Page 111 of Green Flag
He nodded, looking down at them with a sigh. “They’re very beautiful. I hope the card mentions they’re not as beautiful as you.”
Now it was my turn to laugh and roll my eyes.
“You really like him, huh?”
My body locked down, guarding the truth. Even if I didn’t know what that truth was.
“I don’t know,” I said carefully, staring down at the tag again.Keep farting.My cheeks burned. “I’m… Yeah. I do.”
He took a swig from his water bottle, still eyeing the flowers. “He seems to make you feel lighter. Happier.”
I tilted my head at him in question. “What?”
His smile was soft. “That’s good. For the two of you.”
“So why the stunt with the hotel room?”
He shrugged. “It was a test.”
My blink was outraged. “Excuse me?”
“He needs to have the full Bacque experience. Tired, grumpy, post-race you. He’s passed so far.”
My head was reeling. “So… you approve?”
“Not openly,” he warned.
“That makes no sense.”
“Got to keep him on his toes. Give a man approval and he might get too comfortable. Got to make sure he continues to treat you right every day. As long as he continues to make you smile,ma chérie, then I’m happy for you.” He twisted the cap back onto his bottle and walked out, calling over his shoulders, “Don’t forget to water your flowers.”
I did so, the world around me feeling like it was on a new axis.
What on earth?
I went in search of my sister, mostly to check if she’d noticed our father’s mental break down.
Fia sat at the empty table in the dining room, swiping through TikTok, looking completely unbothered. When she saw me, she jumped out of my skin. “Ever! You made me almost piss myself. I thought you were Mum.”
“What are you meant to be doing?” I asked. “Clearly not something with your phone.”
I got mine out.
“Setting the table,” she grumbled but dragged herself to her feet, putting the dinner mats down in place. Then, tilting her head in disbelief, she pointedly scowled at my phone.
Sassy sixteen-year-old.
“Luca Mendes, you are adorable, and they are beautiful but you shouldn’t have got them,” I said into the camera. “But what you mentioned did not happen!”
He sent a video back, smiling as he walked with what looked like bags in his hands. Gravel crunched beneath his feet. And the trees behind him… the elaborate iron gate…
Was that my driveway?
“They’re not as beautiful as you,” he said with a whimsical sigh.
EVERLY: ARE YOU OUTSIDE MY HOUSE? RETREAT.
His smile was breathtaking.Mygravel crunched with his footing. “Too late, my precious love nugget! I’m outside, come and let me in. Though I wouldn’t say no to some help getting the presents out of the car.”
