Brooke nudged Jo with an elbow. “So, you’ve left me hanging long enough. What does the card say?”
Jo glanced at Letty and groaned at the rosy flush tinting her cheeks. Bracing for something vulgar, Jo opened the envelope, pulled out the card, and read it aloud. “Thinking of you.”
The three of them looked at the erect cactus, then at each other, and burst into laughter.
Jo recovered first, aiming her phone at the smiling mug and snapping a picture.
“What are you doing?” Brooke asked.
“Sending him a text.” She unblocked Avery, attached the image, and spoke the message out loud as she thumbed it. “Exaggerating much?”
Brooke choked on her coffee, and Letty slapped a hand over her mouth to hide the gasp that turned into giggles. Jo couldn’t ignore the butterflies in her belly or the way her breasts tingled. He wasn’t exaggerating by much.
She was about to block him again when bubbles popped up at the bottom of the screen.
Avery: Wanna find out?
Jo tsked and rolled her eyes.
Brooke leaned forward. “What did he say?”
Jo told them and typed her response, “I’m not touching that thing until you do some manscaping.” She blocked him again before he could reply. “There, that should do it for a while.” She turned to Letty. “One more and we’ll call it a day. We’ve tortured you long enough.”
“Ha, it’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this. What would you rather have? The generic happy birthday basket or the funeral spray.”
Brooke nearly bounced out of her chair. “Oh my god, the funeral spray. We have to see what he does with that.”
Jo smiled. “The spray it is.”
Letty grimaced. “It’s a little ragged. I was pulling lilies from it to make another bouquet.”
“Actually, I just need the card. In fact, I’d love it if you take everything back with you. Except Spike there.” Jo inclined her head at the cactus. “And maybe the peonies.”
“I’ll take the roses.” Brooke smirked. “Maybe Aaron will take them as a hint.”
“You really don’t want to keep them?” Letty asked, her face crumbling.
“They’re lovely, but no. I really need a sterile atmosphere—floral scents can alter taste—and I’d just kill the tree.” She’d keep the peonies in her bedroom, but she didn’t have room for the rest. “I’d rather you take them back to your shop and resell them if you can. I’m sure every penny counts. But if you don’t wantthem back, I’ll take them up to the hospital. Well, maybe not the funeral spray.”
Letty laughed. “I’ll keep the tree and drop the rest by the hospital on my way back to the shop.”
Jo looked at the last cookie on the plate. “Can you make one more delivery?”
A half hour later, Letty went down to her van, returned sans spray, and handed Jo a card. Jo gave her the box and the address for the delivery. She tried to pay Letty but met with refusal.
“He’s got it covered.”
As soon as Letty left, Jo opened the envelope. “I’m dying here.”
“Poor baby,” she muttered and handed the card to Brooke.
“Yeah, I think you’ve punished him thoroughly. Unless you think he still needs a spanking.”
Hmm, maybe a light pat just before she filled her palms with Avery’s perfectly rounded ass the way he’d grabbed hers in his parents’ hallway. Heat coiled in her core. It was going to be a long night.
Minutes later, Brooke went home, leaving Jo to finish the game with Avery by herself. Another half hour passed before she received a text from Letty with a picture of the spray that looked like a decaying carcass that had been picked over by vultures.
Letty: Package delivered. I hope everything works out for you two.
