Cooper’s gaze went from my face to the roses. “Um, I sent the peonies because I wanted to makereallysure we’re okay.”He swallowed and plastered on a smile. “You better say yes, or there’ll be even more flowers showing up tomorrow.”
“Yes, we’re okay.” We were not okay. We’d just done major damage to our credibility. It was then that I remembered I ought to hug him. “Thanks so much.” I launched myself at him. For a guy who’d just given a girl two bouquets, one of which was quite expensive—Cooper was right about that; I hadn’t realized how much sending flowers cost—he didn’t hug me with much enthusiasm. He just sort of self-consciously patted my back and stood there stiffly, like this was one more thing he had to endure in life.
I finally released him. “I should put these roses in water. Do you want to come with me?”
Yes,” he said. “I do. Let’s do that. Let’s.”
I took his hand and pulled him toward the kitchen before he could utter more nonsense, all the while feeling our parents’ stares on our backs.
Once we got to the kitchen, I grabbed a pitcher and filled it with water. I could hear our parents talking in the dining room, discussing the books they’d brought for each other, but I kept my voice to a hushed tone anyway. “First of all, that was completely stilted dialogue. Second, I’ve had more enthusiastic hugs from my grandmother. Are you even trying? I’m ready to call it quits and accept our parents’ relationship as inevitable. I might as well just help your mother pick out matching sweaters for our family Christmas card photo.”
He glanced over his shoulder, checking to make sure our parents hadn’t moved. “Me? Why would you send yourself flowers when you knew I was buying you some?”
“You said you couldn’t find peonies, so I told you I would send some to myself.”
“No, you told me not to worry about the flowers. I thought that meant not to worry about whattypeof flowers to bring you.”
That had been my wording, hadn’t it? “I guess I can see how this miscommunication happened.”
He pushed his unruly hair from his forehead. “I made a big deal out of asking my mom to let me come over and give you a bouquet, even though I’m grounded. And now I’m supposed to pretend that despite just insisting that sending you flowers was out of my budget, I did it anyway and then also felt compelled to personally show up with roses too?”
He had a point. I’d give him that. “Um, you’re super romantic and also occasionally lie to your mother about your motives for seeing me?”
He noticed the card that came with the peonies, picked it up, and read it. His voice went to a low grumble. “You thoughtthisis what I would say on a card?”
“No. I was making you seem more romantic than you really are. You’re welcome.”
He slapped the card back onto the counter. “I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” I craned my neck to peer out the kitchen door. Our parents still hadn’t moved.
“No. That’s what I would’ve put on a card.I’m sorry.That’s all. Can you see me dictatingI only have eyes for youto a flower store clerk? Who does that?”
I folded my arms. “I did. And she thought it was touching. Although I’m sure she silently judged me when she saw that the name on my debit card was the same name on the flowers.”
He looked upward in frustration. “There are better things for our lips to do? That’s the cheesiest ...” He didn’t finish because our parents were walking toward the kitchen. I grabbedCooper’s hand, letting him know it was time to play the affectionate boyfriend role again.
My dad strolled into the kitchen, followed by Ms. Nash. Her eyes went from the bouquet of peonies to the bouquet of roses and then to Cooper, lingering briefly on our intertwined hands. I prayed he didn’t have a guilty look on his face.
“So,” she said, turning the word into a question, “you sent Madeline a bouquet of peonies as well as buying her roses?”
The boy wasn’t going to be able to come up with a believable explanation. “Isn’t he the sweetest?” I blurted before he had time to respond. “I told him I’d only ever gotten flowers after performing in plays, and I wanted my first time receiving non-play flowers to be memorable. This certainly is.”
“Yes,” Cooper agreed. “It certainly is.”
“All is forgiven.” I squeezed his hand.
I don’t know what came over me at that moment. Perhaps it was an extreme dislike of Dahlia and her shiny black hair, perfect complexion, and chiseled cheekbones. I turned to Ms. Nash. “Did Cooper tell you that Dahlia threw herself at him at school? Like, she knows we’re dating, but she practically told people she could take Cooper away from me.” I didn’t check Cooper’s expression to see how he was taking this revelation. “Fortunately, he’s realized what Dahlia is like. Some girls won’t take no for an answer.”
I gave Cooper’s mother a conspiratorial look. “If I’m ever notaround and you see her flirting with Cooper, make an excuse to get him away from her. Then you have my permission to tell her she’s low class and should leave your son alone.”
Cooper made a coughing sound that he tried to pass off as a laugh. “I’m sure there’s no need for that.”
I nudged my shoulder into his in an affectionate manner. “Well, you never know. She was hitting on you at the ice cream shop right in front of me.”
My father nodded sagely. “She sounds like an unpleasant young woman.”
Ms. Nash joined in the nodding. “There are always a few like that in every school.”
