Free Love Lessons by Kari Lee Harmon

 
     
    LESSON ONE
     
    Lo ve isn’t always a bed of roses,
    or any type of flower, turns out.
    Who knew?
     
    “Oh, my God, Gavin, this is so incredibly sweet, I think I’m going to cry!” I said on Monday afternoon as I charged through the door of my best friend’s classroom.
    Gavin worked in the archaeology department of Dreamers University in upstate New York, and every time I entered his room, a familiar dusty old smell mixed with musky cologne assaulted my senses, making me smile. He sat behind his large oak desk, cluttered with artifacts he’d uncovered on one of his digs, and grinned at the bouquet of Tiger Lilies I held.
    “I thought so,” he said, his dark eyes crinkling, the crow’s feet deepening in his constantly tanned skin. He hoisted his beat-up boots atop the clutter and crossed his khaki clad legs at the ankles. He folded his arms with the sleeves rolled up over his wrinkled baby-blue button down shirt and winked at me.
    The man lived outdoors, craving adventure, whereas I spent my days crunching numbers in the math department, a bit obsessed with my work. Total opposites in every way--my hair, skin and eyes were as pale as his were dark--but we’d known each other forever and had clicked from the moment we first met. He tried to pull me away from the office, to get me to live a little. While I helped him learn to be still, enjoy the quiet moments.
    We were good for each other, and I’d never had a better best friend. But right now his words filtered through my distracted brain, and I gasped, ready to throttle my so-called best friend. “You mean you knew about this and didn’t tell me? There’s no note. Who put them on my desk? You have to tell me. Can’t you see I’m dying here?”
    He stared at me for a long moment and then dropped his boots back to the worn linoleum floor. “I don’t have a clue, Mandy. I just saw them there and knew they were your favorite. Guess you have a secret admirer.”
    A little thrill zipped through me. I loved a good puzzle, the challenge of the unknown, and the satisfaction of figuring it out. “Give me a minute. I can solve this.” I paced. My black pin-striped skirt whispered against my nylons, and my high heels clicked like the second hand on a clock with every step. I thought about all the possible equations and came to one conclusion.
    “Aha, that’s it.” I faced Gavin and tucked a strand of hair up into the knot at the back of my head. “It has to be Wally.” I pushed my glasses higher and beamed at him.
    Gavin’s face scrunched up, the cleft in his chin vanishing beneath his five o’clock shadow. “You honestly think Wussy Wally in the psych department sent you flowers?”
    “It could happen.” I plopped my free hand on my hip. “Don’t be so judgmental. He’s actually quite nice. He must have seen the bouquet I bought myself about a month ago when he came into my classroom to call me to a meeting. It has to be him.” I grabbed Gavin’s large, calloused hand and pulled him to his feet. “Come on. I’ll be too embarrassed to go alone. You have to help me thank him.”
    “Oh no. I really don’t think--”
    “Then don’t think. Just give me your moral support.” I nailed him with the iciest blue laser beam I could muster. “That’s what best friends do, remember?”
    He blew out a big breath, obviously remembering last spring when I’d let him drag me all over the city on some ridiculous wild goose chase. We participated in a scavenger hunt, so he could win a free trip to Egypt. We won, and he’d been trying all year to get me to celebrate by going with him. No way would I let him drag me around on another crazy adventure, in another country, no less.
    “Fine, but after this, consider us even,” he relented.
    “Not a chance, pal. You’re going to have to give me a lot more than one day for us to be even.”
    “Lead the way, pal.” He smirked.
    I laughed and blew him a kiss. He just rolled his eyes and nudged me toward