Page 11 of The Fun Part
“I am not glowing. I just got a lot of sleep and went for a run this morning.”
“You always go for a run and come back looking haggard.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“It’s beyond me why you torture yourself with running.”
I can’t seem to take my eyes off the flowers. They’re not bargain after-Valentine’s Day roses. It’s a pretty arrangement of pink tulips, white carnations, baby’s breath, and mini daisies. I lift my hair from the nape of my neck. It’s unbearably hot in here.
I tuck the note back in the flowers she’s holding. “You keep them. Put them in your room, okay?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like carnations.”
“Mac.”
“Mac is a truck. It’s Mackenzie.”
“Youarea truck.” She opens the small envelope and pulls out the card, smiling. “Sweet.” I bet she read it earlier on the porch. She tucks the card back into the envelope. “Wanna know what it says?” Her eyes sparkle mischievously. Like this is a fun game. It’s not.Someonecrossed the line after we explicitly set the rules for a no-hard-feelings encounter.
“They’re from Cal,” she says like I don’t know.
Felix stands on my leg, and I scoop him up, rubbing my chin on top of his soft head.
Harper sighs and sets the bouquet on the counter. “At least put them in a vase. These are better than the kind you get at the supermarket.”
“Fine, but they’re going in your room.”
She shrugs and starts emptying her bag onto the counter—half-price Valentine’s chocolate truffles, a hairbrush, chip clips, and lip gloss. She originally went for the candy.
I go back to eating lunch, my hands a little shaky. Why would Cal send me flowers? We agreed last night was the end and for good reason. He’s coming out of a relationship, and he’s a commitment-phobe. The last thing I want is the heartache of an unsatisfying relationship, and that’s what it would be with him. Classic rebound situation.
And I hate to even let this influence my thinking, but Mom told me to stay away from him, and she’sneverwrong about people. It’s what makes her so good at networking and building a client list.
What could Cal have possibly written in that note that made Harper saysweet?
I hoped with him staying in a hotel out of town and his law office situated on a side street I can easily avoid, that I wouldn’t have any reminders of him. Well, at least for long enough to stop thinking about him. When the memory isn’t so fresh.
How did he know where I live? He must’ve looked me up. This is so wrong. It’s worse than wrong. Actually, I’m pissed. Pissed with a capitalP. I was enjoying a peaceful lunch with my demanding cat staring at me and now this.
I push back from the table, march over to the offending bouquet, and throw it in the trash.
Harper gives me side-eye. “Is this because your mom told you to stay away from him and you didn’t and now you feel guilty?”
I snort. “This has nothing to do with Mom. Cal and I agreed it was a onetime thing for many legit reasons.”
“Because you’re afraid of love.”
“I’m not afraid.” I glare at her. “I seem to remember Nathan sent you flowers out of the blue last Halloween—”
“Who sends Halloween flowers?”
“Andyoufreaked out. Nathan was trying to mend fences, even though he has no idea what he did to make you hate him.” Nathan is my business partner, a loyal, solid guy. He was Harper’s neighbor growing up, and they used to be close.
“Oh, he knows what he did,” Harper says grimly.
“What did he do?”
