The Hibiscus Heist

by C L Bauer

  Dev touched her face. He removed one small tear which had fallen onto her cheek. “Lily, I see you, and you are my reality. I’ll admit I saw something different today. You weren’t glammed up, and yet, you were the prettiest woman I’d ever seen.”

  “It was the Army jersey, right?” She smiled. “The priest said you’d been in the caves too long and that proves it.”

  He placed a finger on her lips. “Be quiet. Lily, I love you. I want you in my life. That’s all I can offer right now. I hope that’s enough.” He’d never told any other woman, except for his mother, any words of love. “By the way, is there any part of you that you do like?”

  He’d slid his arm over her body. He was extremely warm. If you do end up with him at least you’ll be warm in the winter, Lily. “I’m fond of my eyelashes, oh, and my wrists are little. Other than that, when I’m working, dressed in jeans and an oversized shirt, I feel like I am a short troll. I’m the one who guards the bridge and keeps everyone organized during any chaotic situation.”

  “Lily Schmidt, you don’t look like a troll, but if you did, I would still want you.” Celibacy was highly overrated. Dev pushed up slowly over her. His face brushed hers. He began kissing the top of her head, moved to her forehead and nose, eventually resting his lips on her. “And I do want you.”

  “GOAL,” blared out from the game on the television. Lily began laughing so hard she couldn’t stop. She snorted and did so quite frequently to Dev’s dismay.

  “Lily, you can’t do that to a man.” He turned onto his own pillow, his eyes looking toward the ceiling. The moment had passed.

  Lily sat up and moved over to him. “I’m so sorry, but,” she snorted and then continued, “it was so funny, the timing of it all.”

  “There was nothing funny about it,” Dev muttered.

  “I’m sorry.” She tried to sound contrite, but she was still giggling. “Besides, Dev, I can’t go to church tomorrow morning and see Dan after we, well, I can’t.”

  But I do want to so much.

  “Then tomorrow night,” Dev said clearly.

  Lily’s brow raised slightly. “Really? All night?”

  “Yes.”

  She poked his chest with her finger. “You sure you can do that all night long?”

  “Yes.” Finally, he looked up at her. “Yes, for hours. Now, don’t push it. This love thing is a new for me, and it could be fleeting.”

  She found something she enjoyed, provoking Dev. This could be fun for the rest of my life. “I will put it on my list for tomorrow night. Do you have any post-it notes here in the bedroom?”

  “Lily.”

  She kissed him quickly on the mouth. “Good night.”

  “Good night.” The room was suddenly dark. Dev turned off the game, leaving Lily with only her thoughts.

  Could you lose ten pounds in a night? I’ll have to leave the lights off. Was there something else to wear besides pajamas? Army only wins during a snowstorm. I love Dev Pierce.

  By morning, Dev and Lily were back to being Dev and Lily. They’d dressed for church without mentioning one thing about last night. But they both remembered what had been said and that made all the difference. They smiled a lot at each other and held hands through Mass. Jack Pierce sat on the other side of Lily, a broad confident smile pasted on his face. His son had finally found his love.

  Just don’t blow it, Dev, he thought.

  Lily saw Dan as Father Dan. He was charismatic and strong. She noticed his congregation respected him and were inspired by him. She also noticed he was staring at them as he talked about St. Paul’s most romantic lines in his letters. “Love is kind, love is patient.”

  “Dev,” she whispered. “Is he talking to us?”

  Dev shifted uncomfortably in the pew. “Yep. Revenge by a priest is a bitch.”

  “Dev,” she reprimanded.

  “He thinks he’s a funny man. He’s just making a point. Just smile back at him.” Dev pasted on the fakest smile he could muster. Dan turned his attention to another side of the church. “See, we’re off the hook for now.”

  After Mass, they met up with their favorite priest at the back of the church.

  “So, where are you all headed now?”

  “Out to my aunt’s vineyard. We’re having brunch.”

  “That’ll be nice. Lily, it was great meeting you,” Dan hugged her then whispered. “You’ve got this. Just hang in there. He is worth it.”

  When they pulled apart, she nodded. “I know. We both have an understanding now.”

  The priest clapped his hands. “Wonderful. When did this enlightenment occur?”

  “Last night,” she answered.

  Dan looked up to the heavens. “I can’t hear this.”

  Lily blushed quickly. “Get your mind out of the gutter, priest. It wasn’t like that.”

  “Well, however it was, I’m happy it has been settled.”

  “Am I missing some sort of secret code here?” Dev asked. His girlfriend and friend laughed together. “Say goodbye to the nice priest. We need to get going. Dad’s gone to the car.”

  “Goodbye nice priest,” Lily said as she hugged Dan again. “Thank you for everything. See you soon, I hope.”

  “I hope so, Lily. Bless you. You are taking on a very large project.” He looked over at his friend and then hugged him. “Take care, Dev. I’ll be praying for you as always.”

  “You know I need it, buddy. Call you soon.”

  It was another hour before they were eating at the vineyard.

  Lily was looking out the large windows of the dining area. The rolling hills of Virginia were west of the property but even with the light snow covering, they were only an accent to the sleeping garden and arbors, the large barn, horse stable, swimming pool and a pond with trails past the vineyard.

  “This is the perfect wedding venue,” Lily acknowledged to Dev’s aunt. It was the perfect blend of shabby and chic within forty minutes of the Washington, D.C. area.

  “Then come work with me and put it all together,” Aunt Maggie offered.

  Lily stopped daydreaming. “What?”

  Dev and his dad laughed. Lily hadn’t expected the offer. They hadn’t either. Well, maybe Jack and his sister had thought of an option to entice Lily, once she was married to Dev. If he ever got around to it. If she said yes. If she really would move.

  “I said come here and help me make it happen.” Margaret, Maggie, Pierce Andersen had acquired the property from her deceased husband’s family. At first it had been a daunting challenge but then she had eased into the management of the vineyard, the bed and breakfast resort. The spa she had designed would be ready in the spring and she was ready to market for more weddings and celebrations.

  “I’d be happy to help you, offer some ideas,” Lily finally answered.

  “I know you have your own business but,” Maggie winked at Dev, “if you ever move around here, I’d love to have you.”

  Lily smiled. She understood the proposition but there were so many questions and Dev had not asked the one that might settle everything for her.

  “Thank you. I absolutely love the property.”

  “Jack, I need to show you that colt when we’re done.”

  “Mags, what did you name this one?” Dev’s dad rolled his eyes. His sister always had the most unique names for their pets when they were growing up and now she was doing it with the horses.

  “Well, the hair on his head is in an unusual pattern. He’s actually kind of shaggy.”

  “You named the colt after a character in the Scooby Doo cartoons?” Dev suggested.

  Maggie stuck her tongue out at her know-it-all nephew. “No, after that television show about the Addams family. It was a cartoon and then a television show, remember? His name is IT.”

  Dev and his father hit their foreheads in the same manner, but Lily clapped.

  “Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to see IT.” Maggie and she laughed in delight. “Did Dev tell you he brought me a dog named Mort?”
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br />   Dev whispered to his dad. “Have you noticed the two of them are alike?”

  He nodded. “I noticed. This may not be a good thing.”

  “Mort? After the sheriff with Jessica Fletcher?”

  “No, Morticia!”

  The two women shared a high-five hand slap.

  After a tour of the new spa area, Lily met IT and fell, no crashed in love. Maggie was right about his hair; it was unnaturally full and stringy. He did look like Cousin IT from the old television show. With IT and Mort, they just needed Gomez, Lurch and the rest. Lily stifled a snort.

  She was staring into the colt’s dark brown eyes when she heard Dev’s cell phone. She looked up to see him leave the stables, pacing in front of the door. Lily knew the concern on his face and what it meant as he returned to the barn.

  “I’m sorry everyone, but I have to catch a plane at seven.”

  “Something up?” Jack asked his son. He placed his hand on his back. He could tell Dev was worried.

  “A lot, so I’m sorry Aunt Maggie but we’ve got to go. Dad, will you take Lily to the airport tomorrow?”

  “Of course. Let’s get going.”

  Back at the townhouse, Lily pretended to be reading while Dev packed. His every movement upstairs was one more step closer to uncertainty for the man she loved. Something must be so wrong for him to be this quiet. As he came down the stairs she heard his bag hit the floor in the hallway.

  She was sitting in his large chair, her legs dangling over the side, with a view of him in his office. He was packing his laptop and chargers. He opened a drawer, pulled out a silver case and removed a gun and another piece she assumed was a magazine. She watched his precision as he examined every piece.

  Lily couldn’t watch anymore. He looked like a totally different man, dangerous and detached. In minutes he was standing over her. She looked up to see him smiling.

  “You look good in that chair.” He kissed the top of her head.

  “It’s comfy. You all set?”

  He squatted in front of her, laying his hand on her leg.

  “There’s plenty of food in the fridge, coffee, breakfast. Dad will pick you up tomorrow. His number is on the fridge door. Tell him to use up that food. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

  She choked back her emotion. What he didn’t say spoke volumes. He didn’t know when he would see her again; she understood she wouldn’t know when he would reappear in her life.

  “I can drive you to the airport, if you’ll let me,” Lily suggested.

  “I’d like that very much.” His voice had lowered, it was soft velvet. He held her hands. “We had plans tonight, but I’ll have to take a rain check.”

  She pulled one hand away to pat the side of his face playfully. “It’s fine. I’ll put it on a list.”

  He shook his head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  Lily’s grin unnerved him to his core. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  She leaned over and kissed him as hard as she could. “I love you. Now come back to me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The short ride to Reagan Airport was filled with casual discussion and reminders about the security system, the coffee maker and the alarm next to the bed. Lily pulled into the passenger drop-off zone. She came around to the back as Dev removed his bag. He took in a deep breath and looked down at her.

  “I’m sorry about this.”

  She patted his coat, bringing her hand to his face. “Please be careful.”

  Dev nodded. “I better go, but I am never leaving you again without doing this.”

  He enveloped her into his arms. They shared a kiss, one to last until the next time they were together. She didn’t want him to pull away. When he finally did, he whispered in her ear.

  “I love you. Put that on one of your damn post-it notes.”

  “You’ve got it. I love you too. Be safe.”

  He turned away quickly. He couldn’t lie to her anymore. It was going to be very difficult to stay safe where he was going. In the next few months, they’d finish this mission once and for all, one way or another. It would be finished.

  Lily drove back to Dev’s house, crying all the way. He’d finally said the three words she had longed to hear and it had been so natural, so very real. As in any really good romance novel, he suddenly vanished. The lovers were apart once more. Hopefully her reality would be a happy ending, not a tragic one.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I’m in for the night, Mr. Pierce,” Lily said, calling him after she returned home. Home, yes, it did feel like home.

  “Lily, please call me Jack. Did you make it to the airport and back?”

  “Yes, we made it fine and he’s just waiting at the gate. I only made one wrong turn home.” That did sound normal, yet strange to think his home was her home but here she was. She’d kicked off her shoes and climbed into his chair with the throw wrapped around her.

  “I’m going to pick you up for breakfast around eight and then we’ll have plenty of time to get you to your flight. Dev already gave me the time. I know he has food there, but let’s go out, just you and me.”

  “That sounds nice,” she murmured. It really did. “I’ll be ready. Thank you, Jack. Goodnight.”

  She was hungry. They’d had no time between brunch and packing Dev up to eat anything. She hoped he grabbed something at the airport. But she had chili in the refrigerator and she was a professional at using the microwave. She had a degree in it. She brought in her bowl and a beer and turned on the television. Of course, hockey was on. The man had a hockey channel. She ate, she watched. Her mind was numb, literally she wasn’t thinking about anything. It wasn’t even eight o’clock and she was exhausted not just from the weekend, but the roller coaster of emotion. Enough, I can go to bed.

  She checked the kitchen and washed her bowl and spoon, leaving them to dry on the counter. Everything was spotless. She looked over the living room. It was perfect, not even a pillow out of place. Before she went up the steps, she looked over at Dev’s office. She was curious, tempted to invade and snoop.

  Lily walked in. She slid her hand around the edge of the desk. Who was this man she loved? She took it all in, sitting down in his leather chair. She felt small as she surveyed the room. It was undeniably male with dark wood and plantation shutters. The desk was well worked, looking like it had been in his family for ages. Spinning around in his chair, she faced the credenza. It was dotted with numerous photos, true snapshots of Dev’s life and what his life was about.

  The photos were varied, some family and some with dignitaries. At the front was a photo of President George W. Bush obviously in a combat zone, maybe Afghanistan when he surprised the troops on Thanksgiving. Next to it was a photo of a younger Jack and his small son at a baseball game. There was one of his parents and him on his graduation day from high school and one at West Point. There were other photos at the back of his buddies and of President Jimmy Carter. In another, Dev stood with another man who looked like a miniature of him. Possibly it was his brother or a cousin? There was a great family photo of a younger Pierce family. Picking it up, Lily touched the face of whom she suspected was Dev’s mother. Her smile and kind eyes reminded her of her own mother. Those women didn’t ask for much and they certainly didn’t get it, both taken by cancer way too soon. Dev was such a cute little boy in a Washington football jersey. His Dad was just a younger version of his current version. The other little boy, apparently Dev’s brother, had curly hair like his mother’s.

  What was it like to be his brother, to live in Dev’s shadow all his life? It was a mighty large dark space. Placing the photo back into its place, she moved to the next one. It was the four cadets on graduation day. Next was another of the four, dirty, heavy laden with guns and ammo in full war attire. They were all so young and now so changed after they had lost Tom and Michael. How many other friends had they watched die?

  She turned back around. On the desk, under a paper weight from the White H
ouse was a Starlight ticket, two Starlight tickets, one to “Spamalot” and the other to “Mama Mia”.

  “You kept the tickets?” Lily asked out loud. He kept the tickets. Last year he had gone with her to the popular outdoor theater in Kansas City. He is so weird. She never expected him to be sentimental, but there they were. There was also a photo facing down, yet to be framed. There was a note next to it. She shouldn’t read it, but what would her favorite mystery writer do? Lily picked it up.

  “Dearest Dev, The Judge and I want to express our thanks that you are still a part of our lives. What a blessing you are. I thought you might like to have this souvenir of our night at the baseball game. We are so happy you have finally found the woman who makes you whole. Love to you and dear Lily, Maureen Stanley.”

  Lily wiped away a tear. Oh my. She made him whole? How did she do that? The photo was of the lovely elderly couple, Dev and her at the Royals’ game. She’d forgotten that an attendant had taken it. That night, Mrs. Stanley had guessed her feelings for Devlin Pierce but more surprisingly the wise woman had divulged that Dev had feelings for her too, whether or not he realized it at the time.

  She placed the note back and looked around. A hockey stick stood near a few trophies, a football and what looked to be a few government and Army citations. On his desk was a brown wooden box with a glass top holding his medals and ribbons. She didn’t understand their meaning. Some day, she wanted him to tell her, to make her understand the sacrifice each one represented. Beside the box were two quotes one from Martha Washington.

  “The greatest part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not upon our circumstances.”

  The other was from President Ronald Reagan.

  “Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value (valor) and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.