So why does the thought of leaving Cashmere Cove and the bookstore make me feel like crying?
My phone buzzes where I stashed it in my back pocket, and I pull it out, expecting a follow-up message from Lennox with further intel.
Instead, it’s a text from Anton giving me the details for when I can come and hang out with him and his buddies. I enter the information into my phone, including the address to Poe’s place, where they’re meeting up on Friday night, and type back my response.
Rose
Thanks. I’ll be there. Should make for some good information for the article!
How’s Duke? Tell him I’m sorry I almost attacked him. I take paparazzi and the exclusivity clause in my contract very seriously.
Better to address my weird behavior head on. That, and I’m not above prodding Anton for more information about Duke.
Anton
Clearly. Thought it was going to come to fisticuffs there for a minute.
I smile down at my phone. Every once in a while, Anton will use super formal, old-fashioned speech patterns and vocabulary words. It’s the most charming thing. When we were dating, I teased him about it relentlessly, but I secretly love it.
Anton
Duke’s good. He left to check into his hotel. I’ll let him know about your mosquito-like tendencies…always buzzing around.
Rose
Hardy har.
I fiddle with my phone’s case as tiny bubbles pop up on the screen and then disappear. I picture Anton at his house, composing a message back to me. I wonder if he’s leaning over his kitchen counter, shoveling in a bowl of pasta like he used to do.
When his message pops up, it’s an attachment. I furrow my brow and stare down at my screen. He’s shared a Note with me that’s titledSammy Rose.
I bite my lip and click on it. It populates with some sort of a list.
I read through it once, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. Staring back at me are a bunch of things I like—or at least a bunch of things I used to like, once upon a time. My coffee order—large iced latte with oat milk and two pumps of caramel. My favorite Mexican restaurant in Mobile with an asterisk next to it. Down below, there’s a note that says:
prefers flour tortillas to corn tortillas and the spiciest salsa possible.
Beneath that, he’s made a notation about how I hate being cold. He’s written,Possible birthday gift idea - rice heating pad?below it, and my heart shatters at the sweetness of it all.
My favorite books are typed out in order. He’s got my favorite board game marked down as Yahtzee! with cribbage listed as a close second. There’s a note about how I prefer mini golfing to watching movies, and in parentheses, he’s written (likes to be active rather than sitting still).
He’s got a section about himself too. He’s titled it,Her Taste in Me(n). And there, he’s listed:
Likes my hair longer on the top.
Prefers when I’m clean shaven.
