Page 16 of Picture Perfect Love

“Well, at least someone’s interested enough to go through all that trouble.” She eyed the bouquet on the counter, but her expression was wounded with disappointment.

“Uh-oh. Trouble with that guy you were seeing from the app?” She flashed her eyes at me, signaling that I was right, but she didn’t divulge any further. “Well, he was an idiot for not bending over backwards to keep you around.”

“I’m flattered and all, Joshua. Really, and thank you for the flowers,” she sighed. “But I really do need to focus on finishing up my shift now.”

“If you insist. But… I do hope our paths cross again… one day soon.”

I reluctantly crossed the room towards the exit, stopping in the doorway to look back at Abby. I caught a coy smile on her face as she watched me leave—her eyes glinting with a spark of mischief, like a girl with a secret. But she played it cool and kept working until I finally left.

Camille was waiting for me when I returned to the office. “Back again? And looking so sharp? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you took some kind of drugs.”

I had, and her name was Abby, but I spared my sister that detail.

“Just trying to prove to you all that you’ve misjudged me,” I replied.

“Keep at it and you might just do that, but I’m not buying it yet.” She crossed her arms, burning her eyes into me as I walked into my office and shut the door.

I sank down into my chair and turned on my computer, but I didn’t know if I could focus on work. The smell of Abby’s perfume lingered in my nostrils, and I couldn’t get her smile and those big beautiful eyes of hers out of my mind. But I guessed if I had to be haunted by something, it wasn’t a bad sight to have burned into my brain, playing on repeat throughout the day.

I wasn’t going to give up. I knew there was a connection between Abby and me, and I had to believe that if I kept at it… she would come around and give in to me.

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