Maria glanced at her phone, noting the extension. “Why are you calling from Gwen’s phone in the lobby?”
“Because I happened to be talking to Gwen when the delivery guy walked in, and I insisted that I be allowed to call you because this is getting ridiculous. Do you know how often Paul has sent me roses at work? Try never. And if you don’t get out here soon, I might take the bouquet and stomp on it because it’s making me question my entire relationship again. And believe me – you don’t want that on your conscience.”
Maria laughed. “No stomping, okay? I’ll be right there.”
When she entered the lobby, she spotted Jill standing beside a deliveryman in a baseball cap who was, sure enough, holding a bouquet of pink roses. Before she could thank him, the delivery guy handed the bouquet to her and abruptly turned away. A moment later, the lobby door was closing behind him, almost like he’d never been there at all.
“Charming fellow,” Jill commented. “He couldn’t even make small talk. He just kept saying your name whenever I asked a question. But you have to admit the bouquet is gorgeous.”
Maria had to agree. The buds, enveloped in sprigs of baby’s breath, were either closed or just barely beginning to wink open, and as she bent to smell them, she realized that the florist had been thoughtful enough to trim the thorns. “I can’t believe he would do this,” she remarked, inhaling the bouquet’s delicate scent.
“It’s almost sad,” Jill said, shaking her head. “He must have serious self-esteem issues. Since he’s always seeking your approval, I mean.”
“I don’t think Colin has self-esteem issues.”
“Then he must be needy. You should probably break up with him before it gets any worse. You need someone like Paul, a guy who thinks first and foremost about himself.”
Maria peered up at her friend. “Are you finished?”
“Did you get the sense that I’m envious?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes. I’m finished. And I take it that the two of you talked and all is well again?”
“We made plans for tonight, in fact.” She held out the bouquet toward Jill. “Would you mind holding this while I open the card?”
“Why not? It’s not like you’re trying to rub it in.”
Maria rolled her eyes as she slid the card out and read it. She blinked before reading it a second time, her brow beginning to crease.
“What is it?” Jill asked.
“I wonder if they attached the wrong card. This one doesn’t make sense.”
“What does it say?”
Maria held it open to show Jill. “It says,” she read, “You will know how it feels.”
Jill wrinkled her nose. “Is that a private joke or something?”
“No.”
“Then what is it supposed to mean?”
“I have no idea,” Maria answered, growing more puzzled by the minute.
Jill handed back the bouquet. “It’s a strange thing to write, don’t you think?”
“Definitely strange,” Maria conceded.
“Maybe you should call him and ask about what he meant.”
Maybe, Maria thought. “He’s probably at the gym.”
“So what? I’ll bet he has his phone with him. Or you know what it could be? Maybe the florist made a mistake. He either attached the wrong card or wrote it down wrong.”
“I guess that’s possible,” Maria agreed, and though she tried to convince herself it was true, she wondered whether either of them really believed it.
After putting the roses in the vase from the first bouquet of flowers, Maria continued to examine the card until finally deciding, Oh, what the hell? Pulling her cell phone from her purse, she rang Colin.
“Hey there,” he said. “You’re not calling to cancel on me tonight, are you?” He was breathing hard, and in the background, Maria could hear music and the sound of people running on the treadmill.
“No. I’m looking forward to it. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Not at all. What’s up?”
“Just a quick question. I wanted to ask you about your message.”