Page 11 of Veiled in Brick

Liam muttered to himself, “Nice, a gold star.”

“We aren’t talking about me right now, and I’d bet my ass we aren’t talking about Liam.” Claire pointed enthusiastically toward the vase on the counter.

“James,” I answered somberly.

“He got you flowers?”

I let out a noise of misery, threw an arm over my eyes, and wailed, “Yes.”

“Oh, Jay, no,” she complained, tsking him. “No, no, no. Did it come with a note?”

“A note?” I asked.

“A love letter,” Liam added with a chuckle.

She clarified, “There’s no note?”

I shook my head. “A little tag with our address on it, but that was it.”

“Did the delivery guy say they were for you?” Her expression turned curious.

“There was no delivery guy. Liam saw them on the doorstep on his way in.”

“How do you even know they’re from James, then?”

I hesitated, for I wasn’t sure of an answer aside from the fact that the timing lined up just right.

“Um—”

Claire held up a finger to halt my speaking and quickly tapped away at her phone. It began to ring loud enough for the entire room to hear, and Luke’s voice spoke through the speaker soon enough:

“The answer is yes; I have time for round two.”

Liam let out a loud laugh at Luke’s greeting, and a flush rose to Claire’s cheeks as she replied:

“Ah—you’re on speaker, baby.”

“Lovely,” he grumbled back. “You forget something at my place?”

I remarked, “Aside from his dick.”

Claire ignored my comment and the corresponding snorting from Liam.

“Mm-mmm,” she hummed a semblance of a no back to Luke, “Did you order me flowers?”

A short silence hung in the air.

“No,” Luke said. “Er—was I supposed to?”

She reassured him with a snicker, “No—no, we have a mystery delivery here. You don’t think Jay…”

It sounded like Luke’s breath hitched in his throat. “He’s not an idiot.”

I muttered, “One would think.”

“Okay, okay,” Claire waved off my commentary, “we’ll call him next—”

“We will not call him next!” I exclaimed.

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