by Kimi Flores
“There are plenty of other shops in Santa Barbara. Go somewhere else.” She narrowed her swollen eyes, tempting me to reach over and kiss them.
Not feeling the humor, I smirked anyway. “I was told by a reliable source that this was the best flower shop in town.”
“I reserve the right to refuse service.” She pointed to a little sign that said exactly that. “Plus, we aren’t even open yet.”
A very petite blonde girl came from the back, carrying more flowers to the cooler. She momentarily locked eyes with me. I was used to women staring, so I paid her no attention. The woman I wanted was currently glaring at blondie.
Leah snapped, “Don’t even bother, Melissa. He’ll chew you up and spit you out, too.” Melissa’s eyes rounded before she awkwardly returned to the rear of the store.
Well, brazen Leah was back. Not that I blame her.
“The sooner you help me, the faster you can get rid of me.” I set my palms on the counter, letting her know I wasn’t leaving yet.
Her face flamed. “Too bad I didn’t know that earlier. Would’ve saved me a lot of hassle.” She plastered on a very fake smile. “Okay then, sir, what did you have in mind?” Her mocking sickly-sweet pitch was like nails on a chalkboard.
This interaction wasn’t healthy for either one of us. Time to get this over with. “I was thinking about two bunches of red roses, a dozen in each.”
“How original,” she mumbled sarcastically on her way to the back.
Returning through the velvet-covered doorway, she held the most gorgeous red roses I'd ever seen, and I'd given plenty of roses to women. She arranged some foliage around them, then wrapped them in cellophane.
I sucked in a breath, watching her work. She was even more breathtaking when she concentrated.
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I tried to fill the uncomfortable silence. “I’m leaving tonight but had to tie up some loose ends first.”
Briefly glancing up, she gave me an ‘and am I supposed to care’ look. “I don’t remember asking, but I do have today marked on my calendar. I couldn’t be happier that you’re leaving, Stefen. I can finally go visit my best-friend in her new home.” She tied a wide ribbon around the thin, transparent sheet and shoved the bundles at me.
I huffed, “You didn’t have to stay away.” Reaching in my back pocket, I pulled out my wallet.
She spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t want your money. Just go.”
It was my turn to narrow my eyes. She knew how much I hated that.
“Whoever those are for, I hope they enjoy them. Goodbye, Stefen.”
“You’re an artist, Leah. I’m sure both ladies will love them.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them. I flung a hundred-dollar bill onto the counter and snatched up the roses. I felt her disbelief following me out the door.
Heading toward the car, I thought, worst idea ever.
⁂
All of my bags were packed in the car and I was ready to get the hell out of here. I’d already wrapped everything up today, delivering the flowers and saying my goodbyes to Abby and Madison before the girls left to run errands. Just as I stepped outside, my cell phone rang.
Dammit! Again?
“Yeah, Pop?” I let out an irritated breath, pacing back and forth in the driveway. This was the third time my father had called today, and I was sure it was the same damn request.
“Stefen, be reasonable. Things haven’t been settled here yet. We have no idea what he has planned. For your own safety, please stay there a while longer.” My dad was pleading at this point.
I glanced toward the front door to make sure Caleb wasn’t coming out yet. Speaking under my breath, I told my father, “There’s no way in hell I can stay here, Pop. I only stayed this long because you wouldn’t let me come back to the office. You said a few weeks and I kept my part of our bargain. I’ve outstayed my welcome already.” At least with Leah I have.
Clearly confused, my father asked, “Caleb wants you to leave? That doesn’t sound like him.”
Shaking my head, I regretted wording my answer that way. “No—don’t worry about it, I just—I have to get home.”
“Why aren’t you more worried about this? Every time I’ve called, you act like it’s not a big deal. This is a big fucking deal, Stefen.” My father’s voice was gruff, on the verge of anger.
"I was a little—preoccupied here and didn’t want to waste any time with this crap. Delgado’s full of shit anyway. There’s no reason to take his threats seriously. He’s got other crap to deal with, he’s not gonna waste his time on me." Although I was beginning to wonder myself. I can’t stick around here forever though.
“He said he would kill you, Stefen. That is a real threat. I can’t lose my son over some asshole who’s holding a grudge.”
“Pop, really,” I tried to calm him down. I didn’t believe a word of this bullshit. It was all threats. Nothing real. Right? “I don’t care about his threats. He’s just trying to intimidate me, and it’s not going to work. I’ve been away from my cases for too long already. I’m not stressing about this. I live in a secure building and there are guards in the lobby of our office. I promise I’ll lay low until we figure out what he’s up to, but I’m coming home.” I turned to find Caleb standing next to me, his face tight, questioning what was going on. I raised my index finger up in the air, silently asking my cousin to wait a minute.
“Okay Pop, I’ve got to go. Caleb is taking me to the airport now.” I headed toward the car, opened the passenger door, and stood outside as Caleb got in the driver’s side.
“Dammit, Stefen. You are so fucking stubborn,” my dad barked.
A bemused smile covered my lips. “I wonder where I learned that from.”
Sighing heavily, my father gave in. “Please be safe and call me when you arrive. I’ll have a car waiting for you.”
“Will do. Bye, Pop.” I ended the call, then got in and closed my door. “Thanks for driving me, man. I could have taken a taxi though.”
“The airport is right here in town. Why wouldn’t I drive you? Besides, the girls needed some time together.” Driving down toward the main street, Caleb finally asked, “So are you going to tell me what all that was about?”
I shook my head. “Nah, no big deal. Just pissing people off. Nothing new.” Squinting when the sun hit my eyes, I reached into my carry on that was sitting behind me and pulled my sunglasses out, slipping them on.
My leg began to bounce. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about returning home. I can’t hide forever, though.
“Jealous boyfriend? Husband?” Caleb raised an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes.
Of course Caleb would think this has something to do with me sleeping around. He thinks all of my problems stem from my lack of self-control with women. Then again—maybe he’s right.
Snickering, I answered, “Something like that.”
“So why can’t you just stay longer?”
I ripped my sunglasses off. “Shit, not you too Caleb. I’ve been hearing that crap from my dad all week. I need to go home. End of fucking story.”
Caleb held his hands up. “What the hell are you jumping all over my ass about? I was just inviting you to stay longer.”
I opened my mouth and couldn’t stop the words from rolling out. “I know what you’re really saying, though. You still think I’m a fuck up and need to grow the hell up. Just because you chose this life, doesn’t mean I want to have anything to do with it.”
Caleb’s eyes grew wide.
Shit. I went too far.
“Fine. Won’t bring it up again. Ever.” Caleb’s knuckles turned white, they were squeezing the steering wheel so tight.
“Fine by me.” I peered out the window, knowing I’d just put a wedge between Caleb and me. Great. Just fucking great.
⁂
Leah
I was still fuming when Abby pulled up to the shop. I missed spending time with my best friend and was elated that Caleb
had insisted we go out to dinner this evening. The car had just come to a stop when I jumped in and attacked Abby with a hug. “I missed you so much.”
She chuckled, hugging me back. “That’s more like the greeting I was expecting when I got back.”
I pulled away and buckled my seatbelt. “I know, I’m sorry. I feel much better now, though. Thanks for coming over to take care of me.”
Without hesitation, she pulled onto the street and made her concern known. “Are you ready to tell me what happened between you and Stefen?”
As nonchalantly as I could fake, I answered, “I just realized that he was as big of an ass as I originally thought.”
“Leah—” She looked like she wasn’t sure about the next question. “Did you sleep with him?”
My eyes closed, filling with shame. “Yes. Please don’t judge me.”
She gasped before a blanket of sadness covered her face. “Leah, I’m not judging you. I would never do that, but this isn’t you. There has to be more to the story. Don’t you trust me anymore?”
Reaching for her hand, I held on, assuring her, “I trust you with my life. I just can’t talk about it. Please understand. I don’t want you in the middle of this mess. We clicked, and I thought more was going on than he did. That’s all. I’m okay now, really.”
Who am I trying to convince here?
She wrinkled her eyebrows, concern evident in her expression. “You do know that he sleeps around, right? I found that wrapper, so I assume you were careful.”
I snapped, “Of course we were. I wouldn’t have done anything without protection, Abby.” Plus, Stefen made sure I knew he wouldn’t do anything without it either. He didn’t say it, but I was sure it had something to do with him protecting himself from getting trapped by a woman. The thought made me sick but I could only imagine how many gold digging women were after his money. He flaunted it enough to grab plenty of attention.
“I’m done talking about him. Can we please go eat? I’m dying to hear all about Greece.” I hadn’t heard much about her honeymoon yet.
Rolling her eyes, Abby said one last piece, “Don’t ever keep something like this from me again. We’re still best friends. I’m always here.”
Smiling, I agreed. “I don’t plan on ever putting myself through this again, believe me.”
And I repeated those words in my head, over and over, until I believed them myself.
Chapter Nine
What Comes Around Goes Around
Leah
Less than twelve hours had passed since Stefen left Santa Barbara, and I was already starting to feel like myself again. He'd blown into my life like a tornado, nearly destroying every part of me in that short period.
As I was setting up the store for the day, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?” I held it against my shoulder while I carried some flowers out to the front.
“Leah! You will never guess what I just heard!” It was Jenna, my friend who worked at the dance studio. Her shrieking voice pierced through, causing me to drop the phone, almost shattering the screen in the process.
Scrambling to pick it up, I complained, “Jenna, you practically blasted out my eardrum.”
“Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry. “But I’m so excited for you! Celeste wants to talk to you about adding classes.”
“What?” It was my turn to scream. I’d been trying to get more classes for what felt like forever. “What changed?”
Celeste, the owner of the studio, was difficult to work with and hadn’t wanted the class there in the first place.
“I don’t know,” Jenna sounded as surprised as I was, “but you’d better get your ass down here, like now, before she changes her mind.”
“On my way.” I untied my apron, threw it on a side table, and started rushing around. I can’t believe this!
“I have to run out for a bit,” I yelled to my assistant on my way out the backdoor. “Everything is set up in the front already, and Shanna is scheduled to work in fifteen minutes. I’ll be back. Call me if you need anything.”
With only my cell and keys in hand, I jumped into my van and drove as fast as I could to the studio.
Flying through the door, I halted in front of the reception area.
Jenna’s eyes darted up. “Damn, you don’t mess around. Let me tell Celeste you’re here.” Jenna left her desk to walk into one of the dance rooms.
I ran my palms down the strands of my hair. I’d rushed here so fast, I was sure it was sticking out in all directions.
The studio owner wasn’t one of my favorite people. She’d been a beauty queen in her younger years. Now in her late fifties, she’d gone through every cosmetic surgery known to man to reclaim her youth. Nothing worked. She looked like a scarier version of her old self. Plus, she wore way too much make-up and had a personality as fake as her breasts.
In her typical fashion, Celeste glided out of the room, wearing a way too revealing outfit for her age. I assumed she was getting ready to teach her pole dancing class, which was a disturbing thought in itself.
Moving my attention from the skimpy get-up to Celeste’s face, I almost jumped. What the hell happened to her? Shit, did she get another facelift?
Her smile stretched across her face, frozen. “Oh my darling, Leah. It’s been so long. How have you been, dear?” She leaned in and kissed my cheeks.
“Uh, yeah. How’s it going?” I tried not to flinch, remembering I was here for the kids.
“Follow me.” She turned, waving for me to follow. “I have some wonderful news.”
We made our way into one of the largest dance studios. “This is the room I would like to offer you for your new weekly dance class. You will also have one of my staff members available to help at each class.” Her arrogance was no match against the Botox in her face as she plastered an expressionless smile on her lips.
Taking in the large space, as well as the offer, I couldn’t help the concern that slipped in. “Wow, Celeste. I can’t believe this, but I don’t know if I can afford it. I don’t charge the families for my class.”
She waved her hands in the air, dismissing my concerns. “Don’t worry about it. What you’re doing is—noble, and those kids need a regularly scheduled class. You don’t have to pay anything anymore. It’s all taken care of.” She seemed to catch herself. “I mean, well, just don’t worry about it. The space is yours if you want it. Why don’t we go into my office, look at a calendar, and see what day and time works best.”
I frowned, rubbing my chin. Something’s off here. This woman doesn’t give to charity.
Shrugging, I thought, maybe she’s looking for a tax write-off.
We passed several doors and arrived at her opened office. Inside the tiny space, the strong aroma of roses hit me. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, letting the truth sink in before my eyes popped open.
Hijo de puta!
My breathing became erratic as I took in the dozen red roses sitting on the corner of the desk.
Seated, Celeste encouraged me to take the chair across from her. I tried my damndest to remain calm. I didn’t say a word as she went through the calendar, selecting the day and time that would work best.
Within a minute, though, my blood began to boil, and I was unable to bite my tongue any longer. I got up and stood in front of them—the very same beautiful velvety roses I’d prepared for Stefen yesterday morning.
I ran my hand up the glass vase, touching each bud. “What did he give you in exchange?”
“Excuse me?” Celeste asked, tightening her ridiculous looking lips.
I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to pretend like she had no idea.
Infuriated, I planted my palms on top of the desk, growling through gritted teeth, “What the fuck did he do for you, Celeste?”
Flustered, she began arranging papers on her desk, avoiding my eyes. “Now let’s not be immature about this. He thought you might be upset.” Sitting back in her chair, the freaky-looking woman seemed to find her confi
dence once more. “Mr. Hunter has taken care of all the arrangements and asked that I remind you that this is for the kids. It has nothing to do with whatever happened between the two of you.” Flicking her wrist in the air, Celeste looked right through me, as though she knew exactly what had happened between me and Stefen.
Mortified, I started backing up to leave. The old hag surely knew this was some kind of payoff. Wiping away a debt so he looked like less of an asshole.
She clasped her hands together over her stomach. “Be reasonable here. I’m going to keep his money, regardless. My part was to convince you to take advantage, for the kid’s sake. I couldn’t care less, either way.”
“I have to go.” I rushed out, ignoring Jenna’s questioning look as I stormed out the door with my hands fisted to my sides.
On my way back to the flower shop, I let it all sink in. Sure it was for the kids, but at what cost to me? My lips pressed together in a slight grimace the moment I pictured Simon and how happy all of my kids would react to the news.
I definitely needed to think about it before jumping into a decision.
⁂
Stefen
Exhausted, I stepped into my luxurious Chicago apartment. My late night flight had been delayed, leaving me stuck at the airport for hours, and now all I could think about was crawling into bed.
I’d never been away from home for so long and, honestly, it wasn’t as welcoming as I’d hoped. Everything felt cold and sterile, from the sleek modern colorless furniture to the lack of personal memorabilia, photos, and color in general. I did have a view, though. The large wall-length windows in the living room overlooked Lake Michigan.
I told myself, but this is the urban life. This is what everyone wants.
Dropping my suitcases by the door, I tossed my keys onto a sleek modern metal side table. Even the jarring sound of it grated my ears. I headed straight to the kitchen for a drink, but the refrigerator was empty.
Just like the rest of my life.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted bottles of rum and a two-liter soda sitting on top of the bar. With a glass tumbler in hand, I pushed the lever on the stainless steel fridge door. “Please let there be ice,” I mumbled as a few cubes clanked into the glass.
