Page 99 - It Ends with Us

“Allysa? Why do you work her e?”

She stops wha t she’s doing and takes in a slow brea th like maybe
she’s cont em plating bei ng ho nes t with me. She walks back to the
count er and lea ns agains t it, crossing her feet at her ank les .
“Bec ause, ” she says, looking down at her feet . “I can’t get preg na nt .
We’v e been trying for two yea rs but no thi ng ha s worked . I was tired of
sitting at ho me crying all the time, so I dec ided I sho uld find

somet hi ng to keep my mind busy.” She stand s up straight and wipes
her ha nds across her jea ns . “And you, Lily Bloom, are keep ing me ver y
busy.” She turns and starts mes sing with the same bouquet of flowers
again. She’s been per fec ting them for ha lf an ho ur. She picks up a
card and stuffs it in the flower s, and then turns around and ha nd s me
the vase. “Thes e are for you, by the way.”
It’s obvious Allysa want s to chang e the subjec t, so I take the flowers

from her. “Wha t do you mea n?”
She rolls her ey es and waves me off to my offic e. “It’s on the card.
Go rea d it.”
I can tel l by her anno yed reaction tha t they ’re from R yle. I grin
and run to my offic e. I take a sea t at my des k and pull out the card.

Li ly,
I’m hav ing serious withdr aw al s.
—R yle

I smile and put the card back in the env el ope. I grab my pho ne
and sna p a picture of me ho lding the flowers with my tong ue sticking

out. I tex t it to R yle.
Me: I tried to warn you.
He immed iatel y starts tex ting me back. I watch anx iously as the
dots on my pho ne move back and forth.

Ryle: I need my next fix . I’ll be fin ished here in about thirty minutes. Can I
take you to dinner?
Me: Can’t. Mom wants me to try a new restaurant with her tonight. She’s an
obnoxious foodie. : (
Ryle: I like food. I eat food. Where are you taking her?

Me: A place called Bib’s on Marketson.
Ryle: Is there room for one more?