Chapter 14
Madeline
AI isn’t as useful as everyone keeps saying. When I asked it to figure out my problems, it was very little help. It couldn’t even come up with a viable scheme to keep Ms. Nash and my father from going to the homecoming game.
That night while Dad and I did the dinner dishes, he asked how Cooper and I were getting along.
The flowers I’d ordered would be delivered any time now, so I said, “They’re looking up. We talked through things.”
“I guess that’s good news,” Dad said, but he didn’t sound enthusiastic. “Nicole is coming over in a bit, and Cooper will be with her. I was going to tell her not to bring him if it would make things awkward between you two.”
“It won’t be awkward at all.” It was totally going to be awkward if the flowers came while Cooper was here. If they did, I would have to give him a hug, and he would have to pretend to enjoy it. “Why are they coming over?”
Dad dropped some silverware into the dishwasher, and for the first time I noticed that he still wore his dress shirt and pants. “Nicole and I were discussing our favorite books, and I hadn’t even heard of any of hers. She’s bringing me a few, and I’m giving her some of mine.”
In other words, they wanted an excuse to see each other. Bookstores and libraries existed for a reason.
The doorbell rang. My father glanced at his watch. “Looks like they’re a few minutes early.” His gaze circled the kitchen and landed on the remaining dishes. “Can you take care of those while I let them in?” He left, and I finished putting things into the dishwasher.
He returned a few minutes later, carrying a bouquet of light pink peonies and white roses. They were even prettier than they’d been on the website, with delicate pale petals and greenery dripping over the white porcelain vase.
My father looked more than a little puzzled as he handed them to me. “These came for you.”
I smiled and turned the vase in my hands, admiring the flowers and taking in their fragrance. Peonies were so soft and elegantly casual, like little floral clouds. I was glad I’d ordered the large bouquet instead of one of the smaller ones.
“Who are they from?” he asked.
“I can only think of one person who’d send them.” Technically, this wasn’t even a lie.
I put the vase on the counter, plucked the card off, and silently read the words I’d written.
You are the only one I have eyes for. We’ve spent too much time arguing already. I can think of better things for our lips to do.
Cooper
The message was suggestive enough to worry any parent.
I sighed happily and laid the card on the table so my father could give in to his curiosity later and read it. “They’re so beautiful. Cooper really shouldn’t have, but I’m glad he did.”
“Cooper sent them?” my father asked.
“Don’t sound so surprised. Some guys know how to be romantic. He even remembered that my favorite flowers are peonies.”
That’s when the doorbell rang for the second time. “That must be Cooper now,” I said. “Let me get it. I want to thank him.” I wanted to warn him.
I swept out of the room, noting that my father did indeed stop to glance at the card on the counter. Good. I went to the front entry and flung open the door, all smiles.
Ms. Nash waited on the doorstep with Cooper standing a little ways behind her, looking at me with firm resolve.
“Guess what just came?” I exclaimed and opened the door wider for them. “Thanks so much for the . . .” My voice trailed off when I saw what he held.
For a reason I couldn’t fathom, he carried a dozen red roses.
He stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Here.” With a forced smile, he shoved them into my hands. “These are for you.”
I gaped at them in stunned silence, and a desperate giggle escaped my lips. “Even more flowers? I just got the bouquet you sent.”
He looked at me in confusion, which fortunately his mother didn’t see because she was also looking at me in confusion. “The peonies,” I gestured vaguely in the direction of the kitchen. “You didn’t have to get me a bouquet of roses too.”
“Apparently not,” Cooper agreed. His eyes were wide and his voice sounded tight.
This explained my father’s earlier confusion when the delivery-man showed up. Ms. Nash must’ve told him Cooper was coming here with flowers.
Cooper’s gaze went from my face to the roses. “Um, I sent the peonies because I wanted to make really sure we’re okay.” He swallowed and plastered on a smile. “You better say yes, or there’ll be even more flowers showing up tomorrow.”
“Yes, we’re okay.” We were not okay. We’d just done major damage to our credibility.
It was then that I remembered I ought to hug him.
“Thanks so much.” I launched myself at him.
For a guy who’d just given a girl two bouquets, one of which was quite expensive—Cooper was right about that; I hadn’t realized how much sending flowers cost—he didn’t hug me with much enthusiasm.
He just sort of self-consciously patted my back and stood there stiffly, like this was one more thing he had to endure in life.
I finally released him. “I should put these roses in water. Do you want to come with me?”
Yes,” he said. “I do. Let’s do that. Let’s.”
I took his hand and pulled him toward the kitchen before he could utter more nonsense, all the while feeling our parents’ stares on our backs.
Once we got to the kitchen, I grabbed a pitcher and filled it with water.
I could hear our parents talking in the dining room, discussing the books they’d brought for each other, but I kept my voice to a hushed tone anyway.
“First of all, that was completely stilted dialogue. Second, I’ve had more enthusiastic hugs from my grandmother.
Are you even trying? I’m ready to call it quits and accept our parents’ relationship as inevitable.
I might as well just help your mother pick out matching sweaters for our family Christmas card photo. ”
He glanced over his shoulder, checking to make sure our parents hadn’t moved. “Me? Why would you send yourself flowers when you knew I was buying you some?”
“You said you couldn’t find peonies, so I told you I would send some to myself.”
“No, you told me not to worry about the flowers. I thought that meant not to worry about what type of flowers to bring you.”
That had been my wording, hadn’t it? “I guess I can see how this miscommunication happened.”
He pushed his unruly hair from his forehead.
“I made a big deal out of asking my mom to let me come over and give you a bouquet, even though I’m grounded.
And now I’m supposed to pretend that despite just insisting that sending you flowers was out of my budget, I did it anyway and then also felt compelled to personally show up with roses too? ”
He had a point. I’d give him that. “Um, you’re super romantic and also occasionally lie to your mother about your motives for seeing me?”
He noticed the card that came with the peonies, picked it up, and read it. His voice went to a low grumble. “You thought this is what I would say on a card?”
“No. I was making you seem more romantic than you really are. You’re welcome.”
He slapped the card back onto the counter. “I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” I craned my neck to peer out the kitchen door. Our parents still hadn’t moved.
“No. That’s what I would’ve put on a card. I’m sorry. That’s all. Can you see me dictating I only have eyes for you to a flower store clerk? Who does that?”
I folded my arms. “I did. And she thought it was touching. Although I’m sure she silently judged me when she saw that the name on my debit card was the same name on the flowers.”
He looked upward in frustration. “There are better things for our lips to do? That’s the cheesiest . . .” He didn’t finish because our parents were walking toward the kitchen. I grabbed Cooper’s hand, letting him know it was time to play the affectionate boyfriend role again.
My dad strolled into the kitchen, followed by Ms. Nash. Her eyes went from the bouquet of peonies to the bouquet of roses and then to Cooper, lingering briefly on our intertwined hands. I prayed he didn’t have a guilty look on his face.
“So,” she said, turning the word into a question, “you sent Madeline a bouquet of peonies as well as buying her roses?”
The boy wasn’t going to be able to come up with a believable explanation. “Isn’t he the sweetest?” I blurted before he had time to respond. “I told him I’d only ever gotten flowers after performing in plays, and I wanted my first time receiving non-play flowers to be memorable. This certainly is.”
“Yes,” Cooper agreed. “It certainly is.”
“All is forgiven.” I squeezed his hand.
I don’t know what came over me at that moment.
Perhaps it was an extreme dislike of Dahlia and her shiny black hair, perfect complexion, and chiseled cheekbones.
I turned to Ms. Nash. “Did Cooper tell you that Dahlia threw herself at him at school? Like, she knows we’re dating, but she practically told people she could take Cooper away from me.
” I didn’t check Cooper’s expression to see how he was taking this revelation.
“Fortunately, he’s realized what Dahlia is like.
Some girls won’t take no for an answer.”
I gave Cooper’s mother a conspiratorial look. “If I’m ever not around and you see her flirting with Cooper, make an excuse to get him away from her. Then you have my permission to tell her she’s low class and should leave your son alone.”
Cooper made a coughing sound that he tried to pass off as a laugh. “I’m sure there’s no need for that.”
I nudged my shoulder into his in an affectionate manner. “Well, you never know. She was hitting on you at the ice cream shop right in front of me.”
My father nodded sagely. “She sounds like an unpleasant young woman.”
Ms. Nash joined in the nodding. “There are always a few like that in every school.”
Cooper’s mouth thinned in a pained sort of smile, and he gripped my hand too tightly. He didn’t say anything.
I leaned my head against his shoulder.