Page 4 of Willows and Waterlilies

“Ok, I’ll ask him to wait,” she says softly, devoid of emotion. You wouldn’t believe we were related, but then, the same could be said of anyone who isn’t her only daughter. Jess is the only person she shows any real human affection for.

“Thanks, Hels,” I reply and hang up. I then turn to see Nate smiling smugly, looking like he’s about to do something totally embarrassing.

“I’m coming!” He confirms my fears with his hands firmly inside his pockets.

“No way!” I snap as I grab my key card and attempt to fix my wayward hair. “Get back to work; you know, the reason you’re here.”

“In the absence of a big brother, I need to check this dude out. You have epically poor taste in men, and he already sounds shifty.”

The asshole begins falling into step alongside me and in such a way, I know arguing will be futile.

“I hate you,” I mutter once we’re inside the elevator, “and so does your PA.”

“The feeling is mutual,” he grumbles. “Damn Cameron for stealing my old one. Jack knew how to be efficient and interesting.”

“I still find it laughable that you’ve been matched with the one woman who you haven’t wanted to bed,” I tease, “Cameron must have done that on purpose.”

“I’d rather sleep with a cactus than Beatrice Summers,” he sneers, “the woman bores me to tears. She’s one of those irritating people everyone loves but you have absolutely no idea as to why.”

“Beaisloveable,” I declare, “you? Not so much.”

As the doors ping open, reminding me of the impending vomit-inducing meeting with a guy I know I should be feeling comfortable with by now, it strikes me that I don’t hate the fact that Nate is coming to assess him. I no longer trust my gut instincts; they’ve got me burned one too many times. Nate, however, is a guy who reads people extremely well. Poor Bea Summers excluded. She should be thankful though; the guy is a slut. Should he decide he wants a woman, she is virtually powerless to stop it from happening. Unfortunately, I tend to be attracted to the same (unrelated) type of man.

As I walk into the grand, white reception area to ‘Medina Technologies’, Cameron Carter’s baby, I notice Helena pointing toward the back of a guy who does not look anything like the man who I’ve been dating for the past three months. Neither does he look like he works for a florist or a delivery company. His Tom Ford suit and expensively groomed appearance say he’s more of a top-end lawyer, or perhaps a business mogul, than someone who works with his hands.

“Wow, even I can feel myself blushing,” Nate mutters against my ear, “he’s nearly as attractive as me…nearly.”

“Modest, much?!” I hiss. “That isn’t him.”

As I stare at the man with a furrowed brow and a decent amount of lust, he finally turns around and looks at me. For a moment, we study one another in disbelief, as if trying to make sure we are who we think we are. He then turns back to face Helena and gestures to me with a questioning expression. Helena quickly nods her head before returning to work. She’s always wanted to remain hidden, so the fact she’s in reception is a little sad. It was Cameron’s olive branch after a decade-long falling out over her ex-husband. It was either here or up on the top floor in Bea’s position. Nate tells me he isn’t ready to be that close to her yet.

“Er…hi,” the man who I see nearly every day, yet don’t know his real name, says with a sheepish smile. He’s still holding onto a large bunch of expensive red roses; the same sort that Jonathan usually gets from some uptown florist.

“Mr Earl Grey?” I question him while offering my hand and a thoroughly confused expression. He takes my hand as though he wasn’t expecting it. I had to give him something for his presence is a little disarming.

“These are for you,” he says as he shoves the bouquet out in front of him. When I accept the flowers, he begins twiddling his ear. I know we flirt with one another, but I always thought it was innocent. I never, for one minute, thought he’d go this far; he knows I’m with somebody else.

“Hey, I think I know you,” Nate says from beside me, reminding me that he’s there, for the situation had made me completely forget. “Woods, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right,” he smiles with what looks like relief, “one of the partners at Falmer, Woods and Bradford; we sometimes work with Lucius Hastings. I believe he occasionally deals with you. We take on a lot of criminal law cases whereas his firm specializes in corporate law.”

“Ah, yes, the delights of Lucius Hastings,” Nate smiles as though he knows him well. I, on the other hand, have only heard rumors about what an asshole he is. As I look over the stranger’s shoulder, I notice Helena looking straight at us with a deathly pale complexion. However, she soon sees me looking and immediately returns her eyes to the screen in front of her.

“Yes, he is…interestingto work with,” Mr Earle Grey laughs awkwardly as he rubs the stubble of his jaw with his knuckles.

“Delicately put,” Nate adds.

“And the flowers?” I interrupt their coded conversation to try and find out why the hell he has gone against my wishes and come to deliver a ridiculously expensive bunch of flowers. I thought he understood how much I despise cheaters of any kind.

“Ah, yes, apologies,” he says with a cough to clear his throat. “These are from Jonathan; I believe you’ve been seeing him for a while now.”

“A few months, yes,” I reply, still with suspicion in my voice. “And you are, what? Living out your dream of delivering flowers in between court sessions?”

“Ellie!” Nate snaps, causing me to look ashamedly to the floor because that did come out kind of rude. But this is weird, right?

“No, it’s ok,” he laughs awkwardly again, so we turn to face him for a much-needed explanation. “Look, this might sound strange, but I happened to be in the florist when the order was called in. I convinced Carol, the owner, to let me deliver them to you.”

“Why?” I ask with accusation, not least of all because a sinking feeling has just occurred in my stomach.

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