“You’re welcome.”
Halfway to my car, he murmured, “Going commando at work, too?”
“I think not,” I said, wishing like hell my face didn’t turn into a hot zone whenever he teased me like that. I’d like to have a little better control over my responses.
“I’m going to pretend you did,” he promised. “When Bubba and I stop by, I’m going to pretend. You’ll know it, and I’ll know.”
He was killing me.
In all the right ways.
Laughing, I followed him out the door and then paused. There was a vase with four yellow roses on my car. Coop just smirked as Ian stared at the roses with a frown and Jake scowled.
“Who the hell is this asshat?”
“He’s not an asshat,” I scolded him and tugged my hand away as I hurried to the car.
“You don’t know that he isn’t,” Jake argued.
“You don’t know he is,” I countered.
“Frankie,” Ian said, rubbing the back of his neck. “This is getting a little weird.”
“What, that someone is leaving me flowers?” Ilikedthem. “
“Someone who doesn’t sign their cards and you’re getting more and more each day. It’s a little weird,” Coop admitted.
Maybe it was. “You know, lately I’ve been getting a lot of weird.” I searched the vase and found the note tucked against the side.
When it comesto sending a joyful message, yellow roses are the best. In fact, they are the traditional symbol of friendship. Like your warm, sunny disposition, these roses light up a room. They’re the perfect way for me to say, thanks for being you…
Tears unexpectedly pricked my eyes.It was the sweetest message yet, and I had no idea who was sending them. Based on the varying hostile reactions from Jake and Ian, they weren’t it. I’d kind of thought Archie had been, but this was so weird, and he’d been so irritated earlier that morning. Archie did big extravagant things, but now I wasn’t so sure. When I looked at Coop, he raised his hands.
“Seriously, not it. Wish I’d thought of it. You really like them,” he said slowly. That only served to make Ian and Jake scowl harder.
“I’m saying it right now, I don’t like this. If someone wants to make a move they should at least let you know who they are.” Jake reached for the note, but I tucked it against my chest. It was typed. He wasn’t going to learn anything from it.
“Maybe they aren’t making a move, maybe they’re just being nice to me.” I sniffed at the roses.
“Maybe,” Ian said, but he sounded skeptical.
“Guys, no one has ever given me flowers before…”
“I did,” Coop argued. When we all stared at him, he shrugged. “I picked you three daisies when we went on that field trip to the arboretum.”
Oh. He had. I laughed. “I forgot about that.”
“So there, I was the first guy to ever give you flowers.” His smirk took on an almost triumphant note.
With a roll of his eyes, Jake said, “When you were five. It doesn’t count.”
“Still better than you, big man,” Coop retaliated.
“And on that note,” I said before any of them could start. “You both have football, and I have to get changed for work.”
Jake’s smile shifted when I said changed.
“See you later?” he asked.