Nappily in Bloom

by Trisha R. Thomas

  “You were thinking, he’s fine as hell and good in bed.” I was grateful to talk about something I knew a thing or two about. “Money can’t buy that. Having money without love is a waste of money.”

  “Okay, no. I could seriously be in love with a real millionaire. All he’d have to do is wave an unlimited credit card in front of me, and I’d probably come.” She started making orgasm noises.

  “And then he’d wave a prenup in front of you, and the love would sail right out the window.”

  “Yeah, that would just be more reason for me to stay in love. So stop stalling—tell me what’s on your mind.” Wendy was quick, even though she swore the pregnancy had made her drop ten IQ points.

  “Legend is here in Atlanta. He and Jake are trying to solve crime like the friggin Hardy Boys. I’m being followed by FBI agents for my own protection, and Airic stole my child today from preschool.” I reached out from under the covers and sipped on the glass of wine sitting by my bed.

  “Oh, okay,” Wendy said. “That’s all.”

  “No, there’s more. I’m feeling guilty about accepting a gift from another man. A spa day, complete with full body massage and champagne. It was magical—the massage I mean. He was nowhere around.”

  Wendy was quiet. She gave it a minute of thought. “Anything else?”

  “Yep, pretty much covers it.”

  “I thought this floral shop was keeping you busy.”

  “Yeah, very busy. In between car chases and trying to keep the peace between Jake and Airic, I do weddings, funerals, and bar mizvahs. So forgive me if I want to escape my life for like five minutes.”

  “Do you like this guy?”

  “Like him? Of course not.”

  “Liar.”

  “He’s married. He’s the father of Mya’s best bud. He’s just a really nice guy. Not to mention, I’m happily married. Must we go over this part?”

  “Did you say something?” She laughed.

  “Whatever.”

  “Since when does being married stop roving eyes or emotions? First thing to do is address whatever is going on with you and Jake. No one would be able to capture your attention if you guys were in happy-mode. So what’s going on?”

  “I just told you . . . Legend, car chases, FBI. Were you listening?”

  “Absolutely. What I heard was that you were sick and tired of dealing with something that should’ve been done with by now. Sounds like you’re mad at Jake a little bit for letting this thing interrupt your flow.”

  I sat up and refilled my glass. I took a sip then held the glass to my forehead. “What else do you see, oh great one?”

  “I see your ass in divorce court if you keep messing with this man.”

  “Stop it.”

  “I’m serious. You know Jake does not play when it comes to other men creeping in his territory. Let him handle his business. Sounds like it’s coming to a head. Maybe it’ll really be over this time.” Wendy paused, not sure if she’d struck a nerve. “Are you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.” I tried not to let her hear the heartache in my voice.

  “Oh sweetie, don’t cry. You’re scared. You guys are going to get through this like you always do. It’s going to be okay.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said, sniffing gently.

  “Stop trying to find out. You never answer when I call. Then you don’t call me back for weeks. Just cause I got a new husband doesn’t mean I don’t need you.”

  “I promise to call more often.” I blew her a kiss into the phone. I checked the time on the alarm clock. Still an hour to go before Airic returned Mya. The two people I loved more than anyone or anything on this earth were out of my reach.

  “Wait a minute. I think I hear Jake. It was good talking to you, Wen. I love you, girl. I don’t know what I’d do without you promise to call more often.” I blew her a another kiss into the phone. The thumping sound was in the hallway. I crawled out of bed with my new bodyguard, the bat, and cautiously peeked out our bedroom. Jake had towels and a pillow from the hall closet.

  “Babe, it’s me.” He held up a hand, surprised to see me in my pajamas, standing with my new best friend ready to strike. “What’re you doing?”

  “Trying to protect this house. What’re you doing?”

  “It’s Legend. He’s hurt.” I rushed down the stairs right behind him to see Legend lying on the couch. He had a huge lump on his forehead, his lip was busted and eye swollen. “Is he bleeding on my couch?”

  Jake put the towel under his head.

  “I’ll get some ice.” I went to the kitchen and filled up a ziplock bag. I came back and placed it on Legend’s head.

  “Mom, is that you?” Legend reached out, patting my face. I swiped his hand away. “Oh, my bad. That seventies ’fro threw me off, didn’t know where I was.” He let out a snarly laugh.

  I snatched the ice pack back. “Nothing’s wrong with him. Whatever he got, he probably deserved.”

  Jake just shook his head. Would the nightmare ever end? He took the ice pack and put it gently on his friend’s head. He motioned for me to follow him. We went into his office. He closed the door. “I should’ve listened to you.”

  I held him and kissed his chin. “It’s going to be okay. I spoke with the FBI, they’re closing in on this guy, Ronny. He’s the one who killed Byron. He probably did this to Legend. When they catch him, this will all be over.”

  “You talked to the FBI? When?”

  “They’re the ones who’ve been following me, for protection.”

  A look of confusion rolled over Jake’s face. “They’re the ones who did this to Legend.”

  “No,” I corrected. “Wrong answer. It was a lady agent, McDonald and a man named—”

  “Agent Peterson,” Jake finished. “What did they say to you? Where’s Mya?”

  And this is how the cookie seemed to always crumble between Jake and me. Tendency for wrong answers at the wrong time. “Mya’s with Airic.”

  “Whatthahell do you mean, Mya’s with Airic?”

  “Airic took matters into his own hands and signed her out of school. He was desperate because he knew we weren’t going to let him pick her up, you know—with everything still pending. So, he—”

  “You should’ve called the police.”

  “And said what? Just stop it, all right. Obviously it wasn’t the worst thing to happen today. I mean, I’m glad she wasn’t with me when I confronted those FBI agents.”

  “You confronted them?” He had a brief image locked in his mind, then shook it off. “Don’t answer that.”

  “I was tired of being followed. I got to a stop sign and just mildly asked if there was anything I could do for them.”

  “You and your bat, right? Again, don’t answer that.”

  “Then stop asking. Now I have a question for you, and think about it carefully before you answer. Why would FBI agents want to kick Legend’s ass? I’m telling you, he knows more than he’s letting on.” I headed for the door.

  “Where are you going? I thought you wanted an answer.”

  “You don’t have the answer. Just get him out of my house. I’m going to call Airic, make sure he’s on his way.” I’d given up on trying to understand what was going on. The good guys were the bad, and Legend was an innocent victim. Couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it. Especially Legend as the innocent victim—that part was way too hard to swallow. “And I’m taking my bat. So if I were you, I’d announce yourself before coming to our bedroom.”

  Scout’s Honor

  I woke up with the same instructions I had the day before: Don’t leave the house. I followed those instructions the same way I had before. I packed Mya and my bat into the car. This time I said a prayer for good measure. Taking Mya back to the preschool was a lot safer than leaving her home with Jake and Legend. And I had way too much work to do for Judge Hawkins’s daughter’s wedding on Saturday. It was no time for hiding under the blankets.

  The staff was surpri
sed to see me. The preschool director must’ve been waiting on alert. She came out immediately and offered her thin hand. She had a short dark bob cut close around her ears and small apologetic eyes. “Mrs. Parson, we are sincerely dedicated to all of our children here. The thought of doing something to jeopardize them put me in a frenzy. I held an early emergency meeting this morning to go over practice and procedures. My many apologies.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate that.” Maybe to show how really sorry you are, I could get a free month of tuition.

  Mya unlatched herself from my hand the minute she saw Jory. I didn’t take my eyes off her until they met with their signature hug. My eyes landed on his dad. His dad! He never dropped Jory off, or picked him up, for that matter. He kissed Jory on top of his head and said his good-bye. Seeing me, too, he started in my direction.

  “Thanks again, I gotta get going,” I told the director.

  “Have a good day. Mya is in good hands,” she called out.

  “Hold on, now, wait a minute. You telling me I don’t even get a thank-you.” Robert trotted lightly to catch up, his khaki trench open and trailing slightly behind him.

  I stopped, and ignored my embarrassment for being rude. What was I running from, anyway? “How are you?” I did a round wave. “I can’t believe you’re here dropping off Jory. I wanted to call, but didn’t have your number in my cell phone.” I held it up.

  “Well, I can change that.” He took the phone and put in his digits. “For next time.” He handed it back. “I’m on my way to a meeting, but I’ve got a few minutes for coffee. How about it?”

  “Coffee?”

  “Uh-huh. I get the idea you spend a lot of time around people that don’t mean what they say.”

  “Kind of like politicians.” I crowned the comment with a lopsided frown.

  “So noted. Come on, we can walk across the street.”

  I went along peacefully. The coffee shop was crowded, as I knew it would be. The mothers, having freshly dropped off their children, used it as a way station to start their day. We sat outside, the only place where there were empty seats and less staring going on. Who was the good-looking white guy dressed to kill and the Pam Grier throwback in white denim and a jean trench? We looked like sexy detectives from a crime weekly. He opened his coffee and drank without the plastic top. “In Europe this is blasphemy, drinking out of paper and plastic.”

  “I’ve never been.”

  “Really? I see you as a world traveler. Someone who’s been places.”

  “I’ve traveled a bit, but never been to Europe.”

  “You’d love it.” He swirled and took a sip. “Especially a tiny part of Florence, Italy. I have a house there.”

  “You mean, you and Holly have a house there. Married people speak in terms of we, not I.”

  “I have a house there, very beautiful. If you ever want to steal away, take a break from, what is it—” He leaned forward, pulling my coat open a bit to expose my white T-shirt. “—In Bloom. So have you always been a florist?”

  “I was in advertising for a while. Then my own marketing firm until I decided to stay home with Mya. Then when we moved here to Atlanta, I worked at this little floral shop for a week before the owner said she was leaving, going back to Germany and selling the business, and I bought it. I didn’t really know what I was getting into. But I love it.”

  “You say that with such conviction.”

  “Speaking of which, I have a huge wedding to prepare for this weekend, so I have to get going. Thank you. And I really appreciated the spa day. You have no idea how much I needed it.”

  “I have somewhat of an idea. You probably are working harder than you’ve ever worked in your life, am I right?”

  “I like being busy.”

  “Have you thought about getting back in to marketing? Maybe work on someone’s campaign, maybe someone like, say, me?”

  “You don’t even know me,” I said, flattered.

  “I know more than you think I do.”

  “Oh, right, you have your ways.” I nodded. “Since you have that ability, do you mind helping me out on something? It’s kind of touchy. I mean, you’ll probably rethink your offer when I ask you this. But, can you find out if a couple of FBI agents are really agents? If I give you their names, can you—?”

  Robert Stanton leaned forward, more intrigued than put off. His large face seemed always camera ready. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s a long story, you don’t have time. The names are McDonald and Peterson. McDonald is a woman agent. They claim they’ve been keeping tabs on me for my own protection, but turns out it might be a form of harassment. More like extortion.”

  “Does it have something to do with your husband’s arrest a while back?”

  I nodded. “If we only could wave a magic wand and make life go according to our plan, instead of the complete opposite.”

  He leaned back. His mood turned instantly melancholy. “I can attest to that. My first wife, Jory’s mother, was diagnosed with cancer right after he was born. She was only thirty-six when she died, Jory never knew her.”

  “I’m sorry . . . I had no idea.”

  “Life is unpredictable. The best we can do is relax, buckle up, and try to take the scenic view. I live each day to the fullest and hope for the best.”

  I suddenly felt guilty for being so angry with Jake. This too shall pass.

  “Write the names down,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  We walked back across the street. He escorted me to my car.

  “Can you answer this probing question I’ve always wanted to know?”

  “Fire away.” He had deep-set brown eyes that concentrated too hard on me.

  “What is it about men who are only interested in women who are unavailable? I mean, is it the challenge, the sport of it all? What is that?”

  “Are you accusing me of being interested in you? ’Cause, like I said, scout’s honor, I’m a straight shooter, married, with huge political aspirations. I’d never ever, ever, do anything dishonorable.” He fought off the smile long enough. “Okay, look, I just think you’re cute as hell. Nothing wrong with a little flirting, keeps your heart pumping strong. But I know the rules.” He looked down at his shoes for a minute, looking like his son. “The answer to your question: I think once in a while we come across this amazing woman who just happens to be taken, and sometimes we just think, Damn, that could’ve been me.”

  “You’re cute as hell, too,” I said. “But so is my husband. And I love him.” I patted him on the shoulder.

  He conceded. “I give,” he said, holding up his two fingers.

  The preschool was quiet and calm, not the bustle and hustle of only thirty minutes ago. The children were in their classrooms, oblivious of life’s uphill journey. Robert waved as I pulled off. I kept my eye on the rearview mirror, but this time for different reasons. Not because I was afraid, but feeling safe, even as fleeting as it turned out to be. I smiled and reached down to feel my heart. It was pumping quite fast. He was right, sometimes you just needed that flittering moment of feel-good. No harm, no foul.

  Pause ’n’ Effect

  Jake woke up to his phone ringing. He’d overslept, after swearing to himself he’d get up before Venus could make another great escape. He picked up the phone, not recognizing the caller’s number. “I guess you stop keeping your promises, huh?”

  “Sirena, hey.”

  “I hear congratulations are in order. Gray said you signed with him.”

  “Yeah, I did. Thanks for the hookup.”

  “So you’re going to take me out for a thank-you celebration, right? The least you can do?”

  “Of course,” Jake said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “I’ll give you a call, set it up.”

  “Right,” she said, not even pretending to believe him. “Jake, I’m not going to chase you. You’re a big boy. You know what you want.” She hung up before he could protest. He didn’t want to be lumped in with those lying
jokers she was used to. Then he remembered it didn’t matter. He was married. There was no reason to play games. That’s why he got married in the first place, to stop making shit up. Pretending he felt one way, when he didn’t. He went to get up and realized he had a good-sized boner peering up at him.

  Sirena’s voice always used to have that effect on him; obviously his body was simply exercising muscle memory. Used to be, just the thought of her would push him to the verge of explosion. He didn’t want to test that either. He lay there and let the reality of his day take hold. The erection faded as quickly as it had appeared.

  Legend. Ronny. Rogue federal agents. Errant baby daddies. Airic was lucky Mya had rushed into his arms the minute she was dropped off. Had Jake’s hands and arms been free, he would’ve been riding in the back of somebody’s police cruiser. He wanted to stick his fist in Airic’s long narrow nose.

  There, that was better.

  “J-man, you up?” Legend’s deep voice reverberated through the door.

  “Hold on.” Jake peeled himself out of the bed. He slipped on his white drawstring boxers. He opened the door and met Legend’s swollen eye. Not so bad as when Jake had found him, but still scary. “You’re taking a whole lot of bruising for not having nothing to do with this.”

  “What are friends for?” Legend stepped inside the room. He looked around. He landed on the black-and-white family picture.

  In that shot, Venus was five months pregnant with the baby they’d lost. She would try to hide it, pack it away, but Jake always dug the photo right back up. For him, it was a shame to pretend the pregnancy never existed. He’d had a son, even if it was only briefly. “I think if anything”—Legend put the picture back on its stand—“you should want to squash this thing. If these fools just want money, then we give it to them. Sell JP Wear, liquidate, divvy up the cash, and walk away.”