AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Another one?” I ask.
She buries her nose in the bright red petals and inhales. “Yeah, I get these every so often,” she says. “I haven’t told you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Is there a card?” Trix asks.
Melanie turns them over in her hands. “Here,” she says, sliding the small, white envelope from the ribbon. “But it won’t have a name. It never does.”
I peel the envelope open and yank the card out. “You look adorable tonight. Love, your SA,” I read. “SA?”
“Secret admirer,” she translates as she smells them again.
Trix leans in to catch a whiff. “How many bouquets have you gotten?”
“Six,” Melanie answers. “One a month for the last half year.” She fingers the ribbon. “Always a dozen with a one-inch ribbon. A different color each time. The last one was purple. Green before that.”
I turn the card over, searching for evidence. “And you have no idea who’s sending them?”
“Nope. None. But whoever it is knows my schedule, where I like to have lunch, my home address…”
“Melanie.” I stare at her. “Don’t you think you should report this? This person is stalking you.”
“They couldn’t do anything without a name or a face.” She sets them down on the table beside her. “And even with that, you can’t get a restraining order unless you can prove harmful intent and so far, all I’ve received is a bunch of roses now and then. Perfectly harmless. Chicago cops would probably just tell me to take it as a compliment anyway.”
Trix glances around with wide eyes. “They could be here right now...”
“Most likely.”
I nudge her arm. “Maybe it’s Robbie.”
“Pfft.Please.” She rolls her eyes. “That man couldn’t find my clitoris without a spotlight, there’s no way he’s tracking me around like this. No, this guy is smart and cunning. An obsessed fan, perhaps.”
Trix chuckles. “That didn’t end so well in Misery, Mel.”
“Hey, if this ends with me getting to lay around in bed all day while some devoted schmuck brings me food in exchange for smutty love stories, I wouldn’t mind. Sign me up. No more bills. No more taxes. If he’s moderately attractive and has a stable wi-fi connection...” She holds up her hands in surrender. “No cliffhangers. No cheating. Guaranteed happily ever after.”
“What if it’s a woman?” I ask.
She smirks. “You know, you’d think that would change my mind but I’ve done far stranger things for free food.” She looks forward and her head instantly falls. “No,” she groans. “No. No. No. No—”
I look up at the man approaching the table. Brown hair, cleft chin. Leather jacket and jeans.
Robbie.Speak of the devil.
“Hello, ladies,” he says as he approaches. “You’re all looking very nice tonight.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?”Melanie spits.
He holds up her new book, gray and indigo cover and all. “I came to get my copy signed.” He sets it down in front of her. “I am your biggest fan, after all.”
“Yeah, I doubt that.” She eyes the room. “Please tell me this place has a security team…”
“Or, you could just sign the book,” he suggests, nudging it a little closer. “Wouldn’t want to make a scene over nothing, Mel.” He nods at the bouquet. “What’s with the roses?”
“They’re from a secret admirer,” Trix says with suspicious eyes. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you, Rob?”
“Flowers aren’t my style,” he says, shaking his head.
