The Boy on the Bridge

I crack a smile. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Well, my flower shop is very appreciative of your relationship, whatever it is.”

I lean in and smell the flowers. “Mm, they’re lovely. Thanks, Ted.”

When I turn around to walk back into the kitchen, Mom is up off the couch and she follows me. “Hunter?”

I nod. This bouquet didn’t come with a vase, so I go to the cupboard to get one of the vases that came with his previous bouquets.

“I take it he’s the one who sent the ones on the first day of school?”

“He is.”

“With that lovely note,” she adds, her tone faintly snide.

I cringe. “Oh. Yeah, the note was…”

“Not great.”

“He wasn’t pleased I was dating Anderson,” I say, in an attempt to explain without giving her any unpleasant details. “He’s a bit territorial.”

“Maybe a bit.”

I fill the vase with water, unwrap my new bouquet, and drop them in.

I admire the pretty arrangement for a moment, then turn my attention to my new note. I’m conscious of Mom standing right here, so I hope it doesn’t say anything too risqué.

When I open the envelope, I see it’s not just a note card. There’s a credit card tucked behind it with Hunter’s name on it.

I frown at it warily.

“Why did he send you a credit card?” Mom asks, even warier than I am.

I read the note card.

Catnip,

I know you’re reluctant to let me buy you things, but this gift isn’t just for you.

Your mom works hard. She deserves a day of pampering, doesn’t she?

A car will be there at noon to pick you both up.

Go shopping, on me.

Buy yourself comfortable shoes for work.

The credit limit is 20k. Spend as much as you want.

Hunter

He found a loophole.

If he did all this just for me, I would feel guilty accepting it, but…

I could never do something like this for my mom on my own, and she does deserve it.

Sighing, I turn around and go back to the living room without a word. I grab my phone off the coffee table and shoot him a text.

“Does this gift come with strings?”

He texts back right away. “I want a weekend pass. My mom’s gone again next weekend. I want you to stay over. I want you all to myself. No work, no Sara, no plans I don’t get to be a part of.”

“That’s a big ask, Hunter. I don’t think my mom will let me spend a whole weekend at your house.”

“That’s my price,” he says simply. “Take it or leave it.”

I bite down on my bottom lip, considering.

“Before you make your decision, think about how stress-free and relaxed your mom will feel at the spa, getting a facial, having years’ worth of stress worked out of her muscles…”

“Spa?”

“After shopping, you’re going to a spa.”

Dammit.

I sigh. “I’ll do my best. I can’t promise anything, though. If she says I can’t stay the night…”

“I still have a weekend pass,” he texts back. “You’re mine for the whole weekend, and you don’t get to tell me no.”

My stomach jumps, my interest stirring.

A whole weekend pass.

No power to say no.

My heart starts to race.

I have to bite my bottom lip to keep from smiling.

“Fine,” I text back. “You’ve got a deal.”

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.”

I grin at my phone. “Thank you, Hunter. This was really nice of you.”

“You can thank me next weekend,” he sends back with a winking emoji.

“Oh, I will,” I assure him.

I still have a goofy grin on my face when Mom comes into the room.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

I try to temper my smile, but only a little as I look up from my phone and restructure the format of Hunter’s gift for my mom.

Obviously, I can’t tell her his actual terms.

She thought he was a touch manipulative when he enticed me to do things at 14, so this… this is not something she can ever know about.

That’s okay, though. It’s just between us, and I like it that way.

“Hunter has arranged a surprise for us. Yesterday at breakfast I was telling him how we’ve both been stressed and busy and not getting to spend much time together since school started, and, well, he likes to throw money at problems.” I hold up his credit card. “He wants us to go shopping today, on him.”

Mom blinks. “Shopping?”

I nod. “And a trip to the spa afterwards. He’s sending a car for us.”

“A… car?”

I smile. “I think it’ll be fun. Please say yes.”

She takes a moment to consider. “Hmm… I guess he does owe me a new outfit since I have to burn the one you wore to his house Friday night.”

I nod eagerly. “He really does. Maybe some cute shoes to go with it. And a purse. You’ll need a new purse.”

“To go with the outfit.”

“Naturally.”

“I’ve never gone on a shopping spree I didn’t have to pay for, but who hasn’t fantasized about it?” she says, still considering, but leaning heavily toward yes.