I was about to bring up another cool medical factoid when his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and then met my gaze.
“Angela said there is a pool party at noon and you’re going?” he queried.
That little bitch.
I laughed nervously. “I was going to invite you. And Cody. But then I thought you might be busy and…” Why was I so awkward? Why did he have to give me this stupid flower?
“And I put a flower on your plate and now you think I want to marry you,” he finished, watching me behind dancing, mischievous eyes.
My eyes widened. “What? No. I…”
Deep laughter emanated from his chest and I couldn’t help but feel happy myself. Ethan had a contagious energy about him, even when he was saying crazy things that made me uncomfortable.
“I’ll check with Cody. We’ll see if we can make it.” He tipped the rest of his coffee back in one swallow and stood, throwing his plate in the sink before slipping into his bedroom without another word.
What the hell just happened? Why was I reading into shit with him so much? It’s not like he knew I was going to come out and had planned some big breakfast. He saw me walk over and snapped off a flower. Would I have had the same reaction if Mickey did the same? No. I would have thought it was sweet and thanked him.
Fuck.
Feeling totally frazzled, I made my way back to my room to shower and slip into my $7.99 suit. As I predicted, the girls were snug in their holders but my ass looked like it was eating the poor red cloth. The bottoms were now a mixture between full butt coverage and a thong. Nothing I could do about it now. After pulling on my only pair of shorts and my Havaiana’s, I left Ethan’s on my bike and headed to the market on the corner to get chips and salsa. Bryce had engrained being a good hostess into me and I was taught to never show up to a party empty handed.
I locked up my bike and chatted up Miguel, the shop owner, before buying the chips and salsa. When I stepped out to set the bag of food in my bike’s front basket, I noticed it was already full. With a gift.
A gift I recognized.
I spun around, pulling the pink mace from my keychain, ready to spray Bryce right in the face if he were behind me, but there was no one. Just the brand new Louis Vuitton purse tucked in its brown cloth sack with certificate of purchase. I couldn’t believe I used to fall for these things, used to think this meant he loved me.
Gripping the bag in my shaking fingers, I thought for two seconds about returning it and paying off my credit card. Then I thought about giving it to Angela, but I settled for throwing it on the ground and peddling off in a storm of emotions.
Bryce Connor would not undo all of the progress I had made without him. I wouldn’t allow it.
* * *
“Wait a second.You fucking threw a genuine Louis Vuitton purse on the ground just now?” Angela and I were sitting on the top step of the pool, drinking margaritas she’d made and talking. I decided I needed an ally in this fight with Bryce; someone needed to know he was … stalking me. Because that’s what it was at this point.
I nodded.
She stood. “What street, girl? I’m gonna go see if it’s still there.”
Laughter pealed out of me. “No. He was probably watching. It’s gone now I’m sure.”
Her eyes darkened. “That’s some creepy shit. You should go to the cops.”
I laughed. “Yeah, Officer, my ex-husband is trying to woo me back into his life with expensive gifts. Help me.”
She frowned, taking a long chug of her frozen drink. “Yeah, okay that doesn’t sound so scary. But you should tell Ethan.”
My eyes bugged. “No way. Promise me you won’t say anything! He already thinks I’m such a nutcase.”
She was quiet a minute. “Alright, but you have to promise to tell me if L.A. douchebag does anything else creepy.”
I nodded. “Promise.”
Angela could be my ally. She could keep my secrets and be a good barometer of how psycho Bryce really was. I’d become slightly immune to it.
“So are they coming or what?” she asked, readjusting her boobs for maximum cleavage effect. Angela was gorgeous, and sweet. Cody would be crazy not to be into her.
I threw up my arms. “Don’t know. He said he’d try.”
