Olivia headed from the kitchen to the front door. She peeked out the sunlit window and didn’t see anyone on the porch.
She opened the door and squinted to adjust her eyes. No one stood on the porch or the sidewalk. She glanced around before looking downward where a decorative vase filled with a beautiful display of orange roses, red miniature carnations, daisies, and chrysanthemums sat on her doormat.
“Flowers?” Olivia questioned. “From who?”
Puzzled, she jogged down the steps toward the curb. She surveyed both ends of the street to spot anyone walking or driving away. Nothing except the rustle of live oak tree leaves stirred in the morning air. The street remained quiet following the bustle of neighbors headed to work and kids who caught the school bus.
She took her time walking back to the porch, searching for anyone hanging around. After picking up the vase, she headed inside and closed the door.
Olivia examined the flowers and found a tiny, white envelope attached to a clear, plastic pitchfork holder. The aroma from the bouquet filled her nostrils as she took the time to smell each one. She set the vase on the kitchen table and removed a card, which had her name written on the front.
“Roses are red, violets are blue, these flowers are from…you’ll never guess who.” Olivia flipped the card to check for additional writing on the back. Nothing. She wondered who would send flowers without identifying themselves. The bouquet didn’t have the name of the floral shop either.
Olivia smacked her forehead with her palm, remembering she could check the new cameras to determine if Malcolm left the flowers.
Olivia strolled to her desktop in the bedroom and woke the computer from sleep mode by moving the wireless mouse. The easy to use security camera app tracked the footage to show when someone approached the porch.
The video showed a kid wearing a sweatshirt with a hood covering his face, which made it difficult to identify him. He placed the vase on the doormat, rang the doorbell twice, and ran to the street.
A black car was parked in front of her house. The kid reached in and received something from the driver before running off. The car drove away from the curb and out of
Olivia’s view. She squinted to view the person behind the wheel. The make and model of the vehicle couldn’t be made out due to grainy and dark footage.
Olivia backed up the recording to replay it multiple times. The view still didn’t appear clear enough to identify who delivered the flowers. She groaned in frustration about the bad footage considering how much she paid Durbin for a new system. She figured she would give him a call and a piece of her mind.
The cellphone pinged and a calendar reminder popped up about an appointment with Dr. Fluellen. Determined to not be late, she grabbed her purse and keys and darted from the house.
TWENTY-FIVE
Savvy
A line of people in vehicles waited to exit the parking ramp of Savvy’s office building. She waved at her boss and co-workers as they all got into their cars. “I’m heading to the restaurant now. I’ll see you all there in a few.” The long day of meetings had gone without a hitch. Her stomach growled in anticipation of the delicious dinner they were about to have on the east side of San Antonio.
As she merged onto Interstate 35, her phone rang through the car speakers. Kolby’s name displayed on the radio dashboard. She groaned before answering. “Hello.”
“Ahh. The lady answers,” Kolby purred through the speaker. “I was worried that something happened to you. How are you doing, Sweetie?”
Savvy cringed at his pet name for her. “I’m fine. I’ve been busy.”
“I’m glad you’re okay. I called some hospitals there to find out if you were admitted or something.”
“What? Are you serious?” Savvy crinkled her nose in annoyance.
“Hey. Don’t sound offended. I’m a gentleman and this is what I do,” Kolby explained.
“Okay. I think.” Savvy wasn’t impressed.
“Since I have you on the phone, I better get on your calendar right now,” Kolby chuckled. “I’m about an hour away from San Antonio. I’d like to make up for not having any cash on me when we had breakfast. What are you doing later tonight?”
Kolby caught Savvy off guard. “Tonight? In an hour? I have plans.”
“Oh. You have plans, huh?” Kolby snorted. “Hangin’ in the streets with your college friends again?”
“You make it sound bad.” Savvy shook her head to dismiss his question.
“No, sweetie. I’m only asking you a question.” Kolby softened his tone. “Why are you so busy tonight? I’m wondering what I must do to get a piece of your time. You never have time to talk on the phone or see me. I assumed we hit it off when we met.”
Savvy hesitated to respond. Giving Kolby her number proved to be a big mistake. He grated on her nerves with his insecurities about her. Against her better instincts, she continued the conversation. “I have dinner plans with my boss and coworkers.”
“Your boss is taking you out?” Kolby’s voice had an edge to it. “Ha. I see he has a thing for you.”
Taken aback, Savvy snapped. “No. It’s not even like that. This is a professional outing with him and the people I work with. Why are you trying to make this into something it isn’t?”
“Well, it sounds to me like he’s coming on to you. What kind of boss goes out to dinner with his employee if he ain’t tryin’ to hit up on you? Huh?” Kolby said. “See, you young girls don’t know nothin’ about how men think.”
“You young girls?”
“Yeah. My ex-wife tried to make me believe there wasn’t anything goin’ on with the man she worked for. Unh-huh. I followed her one day and they walked into
