Chapter 188
Their eyes met, and Gordon froze for a moment, caught off guard.
A few seconds ticked by before he finally came to himself, his lips parting slightly. “Catie p>
Caitlin walked over. “Are you looking for me p>
“Turn around,” Gordon said, following the instructions he’d found online.
Turn around?
Though Caitlin was clearly confused, she still did as he asked and turned her back to him.
About a minute passed in silence before Gordon spoke again. “Catie, you can look now p>
As soon as Caitlin turned, she saw Gordon standing there, holding a bouquet of sunflowers.
“Catie, happy birthday. I wish you joy and peace—and hope you’ll always be as bright and lively as these sunflowers, turning toward the light p>
In that moment, Caitlin couldn’t quite put her feelings into words. For as long as she could remember, no one had ever celebrated her birthday like this—and he’d even timed it perfectly for midnight.
She stepped forward, taking the flowers with both hands. “How did you know today was my birthday p>
In her previous life, her birthday had been July 8th.
Strangely enough, in this life it fell on the same date, even according to the old calendar.
“Skyler told me,” Gordon replied, pulling open the passenger door of his car. “And, uh-these are for you too. Birthday presents p>
He cleared his throat, looking a bit awkward. “Catie, don’t get the wrong idea. I-I don’t mean anything by this. You’re my only female friend, and I really value our friendship p>
“Thank you, Gordon.” Caitlin took a step closer and wrapped her arms around him.
She was nearly eight inches shorter than him.
It was the perfect height difference; all he had to do was dip his head slightly and his chin would brush her hair.
Caught off guard by her sudden hug, Gordon stiffened. His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure whether to hold her or let them fall.
His heart thudded wildly in his chest, and he swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing.
Her scent surrounded him—familiar, comforting, uniquely hers.
But before he could process what was happening, Caitlin let go, dimples flashing
as she smiled up at him. “Don’t get the wrong idea-it’s just a hug between friends p>
Friends?
A hug between friends?
For some reason, the words left Gordon feeling strangely empty inside.
Hollow, even.
He couldn’t remember ever feeling like this before-it was as if the bottom had dropped out of his world.
“I’ll help you move your things into the house,” Gordon said, pushing down the odd ache in his chest.
He’d bought ten handbags-plus an entire set of lipsticks in every shade-and packed them all into a single, oversized box.
“Thank you, that’s a big help,” Caitlin said.
“No problem.” Gordon hefted the box and headed toward the yard, asking
casually, “So, Catie, when did you guys move in p>
“Just a couple of days ago p>
What?
They’d already been here two days?
Gordon nodded, his expression giving nothing away.
Caitlin continued, “Gordon, why don’t you come in and have some tea p>
“It’s really late—I should get going. I’ll visit another time and say hello to Mr. Kensington.” It was already the middle of the night, and Gordon wasn’t the sort to overstep his bounds.