Page 32 of Hash

I can feel my cheeks turning the color of my hair from having a woman of Norma’s age telling me to thank someone with sex.

“Who are they from?” Frankie asks as she busies herself with Norma’s hair. The nosey bitch.

I pull the card out of the holder and turn it over.

Aisling,

I know this doesn’t even begin to put a fucking dent into fixing what I’ve done. I hope these flowers bring light into your day the same way you always brought light into mine.

- Lachlan

Oh, my God.

I’m frozen in shock.

Hash sent me flowers.

And he signed his government name.

My stomach flutters as I lean in to smell them, the scent of roses filling my nostrils, a small smile toying at my lips.

I’ve never been sent flowers before.

“Aisling?” Frankie presses.

“Hash,” I answer quietly.

“Mhm,” Frankie mumbles with the same knowing smirk still in place.

I take the flowers into the back room and set them down on the counter.

There’s no denying that these flowers are gorgeous. It’s one of the most thoughtful things someone has ever done for me, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to butter me up into letting him into Cormac’s life without having to prove he’s going to show up for him.

I’m either jaded as fuck from the past and am looking at this all wrong, or Hash is actually being sincere for one time in his life and isn’t trying to manipulate the situation.

It will be a cold day in hell before I let this man try to pull that shit again.

When he left last night, we didn’t make plans to see each other again. I could see that it was on the tip of his tongue, but he never spoke those words. I refuse to be the one to initiate. If he wants to prove himself, he needs to be the one to make the jump first.

I need to at least tell him thank you. I don’t want to come across as a complete cunt.

Pulling out my phone, I find his contact and shoot off a text.

Me: Thanks for the flowers.

I nibble on my fingernails, trying to decide how far I want to take this.

Fuck it.

Me: I hope you haven’t decided to block me again and you actually get the thank you.

A tiny thrill of adrenaline runs through me at how good that felt. If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’m petty. I’ve had people in the past tell me it’s immature and I need to take the high road, but fuck that. Being petty makes me feel a tiny bit better about being screwed over.

My phone vibrates, Hash’s name lighting up the screen.

Hash: Keep the lip up, baby doll, and I’ll show you what it does to me.

I roll my eyes. Of course, that turns him on.