Sweet Rendezvous

by Danielle Stewart

  “I’d prefer not to do that. And I don’t need to. All I need is enough money to eat and pay for a place to live for the next thirty days. I’ll get a job that can guarantee that. If you can agree to a few terms.”

  “Terms?” Davis asked, scanning her face as if she might break out into a laugh any moment. But she never faltered. She might as well be a bank employee explaining a transaction to him at this point.

  “Yes. It’s a lot to ask, but I need you to make a hundred-dollar investment in my plan. In two weeks I can pay you back with interest. Also could you reach out to Dallas and see if he’d be willing to let me stay in a cabin for a week or so before I can pay him?” Her face was tight with seriousness, and he felt bad for the smirk he couldn’t hold in.

  “An investment? I think I can manage that. I’m sure Dallas would be happy to put you up in one of his older cabins. It’s nothing fancy,”

  “That’s fine,” she said, cutting him off. “I don’t need much. This is a reset. I’m just taking the next thirty days to get myself straight.”

  “That’s good,” Davis nodded, still fighting the urge to laugh. “Mrs. Donavan needs help at her floral shop. Her daughter left for college, and she’s short-handed now. She has a wedding at the end of the week. I bet if I put in a good word for you, she’d ask you to work today.”

  “Perfect,” Elaine sang happily as she spun her hair into a ponytail. “I could do well there.”

  “You have experience as a florist?” he asked, continuing to knock on the truth door and hoping she accidently opened it.

  “I have seen flowers before,” she edged out, finally breaking into a grin herself. “But I’m a quick learner. See everything is coming together.”

  “Help yourself to more of the clothes in there.” He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and fished out some cash. “Here’s my investment in your reboot.”

  “Reset,” she corrected, taking the money and tucking it into her pocket. “That’s exactly what I need.”

  “Because of what happened,” he said causally, tiding up a few things on the counter.

  “Nice try,” she replied pointing a scolding finger at him. “There’s nothing there to talk about. I do want to thank you for all you’ve done, but now I’m ready to get back to being independent.”

  “Because depending on people is a bad thing?” he asked, adding another leading question to the pile.

  “It’s dangerous,” she said, using her palms to press the invisible wrinkles out of her cotton shirt. “I prefer to take care of myself.”

  Davis nodded his agreement but couldn’t help but add his two cents, “After I lent you some money and clothes, helped you find a place to stay, and found you a job?”

  “Yes”—she chuckled—“but then that’s it.”

  “Come on, I’ll give you a ride to Mrs. Donavan’s. Then I’ll get your car fueled up and brought into town today,” he said, pulling on his baseball hat.

  “Then that’s it,” she said through her coy smile. “Then I’ll be fine.”

  “Right,” he sighed as he headed out the door. “You will be fine, Elaine.”

  “And your investment will be worth it. I’ll make sure this is all worth your while,” she added, her cheeks growing a little pinker. His intention wasn’t to make her feel bad. He had no problem helping her out. But he had to admit the blush in her cheeks only made her more attractive.

  “It’s not a problem,” he said, turning on her suddenly and looking her square in the eyes. “I’m giving you a hard time. It’s no trouble at all. Everyone needs a reset now and then. I can respect that.”

  “How about you?” she asked as he opened her door and she climbed into the passenger side of his truck. The only woman who’d been in that spot in the last four years was old Widow Marcelo, who’d needed to get her dogs to the vet in a hurry. Elaine looked lightyears better with the early morning light shining on her blonde hair. “Do you ever need a reset?” she pressed.

  “Me?” he grunted, sliding into the driver’s side. “No. I’m a simple guy. I wake up. Go to work. Eat. Tinker around on my own boat. Go to bed. Not much there that needs fixing.”

  “We’d have to agree to disagree on that. There’s way more to life than just that. I find it hard to believe a man like you in a place like this doesn’t have girls falling all over him. It must be a full time job trying to stay single.”

  “It’s a burden, but I manage.” He chuckled. “But you, there must be a man up in New York wondering where you went. Aren’t you worried there’ll be an all-points bulletin going out for you soon? I’m only asking because if you’re in my truck when they find you, I don’t want to go down for kidnapping.”

  “Trust me, you’re safe. No one is wondering where I am. Which makes this little vacation perfect. I’m beholden to no one. Well, except you because I owe you a hundred dollars now.”

  “What happens after thirty days?” Davis asked, fixing his eyes on the road and trying not to look overly interested in her response.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” she explained, as though this were some tried and true method of living. “I’ll know in thirty days what I should do. I know it’ll all work out fine. That little breakdown last night. That’s not me. I can get through this.”

  “Well,” he said, throwing her a sideways glance, “I certainly wouldn’t bet against you.”

  Chapter 5

  “You just need to clip all these stems down to about here,” Mrs. Donavan explained as she used her calloused hands to push her thick glasses back into position. Her curly white hair rose from her head like springs and bounced as she moved around the tiny shop from flower to flower. “After that you can cut these ribbons in one foot lengths. Can you handle that?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Elaine nodded, ignoring her instinct to explain how painfully over qualified she was for this job. She’d spent the last ten years positioning herself as a key player, trading on the New York Stock Exchange. She’d clawed her way through every barrier and made a name for herself. Surely cutting the stems off some lilies was manageable. “I just want to let you know again how grateful I am that you hired me on such short notice.”

  “Any friend of Davis is a friend of mine,” Mrs. Donavan said, smiling warmly at Elaine. “That boy has been good to me over the years. How exactly is it you know him again?”

  “He helped me out when I found myself in a tough spot,” Elaine explained, not wanting to lie to the kind woman.

  “And is there anything special between you two?” Mrs. Donavan asked, her smile spreading wide and her watery gray blue eyes glimmering with excitement. “He can’t possible continue the lifestyle he has.”

  “What lifestyle is that?” Elaine asked, measuring with impeccable precision as she cut the stems. If you were going to do something, it was best to do it perfectly.

  “Oh he’s been punishing himself for over four years. It’s pathetic. When he walked in here with you I thought, finally he’s moving on. Was I wrong?”

  “Sorry to say I’m not his love interest,” Elaine apologized, her cheeks warm with embarrassment. “We’ve done more yelling at each other since we’ve met than anything else. He’s just a good guy helping out. What exactly is he punishing himself for?”

  “Don’t you know?” Mrs. Donavan asked, arranging and rearranging a few vases and eyeing Elaine skeptically. “Surely someone told you.”

  “No,” Elaine said, shaking her head and snipping the last few lilies. “I tried not to pry.”

  “I’m not gonna spill his secrets all over these flowers,” Mrs. Donavan said, feigning righteous indignation. “But I will tell you it’s far past time for him to move on. That girl was not his responsibility. Her mistakes. Her choices. That boy has just been beating himself up all this time. It’s high time he let all that go.”

  “Seems like an interesting story,” Elaine said, trying to imagine what kind of situation Davis and his big heart might have gotten into years ago.

  “He
had a high school sweetheart,” Mrs. Donavan explained in a whisper as though the volume made it less scandalous. “Julie Brown-Styles.” She shook her head in disappointment. “Prom queen to his prom king. Cheerleader to his star quarterback. We all thought they’d be married and having kids in no time.”

  “Sounds like they were meant to be,” Elaine commented, surprised to hear that aloof Davis was ever the center of attention. She couldn’t picture him dancing in some school gymnasium with a plastic crown on his head, reigning over prom.

  “On paper,” Mrs. Donavan agreed. “But she had her sights set on California for years. Somewhere along the way she decided she was going to be an actress. They were together a couple years after high school, and then she acted like this town and his love was suffocating her. It was supposed to only be a year out there. But she came back with a piercing in her nose, a stranger on her arm, and a penchant for alcoholic beverages. It broke him. Not only because he thought they had a future, but because he also saw how she’d changed. She was the shell of the woman she once was. That place wrecked her, and he felt like it was his fault for not giving her more reasons to stay in Indigo Bay. He was sure if he’d have loved her harder or begged her more he could have kept her safe. But you and I, and everyone else in this town, knows you can’t tie a donkey to a tree and think he’s gonna be happy forever.”

  “Right,” Elaine said tentatively as she tried to process the metaphor. “You can’t love someone into doing what’s best for them. If you could there’d be a lot less trouble in the world.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?” Mrs. Donavan remarked, patting her shoulder as if they’d been friends for years. “The problem was every once in a while when she was down on her luck she’d come back a mess, and he’d clean her up while she strung him along. Then like always, she’d leave again.”

  Elaine arranged the flowers and nodded intently. “She sounds like a real heartbreaker. Should I be on the lookout for her pulling in? Let me guess, she drives a little red corvette?”

  “Close,” Mrs. Donavan replied solemnly, and Elaine realized instantly she’d made a mistake. “It was a cherry red convertible she drove off the side of a cliff in California. No one knows for sure if it was an accident or if she was just giving up. I suspect too many drinks that night. She and Davis had just had one of their epic breakups. Right in the middle of town square he told her to go and never come back. He was finally done with her.”

  “Ouch,” Elaine said, knowing she sounded like an idiot, but at a loss for more poetic words. “That’s so sad. No wonder he hasn’t dated anyone since.”

  “It was a waste of a good man and just one more way she ruined him even after she was gone.” She did the sign of the cross and whispered a quick prayer. “Not to speak ill of the dead, but he’s better off without her. I just hope he can bounce back one of these days. A nice girl needs to come along and snap him out of it.” A silence fell between them until Mrs. Donavan began to hum and throw her sideways glances.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Elaine said, quickly dropping the flowers out of her hands. “I’m the absolute worst thing that could happen to him right now. Like I said when you hired me, I’m only here for a month. I’d be just another woman running out of his life.”

  “But you think he’s attractive?” Mrs. Donavan asked, humming while she waited for an answer.

  “He’s not my type,” Elaine dodged, but she had a feeling Mrs. Donavan was skilled in this particular type of interrogation. The kind that got to the bottom of people’s feelings. “He’s a little rugged for me. I’m from New York. I tend to date business professionals.”

  “Davis is no slouch. He owns his own repair business, and you didn’t answer my question. Don’t you find him attractive?”

  “I do,” Elaine answered, her cheeks flushing pink as the words spilled out. “But I am honestly only staying here a month at most. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”

  “I’m not suggesting you get married,” Mrs. Donavan explained, circling around the wide table to grab some roses. “I’m just saying maybe you could help blow the stink off him. Don’t you think?”

  “I’m not familiar enough with that expression to agree.” Elaine laughed, shaking her head at the turn this conversation had taken. “But please don’t explain it to me.” They both broke into a laugh as they began arranging the flowers.

  “There’s a certain way to make sure your bouquets come out just right,” Mrs. Donavan explained, the skin around her eyes wrinkled as she scrutinized the first arrangement. “People always think it has to be balanced. Equal amounts of every flower, nothing out of place. But that’s not true. A good bouquet is beautiful when you take risks. You can’t always be looking for symmetry and perfection. Sometimes you just have to toss in what feels right and trust your heart.”

  “Are we still talking about roses?” Elaine asked, with a devilish grin.

  “Just clip those stems, girl,” Mrs. Donavan sighed, winking as she headed to the back room. “Take some risks.”

  Chapter 6

  “Hi there, Mrs. Donavan,” Davis said, nodding his hello to the hunched-shouldered older woman he’d known since he was born. She was one of the hardest working women in town and he respected how seriously she took her responsibilities. By day a florist. By night a meddler in all matters of the heart.

  “Davis,” she sang back lovingly. “What an exquisite girl you brought to me. She has a real knack for arranging flowers.”

  “Really?” Davis asked as Elaine came around the corner.

  “Please don’t look so surprised.” Elaine smirked as she folded her apron and laid it over the back of the chair. “Thank you for all lessons you gave me today, Mrs. Donavan. I learned so much.”

  “Only one lesson that matters.” She grinned, her coiled white hair bouncing as she walked. “Don’t forget. Risks, darling. That’s what makes a beautiful bouquet.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Elaine said, accepting the warm hug Mrs. Donavan was offering. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Davis has my car squared away so I’ll be here bright and early.”

  “What a lovely thing to do,” Mrs. Donavan said, pulling Davis in for a hug as well. “Two lovely young people in such close proximity to each other, how nice. But don’t rush in here tomorrow. Maybe you two should stop at Sweet Caroline’s and have some breakfast.”

  “Yes,” Davis said, rushing Elaine toward the door. The bell chimed overhead and they were out on the curb and under the warm sun before Elaine could reply.

  “You’re in a hurry,” Elaine said, looking him over as he dashed to open the passenger door in his truck.

  “Mrs. Donavan has a nasty habit of talking your ear off if you stick around too long. Plus she’s one of the big matchmakers in Indigo Bay. She, Mrs. Caroline, and Lucille spend most of their free time trying to work out everyone’s life for them.”

  “She was charming,” Elaine said, her wide smile lighting her face. She looked even more beautiful after a day’s work than she had when she left this morning. He fought to stay focused on anything else. “Though I do think you’re right. Mrs. Donavan seemed hell-bent on fixing you up.”

  “I suppose she told you all about Julie?” Davis asked, hardly needing Elaine to answer. Her cheeks grew pink and her lips smacked shut abruptly; that was all the answer he needed. “It’s fine. I knew the minute I dropped you off there this morning she’d be blabbing all my business. If it wasn’t her, it would be someone else. People around here, they don’t know what boundaries are. It doesn’t bother me.”

  “I’m sorry anyway,” Elaine offered, looking sheepish now. “It sounds like you really loved her, and it took its toll on you.”

  “Believe it or not”—he sighed—“I’m in a much better place than most people give me credit for. I don’t cry myself to sleep. I don’t beat myself up.” He put the truck in reverse and pulled onto the main street.

  “But you don’t date anyone either? That’s a long time to be alone.” She shifted in her s
eat and stared out the window as if there were something interesting to see.

  “Just because I don’t go parading my love life up and down Indigo Bay doesn’t mean I don’t have one. When I was with Julie, we were the focal point here. Everything we did was public information. Our good days, our bad days, everyone knew what we were doing and when. I swore I’d never do that again. Let them talk. Let them wonder. I just don’t give them anything to talk about anymore.”

  “It must be nice to know people care though,” she tried in a cheery voice. “In New York everyone is in their own bubble. We walk fast, we talk fast, and we rarely look up long enough to notice if anyone needs anything. I’m going to enjoy the next thirty days here, soaking in all the kindness.”

  “You’ll need a place to stay then,” Davis said, happy to start talking about something other than his past. “I talked to Dallas. He has one small cabin he said you’d be welcomed to use. It’s on the back of the property, and he said he hasn’t been out there much lately. I told him I’d check it out with you and make sure it’ll work. Your car is fueled and at my house. I’ll get it over to the cabin for you later.”

  “Thank you,” she said, looking guilty. “I hate that you’ve had to do so much to help me. I promise I’ll get Dallas his rent money for the cabin, and I’ll pay you back for everything.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Davis nodded. “I’m in no rush. Do what you need to do to feel better. Then I’m sure when you get back to New York, it’ll be nice.”

  “I’m never going back to New York,” she scoffed, shaking her head defiantly. “I might not know much about where I’m going to end up, but it certainly isn’t there.”

  “Really?” Davis asked. “I wouldn’t think you could just leave a fast-paced lifestyle without looking back. What about your job?”

  “My job is gone,” she admitted, unrolling her window and putting her arm out, letting the wind blow through her fingers. “And I won’t be able to find something in my field again. That ship has sailed.”