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Phoebe shook her head "Nothing Clark has to say is going to change er at Phoebe "Maybe they aren’t frorinned and held up the card, sighing loudly "I don’t kno youyou f lohen I haven’t found even one"

"Give me that!" Phoebe pretended to be annoyed with the receptionist "Did Hutch send the f lowers?"

Claudia smiled and handed her the card Unlike Clark’s notes, which were always rohtforward and unpretentious Unlike Clark, Hutch hadn’t tried to impress her, hadn’t taken her to a fancy restaurant with a celebrity chef Instead, he’d brought a picnic, including a bottle of local wine And to her surprise he hadn’t atteh Phoebe would’ve welcomed it

She waited until three that afternoon, when she had a break and called Hutch at his off ice She was put directly through by his assistant

"This is Bryan Hutchinson," he said

"Are you sure it isn’t Lance Ar"

Phoebe laughed "Thank you for the roses"

"I wanted you to have them on Monday, but Susannah said she preferred to wait until she had a fresh supply"

"Susannah from Susannah’s Garden?" The shop was next to the yarn store and had the ements and bouquets Phoebe found herself azed into the f lower shopbefore class

"I hadn’t heard of Susannah’s Garden until I signed up for the Knit to Quit class," Hutch said "Her f lowers are exceptional"

"I think so, too Thank you again"

Hutch hesitated "I wanted you to knowith you last weekend"

"I had an absolutely fabulous tiood at small talk, and it always seemed to take him a while to feel comfortable with her That didn’t bother Phoebe Actually, she liked the contrast with her ex-f iancé Hutch wasn’t smooth like Clark, who could talk his way into or out of anything

"We have class toht," she said She felt a pleasant sense of anticipation about seeing hiain

"Oh, yes, class Have you done your honment was to f inish the current section of the sampler scarf so they’d be ready for the next lesson

"Yes What about you?"

"I’hed She seemed to do that a lot with Hutch

"Hoould you feel…I mean, I know it’d be early, unless you wanted to wait until after Would that be too late?" He paused as if expecting a response

"Are you asking me to meet you for dinner?" she speculated

"If so, the answer is yes"

Again that short pause "Really?" he said "Great!"

Hearing the pleasure in his voice reed?"

"Did I? Tell ht ?"

"Not me, that’s for sure, especially when he’s sent ht I’ll see you touess that depends on you Would you rather eat early or late?"

"Early"

"I was hoping you’d say that"

"Any particular reason you prefer an earlyto see you again"

Co from anyone else, that would have sounded phony But when Hutch said it, she knew he meant every word

"That’s very romantic," she murmured She could practically see him blush

"What about…" He stuht?"

Phoebe wondered why that hadn’t occurred to her "No, as a matter of fact I’ instead? No, not instead because I’d be disappointed if you didn’t show up for class toht, but--"

"I’ll be at class"

"Good At dinner with ht, too?"

"Of course"

"Really? I mean, that’s terrif ic" His voice was exuberant, like that of a child who’d been granted an unexpected gift

"No, I was just saying that," she teased "Hutch, I’d love to h our dinner and hurrying to class and afterward… Well, we both have to work in the ht This is much better" They set a time, then Phoebe ended the conversation; she had a client at three-f ifteen "Bye, Hutch," she said quickly "See you at six"

"Goodbye, Phoebe, and thanks"