Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #4)(32)

“Who else did you tell?”

“No one…”

“Swear it.”

“No,” she cried, clenching her fists. “How dare you come at me like this! I’m not the one—”

Again he cut her off. “That’s the real reason you resigned, isn’t it?”

She refused to answer him.

“You led me to believe it was about us and what happened at Christmas. That had nothing to do with it. That night was just a convenient excuse, wasn’t it?”

For an instant Colette saw a flash of pain in his eyes. It was immediately replaced with resentment.

Colette had questions of her own. “Why would you risk everything like this?” she asked quietly.

This time he was the one who refused to answer.

“I’ve thought this through a hundred times, and it makes no sense.” She gestured hopelessly, lifting both hands. “You have a profitable business in a growing market. You’re respected. I can’t understand what would compel you to take such a huge risk.”

“I can’t discuss this with you.”

“If not with me, then who?” she muttered.

“You think I should trust you?” he said. “Because of you I spent an unpleasant morning with a roomful of attorneys.”

“All I want to know is why,” she pleaded, needing some excuse, some explanation. “Is it the money?”

“I said,” he returned pointedly, “that I can’t discuss this with you.”

“Are you working for the INS?” That was the only possible reason that might explain his behavior. Or the only possible legal reason, anyway.

He didn’t respond, just looked at her, his gaze impassive.

Colette had so desperately wanted to believe this was the answer that she felt like crying. Instead the anger broke through. “Unless you’re here to place an order, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave.” Rather than let him see how upset she was, she stood with her back straight, her shoulders square and her feet firmly planted. Her arms hung loosely at her sides.

After an interminable moment, Christian released a deep sigh.

She thought he’d leave then, but he continued to stand there, studying her. He no longer seemed so angry, and the change in his demeanor confused her. Curious and at the same time afraid, she reached for her pad and pen as if preparing to take his order.

“I asked myself over and over why you left the way you did,” he said at last. “Both of us made mistakes. Both of us reacted stupidly.”

“Now you know,” she said, doing her best not to be swayed by emotion. Colette had her answer. He’d gotten himself into a mess there was no getting out of. She couldn’t be involved with him. “I think you should go. And please don’t come here again.”

“Not even to order flowers?” he challenged.

With business so slow, Colette didn’t dare turn him down. “Perhaps you should deal with Susannah.”

“I prefer to deal with you.”

“Fine.” She poised the pen above the pad.

“I’ll take five dozen roses.”

Five dozen? Colette wasn’t sure she could even fill such a large order. “Where would you like these sent?” she asked as if it was perfectly normal to have a man walk in off the street and ask for five dozen roses.

“Make that ten dozen.”

She found it difficult to hide her reaction.

“I’m ordering flowers. You just told me I had to, otherwise you’d have me evicted from the shop. I imagine you’d call on your detective friend to help you do that.”

Colette remembered telling Christian about Steve Grisham but she didn’t recall mentioning his name or his rank. Now she regretted any reference to Steve. In fact, she hadn’t heard from him since their chance encounter on the waterfront. It was just as well; any relationship was sure to be complicated.

She bit her lip. “I didn’t threaten to kick you out,” she muttered wretchedly. “I just…suggested you leave.”

He merely raised his eyebrows in an annoyingly superior way.

“Would you like roses of any particular color?” she asked, as though nothing else had been said.

“Red,” he responded. “Blood-red. The best, most expensive roses available.”

“I’ll personally see that they’re the best available.” He was doing this purposely to hurt her. She’d hurt him and he was striking back, telling her there was someone else in his life. She’d been a one-night stand, and he was making sure she knew it.

He pulled a pen and pad from his briefcase and wrote something down. “Have the roses delivered to this address first thing tomorrow.”

He handed her the slip of paper. Ms. Elizabeth Sasser, she read. The address was on Capitol Hill.

Although Colette had worked for Christian for five years, she couldn’t remember his ever dating a woman named Elizabeth. But she’d been gone for more than two months now.

“Would you like to sign a card?” she asked, keeping her voice devoid of emotion.

“Of course.”

Colette’s hand shook as she waited for him to write out the small card. He inserted it in the envelope, which he sealed, then scrawled Elizabeth across the front. Colette noticed that he’d chosen one of the more romantic cards.