Page 26 of Sweet Madness
I know why she chose them. I also know who supplies her with the lovely flowers. I do.
Billy doesn’t look away from what she’s doing but answers me anyway. “Pink tulips are known for meaning affection, caring, good wishes, and love.” I cough at that, but before I can get a word in, she interrupts. “And you, my friend, need all the luck you can get.”
“What makes you think that?” I ask curiously, feeling too damn exposed.
“You haven’t set foot inside this store since, well… never. But here you are, and a man only buys flowers for a woman when he’s in love or when he’s messed up. Trust me, I know.” Her eyes turn sad, and her whole happy demeanor shifts.
I know that expression. That’s the face of a girl who has been hurt.
“Someone hurt you, Billy?”
The question makes her smile, but it’s a smile that resembles the ones Ella Kenton has given me since she arrived—sad smiles. Fake smiles.
“Haven’t we all been hurt once or twice?” she says softly, just before handing me the perfectly crafted bouquet. “Here you go, Shaw.”
I want to ask her more, unsettled by how quickly her mood has shifted, but I hold back. Who am I to question anything when she’s right? We’ve all been hurt and will most likely be hurt again more than once in life. It’s inevitable. Trust me, I would know.
Instead, I ask, “How much do I owe you?”
She waves me off. “It’s on the house, Golden Boy. It’s always nice to see a man willing to grovel.” She chuckles, and the ladies behind me seem to swoon along with her. “So dreamy…” she adds.
I shake my head at her dramatics. Reaching inside my back pocket, I take a couple of bills and drop them in her tip jar before heading for the exit.
“Hey, that’s too much!” she calls out after me.
“See you around, Billy.”
Then I leave the store, ready to climb inside my truck when I see a tiny shop that looks like the color pink vomited all over it. There’s a huge pink macaroon on top of it next to a sign that reads, Sunny’s Sweets.
I smile at that. Not a very clever name, yet it’s catchy—just like the owner.
Another thought pops into my head, and I sigh heavily, feeling exasperated. Turn around, Shaw. Get in the damn car and drive back to the ranch.
Do I do that?
No. What I do is drop the flowers on the back seat of my truck and head in the direction of the pastry shop. I’m going mad. There’s no doubt about that.
Space Note
“Did you know that Saturn has the second largest moon in the solar system? It’s called Titan. You’re my Titan.” - E
Chapter
Seven
DADDY, I’M OKAY
Ella
“Sometimes in life, you have to close the door on something that hurts so another door can open. The door that leads to happily ever after.” — E
“You know, sometimes people say stupid things when they’re scared, right?” My cousin Willow uses sign language to communicate, looking so sad that it makes my heart ache. We’ve been video chatting for less than ten minutes, and she’s already managed to get me to spill everything to her.
Everything that was said by Shaw and how it made me feel.
My younger cousin’s mass of wild, light brown curls—-the same shade as her fathers’— frames her face, making her look ethereal and angelic. But what makes Willow even more beautiful in my eyes is the warm light that shines from within her. There’s no one like her in this world. At least not in mine. That’s why, when I have a bad day and don’t want to worry my parents, she’s the first person I call. Her sweet aura makes me feel like maybe not all is so bad.
Like now.