Chapter 257: Elijah

Clutching the coloring pad to his chest, Elijah cursed his stupidity under his breath. Boy howdy, he'd done some awfully stupid things in his time, but honestly, who gave a coloring book to a woman as a present? What were they – ten?

Sure, Hannah liked to color, and sure, she liked to put the finished pictures up all over her classroom which he'd admired plenty of times, but still, shouldn't he be bringing her chocolates or some more flowers?

It was Carla who'd told him no. "You bought her purple-and-white daisies already," she'd told him when he'd stopped by Happy Petals for another bouquet. "You're not going to be able to top that. You can't do better than her all-time favorite flowers, right? So, pick something else. What else does Hannah absolutely love?"

"Children, her horses, and her father," Elijah had said, rattling them off without batting an eyelash.

Carla had stared at him for a moment.