For a moment she stared down at the bundle of blossoms as if it were a snake poised to strike. Then, with a shake of her head, she slowly bent down to pick it up. There were at least a dozen flowers, and she worked her fingers to the center of the bunch to retrieve a small card. It was unsigned, but she didn’t need to see Coop’s name to know who had sent these. The bold black handwriting that took up every centimeter of space was a signature all its own. I Miss You, it declared with Cooper’s typical let’s-just-forgo-the-bullshit straightforwardness. And not just for the reason you might suspect. Veronica hugged the offering to her breast. Oh, man. She was in big, big trouble. It had been hard enough to force herself to step back from his proffered kisses yesterday. How was she supposed to hold firm in the face of this? Especially when she, too, missed the pleasure of his company—and, like him, not simply for the reasons one might suspect. Savoring the vision of Cooper buying her flowers, then stealing down the hallway to prop them against her door, Veronica set off for his room, the tulips still cradled in her arms.
