Savvy groaned. “Why did you have to remind me. We have a lot to catch up on.”
“Dealing with people brings new drama. I think this is my slogan for the year,” Olivia declared.
“Thinking like you are is exactly why we need to go to Austin. Stop hiding and get back out into your social life. You’re no longer a prisoner. Quit acting like one and enjoy your freedom.”
“I know.” Olivia used the remote control to scroll through channels.
“If we go to Austin, you won’t have to worry about people from San Antonio who know you. Plus, there will be a lot of cute guys there for us to meet. We’ll go to a few day parties and be back here before it gets dark.”
“Is this another Melanindoubledate.com set up? If it is, count me out. I can’t deal with any more nonsense. I would think after your Pharrell experience, you wouldn’t want to go the same route again,” Olivia laughed.
“Pharrell? Don’t even mention his name. Trust me. I haven’t been on the website again. Meeting anyone in Austin would be organic,” Savvy chuckled.
“Let me think about it. Maybe I’ll go since you attended the Wynton Marsalis concert with me a few weeks ago. I know you weren’t crazy about going.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to go. I’ve seen him five times in the last two years. It sounds like we’re taking a road trip to Austin. Woohoo,” Savvy sang.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whateva.” Olivia’s doorbell rang. “Hey, gotta go. Durbin is here. Bye.” Olivia plastered on a fake smile before opening the door.
“Um. Hi, Olivia.” Durbin greeted her. He wore a wrinkled plaid shirt tucked into light blue jeans. A musky, outdoorsy smell filled Olivia’s nostrils, which made her think he’d been mowing grass. His glasses slid down his nose, which he raised with his finger.
“Hi, Durbin. Come in.” Olivia opened the door wider for him to enter. “Thanks for coming right away.”
Durbin stood in the entryway and stared at the kitchen table. “Nice flowers.”
“Yeah. They’re pretty. Someone sent them to me and forgot to put their name on the envelope.” Olivia eyed him
with suspicion to search his face for clues. She picked up the card to show him the poem. “Isn’t this strange?”
Durbin glanced unimpressed at the card. “Yeah. I guess they wanted you to be surprised.” He shifted from one foot to the other with his hands tucked in his pockets.
“I guess. This must be the day for surprises. Check this out. Someone also left me a new racquet on the porch. It’s an expensive one. I have no idea who this is from either.” Olivia glanced at Durbin to catch his reaction. “What good is a surprise if the person doesn’t reveal themselves at some point?”
“What’s going on with your cameras?” Durbin changed the subject as if he were uncomfortable.
“As I said on the phone, the footage is grainy. I wanted to find out who left the flowers and couldn’t tell by looking at it. Maybe we’ll see who left the racquet for me when you check it out.”
“Yeah. I may need to make a few tweaks to it. Do you mind if I get on your computer?”
“Sure. No problem.” Olivia led the way to the bedroom and scooted back the chair to give him access. “I’ll move out of the way and let you do your thing.”
Durbin took a seat and Olivia observed across his shoulder. The way he made the necessary adjustments in the computer application showed his expertise. “I see what you mean about the grainy picture. I don’t know why the settings changed.”
“When you installed everything, there wasn’t a problem,” Olivia said. “By the way, will you do me a favor and check the footage from earlier today? I want to know who left the package on my porch.”
“Um. Sure,” Durbin agreed. He located the video with the most recent time-stamp.
Olivia squinted at the images, which appeared clearer than they were before. She held her breath anticipating seeing Durbin in the footage. “Hey. It’s the same kid who delivered the flowers. Darn. His stupid hoodie is keeping me from seeing his face.”
“You spotted him before?” Durbin questioned. He zoomed in for a closer look.
“Yes. It’s how I realized the graininess in the recording. This time, I don’t see him going to speak to anyone in a car on the street. This is bizarre.”
“Perhaps your boyfriend or as you call him, your ‘soon-to-be-ex-husband’, sent the flowers and racquet to you,” Durbin suggested. A twist of his lips hinted at a smirk.
Annoyed with his snarky comment, Olivia snapped back, “Durbin. I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“I meant perhaps someone, like a boyfriend, sends nice gifts like what you received.” Durbin shifted in the chair. He kept his eyes focused on the computer screen.
“Unh-huh. I see,” Olivia mumbled.
“Sorry,” Durbin muttered beneath his breath.
“Hey. Be real. Did you send them to me?” Olivia stuck her finger in front of his face to catch him off guard.
“Me?” He jumped from the chair and turned to face her. “You think I sent the flowers and racquet?”
“Yes. It had to be you, Durbin.” Olivia continued waggling her finger in his direction.
“Why would you think that? You rejected me for a date. I don’t send gifts to people who turn me down.”
Olivia examined Durbin’s dumbfounded expression. Doubt filled her mind. “Well, if it wasn’t you, who did it?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry I have no idea.” Durbin shrugged.
“Hmm. This is strange. I figured it had to be you. My bad.” Olivia scratched her head in confusion and paced the room. “So, umm, is the camera problem fixed?”
“Yeah. For the most part, you’re all set.” Although he towered above Olivia, he appeared lesser with his lack of confidence. “Um. May I ask you a question?”
Olivia huffed and put her hand on her hip. “Of course,
