemplation, and my stomach twists.
“No idea.” I play along.
“Oh darn,” she sighs. “If only one of us had a hunky boyfriend who owned a flower shop willing to do us this favor.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Sage pins me with a “get real” look. “So sorry.Fakeboyfriend.”
When I don’t immediately take her bait, she continues, “Think about it, babe. A former sports dude turned florist? It would get so many people in here—so many people who could donate to fund other programs. Plus, a little bit of eye candy wouldn’t be so bad, right?”
“Fine, I’ll ask him, but don’t hold your breath. He’s got a lot going on with his daughter.”
Sage claps excitedly. “Yay! This is way better than some lady coming to talk to us about the fertilization process of plants.”
“Don’t be rude, Sage. I’m sure lots of people would have loved that! Besides, Morgan hasn’t agreed to anything. He could still say no.”
Sage smirks. “But he won’t.”
I don’t want to agree with her, but I do.
Later that day when I get home, my mom is fussing around the kitchen. I’m still avoiding her, so I start to headdownstairs.
“Hannah, come here please,” my mom demands, and I internally groan and stomp my feet like a petulant child. I don’t want to deal with her right now.
I pad over to the kitchen island and lean against the cool marble. “Yes?”
My mom stops her frantic stirring of whatever’s on the stove. “Will I need to tell the restaurant we’ll have six people or just five?”
Confused, I ask, “What?”
She huffs, then faces me fully. “For your birthday dinner. Is your friend and his daughter joining us?”
Friend. Ha.If only she knew how right she was.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, ask him, unless he’s not celebrating with us. Which would be strange since he’s your boyfriend.” To anyone else, the words might sound casual, maybe a little worried. To me? They’re an obvious threat. A dig at my relationship because she doesn’t believe he could actually like me.
“I’ll ask him when I see him tomorrow.” I lift my chin, trying to come off as confident and nonchalant.
I didn’t want to bring up my birthday because I didn’t want him to feel obligated to get me anything since we’rejust friends.
“Good. Dinner will be done in an hour.” Mom turns back to the stove, effectively dismissing me until the proverbial dinner bell rings.
Good thing I already planned on talking to Morgan tomorrow, I guess.
Chapter 15
Morgan
Hannah:Can I stop by the shop after my shift? There’s something I want to talk to you about.
Morgan:Sure. I’ll be here until closing.
Waiting for Hannah to show up at the shop is like waiting for cookies to bake. Youknowsomething good is coming, but the wait is agonizing.
It’s been four days since our “date” and late night phone conversation, and I’ve been champing at the bit to see her again or at least have another phone call. We’ve been busy with work, so sporadic texts are all we’ve had time for.
