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Seconds later, a soft knock taps on my door and Duke slowly pushes it open. He peeks in his head and smirks at me.
I return the smile, “Hey.”
He enters the room and walks toward me, “Hey.”
“Thank you for the flower and the note. I loved it.”
“You’re welcome. I made breakfast. Are you hungry?”
My stomach growls again and I place my hand on it, “Yes, starving!”
I follow Duke into the kitchen to find a ton of food served and ready to be eaten—two plates of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits. Steam is rising from the soft, warm biscuits and I pick one up, taking a huge bite. I savor the delicious taste as my entire body revels in the glorious flavor.
We eat in a comfortable silence and soon begin to clean up. I offer to help wash the dishes but Duke insists that I get some rest. Heading into the bathroom, I take a quick shower and try to think about what’s in store for me. Maybe I should follow what the note says and live life as a second chance. As I turn off the water, there’s a knock at the door.
I reach out and grab a towel, “Yeah?”
“Sorry, just checking in on you. Do you need anything?”
“Nope, I’m good.”
“Okay, we are going to be heading out soon. Give me about twenty minutes.”
I dry off my body and wrap it in the towel, “Okay.”
Duke walks to his room and shuts the door. As he changes, I scurry out of the bathroom and into my room. Picking out a comfortable outfit, I roll on my panties, clip on my bra, squeeze into a pair of jean shorts, and button up a white blouse. I comb through my tangled hair, brushing out the knots, and layer it past my shoulders and down my back. Throwing the rest of my belongings into my suitcase, I pick the note up off the end table and stuff it into my back pocket as I take a final spin around the room, just in case I missed anything. Shit, the daisy. I grab the vase and glance around, not knowing what to do with it. I don’t want to leave it behind. I guess I’ll just carry it.
I realize I’ve been talking out loud to myself when Duke chuckles behind me, and I spin around to find him staring at me from just outside my bedroom door.
I snicker, “What’s so funny?”
He chuckles and strolls up to me, “You are.”
He takes the vase out of my hands, pulls the daisy out, and p
laces the vase back onto the end table. Then he lifts his hand to pull a piece of my hair behind my ear and inserts the daisy into my hair. He looks at his work of art and smiles proudly.
“Beautiful.”
I smile, “Yes, I love the flower.”
“I wasn’t talking about the flower,” he says with a smirk and walks out into the hallway, leaving me standing there stunned at his remark.
A few minutes later, we head out the door and trek to his Mustang. I help him pack the suitcases into the trunk, and before I step inside, he holds the car door open for me. A true gentleman. He climbs in on the driver’s side and starts the car.
I smile at the familiarity, “I can’t believe you still have this car. I figured you would have traded it in or something.”
He pulls out of the parking spot, “Why would I? I love this car.”
I shrug, “I don’t know. I guess I thought you would have wanted to find something newer?”
He pulls onto the interstate ramp, “Why would I want to find something new when the old is worth so much more to me?”
He glances at me and smiles as I feel a slight warmth spread throughout my body. I look away and out the window, feeling a slight blush come on. As we drive further and further away from the city, my mind goes to dark thoughts and my nerves creep back to me. I try not to think about Derrick but I can’t help it. My legs begin to shake and I start to pick at my fingernails.
Duke notices my uneasiness and reaches out to grab my hand.
“What are you thinking about?”
