“I work exactly hard enough,” Morgan insisted. “Besides, I love my job. Nothing makes me happier than walking into a room full of flowers of a morning. But it’d be nice to get away for a few days, and you’re giving me the perfect excuse.”
“If you’re sure,” I said, excitement welling up in the pit of my stomach again.
“I’m sure.”
This was going to befun.
5
Morgan
“Okay,so, you had dinner with him—nice move, by the way—and then…?” Aiden asked, peering at me over the rim of his coffee cup.
I liked our morning coffees together. He’d come into my shop today and brought Carter with him, who was examining the orchids I had growing in the back with minute attention to detail.
I wasn’t sure if that was because he was interested in the orchids, or still embarrassed about yesterday.
One thing was for sure—I couldn’t bring myself to look at his ass just yet.
I shrugged. “And then I drove him home?”
Aiden raised an eyebrow. “You just… took him home? That’sit?”
“Wait, hold on, back up,” Carter said. “Go back to the part where you’re going topretend to be his boyfriend.”
“Yeah!” Aiden added. “Shit, I got distracted. Go back to that part.”
Dammit.
Well. I supposed I’d wanted Aiden’s advice since the second Devin waved goodbye to me last night. Now was as good a time as any to ask for it.
“Umm.” I wet my lips, unsure what to say for myself. “It seemed like a good idea at the time?”
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
“C’mon, man, he’s been training for this competition for months,” I said, my shoulders creeping up toward my ears as I braced to defend myself. “I’m not letting him throw it away because of his asshole ex-boyfriend.”
Aiden’s eyebrow ratcheted up a notch.
“Plus I haven’t had a vacation since… well, forever. I barely take any time off. Kieran’s agreed that between him and Felix they can cover the shop a few hours a day, I’ve never been to Vermont…”
“You couldwalkto Vermont from here,” Carter pointed out.
“Long walk,” I said, but he wasn’t exactly wrong. I definitely could’ve driven if I’d everintendedto go there.
Devin had gotten a job as a ski instructor up there a couple of winters ago, and the way he talked about the place made it seem magical. Even if the snow season was over—that wasbetter, I thought, since it was spring now and that meant wildflowers and new growth everywhere—it’d still be nice to see.
Besides, next week, it was a place that was going to contain Devin. Any place would’ve been nice if Devin was there.
“I’m not disputing that it’s a cool thing to do for him,” Aiden said. “And good for you, you deserve a break. I’m just… in awe. You’ve got me and everyone else sworn to secrecy over your really obvious crush on Devin and he somehow, miraculously doesn’t seem to have noticed—or he’s really being an asshole about it right now.”
“He hasn’t noticed,” I insisted. “I’ve been careful and I will still put ants in your underwear drawer if you tell him.”
Carter snorted. Obviously, he wasn’t sharing an underwear drawer with Aiden.
“He’d do it,” Aiden said.
I wouldn’t actually have done it. Aiden was my best friend in the whole, wide world, and I could never have hurt him for anything.
