Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,45
like a finger inside.
I squeezed my eyes shut, but then exhaled and peered one eye open as I lifted the lid.
Nestled in the black velvet was a batman pin with the Ghana flag on it. Just like the one Ben had broken the night of the fundraiser.
Ben. He was responsible for the flowers and he’d replaced my pin. My eyes suddenly stung, and I blinked away the mist forming in my eyes. Someone must have brought onions for lunch. Or, your boss isn’t a complete dick. Just when I’d started to solidify my opinion on him, he did something so thoughtful.
There was a knock behind me, and I widened my eyes, willing the mist of tears to evaporate. I turned slowly with an impassive gaze. “Yes?”
Ben was in my doorway. Just seeing him made everything inside go all warm and fluttery. “I’m sorry it took so long to replace it. I guess you can’t just buy the pin anywhere, so I custom ordered it.”
My stupid tears were so close to the surface. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to become a blubbery mess. “You didn’t have to do this.”
He stepped inside. “Yes, I did. I felt bad the night of the fundraiser, and I was a bit of a wanker. I’m sorry. After I learned how much it meant to you, I knew I had to replace it.”
I blinked rapidly. “Thank you. Getting the pin back is a big deal, and it’s much appreciated.” I chewed my lip and gathered courage for this next part. “Mr. Covington, I just wanted to say that—”
He shook his head. “Ben.?Or Bennet if you must. Mr. Covington is the former Prime Minister. I’m not him.”
I sighed. “Okay, fine,?Ben, while I appreciate the pin, the flowers are going just a bit too far.”
His brow lifted. “What?”
Be firm. Be direct. It was the only way I was going to be able to contain the runaway butterflies in my lower belly. I couldn’t indulge any kind of crush or whatever this was. I approached him as I spoke. “Obviously, you are very, uh, attractive, and kind as well, but you are my boss. And while I do need someone to accompany me on the things for my mother, I was not propositioning you.”
He frowned and nodded slowly. “Propositioning?”
Why was he repeating the words I was using? “Exactly. I wasn’t in any way saying that I was going to shag you or anything like that.” Though I’d maybe, just maybe, fantasized about it. But that was not something I needed to clue him in on.
“Shag me?”
“Yes. I mean, I don’t exactly know you, but I’d hoped maybe we’d started to be friends, except for the part where you yelled at me last night when we almost got mugged.”
“There you go again, saying I yelled. I spoke firmly to get your attention.”
“That was clearly yelling.”
“I was not yelling.”?His voice rose.
My tone matched his. “Oh, I think that was yelling. And you can’t send me flowers. I have a boyfriend.”? Oh yeah, way to trot that one out.
He shook his head. “I appreciate your directness, but I didn’t send you these. And let’s face it. Pink roses are boring and unimaginative. You’re clearly an orchid kind of woman.”
My face flamed. “Th— they’re not from you?”
He shook his head. “No. Nor were they here when I dropped off the pin for you earlier this morning. But now I’m concerned because you don’t seem to know who would send you flowers.”
He was serious. I could see it in his eyes. He hadn’t sent them. “I went to thank Dexter, but they’re not from him either.”
“How mad was he that someone had sent you flowers?” he asked with a smirk.
“Um, let’s go with mildly annoyed.”
His brows really scrunched up then. “Another man sent you flowers, and your boyfriend is only mildly annoyed?”
“He trusts me. But if he didn’t send them to me and they’re not from you, then who the hell sent me flowers?”
“That, Miss Ashong, is a very good question.” He searched for wrapping or packaging and found nothing. “Sorry, there are no hints. Maybe Amy removed the packaging before she put them in here?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll ask. I guess it’s a mystery for now.”
“A mystery you’re okay with?”
I shook my head. “Not really, but I have work to do. Maybe they were delivered to me by mistake. Maybe there is some poor woman in here whose birthday or anniversary it is, and she thinks her boyfriend forgot.”