15-05-2021-052358It-Ends-with-Us

“Are you bringing this girl to my birthday party Friday?” Allysa asks
him.
I watch his reaction closely. He just shakes his head and without
looking up he says, “No. Are you going, Lily?”
I can’t tell by his voice alone if he’s hoping I’ll be there or hoping I
won’t. Considering the stress I seem to cause him, I’m guessing it’s
the latter.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“She’ll be there,” Allysa says, answering for me. She looks at me
and narrows her eyes. “You’re coming to my party whether you like it
or not. If you don’t show up, I’ll quit.”
When Ryle is finished writing, he tucks the card into the envelope
attached to the flowers. Allysa rings up his total and he pays in cash.
He looks at me while he’s counting out his money. “Lily, do you know
that it’s custom for a new business to frame the first dollar they
make?”
I nod. Of course I know that. He knows I know that. He’s just
rubbing it in my face that his dollar will be the one framed on my wall
for the life of this store. I almost encourage Allysa to give him a
refund, but this is business. I have to leave my wounded pride out of
it.
Once he has his receipt in hand, he taps his fist on the counter to
get my attention. He dips his head a little and, with a genuine smile,
he says, “Congratulations, Lily.”
He turns and walks out of the store. As soon as the door closes
behind him, Allysa is grabbing for the envelope. “Who in the hell is
he sending flowers to?” she says as she pulls the card out. “Ryle
doesn’t send flowers.”
She reads the front of the card out loud. “Make it stop.”
Holy shit.
She stares at it for a moment, repeating the phrase. “Make it stop?
What in the hell does that even mean?” she asks.
I can’t take it another second. I grab the card from her and flip it
over. She leans over and reads the back of it with me.
“He is such an idiot,” she says with a laugh. “He wrote the address
to our floral shop on the back.” She takes the card out of my hands.
Wow.