The Heart Breaker Association

Chapter 11 - The Idea

 “You’re too involved with this case,” Cecilia pointed out. I promptly ignored her and continued to spray our selection of roses with water. “You didn’t even want it to begin with.”

“I still don’t want it,” I assured. “Someone got me so deeply involved into that I can’t help it now.”

“You could’ve given it up after the first meeting,” my best friend mumbled quietly.

“To who exactly?” I asked refusing to look over at her. I moved on from the roses to the tulips. “You said no one was equipped to take this job.”

“You are definitely the best qualified to have it,” Cecilia agreed. “You could’ve passed it on though if you really didn’t want it.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you really do like this case and you’re getting really into it and I mean really! Telling a guy that you’ll come after him if he breaks your heart? That’s a bit drastic, don’t you think?”

“Look Cece, I needed something to keep him attached.”

“Isn’t that what the bet is for?”

I nodded. “That obviously wasn’t going to work though. He was planning on backing out but then I challenged his pride and that was something no bet could ever settle. I know what I’m doing.”

“I just think it’s risky,” Cecilia murmured. “You shouldn’t have so much contact with him outside of being Maggie.”

“Don’t tell me how to do my job,” I stated calmly setting down the squirt bottle. I turned to her and gave her a hard stare. “I can handle it.”

Cecilia held up her hands in surrender and sighed. She shifted her gaze to look around the greenhouse at all the wondrous flowers. I took back my spray bottle and continued with my work.

“How’s your case then Miss Know-It-All?”

Cecilia didn’t act as childishly as I did when she replied with, “It’s going good. John Doe is staying strong and he almost slipped out the “L” word the other day.”

“Whoa,” I marveled. “That’s impressive. How long has it been?”

“Almost three months.”

“Even better. You’ve got that guy on a string now all you have to do is pull it loose from underneath him. Do you think he’s in deep enough?” I asked.

Cecilia actually seemed unsure of herself. “I don’t know. I think I need to meet his family but then I don’t want to because that’s a big step and I’ll feel bad about being all smiles yet knowing I’m going to break his heart.”

“Hey, hey,” I warned. “No real feelings remember? Not even just liking him as a friend is acceptable because that causes a connection that is hard to break. You will meet his family, be smiles, and then break him when he’s at his weakest.”

Cecilia bit her lip but she nodded after a moment of thought. “Yeah I know. I’ll get close just to cut ties, as usual.”

Jane knocked on the glass of the greenhouse and entered inside. I raised my eyebrows to question her sudden appearance.

“What’s up, newbie?”

Jane coughed uncomfortably. “I talked to Preston.”

Cecilia crossed her arms over her chest and studied her for a moment. “Did he call off the bet? He kind of had to if he broke up with Maggie.”

“No, he didn’t,” Jane said. “He didn’t even tell me about the break up. I had to bring it up.”

“Did he explain it?” I asked curiously.