An Exceptional Twist

by Kimi Flores

  This is such a bad idea.

  Not caring, he entered the store, triggering a chiming bell.

  Leah called out, “I'll be with you in a minute.”

  A huge vase full of tropical flowers covered her face as she carried it from the back to the cooler behind the register. She really did have talent for this stuff.

  His eyes roamed the back of her body when she bent forward to place the vase down. Seeing her like that again spiked his pulse. Her dark hair fell freely over her shoulders. It took all of his strength to not come up behind her and run his fingers through it.

  How the hell am I going to leave without kissing her? Shit, I’ve got it bad for this girl.

  When she stood, her smile faded into a glower. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  His jaw opened and closed, the words not coming to him. He felt as if a knife sliced right through his heart when he noticed how puffy her eyes were. I’m a selfish bastard. He should’ve stayed away. He should’ve listened to the warnings his brain was giving him.

  “I need to get a couple of bouquets of flowers,” he said lamely. Dumb. You could’ve thought up something better than that shit!

  “There are plenty of other shops in Santa Barbara. Go somewhere else.” She narrowed her swollen eyes, tempting him to reach over and kiss them.

  Not feeling the humor, he 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 him. He was used to women staring, so he paid her no attention. The woman he 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.” He set his palms on the counter, letting her know he 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 them. 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, Leah held the most gorgeous red roses he'd ever seen, and he'd given plenty of roses to women. She arranged some foliage around them, then wrapped them in cellophane.

  He sucked in a breath, watching her work. Leah was even more breathtaking when she concentrated.

  Shoving his hands into his pockets, he tried to fill the uncomfortable silence. “I’m leaving tonight but had to tie up some loose ends first.”

  Briefly glancing up, Leah gave him 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 him.

  Stefen huffed, “You didn’t have to stay away.” Reaching in his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet.

  She spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t want your money. Just go.”

  It was his turn to narrow his eyes. She knew how much he 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 his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. He flung a hundred dollar bill onto the counter and snatched up the roses. He felt her disbelief following him out the door.

  Heading toward the car, he thought, worst idea ever.

  All of his bags were packed in the car and Stefen was ready to get the hell out of here. He’d already wrapped everything up today, delivering his flowers and saying his goodbyes to Abby and Madison before the girls left to run errands. Just as he stepped outside, his cell phone rang.

  Dammit! Again?

  “Yeah, Pop?” Stefen let out an irritated breath, pacing back and forth in the driveway. This was the third time his father had called today, and he 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.” His dad was pleading at this point.

  He glanced toward the front door to make sure Caleb wasn’t coming out yet. Speaking under his breath, he told his 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, his father asked, “Caleb wants you to leave? That doesn’t sound like him.”

  Shaking his head, he regretted wording his 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.” His 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 Stefen was beginning to wonder himself. 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,” he tried to calm him down. He 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.” Stefen turned to find Caleb standing next to him, his face tight, questioning what was going on. Stefen raised his index finger up in the air, silently asking his cousin to wait a minute.

  “Okay Pop, I’ve got to go. Caleb is taking me to the airport now.” He 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,” his dad barked.

  A bemused smile covered Stefen’s lips. “I wonder where I learned that from.”

  Sighing heavily, his father gave in. “Please be safe and call me when you arrive. I’ll have a car waiting for you.”

  “Will do. Bye, Pop.” Stefen ended the call, then got in and closed his 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?”

  Stefen shook his head. “Nah, no big deal. Just pissing people off. Nothing new.” Squinting when the sun hit his eyes, he reached into his carry on that was sitting behind him and pulled his sunglasses out, slipping them on.

  His leg began to bounce. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about returning home. I can’t hide forever, though.

  “Jealous boyfriend? Husband?” Caleb raised an eyebrow, and Stefen rolled his eyes.

  Of course Caleb would think this has something to do with m
e sleeping around. He thinks all of my problems stem from my lack of self-control with women. Then again…maybe he’s right.

  Snickering, Stefen answered, “Something like that.”

  “So why can’t you just stay longer?”

  Stefen ripped his 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.”

  Stefen opened his 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.” Stefen peered out his window, knowing he’d just put a wedge between Caleb and him. Great. Just fucking great.

  Leah was still fuming when Abby pulled up to the shop. She missed spending time with her best friend and was elated that Caleb had insisted they go out to dinner this evening. The car had just come to a stop when Leah jumped in and attacked Abby with a hug. “I missed you so much.”

  Abby chuckled, hugging her back. “That’s more like the greeting I was expecting when I got back.”

  Leah pulled away and buckled her seatbelt. “I know, I’m sorry. I feel much better now, though. Thanks for coming over to take care of me.”

  Without hesitation, Abby pulled onto the street and made her concern known. “Are you ready to tell me what happened between you and Stefen?”

  As nonchalantly as she could fake, Leah answered, “I just realized that he was as big of an ass as I originally thought.”

  “Leah…” Abby looked like she wasn’t sure about the next question. “Did you sleep with him?”

  Her eyes closed, filling with shame. “Yes. Please don’t judge me.”

  Abby 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 Abby’s hand, Leah 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?

  Abby 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.”

  Leah 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 she was sure it had something to do with him protecting himself from getting trapped by a woman. The thought made her sick but she could only imagine how many gold digging woman 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.” She hadn’t heard much about Abby’s 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, Leah agreed. “I don’t plan on ever putting myself through this again, believe me.”

  And she repeated those words in her head, over and over, until she believed them herself.

  Less than twelve hours had passed since Stefen left Santa Barbara, and Leah was already starting to feel like herself again. He'd blown into her life like a tornado, nearly destroying every part of her in that short period.

  As she was setting up the store for the day, her cell phone rang.

  “Hello?” She held it against her shoulder while she carried some flowers out to the front.

  “Leah! You will never guess what I just heard!” It was Jenna, her friend who worked at the dance studio. Her shrieking voice pierced through, causing Leah to drop the phone, almost shattering the screen in the process.

  Scrambling to pick it up, Leah 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 Leah’s turn to scream. She’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 Leah was, “but you’d better get your ass down here, like now, before she changes her mind.”

  “On my way.” She untied her apron, threw it on a side table, and started rushing around. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I can’t believe this!

  “I have to run out for a bit,” Leah yelled to her assistant on her 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 her cell and keys in hand, Leah jumped into her van and drove as fast as she could to the studio.

  Flying through the door, she 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.

  Leah ran her palms down the strands of her hair. She’d rushed here so fast, she was sure it was sticking out in all directions.

  The studio owner wasn’t one of Leah’s 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 boobs.

  In her typical fashion, Celeste glided out of the room, wearing a way too revealing outfit for her age. Leah assumed she was getting ready to teach her pole dancing class, which was a disturbing thought in itself.

  Moving her attention from the skimpy get-up to Celeste’s face, Leah almost jumped. What the hell happened to her? Shit, did she get another facelift?

  Celeste’s 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 Leah’s cheeks.

  “Uh, yeah. How’s it going?” Leah tried not to flinch, remembering she was here for her kids.

  “Follow me.” Celeste turned, waving for Leah to follow. “I have some wonderful news.”

  They made their 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, Leah 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.”

  Celeste waved her hands in the air, dismissing Leah’s 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.”

  Leah frowned, rubbing her chin. Something’s off here. This woman doesn’t give to charity.

  Shrugging, Leah thought, maybe she’s looking for a tax write-off.

&
nbsp; They passed several doors and arrived at her opened office. Inside the tiny space, the strong aroma of roses hit Leah. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, letting the truth sink in before her eyes popped open.

  Hijo de puta!

  Her breathing became erratic as she took in the dozen red roses sitting on the corner of the desk.

  Seated, Celeste encouraged Leah to take the chair across from her. Leah tried her damndest to remain calm. She didn’t say a word as Celeste went through the calendar, selecting the day and time that would work best.

  Within a minute, though, her blood began to boil, and she was unable to bite her tongue any longer. Leah got up and stood in front of them—the very same beautiful velvety roses she’d prepared for Stefen yesterday morning.

  She ran her hand up the glass vase, touching each bud. “What did he give you in exchange?”

  “Excuse me?” Celeste asked, tightening her ridiculous looking lips.

  Leah couldn’t believe she had the nerve to pretend like she had no idea.

  Infuriated, Leah planted her palms on top of the desk, growling through gritted teeth, “What the fuck did he do for you, Celeste?”

  Flustered, Celeste began arranging papers on her desk, avoiding Leah’s 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 confidence 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 Leah, as though she knew exactly what had happened between her and Stefen.

  Mortified, Leah 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.

  Celeste 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.”