was something oddly familiar about him.
“—credit card number. Damn it. Hey, Brett. How’s it going?”
“Good. Yeah.” Blinking, he turned toward the counter. “Do you know that guy?”
“Nope, never seen him before.” Maya sighed down at her notepad. “That scar makes him look a little like Harrison Ford, don’t you think? Like Han Solo Harrison Ford.”
“What?”
“Never mind. What’s up?”
“I need to, uh—” He looked back over his shoulder as if he expected the guy to be standing there, waiting for Brett to figure out why he knew him.
“Generally speaking, I’d suggest roses. They’re classic, it’s hard to go wrong, though at this stage, it’s definitely too early for red. Pink, maybe…or yellow. Yellow doesn’t just mean jealousy, you know, it’s also for—”
Brett finally blinked her into focus. “What? No, no roses.”
“Too soon? Okay, what about daisies or lilies?”
“Too soon for what? What are you talking about?”
“I heard you had dinner with…” Maya’s eyes widened and flashed toward the huge plate-glass window, then back. “And when you looked over there just now, I…Okay…my bad, never mind.”
“What…No, I wasn’t looking over there.” Except as he said it, he did turn and look across the street at Ellie’s store, which is exactly what Maya thought he’d been doing the first time.
“Sure, yeah, whatever you say.” She didn’t seem even the slightest bit convinced, and she proved that even more by leaning over the counter. “But just a heads-up before you spend your money on flowers for her: she’ll have them dead before the ink’s dry on the card, and I’m not even kidding. You want to buy her a plant, make it silk, and even then…well…Forget it, stay clear of all plants, real or fake. Buy her a book instead, or—”
“Stop!” He didn’t mean to say it that loud, but at least he got her attention. “Whoa already, I’m not buying her anything. I just need to send some flowers to my mom.”
“Oh.” She took a second, letting that sink in; then she turned to look at the calendar hanging above her computer monitor. “Right, it’s April. Pink lilies with a few purple mums?”
“Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”
Maya typed his name into her computer and up popped his purchasing history. Six transactions, each occurring in early to mid-April, and always the same order: pink lilies with purple mums. He’d never bought flowers from her any other time, and why would he? It wasn’t like he had someone to give them to.
“Your mom’s birthday or something?”
“No.” He cleared his throat and pulled some cash out of his pocket. “An anniversary of sorts.”
Click click click
and his order was placed.
“And delivery for…” She ran her finger down the screen, then looked back at him. “The twenty-first again?”
“Make it the week before this time, please.”
“Done.” She nodded at the computer as the printer cranked out his receipt. “You not working today?”
“I’m on nights.”
“Ugh.” She grimaced. “That can’t be much fun.”
“It’s never boring, that’s for sure. Thanks for your help.” He turned to go, but Maya called him back.
“How’s it going with you and Ellie?”
“What…what do you mean?” And why was his throat so dry all of a sudden?
“The driving classes and all that. I hope she’s not giving you too much of a hard time.”
“Well, it’s only been one class,” he managed, one hand on the door already. “So far, so good.”
“None of us expect you to cut her any slack with the whole driving thing, but she hasn’t exactly had the best luck with cops, which is why she’s a little wary around you guys now. That’s why she’s so…well, you know how she is.”
“Mm-hmm.” “Wary” wasn’t the word Brett would have chosen, but for the sake of speed, he wouldn’t argue. “Thanks for taking care of that order for me, I gotta—”
“It’s too bad,” Maya went
“—credit card number. Damn it. Hey, Brett. How’s it going?”
“Good. Yeah.” Blinking, he turned toward the counter. “Do you know that guy?”
“Nope, never seen him before.” Maya sighed down at her notepad. “That scar makes him look a little like Harrison Ford, don’t you think? Like Han Solo Harrison Ford.”
“What?”
“Never mind. What’s up?”
“I need to, uh—” He looked back over his shoulder as if he expected the guy to be standing there, waiting for Brett to figure out why he knew him.
“Generally speaking, I’d suggest roses. They’re classic, it’s hard to go wrong, though at this stage, it’s definitely too early for red. Pink, maybe…or yellow. Yellow doesn’t just mean jealousy, you know, it’s also for—”
Brett finally blinked her into focus. “What? No, no roses.”
“Too soon? Okay, what about daisies or lilies?”
“Too soon for what? What are you talking about?”
“I heard you had dinner with…” Maya’s eyes widened and flashed toward the huge plate-glass window, then back. “And when you looked over there just now, I…Okay…my bad, never mind.”
“What…No, I wasn’t looking over there.” Except as he said it, he did turn and look across the street at Ellie’s store, which is exactly what Maya thought he’d been doing the first time.
“Sure, yeah, whatever you say.” She didn’t seem even the slightest bit convinced, and she proved that even more by leaning over the counter. “But just a heads-up before you spend your money on flowers for her: she’ll have them dead before the ink’s dry on the card, and I’m not even kidding. You want to buy her a plant, make it silk, and even then…well…Forget it, stay clear of all plants, real or fake. Buy her a book instead, or—”
“Stop!” He didn’t mean to say it that loud, but at least he got her attention. “Whoa already, I’m not buying her anything. I just need to send some flowers to my mom.”
“Oh.” She took a second, letting that sink in; then she turned to look at the calendar hanging above her computer monitor. “Right, it’s April. Pink lilies with a few purple mums?”
“Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”
Maya typed his name into her computer and up popped his purchasing history. Six transactions, each occurring in early to mid-April, and always the same order: pink lilies with purple mums. He’d never bought flowers from her any other time, and why would he? It wasn’t like he had someone to give them to.
“Your mom’s birthday or something?”
“No.” He cleared his throat and pulled some cash out of his pocket. “An anniversary of sorts.”
Click click click
and his order was placed.
“And delivery for…” She ran her finger down the screen, then looked back at him. “The twenty-first again?”
“Make it the week before this time, please.”
“Done.” She nodded at the computer as the printer cranked out his receipt. “You not working today?”
“I’m on nights.”
“Ugh.” She grimaced. “That can’t be much fun.”
“It’s never boring, that’s for sure. Thanks for your help.” He turned to go, but Maya called him back.
“How’s it going with you and Ellie?”
“What…what do you mean?” And why was his throat so dry all of a sudden?
“The driving classes and all that. I hope she’s not giving you too much of a hard time.”
“Well, it’s only been one class,” he managed, one hand on the door already. “So far, so good.”
“None of us expect you to cut her any slack with the whole driving thing, but she hasn’t exactly had the best luck with cops, which is why she’s a little wary around you guys now. That’s why she’s so…well, you know how she is.”
“Mm-hmm.” “Wary” wasn’t the word Brett would have chosen, but for the sake of speed, he wouldn’t argue. “Thanks for taking care of that order for me, I gotta—”
“It’s too bad,” Maya went
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