Page 67 of An Inconvenient Plan
She tried to let him down easy. “I’m sorry, Phillip, the answer is no. I can’t be who you want.”
Phillip took her hand. “Just think about it. There’s a spot on the jet for you.”
Dylan shook his head, turned, and left, heading for a motorcycle he’d parked on the street. He roared off and they all watched him go.
“Riffraff,” Phillip muttered under his breath before he left too.
She went inside and sat at her desk, shaken by the past few days’ events. Things were weird in every part of her life.
She checked in on her mom again with no response. Now she was actually starting to worry about her mom. What if something had happened to her? She’d never left for longer than a weekend drive away.
By the time she wrapped up work for the day, all she wanted to do was return to her cozy woman cave of an apartment and watch mindless TV. When she got to her front door, a bouquet of roses was waiting. Clearly Phillip didn’t take no for an answer. She grabbed the flowers, let herself in, and tossed them in the trash.
18
Hailey had just settled with a big bowl of buttery popcorn in front of the TV when her doorbell rang. Rose barked and ran to the door. Hailey sighed, put the popcorn on the coffee table, and went to answer it. Josh stood there, looking worried.
“Is everything okay?” she managed over the lump in her throat.
“No word from my dad,” he said, stepping inside. Rose climbed his leg and he scooped her up, rubbing her behind the ear. “Any word from your mom?”
“No, not yet.”
He set Rose down and made himself comfortable on her sofa. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It seemed presumptuous, but then again, Josh had never been overly polite.
She joined him. “So you just stopped by to hang out or…”
“Do I need a reason to be with you?”
“I guess not. It’s just the first time you showed up like this.”
He took a piece of popcorn. “Did you get the flowers?”
She startled. “Those were from you?”
“Didn’t you read the card?”
She leapt off the sofa, rushed to the kitchen, and pulled the trash can out from under the sink.
“You threw them out?” he barked from behind her.
She retrieved them, still in their nice wrapper. “It’s okay. The wrap protected them.”
“Why would you throw out an expensive bouquet?”
“I’m sorry! I thought they were from Phillip!” She set the roses on a kitchen chair and pulled the small card from the envelope.Thinking of you! Love, Josh.It was sweet both for the exclamation point, which was probably half-teasing but showed effort, and the love. Maybe Josh did love her.
He remained leaning in the doorway of the kitchen. “Why would you think the roses were from the prince? You turned him down, right? You told him you’re mine.”
She shook her head at his possessive side that still felt weird. If he’d said, “you’re my girlfriend” or “you’re my love” or even “you’re my woman” she might have thought it nearly romantic. Butyou’re mine? Sigh.
“Why’re you shaking your head?” He closed the distance between them, his jaw clenched tight. “Tell me right now that you told him no.”
She met his dark eyes burning into hers. “I did tell him no, but he’s persistent. He thinks he’s in love with me.”Are you?
He glowered down at her.Grr.No loving sentiment would ever emerge from that mouth.
She scowled. “And stop saying ‘you’re mine.’ I’m not yours.”
