I smile at his references to how I asked him if it was okay when I hugged him. He’s poking fun at me while sounding flirty and affectionate. And I love him for it.
I look up from the note as goose bumps cover me in waves.
Love him for it…
Do I love him?
Ever since that day on the beach, he’s taken constant residence in my thoughts, my dreams, and even my work. I suspected then I was headed here. I might as well just admit it to myself.
I lean over the bouquet and inhale the sweet scent of the roses, then finish reading his note.
P.S.These roses are from my mother’s garden. This one in particular was her favorite, because I bought it for her several years ago. I think she loved pink almost as much as you do.
I take a couple of steps back until I feel the bench behind my calves, then drop down on the seat. The man drove all the way from Clearwater to Sarabella to leave me a pink vase of pink roses from his mother’s treasured rose garden before flying to New York to help Kinsley.
He did all of that…for me.
If I hadn’t already fallen for the man, I most definitely would now.
CHAPTER 22
LUKE
“How many books do you need, Kins?” I manage to sound sarcastic while lugging a box containing an unassembled bookshelf to her dorm room—her birthday present that I’m about to spend the next two hours assembling. I’ve yet to meet one of these that didn’t take twice as long as it should.
“Need and want are two very different things. This is a want, thus why Iwanteda bookshelf for my birthday.”
I lower one end of the box to the floor and hold the top. “Then consider me assembling it your Christmas present.”
She mocks a gasp. “Low blow, big bro.”
Kinsley holds the door open for me as I drag the box into her room. I squat over the carton, cutting open the taped flap with a pair of scissors I swiped from a pencil cup. Books fill the two built-in shelves above her desk, and more are stacked on top. Additional piles of books stand in clusters by the corner.
“I’m not sure this will be enough, Kins.” I chuckle.
“What can I say? Words are my life.” She drops with a bounce on the twin-sized bed, sitting against the opposite wall along with a small dresser nearby. Seeing the quilt Mom made her draped over the mattress brings a smile to my face.
But no pang of grief…interesting.
I gesture to the book stacks. “I assume you want this there.”
“Yes, please. Then I can take you to this really cool ramen place I found around the corner.” She jumps to her feet and starts shifting the books onto her bed.
I lean back on my feet, hands out. “Seriously? I’m in New York, and you want me to eat noodles?”
“Ramen,” she groans. “You can have pizza tomorrow. I’m sure there’s a spot close to your hotel.”
Light streams in through a window that overlooks a sea of windows on the opposite building. The room is small, but Kinsley did a great job of making it feel cozy with some throw pillows and pictures from home.
Once I get her shelf assembled, she relegates me to the handing her books so she can arrange them in the order she prefers, which she goes into great detail explaining her system. I pretend to listen while my brain drifts to Sophie.
She should have found the flowers I left on her desk by now. I glance at my phone in case she texted me, but there’s nothing there. Maybe she hasn’t made it to her office yet. I think she finished interviewing the rest of the team, and we don’t have a game until Thursday this week, which was why I decided to hop a plane and see my sister. And maybe check out this new boyfriend of hers a little more.
“Will Brandon be joining us for ramen?” The only ramen I’ve ever had were those little cheap packages you cook yourself. I hope this place does a better job than that.
“No, he’s probably on a date with Ashley.”
“Who’s Ashley?”
