Chapter 120
Standing on the steps, Curtis’ gaze lingered on her with a distant intensity.
After a few seconds, Leanne spoke up, “If you’ve got nothing to say, I’m outta here.
Tve gotta head out of the country for a few days, Curtis said, “When you get some free time, have Caleb assist you with transferring the title.”
“Got it.”
As Leanne walked toward the curb, Curtis called out to her again.
“What now?” Leanne asked, barely hiding her irritation.
In his unhurried way, he said, “Don’t forget to pick up the divorce papers when it’s time. Don’t go playing hooky on me.”
“Don’t worry,” she shot back, “You can bet your bottom dollar on that.”
The Uber arrived right on cue. Leanne pulled open the door and was about to get
Leanne.” he called out again.
in
She turned her head, her patience wearing thin, “Can’t you just spit it all out at on…”
Curtis closed the distance between them silently and unexpectedly. She was completely unprepared, her head just turning back to face him when his palm cupped her cheek.
The tail end of her words was cut off by his kiss, sudden and silencing.
Leanne’s eyes went wide.
She could see his raven-black lashes and tightly shut eyes from this intimate distance.
The cool warmth of his lips, the heat of his breath.
The kiss began without warning and ended just as abruptly, a fleeting bloom that lingered for a mere moment on her lips, too swift to catch.
Maybe a second, at most.
Before she could even think to push him away, Curtis had already let her go.
Without a word, without an explanation, without giving her the chance to lash out, he turned and strode away.
Leanne stood there, stunned, watching his retreating figure grow smaller and smaller.
It was like being nipped by a dog that bolted out of nowhere, leaving her confused and oddly empty.
By the time she got to her office, there was a massive bouquet of roses on her desk, their
Chapter 120
deep red petals exuding an intoxicating fragrance.
Her colleagues cooed and teased, “Dr. Castillo, who’s got the hots for you?”
“Just divorced and you’ve already got admirers? Dr. Castillo, you’re certainly in hot demand.”
“By the way, how’d the paperwork go this morning? The new policy is such a pain for us ladies, with that mandatory cooling-off period. Did you hear about that case where some guy changed his mind during it and stabbed his ex? She ended up in critical condition…”
Before the details got too morbid, another colleague cut in, “Hey, could you not jinx things?”
“It’s all good,” Leanne said with a smile, “Went pretty smoothly.”
She picked up the bouquet, looking for a card.
Truth be told, suitors weren’t exactly lining up at her door.
She wasn’t into socializing much, and the guys who did come around never seemed to think she was anything special.
It wasn’t until senior year of high school that a classmate, who often competed with her in English contests, confessed his feelings.
They were kept back by the teacher one day to talk about the competition. It got late, and he walked her home.
Approaching the Richardson family’s alley, he suddenly grabbed her hand.
Leanne was startled to replace his palm sweaty with nerves.
He babbled on, but she hardly heard a word, maybe because it was getting dark and his touch was uninvited. She felt uneasy.
Then she spotted Curtis in the distance, wrapped in Suzan’s arms under a streetlamp.
Fearing Curtis would tattle about her supposed early romance and earn her another. scolding, she pulled away and hurried off.
After that, maybe out of embarrassment from being rejected, the classmate never spoke to her again.
Jeremy was the only new guy she’d been in contact with lately, so by process of elimination, Leanne assumed the flowers were from him. It was a bit awkward, and she wasn’t interested in heading down that road.
After some thought, she texted Jeremy over lunch.
“I got the flowers, thanks. But maybe don’t send any more.”
Jeremy’s response came quickly. “I didn’t send flowers.”
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Chapte: 120
Taken aback, Leanne quickly apologized, but before she could finish typing, Jerern what seemed like an internal struggle, sent another message, “But I can.”
Cringing inside, Leanne replied, “Didn’t mean it that way. I messed up, must have mixed it up with someone else. My bad, just ignore me.
Jeremy, probably as bewildered as she was, simply sent back a “Sure”.
Leanne could’ve kicked herself. She lifted the bouquet from where she’d stashed it under her desk, searching for a hidden card.
“How odd!” she muttered, replaceing nothing. Who would send flowers and not leave a name? It wasn’t like she could post a query on Twitter, asking who sent them. That’d be
embarrassing.
Just then, Donna walked in, “Hey, who sent you those gorgeous flowers? Why doesn’t anyone send me any?”
Leanne was still figuring out what to do with the flowerless vase, contemplating the waste. of tossing them out.
“Do you want them?” she offered.
“Really? You’d give them to me?” Donna was overjoyed, taking the bouquet and deeply inhaling its scent, “I just love flowers.”
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