Breathless

Chapter 22: Dear Gorgeous Heart - April 2 - 3

They spent a lovely evening sitting in their swing while they enjoyed the night air and each other. Eventually, Blaze did rescue the desserts from his truck; he made sure that Ruby ate her fill of strawberry shortcake and chocolate mousse torte. An hour after he headed home, she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. Completely forgetting about her secret admirer and his roses.

But the next morning as she breezed out her doorway on her way to meet Mary for breakfast, Ruby was suddenly arrested by the sight awaiting her on her porch. A dozen roses had been scattered across her porch directly in front of her door. But they had been strategically placed to spell a word.

LOVE.

The L had been lovingly crafted from two long-stemmed red roses. So had the V. The O resembled a square formed by four of the flowers. The E had also been created using four of the bright crimson blooms.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She snapped a couple of pictures as she stared in wonder down at her gift. Apparently, her secret admirer hadn't deserted her. Though, as she looked about for a poem, she couldn't find one.

Finally, she bent to rescue the roses. She carried them inside and added them to the biggest vase she owned. It was a tight fit, but she managed to cram them in with the other dozen blooms already residing in that vase.

Then she headed for her breakfast with Mary.

—

"How was your date with hot Blaze?" Mary chuckled. "That's never going to get old."

Ruby thought it already was. "When you get a boyfriend, you'll stop calling Blaze hot, right?" she asked dryly.

"What? You don't like it?"

Ruby shrugged.

Mary sobered. "Hey, I'm not going to steal your guy," she admitted softly. "You know that, right?"

But as she gazed into her friend's eyes, she read her insecurity. "Ruby! A guy who's held on to his high school crush for eleven years in spite of the fact that she married someone else is not going to drop her for her best friend. Whom, I might add, he never even noticed."

"Mary! I'm sure that's not true! You're beautiful! Much prettier than I am. You've got all that gorgeous midnight hair."

Why did she suddenly remember Blaze calling her own copper locks glorious?

"And those stunning emerald eyes!" she finished.

"Hrmph," Mary snorted. "No one seems to be noticing my gorgeous midnight hair or my stunning emerald eyes," she retorted sarcastically.

"That's just because you haven't met the right guy yet. But you will. One of these days. You'll see. Probably when you least expect it. You'll turn a corner and bump right into him."

"Yeah, right!" laughed Mary. "I think you've been reading too many romance novels."

"Guilty as charged," smiled Ruby. "You know I can't get enough of them."

"Still? Even now? Wouldn't you rather be kissing Blaze?"

Ruby turned scarlet. That was the problem with a pale complexion. All her emotions bled out into her skin. Letting the entire world read her heart like an open book.

"Ah. I see. You're already kissing Blaze. How was it?"

The blush deepened. "Let's just say that he wasn't named Blaze for nothing."

"Ha! I knew it!" Mary heaved a deep sigh. "Man, I want some guy to set me on fire too."

Ruby grimaced at her.