From Ford's perspective this seemed to be a complete disconnect from the rest of the conversation, and he was suspicious of it. Was it some kind of shrouded accusation? He considered denying it, but Noble was right, and he sounded like he knew he was right. Ford could have tried to shrug it off and say he didn't remember, but Noble would know that was a lie, because Ford did not simply forget whether or not bills had been paid. So he'd have to admit to it, but what would he be admitting to when he did? It was such an innocuous thing that he didn't understand why Noble was bringing it up. The bouquets didn't cost much, comparatively. They weren't exorbitant, and they didn't come over-frequently, that he knew of.

"I paid for the first one," he said, defensive without knowing what he was defending against.

---