Chapter 24

There was a flower shop nearby that he’d never been to before. In fact, he’d never been to any flower shop before; he wasn’t much of a flower-giving guy. He’d often stuck with buying girls chocolates or cards. Flowers, he’d thought, would die too fast. Before they did, they’d only be in a vase somewhere, ignored. They were too expensive for their worth. He much preferred the alternatives.

But now he found himself frantic, desperate to buy flowers—only flowers. Evangeline’s bouquet and the pansies he’d seen everywhere were hints; this was the only way to get her back now. There was no way any doorman would turn away a love-struck man looking to adorn a beautiful girl with a bouquet, right? Flowers would help him convince them to tell him which apartment she was in. He could only hope that it was actually her apartment, and not someplace she’d visited.

But she wouldn’t lead me on like that, knowing I was following her . . . Would she?

There was no one