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“Oh, for Pete’s sake…” she muttered in frustration. “Okay. Get the flowers from him and tell him I will call him later. I’ve got to finish this stuff for my hearing tomorrow and my paralegal called in sick again today.”
“I will. Do you want me to bring it in here?”
“Sure,” Elana said distractedly and turned back to her computer – only to see the door open as a massive bouquet of roses was brought inside. There had to be at least three dozen roses in a massive spray that made her pause. “Oh my gosh… is that a funeral arrangement?”
Tricia paused, setting it down on the table, and then looked at her in horror. The massive white spray of roses was on a greenery background with a blank ribbon across it. It looked like it should be propped on its own stand near a casket, and this was what Max had bought her?
Was he dense?
“I think it is…” Tricia gasped.
“What in the…” Elana began and couldn’t even say her thoughts aloud. She was so flummoxed and shocked by the flowers that words failed her.
“Did someone you know die?”
“Someone might…” Elana growled in disbelief and saw the box with it – and the card. She was good and distracted now, so she figured she might as well see what all this debacle was. Taking a seat in the leather upholstered chairs where she spoke with clients, she opened the card and hesitated, almost afraid to see what it said.
Putting the card down, she moved to unwrap the box and paused, doing a double take, picking up the card again.
Elana,
I’m not good with girls, and I want you to know I’m trying. So I figured I’d get all the ‘stuff’ out of the way…
Max
She looked at the box of chocolates – a box of cow pies – which were pralines covered in chocolate, a gag gift for travelers passing through the state. They were also called ‘armadillo’ droppings, chocolate pralines, cowboy bombshells, and other terms. She’d seen them repeatedly at the airport and tourist attractions when she went to South Padre Island two years ago and made a noise in her throat.
He got her a spray of roses for a funeral, chocolate that looked like several piles of poop, and a card that actually referred to it.
This was the guy she had a crush on in high school? This was the same guy that kept her awake last night, wondering if she’d made the wrong decision?
“Thank you, Tricia,” she said hoarsely, feeling tears sting her eyes. She wanted to be alone because her heart was breaking. Surely, this had to be a sick joke, right? No one could be this dense, this obtuse when it came to relationships, could they?
She put her face down in her hands and wept.
Twenty minutes later, straightening up and wiping her face in the bathroom, she heard her cell phone chime as well as the buzzer on her phone. Walking to her desk, she pushed the button.
“Yes?”
“Miss Cole, your guest from earlier is back.”
“I’m still in a meeting.”
“Would you like me to bring it to your office again?”
“No,” Elana replied, not sure she could take much more… and heard Tricia’s voice.
“Sir, wait… sir! She’s in a… sir!”
And sure enough, Elana’s office door opened. Max was standing there, looking hurt and confused.
“Were you crying?” he blurted out. “I could hear it in your voice and…”
“You need to go,” she replied, not moving and holding herself very still so she didn’t start crying once more. Just seeing him there, looking so incredibly handsome and obviously clueless, was just mind-boggling.
“I’m not leaving,” he began and hesitated. “Why are you crying? Did I make you cry?”
“Why would you give me a funeral spray of flowers?” she bit out angrily, wiping her eyes. “What in the heck is wrong with your brain?”
