The Poppy Drop

by C L Bauer

  She had to look up at him from this position. It was so hot in the shop. “I wasn’t spying.”

  He smiled, his eyes twinkling. “You went around the block twice, Lily. The police officer must have been completely incensed.” He had seen her go by and then drive around the corner and then again. He had pointed it out to his Aunt Patricia, the woman he was protecting was driving around in circles, well, around the block, twice.

  “I was looking for a place we’re delivering to next week. I kept missing the address.”

  Dev decided he’d let it go. She was actually lying and he had no idea why. Of course, he had no idea except for the unmitigated nosiness she displayed why she kept going around the block.

  “Oh, well that makes sense.” Now he was lying. They could go on like this for hours, days. “You saw me with my Aunt Patricia. She lives up north by the airport and we met for dinner. Saturday night. I hadn’t seen her in almost three years so it was nice to catch up.”

  He knew she’d seen him and Lily thought he probably knew she was actually lying to his face about the delivery location. She could go on from here.

  “She’s very pretty. Did you have a nice visit?”

  “Actually, a great time. Dinner was good and the conversation was even better. Her husband passed away when I was deployed so I never really was able to talk to her about what he went through with his cancer. He suffered for eighteen months and she was there every step of the way.” His thoughts went very dark. He was never there for his family when cancer called them home, nor was he there for the suffering. He just drifted in and out of their lives and they were so happy to see him, to wish him well, so grateful he was safe at home. He didn’t feel like he had a home, not now.

  She noticed his brow furrowed and he looked down suddenly. He was surely thinking about something else, perhaps the death, the loss of family. Of being away.

  “So, do you want to go with me to Starlight again?” If she lightened the conversation maybe they could go on again.

  His head bobbed up. “One condition. I’ll buy you dinner before we go out. I was starving and ate like a maniac the last time. Sorry about that.”

  Lily passed by him, picking up his laptop from the table and offering it to him as she readied for her meeting.

  “You were fine. I’m sorry I didn’t think about you and food. You must have been starving. You know what, I will let you buy me dinner. I’m so tired of cooking.”

  “And I miss cooking,” he said quickly.

  She was surprised. “You cook? You like cooking?”

  “Love it. It’s my zen.”

  She laughed out loud at that word. Zen and Agent Pierce just weren’t compatible words. “Now, you’re just messing with me.”

  He placed the laptop in his bag and zipped it shut, moving it behind the desk.

  “No, seriously. Cooking calms me down. I love how the fresh vegetables feel, the smell of a really good cut of beef, the spices. I began cooking in college. I didn’t have too much time to do it but when I’d come home on break my mom and I would cook all day. The kitchen was our domain.”

  She really knew nothing about this man. She finished placing her materials and listened to the silence. Peeking from behind her eyelashes she could see the sadness of his face once more. It was intense grief. He had mentioned his mother and that feeling was overwhelming for him.

  Lily guessed that his mother had passed away. She knew that look and she felt that sadness so many times. You never really got over your mother passing away but she had thought that relative feeling was exclusively for daughters but now she knew better. Seeing his face, her realization was that sons felt that way too.

  Break the silence, Lily. “So how about we cut out of here early tomorrow and you can cook in my kitchen, something easy so we aren’t late but something you like. You don’t have to buy dinner but if you cook we’ll both be happy. I will require help with the dishes. I hate doing dishes.”

  A thin smile crossed his lips. “Sounds like a good deal to me.”

  By the next afternoon, Lily was ready for a home cooked meal. She didn’t really care what he made just so she didn’t have to do it. Abby and she had worked like crazy people today so she could leave early. She’d dropped by an event space, purchased flowers, set up the production schedule for the rest of the week and left Abby with a few other jobs.

  Lily left Dev alone in the kitchen once she showed him the spice cabinet. She couldn’t wait to take a shower and find something cool to wear for the outside show. It was over ninety degrees again today and the weather channel just kept showing excessive heat warnings.

  Everyone knew it already!

  She took her time. After an hour of showering, finding something to wear and trying to do something with her frizzy hair, she opened her bedroom door to an aroma so wonderful she wanted to kiss him. Oh darn. She wanted to kiss him. Stop it, stop it. Get it together. He’s here doing a job, remember? You are his mission. Repeat again and again.

  Her last relationship had certainly done a number on her confidence. She was never a needy girl. If she made a date with a girlfriend she kept that date even if the star football player asked her out for the same night. Not that the said football player ever did that but that’s what she hoped she would’ve done for a friend. She was not one who looked over at the other man’s grass when she had her own to mow. Now she was just being silly.

  She was still barefoot when she entered the kitchen. He’d thrown one of her floral aprons on and had changed into walking shorts and a casual shirt.

  “It smells great in here and I’m so hungry.”

  He smiled at her and some of her doubts vanished. They were becoming good friends and that was it. That should be enough now and then. In your life there were times that you needed someone like him, not just for your protection but for your sanity. After her past relationship she needed to get back in the pool, but stay in the low end, oh heck, she needed to stay in the kiddie pool!

  “After the work you’ve been doing you should be famished. I hope you like it.”

  She sat down at the table and looked at the place mats, dishes and silverware. Holy Moly, he’d set the table. She usually ate while watching television from her sofa most nights. The DVR was the greatest invention since microwaves and air-conditioning, all right behind indoor plumbing.

  He placed a salad, one of those beautifully chopped ones in front of her and at his place. “We can start with these.”

  She dug in. “Where did you get the dressing? It’s great. Which one did you use?”

  “I made my own.”

  Holy Moly, he knew the way to a girl’s heart! The buzzer on the oven blared in her small kitchen.

  He removed something from the oven, bringing it over to the table.

  “I knew we didn’t have much time and with the heat I didn’t want anything too heavy. This is a French dish I like to make…baked chicken legs and thighs with vegetables, zucchini, pepper, onion and fresh tomatoes. Oh and basil with white wine.”

  He went back to the counter and grabbed green beans. “Can’t get enough veggies in the summer.”

  Her mouth gaped open. She’d taken a shower, found a lightweight dress in her closet and tried to do something with her humidity hating hair. Devlin Pierce had produced a three course meal and it was French. She was such a slug. What other talents did this agent have? As soon as she thought it, her entire body became warm. She hadn’t even touched him.

  “Do your federal agent buddies know your secret cooking talents?” She took a bit of the haricot verts, just French green beans. The chicken leg and thigh was so good it melted in her mouth.

  “Some. Tom knows I love food and I love to cook. His wife is a gourmet chef, studied in New York City in the early years of their marriage when he was assigned there. Some of my old Army buds know but I don’t cook for just anybody off the street. It’s not something you talk about when you’re fighting the Taliban.”

  He was quiet again. When
his thoughts wrapped too tightly in his mind, Lily always heard the anguish in the silence. His life experiences far outweighed anything she could possibly imagine. She’d only seen glimpses in some of his descriptions but she could only imagine and wonder. She wanted to make him feel better but in reality no one could probably do that, even a good therapist for PTSD.

  “Ah crap, I forgot the wine.” He began to rise from the table but she motioned him back down.

  “No, at least let me buy you a drink once we get out there. I could use one after the last few days.” The heat and last weekend’s weddings really had stretched her energy and then on Sunday she’d delivered arrangements for a baby shower. Monday had been filled with appointments and funeral deliveries. She’d barely had time yesterday to catch up and begin the entire wedding cycle again.

  Dev nodded. He’d let her do that. By the time they left, the dishes had been done and everything had been put away. The kitchen was in better shape than before he cooked. He was going to make someone a very fine wife!

  She locked the front door and trailed behind him down the driveway. Her trusty dusty police detail had just pulled up, conspicuously across from her house. Dev waved at him as he opened the passenger car door.

  “I can drive.” She stopped short of the door.

  “I know that but now that I know where I’m going, I’m driving, madam.” His hand directed her in. She wasn’t going to argue. It was nice having a car door opened, someone else driving, especially when she was so tired. She’d eaten a wonderful dinner and she didn’t have to cook. And he’d done the dishes. This night just couldn’t get any better. Hopefully, Gretchen didn’t have tickets for tonight’s performance.

  Once at Starlight they ordered drinks at one of the bars. Her vodka and tonic with a lime twist had never tasted so refreshing on such a warm night. Dev ordered his Boulevard beer, not adventuring out into the mayhem of liquor world. They sat at one of the many tables as he finally looked at the front of the program.

  “I never asked what the show was, did I?” She sipped her drink and smiled. “Nope.”

  “When did you think I would notice?”

  She took another sip. “Sooner than this. You’re not very perceptive, sir, and I believe you are losing your skills of observation. Perhaps the barbecue and beer of the city are clouding your talents.”

  He looked over his sunglasses with a glare that almost scared her to her toes. She didn’t really feel scared or threatened. She felt smug, yes, smug. Paybacks for an earlier discussion when he’d caught her “observing” him at that cafe.

  “Mama Mia? Really, Lily? Monty Python is one thing, but ABBA? Jesus.” She pretended to be shocked at his exclamation.

  “Oh my, Mr. Pierce does not appreciate the musical gift of the world that is ABBA? I would think that a culinary genius as yourself would be enlightened enough to enjoy this music given to the people of the world by these geniuses. You know, kind of like Monet respecting Degas. Mutual admiration and all that.”

  He sat back in his chair pretending to read the program.

  “Do you know any of the songs?” She was verbally poking him and having the best time doing it.

  “Yes.” He continued reading. “Are you kidding me? The show is about a girl who doesn’t know who her father is and the mother thinks he’s one of the three but she doesn’t know for sure? They’re on an island in Greece and Sofie is getting married and the men are coming to escort her down the aisle?”

  “Pretty much. That’s the plot.”

  “It’s a wedding. Don’t you get your fill of those things?”

  She took a good slug of her drink. “Oh yah. No one knows how much and no one will. It’s my job and I do it very well.”

  “The flowers or the bullshit?”

  “Why, Mr. Pierce, you certainly have colorful vocabulary tonight.” Her laughter filled the bar area.

  “Do you need another one of those so I can find out what you really think?”

  She nodded affirmatively as he got up to serve her. She liked having a manservant. But she wondered what this would cost her. She’d have to stop after this drink. She was loosening up a little too much and no good ever came from that. In her twenties she’d partied a little too much. She never wanted to go there again. That was the past and her life had turned into responsibilities and work ethics. There was no going back to carefree days of no house payments and sleeping until it was almost time for lunch.

  One hand held her drink, in his other was another beer.

  “Shall we go to your seats before you can’t get down that steep walkway?”

  She looked down at her feet. “Always wear shoes I can walk in here. I learned my lesson when I was ten. I had to wear my good shoes, my beautiful very shiny shoes. I slid all the way down to row A.”

  Now he was the one laughing out loud. “Did you bruise your…pride?”

  She shook her head as she headed down to the seats. “Nope, my butt.”

  Lily continued walking but she could hear him laughing behind her. At times she was annoyed by this whole drug caper but tonight was not one of them. She was loving her time with him. Some day they would figure all this out and he would be gone. He was the puppy that followed her home and now she didn’t want to give him up. His real owners would show up and she’d be alone again. Alone, not lonely. Sure, keep telling yourself that Lily.

  The row was filled with her friends. John greeted Dev by name and they began to talk about something. Mr. Pearl had purchased kettle corn, her favorite. Even though she wasn’t hungry she couldn’t pass it up. Besides, Mr. Pearl enjoyed taunting her with the carnival delicacy. John and Dev sat down when they noticed the executive director on the stage.

  John punched her in the arm. “I like him, really like him. Can we keep him?”

  Lord, now they were having a bromance and she was in the middle like sticky peanut butter that you had wedged on the roof of your mouth. No jelly, just the sticky cheap brand of peanut butter you ate in college when you had no income. She took another sip of her drink and placed it in the cupholder.

  “How long does this last?” she whispered to Dev.

  “Well I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.”

  She was whispering again. “I’m not talking about the show. I’m talking about my situation, this. You here with me, watching over me. You know I don’t like doing this to my friends.”

  His eyes softened, the thin lines around the edges invisible now. “We are exhausting all our leads. Not much longer. While I’m with you so many people are doing their work behind the scenes and I am too. This is so much larger than just that box that was sent to you by mistake. I’m sorry about your friends, truly. You’ll be able to explain that my job got in the way. No lying there.”

  Their friend, silence, sat between them. They stood for the National Anthem and she watched him from the corner of her eye. Thank heavens for peripheral vision. She was wiping a tear away as he stood at attention. She could only imagine what he looked like in uniform, protecting his country and now in this job, serving it. What kind of a man did that and volunteered to do it?

  The executive director came out one more time and asked for Jill Nathan.

  A spotlight found the young woman a few rows ahead of them in the orchestra area. “We have a delivery for you, Jill.”

  She looked around in confusion as one of the volunteers brought her a bouquet of red roses. Dev looked at Lily but she had no idea what was going on.

  “Jill, this show is about love,” the voice from the stage explained. “Tonight this is a very special time for you.”

  A young man dressed in shirt and tie and two other sets of couples came over to her seat and then he knelt down on one knee.

  Lily felt her stomach reel. Are you kidding me? First there’s a wedding in this show, now the girl gets flowers delivered to her right in front of me and now a proposal? Lily realized the other couples were obviously family. Jill nodded enthusiastically and the couple kissed. She went off
to thunderous applause, a new ring and a new beginning.

  “You should have handed them your card,” Dev joked.

  She glared at him. “Some day, one day I’d love to get flowers. The ring is nice but I have nice jewelry, but the flowers, just once.”

  Dev shook his head. “I know you said you never received a flower delivery but it's so hard to believe.”

  Lily nodded. “Yep. You know I told you that but I forgot one delivery. When my dad died another florist sent me a plant. It does seem pathetic, doesn’t it? Since I’ve owned the shop, anyone I’ve gone out with has thought it silly to send flowers to a florist. But just once.”

  Dev didn’t know what to say, again. The look on her face was hopeful, yet regret erased the brightness in her eyes. Yet it could be the vodka. But romance was crap, especially right in front of your eyes.

  When the overture began he nudged her again, his attempt to lift her mood. “This better be good.”

  She smiled. The brightness was back. “It’s ABBA music.”

  They both smirked at each other. The lively cast began the first song “Honey, Honey” and then “Money, Money, Money” followed. By the time the male dancers were dressed in swim fins with rubber ducks around their waists, Dev was laughing and John and he were pointing at certain individual actors. She didn’t want to know why.

  Intermission brought more conversation and thankfully no Gretchen, Queen of Inappropriate Seduction. Julie wanted to know more about how they had met. Lily told her about the meal he had prepared and she was completely jealous. John knew how to grill and that was the entire extent of his culinary skills. Nancy and her husband as well as Mr. Pearl and his son cut out early, leaving the two couples.

  By the time the show finished and the cast came out to do an encore everyone was up from their seats. John and Julie said their goodbyes and headed to the exit but Dev was swaying along with Lily. His arm landed around her waist as he grabbed her hand to pull her into the walkway to dance. She was enjoying it so much for a little time she forgot the pretense and made believe it was reality. As people tried to pass them they broke apart.