The Seat They Never Saved and the Offer I Finally Took novel · Chapter 8 of 24

Chapter 8: Flowers on the Doormat

I pulled on Tobias's T-shirt and my leggings and opened the door myself.

Tobias came up behind me, in sweatpants, and stopped one step back.

He didn't touch me.

He just stayed there, a wall I could lean on if I wanted.

Connor stood in the hallway with a huge bouquet of red roses and the look of a man arriving at his own surprise party.

His hair was perfect.

His eyes were red-rimmed.

He had clearly practiced both in the elevator.

"Len," he said, and his voice broke exactly where he wanted it to. "Thank God. I took the first standby I could get."

"It's eleven o'clock at night, Connor."

"I couldn't sleep without seeing you."

"You live twenty minutes from here. You went to the apartment first?"

"I saw your boxes were gone." His jaw tightened, then smoothed. "I assumed you were upset. That's fair. I'd be upset."

"I'm not upset."

"Babe, I know you. You're upset."

A door opened across the hall.

An older woman in a quilted robe looked out, holding a very large gray cat.

"Everything all right out here?" she said.

"Fine, ma'am, sorry," Connor said, with a charming little wince. "Domestic thing. We'll keep it down."

"Mm," she said, and did not go back inside.

He turned back to me with his hand on his heart.

"Lacey and I have been friends for ten years, Lena. She's sick. She has anxiety, she had a panic attack in that hotel and I held her hand. That's all it was. Ivy twisted it."

I looked at the roses.

I had always wanted him to bring me flowers.

Tonight I could see the price sticker still on the cellophane.

"Connor," I said. "I have a question."

"Anything."

"Did you ever pick up my grandmother's ring?"

I watched his face.

It was a very small thing: his eyes moved to the left before they came back.

"It's still at the jeweler, babe," he said smoothly. "They said two more weeks. I'm so sorry. I'll chase them down tomorrow morning."

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