"Are you ready for me?" I set the flowers down with a thump and leaned across the desk to get a better look at the documents Bella studied.
She looked up from the contracts, her cheeks flooded with color. Her eyes darted to the vase and back to me, wide and almost fearful.
"What? Oh, um. Yes. Just making sure it's all here. If we miss one thing—"
"Fifty-four thousand dollars down the drain."
"Each. Fifty-four thousand each." Her blush faded as the businesswoman inside took over. "Although I still think we should have split it sixty-forty. I brought the client in."
"You couldn't have sold it without my charm."
I was an ass for pointing it out, but I spoke the truth. No one knew contracts and deals like Bella, but she was far too soft spoken to go after buyers for a four million dollar house.
"I'll see you at the closing, Edward."
Her face turned pink again as she waved me out of her office. I didn't miss the way her expression crumbled when I picked up the flowers and walked out with them. Shit. She'd probably thought they were for her.
I found Alice at the front desk where she was organizing the files for me to take to the title company.
"When are you going to ask her out?" Alice handed me the paperwork, but her mind was obviously elsewhere.
"Who?"
If she could ignore my biggest deal of the year, I could ignore her matchmaking attempts.
"You know she likes you."
"Everyone knows she likes him." Lauren closed the game she was playing on the computer and turned around with a smirk. "It's kind of pathetic."
"What's pathetic is how you manage to pull a paycheck while playing Bejeweled all day long."
We all jumped when Bella spoke, embarrassed at being caught talking about her. She looked cool and collected as she snatched the statements from my hand. After overhearing Lauren's snarky comment, she should have blushed.
"Everything look okay?"
"Beautiful." I tread carefully, unwilling to hurt her more.
"Fine. I'll see you there."
"I'll walk you to your car." To Alice, I said, "Take messages instead of forwarding my calls. I'm taking my mom to lunch."
All three women gasped as I picked up the flowers once more. Bella even put her hand over her heart and smiled. I'd managed to get back in her good graces with flowers.
For my mom.