Stolen Secrets

by Cayce Poponea

  Yesterday Gabby had shown me the ins-and-outs of the computer system Sophia had for the shop. The thing was super easy to use and was amazing. It told everything about the shop one could ever want, or need, to know. It also had a really cool feature that allowed us to leave messages for one another. Gabby informed me Sophia used that feature quite a bit.

  When I got to the shop, there was already a message waiting: Girls, it’s nearing wedding season. Change the front display and surprise me. Poor lady had no idea what she had unleashed. Back in Louisiana, I would beg my boss to change up the storefront, but year after year he displayed the same old tiring stuff.

  By the time Gabby arrived the display was half finished already. I had once designed a white carnation wedding gown, years ago, but the boss had worried it would use too many flowers we then wouldn’t be able to sell. My bridal vision had remained tucked away, until now.

  I’d found several boxes marked ‘wedding and love’ and got to work. I’d made the front window look like a reception, with the dress and wedding cake the centerpieces. The finishing touch was some silk fabric to separate the window from the inside of the store. It was sheer enough to see out, yet thick enough to create a dreamy effect. A banner placed at the bottom of the window reinforced the name of the shop.

  The bell above the door dinged and what looked like two girls walked in. The first one I could see the side of her head from where I was standing. She was talking to a dark-headed girl who was much shorter than her.

  “He was like, ‘Oh, baby, you know how angry I get, it’s just stress, blah blah blah.’ Then he’s like, ‘Oh, you know I love you.’ I mean we are practically engaged.” Her voice was gravelly and, honestly, irritating. I shook my head and continued to hang the fabric. Whoever she was talking about, you could bet half of what she was saying was a lie.

  “Oh… Marissa. I didn’t expect to see you here today.” Gabby told me to keep working on the display while she waited for Sophia to come in. She was excited and couldn’t wait for her to see it, assuring me Sophia would love it. She would answer all the calls and take care of any customers who came in while I finished. However, the tone of her voice as she addressed the girl had me pausing. Although it had always benefited me, I hated eavesdropping on conversations, finding half-truths could be just as damaging as knowing nothing.

  “Is there a problem with me being here?” the Marissa girl addressed Gabby. It was clear by the look in Gabby’s eyes there was a story there. “I’m sorry, I just… never mind.” Shaking her head, she led the girl toward the cash register.

  “Sweet, listen… I need a solid. I want a few more flowers around my condo and I want them to be exactly like the ones Nicky sent me the other day.”

  Solid? Really? Who talks like that?

  “Sure, you’re in luck. Our new girl, Ari, is here today. She’s the one who actually made that one.” Gabby nodded in my direction, causing Marissa to spin on her heals.

  Her upper lip curled, a look of disdain coloring her beautiful face with its almond-shaped blue eyes, perfectly manicured nails, and a Hermes bag on her arm. Something flashed in those eyes as she stepped closer in my direction.

  “Ari? Not a name you hear very often, and the way you talk, you’re new here?” I was not a fan of the words coming out of her mouth. I also didn’t like how she said my name, as if she had heard it before, and definitely not in a good way.

  “What’s this little project you have here?” She leaned over to where the extra flowers waited to be returned to the cooler and picked one up. “A first grade art project?” Tossing the flower in her hand onto a shelf beside her, she added, “Carnations? How very… cheap.”

  If she thought carnations were cheap, wait until she found out her roses came out of the trash. Marissa’s voice rattled my teeth with her thick Jersey accent. The longer I listened, the more I wanted to help her blow the nose she was looking down.

  “London, oh, my word. How lovely to see you!”

  Sophia was my saving grace once again. She had the shorter girl wrapped up in a hug. Marissa’s demeanor changed from arrogant to cautious as her attention fell to Sophia.

  “I’m so happy you are here, I was hoping to run into you. My mother is trying to get a list of businesses willing to sponsor a charity event.”

  “You’ll have to give your mother my love, and tell her I need to have lunch with her. I look forward to helping her however I can.”

  Sophia went from making London feel like a million bucks to acting like a schoolgirl as she took in the window display. She grabbed London and Gabby before rushing outside which I took as my cue to make those bouquets for Marissa. I hadn’t forgotten Sophia told me to use the old flowers, but the trash had been taken out last night so it was empty. I would have to use the good stuff today. By the time they entered the store again, I was finishing up the second bouquet. Sophia was going on and on about how wonderful the window looked and how she just knew we would sell a ton of the wedding cake flowers and dresses. This kind of shocked me; I’d never really thought about selling them, only showing them off.

  I placed the bouquet on the counter while the girls continued with their conversation about lunch and wedding flowers. Marissa was busy typing away on her iPhone and ignoring everything around her. The door opened again and several other ladies came into the shop raving about the new display. I tuned them out while giving Marissa her total.

  “That’s seventy-two dollars and eighty-five cents, ma’am.” I used my sweetest voice. The one reserved for complete bitches who lacked any manners. Now, in my few years of working in the floral industry, I’d had a gamut of reactions from people when they were given their totals, but Marissa certainly took the prize.

  “Just charge it to Nicky.” She didn’t look at me as she waved her hand in my direction, presuming I knew who this Nicky was. Except, Marissa knew I was the new girl, and it was evident she was taking advantage.

  “I’m sorry?” I hadn’t been told anyone had a charge account here. Although it wasn’t uncommon, I hadn’t seen it here. I stood my ground, not looking to Gabby or Sophia for direction.

  “Did I fucking stutter?” she seethed at me, glaring with fury in her eyes.

  “No, I heard you, but I don’t have anything from—”

  Her hand slammed down on the counter. “Dominick Santos, my fucking boyfriend! I’m a member of this family.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was to anger someone who was family. Sophia could toss me out into the street and not think twice about it. I had plenty to lose by not working here, my home and a job that paid under the table.

  “It’s all right, Marissa, they’re on the house today. I’ll speak to my son about future purchases.”

  Things became clear—this was the girlfriend. Now I understood why she desperately wanted Sophia’s attention.

  “Oh, no, that won’t be necessary…” Marissa began backpedaling while reaching into her handbag. From her wallet she pulled a handful of small bills—ones with a few fives mixed in—which were tucked inside a zippered compartment.

  Sophia’s hand stilled hers, and for the first time since she’d entered the store, I felt bad for Marissa. Sophia was definitely a person I would want to know, even if I didn’t work for her. But to be in Marissa’s position and have to prove yourself to the mother of your boyfriend, who clearly didn’t like you, was tough. I had never been in her shoes. Corey’s dad had liked me more than his own children. Too bad the boyfriend had been rotten to the core.

  “Your money is no good here.” Her words were spoken in a hush, conveying a finality to the subject. It was obvious there was a story behind the hushed words, concreted by the painful glances I caught. Sophia’s words had bite, and Marissa’s head ducked immediately while reaching for her flowers before she left the store at a quickened pace.

  I cleaned up the leaves and other trash from the floor while Sophia smooched the ladies who had come in. I hadn’t noticed the girl, London, leave with Marissa, but she
wasn’t here now. With the store empty, I began to fill the pending orders Gabby had taken.

  “Girls, I need your help with something,” Sophia spoke, typing on her phone while walking toward the back of the store. She turned abruptly as she pocketed the phone, one hand finding her slender hip while the other rose to the ceiling like a symphony conductor would. “April is not only a big bridal planning month, it’s also my son’s birthday. I’m going to need your help organizing his party.”

  I continued to work, tuning her out while she laid out her tentative plans for a party I was already planning to avoid. The bell rang again and I dared to look up to see none other than the man in question come through the door. Just like the previous day, Dominick had an air about him. Confidence in abundance wrote a story of a man in charge all over his face. He walked with a purpose, like an A list model on a New York runway, he owned the area surrounding him. Turning back to my work knowing he wouldn’t be here to see me. No doubt Marissa had called him, telling him her tale of woe. He was more than likely here to mend fences with his mother.

  “Hello, my favorite son.”

  “Hello, beautiful ladies.”

  I’d hand it to him, he had eyes which would melt the coldest of hearts and a voice so deep and soulful, he could make big money working in the nine-hundred number industry. It was his swagger that turned me off. It said he was all business, with a purpose for every step, and was always calculating his next move instead of enjoying the moment.

  “To what do I owe a visit two days in a row?” Sophia questioned, a knowing smirk on her face.

  Would she tell him to find another girlfriend, one who carried herself better and was able to treat everyone she met with decency and respect, instead of like gum stuck on the bottom of her overpriced shoes? Sophia’s words caught me, it was reassuring to know he wasn’t a recurring fixture in the shop. I could live with seeing him sporadically.

  “Actually, I have come to right a wrong. Yesterday, I acted rudely to our lovely Ari here, and I come offering an olive branch. An apology by purchasing her a cup of coffee.” The room was suddenly quiet, broken only by the hum of the appliances and the muted noise of the street outside.

  “Really, Dominick? Did you read that in a greeting card on your way over?”

  A snort shattered the silence, added involuntarily by me. So surprised by my action, I sputtered out an apology, “I’m so sorry.” My hand slapped over my mouth as the broom I’d been holding fell and clambered to the floor.

  “Oh, don’t you dare.” Sophia pointed at me. “His father tried the same charm on me when he first saw me. It didn’t work then and I won’t let it work now.”

  In that moment I wished I had somewhere more pressing to be or something more important to do; the confusion I was feeling was choking. Instead, I chose to sort order tickets, keeping my hands and attention occupied. What did Sophia’s husband have to do with anything?

  “In all honesty, Mom, I did come to ask Ari to dinner. She’s new in town and could use a friend. I’m here to lend my services to her.”

  Any girl with a working vagina would be waiting in line to smack me upside the head, but I felt accepting his offer was inappropriate. “I’m sorry, Dominick, but I must decline your offer.”

  He cocked his head while Sophia rested her chin on her palm. “Why is that? Do you have other plans?”

  “No,” I responded looking directly in those brown-green eyes. Given to him by genetics, but used by him to separate a large population of women from their panties.

  “Working late?” he shot back.

  “No.”

  “Married?”

  “No.”

  “Boyfriend?”

  Suddenly tired of the banter between us, and not willing to join the multitude of used and dumped women in his history, I put on my best bitch face and retorted, “No, but you have a girlfriend. One who dislikes me for some unknown reason. I’ve already managed to upset her and would rather not have any further reasons for her to hate me, or risk my job.” My statement, which was meant to end the conversation, only shifted it.

  “Girlfriend?” Dominick questioned in a shocked voice.

  “Yes, my son. Tell us all about how you and Marissa are dating.”

  “EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER KNOWN ABOUT women since you were a little boy, forget it.” I found myself asking for my father’s help once again after the fuck storm known as Marissa. He invited me to meet him at Mickey’s, an Irish pub not far from my condo.

  “She isn’t one of those girls who’s going to bat her eyelashes at you and let you do anything you want to her.”

  I looked up from my untouched glass of Jamison’s. “Why? Why is she any different from any other skirt I’ve ever chased? She’s a girl, Dad, plain and simple. She wants something I can give her, and I want something from her. It’s the same every time.”

  My father studied my face before taking a drink from his glass, the ice clinking when he returned it to the table. “For one, if she were ‘just another skirt,’ you wouldn’t be here getting advice from your decrepit old man. You see in her the same thing I saw in your mother. She’s more than some girl, she is the one you see yourself in her eyes. She’s the girl you would do anything for, be anything and willing to walk from the Earth to the moon and back.” I shook my head and took another drink. I fucking hated it when he was right about me.

  “Ask yourself this. Does Marissa, Bethany, or even Miranda make you this crazy?” My head snapped up. I had never mentioned Miranda to my family. She was something I did on my own.

  “Did you really think I didn’t know about her, or how you keep her supplied in blow so she keeps you supplied with information. I know she sucks your dick and lets you watch as she fucks the city.” Nodding my head, I agreed. The man had eyes and ears everywhere, so I shouldn’t have been so surprised.

  “You should know better. Nothing happens in this town I’m not aware of. Now, tell me about these kids who are tearing up my town.”

  Marissa had been texting me nonstop since I woke up this morning. She was out with London, the daughter of one of my men. The two of them were about the same age and lived in the same building. Which reminded me, I had to get her out of the apartment. If things progressed with Ari as I hoped they would, she would be living there by the end of the week. My father’s voice echoed in my mind, “Forget everything you ever knew about girls.”

  I parked across the street and waited. According to Marissa’s texts, I had been buying her flowers today. She had the money I’d tossed at her last night. It was only a few hundred dollars and, knowing her, the first place she would have gone was to have her nails done. I saw movement in the display window and nearly lost my shit when I noticed it was Ari. My mom was going to flip when she saw this window. Hell, she would be calling all of her garden party bitches to come admire it.

  A closer look confirmed Marissa and London were both there. I noticed Mr. Dorfman standing outside, looking down the street. In following his gaze to see what he was looking at I saw my mother’s Bentley come into view as she pulled into her spot.

  My mother, although the most gracious woman I knew, didn’t mince words when it came to Marissa. She’s told me over and over I’m keeping Marissa from doing something good with her life. She says Marissa is the way she is because it’s an easier life, with no challenge and no higher education. Until this very moment, I’d always placed the blame on Marissa, instead of looking at what I had created in using her the way I have.

  It isn’t long before London leaves the shop, with her cell phone glued to her ear, no doubt telling the inner circle of wives and girlfriends what she may have seen in there. When I see Marissa finally leave like her ass was on fire, I knew it was time to show my face. Before going inside, I tried to clear my mind, thinking of the things my father told me.

  Even before I enter the shop my body is drawn to Ari. She is working as hard as Gabby does. The strings are back, and pulling me toward her. I am so captivated by t
he way she holds herself. It’s crazy that I’m trying this hard to get a moment of her time. The more I talk with her, the more I’m dying. She isn’t falling for my shit. But I’m determined to get to know her, show her what a great guy I can be.

  She kicks me square in the balls when she informs me of the girlfriend she thinks I have. Mom manages to dig my grave a little deeper when she asks me to talk about Marissa. “Ari, my mother is having too much fun at my expense. She knows I have no romantic ties to Marissa. So, please, allow me to buy you a cup of coffee.” Charm and good looks have carried me far enough where the ladies are concerned, but I knew before the next words left her beautiful lips, Ari Taylor would be the challenge my father warned me about.

  “Again, thank you, but I have work to do. If you will excuse me.”

  Mom takes pity on me, or perhaps she felt bad for throwing me in the deep end of the ocean. I can’t be angry at her, so I ask her to join me for a walk. The mouthwatering aroma of fresh baked bread and sugar fill the street as we leave the shop. Everyone who has lived in the neighborhood knows the smell is coming from Papas, the Greek-owned restaurant down the block.

  Entering the restaurant, Mom extends her usual pleasantries and I make sure everything is well in the store. Mr. Papas also informs me of the kids giving him shit when he is attending to his customers. I text Demetri to remind him to get me an idea on who these fuckers were.

  “Thanks for earlier,” I start.

  Nicole, the oldest daughter, brings our coffee. She has grown so much since I last saw her. Once a pigtailed little girl running up and down the block, she’s now a makeup-wearing high school student with college on the horizon.

  “Well, I’ve decided you need help,” she responds while watching Nicole take care of a table of young boys.