Page 26 of A Montana Secret Admirer
Her sister tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips. “Are you going to even try to figure out who’s leaving these?”
Serenity raised a shoulder. “I wouldn’t know the first place to start.” That wasn’t true. She’d been trying her hardest to figure it out. But the only thing she had to go off of were the flowers. And there was no luck there.
“What if we ask Noah’s parents to put cameras on the front porch?”
Serenity’s head snapped up, and she stared wide-eyed at her sister. “No.”
“Why not?” Jane laughed. “Don’t you want to know?”
“What if they stop?” The question was out of her mouth before she had a chance to reel it in.
“Whoever wants you to have these flowers would figure out how to keep giving them to you. I’m just wondering if we could catch them off guard and see who it is.”
Serenity shook her head. “I’d rather try to figure it out on my own.”
“But I thought you didn’t know where to start.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve looked into it, okay? I tried tracking down the flowers.” She held the one up in her hand for good measure. “Turns out, whoever is leaving them must have a private garden or something. So that lead is a bust.”
Jane stared at the flower. “Yeah, that’s where I would have started, too.”
“And…” Serenity’s hesitation clung to that word. “I’m not sure I want to find out.”
Jane’s eyes cut to hers. “But?—”
Serenity groaned. This was going to be so bad. Jane would definitely get mad. Best to just rip off the Band-aid. “I’m sorta interested in someone else.”
The only reaction her sister had was the widening of her eyes. Then they narrowed, and she huffed. “It’s Reese, isn’t it?”
Serenity gasped. “How did you know?”
“Come on, anyone with eyes can tell that he’s got a thing for you. And it’s harder than anyone gives us credit for to avoid the menin this family. When they set their sights on someone, theyreallyset their sights on them. You know?”
The blush came hard and fast. Jane was right. Reese had given her space. He’d insisted that their outing was just between friends. But there had been no denying the tension that had hung between them during most of the date—ever since that night on the front porch when he’d nearly kissed her, actually. She bit on her lips, chewing them thoughtfully before she finally asked, “You’re not mad?”
“Mad? Why would I be upset about this?”
“He’s… your husband’s cousin.”
“So?” Jane moved closer and placed her hands on Serenity’s shoulders. “If anything, I’m just worried that you’re going to be okay. It hasn’t been easy, and I don’t want you jumping into anythingseriousif you’re not ready.”
Serenity nodded. She was right about that, too. Being ready was one of the biggest hangups that Serenity had. But then her eyes drifted to the flower and the note. “And what about this?”
“What about it?”
She sighed dramatically. “They haven’t given me any indication if they’re interested in me romantically, and yet the flowers make it feel they are.”
“Of course they are.”
Serenity flinched. “And if they are… but I’m interested in Reese… then how do I tell them so they don’t get too attached?”
Jane laughed. It was an actual, throw her head back sort of laugh. She shook her head when she calmed down enough tospeak. “You’re worried about leading a guy on when you don’t even know who they are? When you haven’t spoken to them?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t want them hurting.”
“Look, sis. Whoever it is who’s giving you those flowers and… notes… if they wanted you to know who they were, they’d tell you. They’d come out of the woodwork and ask you on a date. They wouldn’t hide beneath the cover of darkness and slink around.”
“What if they’re just really… shy?”
