Page 72 of Dear Ripley

Morgan laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll see. I’m about to introduce you to the best YouTuber ever.”

“Morgan’s got a little crush,” Ripley muttered, so quietly it seemed to be only for the two of us.

We shared a look filled with a thousand unspoken words and questions.

“Okay, sure,” Harlow told Morgan. “Party at your place, then, I guess.”

I knew there was no way she was going there without me. I wasn’t going to abandon her, and she was going to cling to any plan that forced me to be around Ripley. She wasn’t nearly concerned enough about Ellie to not still be scheming.

Ripley was watching me like she knew the same thing.

The whole thing was a nightmare and I worried fiercely about Harlow, but there was no denying the warm glow Ripley was alighting inside of me, and I guessed I, too, was grateful for a situation that put the two of us in a room together. Though, if there were a way to do that without Harlow being in danger, I’d really prefer that.

Chapter 24

Ripley

As a florist, part of my job really was not having an opinion on the flower arrangements people asked for. I’d tell them if they wanted a pair of blooms that were going to kill one another, but for anything cosmetic, the customer knew best. Theoretically.

I didn’t say anything because they were their flowers, and their events, and their preferences, but, really, some people did haveinterestingtastes.

Ellie’s bouquet wasn’t in poor taste from an aesthetic perspective, but it was my least favorite one I’d ever done. I had not gone into business to help weird exes stalk their former lovers. Certain romantic storylines had a lot to answer for.

I was halfway through the arrangement when the doorbell tinkled and Morgan walked in looking like the cat who got the cream.

I raised my eyebrows at her. “Are you smug because of something that happened, or because you appear to be wearing the King of England’s ceremonial robes?”

She twirled slightly, showing off her outfit. I wondered when she’d bought it, and when she'd had time to change into it with everything that was going on. “Don’t you love it?”

“Love it.”

“More enthusiasm, please.”

I laughed. “You look positively radiant, and every bit the queen of the world.”

“Uh, queen of the universe, thank you very much.”

“My apologies,” I said, bowing deeply.

“Much better.” She smiled, adjusting herself in her robes.

I gave her a second before shaking my head and asking, “Morgan, why are you here? You do know we have a plan, right?”

She looked at me again, with that glimmer in her eyes that she’d entered with. I was going to regret this conversation. “I do know we have a plan, and it’s going planningly.”

“Pretty sure that’s not a word.”

“It is if I say it is.”

“Not at all how language works.”

She stared at me. “That’sexactlyhow language works.”

I didn’t have the time or the inclination to get into the intricacies of language development, so I just waved one hand through the air. “Why are you here, Morgan?”

She huffed, scowling at me like I was ruining her whole day. “Our two little friends are in the location, safe and sound, so I decided now would be a great time to come see my best friend and ask what exactly is going on with her and her ex-wife?”

A flutter of panic jolted in my chest. I worked hard to control my physical reaction. In truth, I wasn’t entirely sure, but the answer I needed to give was obvious, and not up for negotiation. “There’s nothing going on. Her best friend is in trouble, and I’m the conduit through which she’s being stalked. Seems unlikely that Alicia and I wouldn’t cross paths in that situation.”

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