Page 162 of Her Wicked Plan

“Oh,” he hesitantly responds before he remembers the conversation. “I didn’t even kiss her back.”

I shake my head. “I’m not worried about that.” I was before I heard him practically yell at her. “She isn’t a good person. Anyway, I wanted to inform you that I may have threatened her, in case she tries to tell you anything different.”

“Veronica.” He sighs. “What did you threaten her with?”

I rise on my tiptoes, rocking back and forth with my hands clasped behind my back. “I may have told her if she were to approach you again after you told her to leave you alone, that I would put my hands on her.”

Leo runs his hand across his worried face. “Vee, you can’t go around threatening people. Did you forget you’re on probation?”

Bringing one hand to the front, I lift my pointer finger toward the ceiling. “Technically, I was told not to get into a physical altercation with anyone. No one said anything about using my words.”

“And if she doesn’t take your threat seriously?”

“Don’t worry.” I wave off his question. “I’d get sent to her ward anyway if it came to that point. She doesn’t want that, so she’ll listen to me.”

“You are something else.” His head shakes with a laugh.

I flash him a wink. “Thank you for calming me down.”

A tight smile overtakes his face. “It’s what I’m here for.”

“Right.” I nod once. “Well, I’ll let you go.”

“What will you be doing the rest of the day?”

“Eliza has been trying to get me to do a puzzle with her.” I roll my eyes, showing the annoyance I feel. “Maybe if I sit down and do one with her, she’ll leave me alone about it.”

“Thought you were trying to be friends with her.” He slyly grins.

“Friends and acquaintances are two separate things,” I express. “Being a friend of mine is a privilege.”

Leo’s eyes fall to the floor; then he glances up at me. “Are we friends then?”

A smirk tugs at my lips. “We are... something.”

“You really want to work on a puzzle with me?” Eliza stares at me with a surprised expression

“It’s the only thing I want to do today,” I state sarcastically.

She giggles. “If you insist.”

I drag the chair from under the table and slump into the seat. “Okay, what are we working on?”

“Hot air balloons,” she informs me, lifting her eyes to see the disgust on my face. “It’s honestly one of the easier ones.”

“This is easy? Most of the balloons are the same color!” Picking up two pieces that appear to be the same color, yellow, I attempt to piece them together, but they don’t fit. “See? This is stupid.”

Eliza laughs again. “You tried two pieces, Ronnie. Yes, the colors should match, but when you find two of the same color, you can’t expect them to fit magically.” She finds two orange pieces and inspects them. Is she looking to see if they are truly the same color? “Look at the shape, too. See if the missing ones will stick together.”

Since it’s so easy for her, the two orange parts form together with ease. “Says you. You’ve had practice.”

She sets the oranges aside and glares at me. “Have you never done a puzzle?”

Shaking my head, I chose a red bit and another, inspecting it the way she did. “I didn’t really have time for puzzles. Between being a disappointment to my parents and a menace? I was fully booked.”

“Sounds like a full-time job.”

“It was.” I let out a dramatic breath. “That and trying to impress my sister? I wasn’t focused on anything else.”