A Storm Is Brewing

Just Trust Me

Things started getting bizarre over the next few weeks, every time I went in for my weekly meeting at work, there were more and more gifts being delivered. I knew they weren't from Leah, but I didn't want to panic her by telling her what was going on, especially not before her surgery review appointment. It started off with flowers, followed by bottles of wine, and then a pen engraved with Sophie Kelly and my home address. It became a running joke between Paula and I that I was getting my parcels delivered to work to prevent Leah shouting at me for spending too much time online shopping; if only Paula had known that this wasn't me.

As time passed, I started to suspect that it was someone close to me. How could I confront them, though? What if it was someone I hadn't realised was dangerous? And what if I was wrong and they told Leah?

Flashback:

"First day back to work, flowers; Leah is a gem." Paula smiled as she set the flowers on my desk.
"Thanks, P." I smiled.

I did a double take of the flowers, noticing how they were from a different florist than the one Leah had previously used and how they weren't filled with my favourite types of flowers. Reaching for the card inside the little envelope, my heart began to beat faster as I realised that these weren't from Leah.

Standing at my desk, my hand was shaking as the first signs of what was to come began to creep into my life.

Sophie, I hope these are your favourite flowers. I love your smile, your laugh, and how you drop your keys at your car almost every day. There's only one thing I hate about you, and you'll find out what that is x

I scoffed at the message, dumping the flowers into the bin beneath my desk. If they hated something about me, why not just tell me? Surely flowers were an extravagant way of telling someone you had an issue with them? My mind then went back to the message, and after carefully removing the card from the bin, I read it again.

How you drop your keys at your car almost every day.

What?

I scanned the open office outside, trying to figure out who could potentially be behind this.

Paula - No.
Ross - Well, we did have beef at the last meeting.
Susan - She can barely turn a computer on.
Frank - He's happily married to a man?
Tegan - She's too nice, surely?
Brenda - She was smiling like an idiot at the cuteness of Leah sending me these.
Amanda - Obviously not.

I was broken from my investigating trance by Paula knocking gently on the door.

"Mr. Lancaster is here."
"No worries, send him in."

Mr. Lancaster waltzed into the office with a smug grin on his face at the fact that we had been pandering to him. He irritated me, but he was important to the face of the firm; we couldn't have him continue his threats of publicly shaming us.

"Update?" He said abruptly.
"Still work in progress. With the extension, we have managed to secure even more files that bulk up your innocence plea."
"Hmm. Working hard, or hardly working?" He chuckled.
"Working hard, Mr. Lancaster. That is what I do."
"You're talented, Sophie. Very."
"Miss Kelly." I corrected him.
"My apologies. Don't you like being addressed by your first name?" He cocked an eyebrow at my oddness today.
"Only by my close friends and family."
"Noted, Miss Kelly."

We discussed some more angles from which we could approach before I bid him farewell. My interaction with him was a welcomed distraction from the events of that morning. Paula came back in, noticing that the flowers were nowhere to be seen.

"Flowers?"
"Binned them."
"You did?"
"Yeah. I didn't like them."
"Leah will wonder why you didn't bring them home, no?"
"They weren't from her." I snapped.
"I did wonder - seems strange that they were made up of the flowers in that drawing." She nodded to the drawing behind me.