Page 14 of Love Me Boldly

Once her taillights disappeared through the tree-lined, winding road, I stepped back inside and locked my door.

What a day.

What a really strange day.

My stomach was still full from dinner, so I forewent my snack, grabbed my backpack, and plopped down onto the couch to get started on homework.

Except the flowers kept grabbing my attention. The beautiful bouquet that had three dozen roses. I knew it was that many because Tracey had counted them, twice, as soon as she saw them. They were tucked onto the small counter space in my kitchen, and every few minutes I found myself staring at them. Like my vision board, they looked so out of place. So sweet and pretty. And fragrant. I swore they were making the entire trailer smell better.

Graham hadn’t just taken me out to dinner. He’d made it special. On Valentine’s Day. Those flowers had to have cost afortunegiven the day. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt so special and seen.

I was certain no one had ever done something so nice for me.

I was equally certain I hadn’t been nearly appreciative enough.

Which was probably why I set aside my homework and grabbed my phone.

Me: Thank you again for dinner. And the flowers. They’re gorgeous.

Given how frequently he’d texted me before, I almost expected my phone to vibrate as soon as I set it down. Instead, it stayed silent. I got up, went to the kitchen, and poured a glass of water, rifled through the cupboards, and jotted down a quick grocery list. Between working my second job in town, studying, and running to the grocery store, my weekend was already booked. Which meant I shouldn’t have been spending my time thinking about a boy.

My phone vibrated on my coffee table, and thank goodness Tracey was already gone. I moved way too quickly. She would have been in a laughing fit over my hurry to get to the phone. Water splashed over the rim of my glass in my rush to set it down.

Graham: Food was good. Flowers were pretty. How was the company?

Please. Like he had to hunt for compliments. I wasn’t ready to put myself fully out there. That required a vulnerability I didn’t possess.

Me: It didn’t suck.

A laughing emoji appeared like he knew I would say something like that.

Graham:From you, I consider that a compliment. Plans this weekend?

Me: Yeah, hopping on my private jet to Bora Bora.

What did he think I did on the weekends?

I threw in an eye roll and then typed:

Me:Grocery shopping and work. You?

Graham: Asking me questions? I knew you were interested.

Please…well, maybe.

Graham: I’m headed out of town, actually. Nowhere as exciting as Bora Bora, though.

I sat there, fingers poised to see if he’d tell me where he was going. Debated if I should ask when he took the chance from me.

Graham: I need to get to bed early tonight. I’ll see you when I get back.

For some reason, that made me smile. The audacity of this man.

Me: You’re assuming I want to see you. Not even going to ask?

Graham: You haven’t blocked me. You want to see me.

Ugh. I could practically see his smirk coming through his text. Based on the way my cheeks were burning, he wasn’t wrong. Not like I was going to tell him that.

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