Wicked Flower

by Carlene Love Flores

Stefan checked his watch, it was way past five which was when Dani normally ate dinner. But he’d decided the beard had to go so he stood at the bathroom mirror and stroke by stroke, watched the black hairs rinse down the drain. Feeling more like himself, he grabbed the bag he’d packed for Dani and climbed into his car. The entire drive to her sister’s apartments, the words “Be careful” beat at him over and over. How the hell did he do that? He’d better figure it out, fast. He popped a piece of cinnamon gum in his mouth and drove, feeling the power of his car surge through his body. He ran his hand through his hair and then over his smooth jaw, deciding whether to ask Dani to give this girlfriend-boyfriend thing a shot before or after he asked her to move to Nashville.

  ****

  Last minute and with Will waiting out front with her sister, Dani sorted through a few items of clothing Daisy had laying around on the hammock bed, desperate to look better than she currently did for her dinner with Stefan. For whatever he had to tell her.

  None of this stuff would fit.

  All too small in the boobs, hips, thighs, butt and now belly departments. No way did she need Sugar splayed across her butt, with rhinestones. She tossed the thin sweats aside. Her maxi dress would have to suffice. Dani tiptoed across the carpet to the bathroom, where Daisy and Cass’s stray dark hairs and a few of Jen’s blonde ones twirled around every size of curling iron known to man. Dani picked up a hot pink push-up bra and hung it on the doorknob, at least getting it off the floor. She left the towels there because she was afraid to step on what might lay underneath but her nerves and need to clean forced her to scoop them up. She straightened the small bathroom as best she could, wiping at flecks of bronzer that dotted the sink counter and then made her way out to the living room.

  Dani honestly had no idea what the girls did with their days. Did they work? Someone had to, to afford this place, small as it was. Daisy hadn’t said much about classes she might be taking or hours she might be working. Which reminded Dani she needed to keep better tabs on her baby sis.

  But that being said, she knew she was stalling.

  Hers and Will’s visit with Daisy had come to an end. Stefan had called Will to say he was on his way nearly twenty minutes ago.

  When she walked to the kitchen to say goodbye, she found that Daisy had already maneuvered Will to the outside stairwell and was still chatting him up. Dani decided to leave Daisy a note on the refrigerator note board, which she found was missing it’s magnets on the back and laid on the counter instead. She smiled when she saw Will’s number written on it with a smiley face and spikes for hair. Daisy had drawn a daisy next to it and a heart. Oh boy.

  She didn’t know what, if anything, might be brewing between them. Knowing what she did of Will, it was probably one-sided. Daisy’s side. But whatever it was, she prayed for mercy for the man and secretly hoped something would come of it.

  As she gathered up her bag to go, her phone rang. The clinic. She’d been meaning to call them and confirm her upcoming appointment since that day.

  When I get home, she thought.

  Dani gathered her bag and the thing of calcium chews she’d bought at Taggert’s with Will and finished the note to Daisy.

  Sis, I love you. Call if you need anything. She wrote the last word in all caps. And then followed by an X and an O, she finished with, For a rainy day. She left an envelope of cash, not much but enough for a tank of gas and a fast food run for her and the girls, on the counter next to the note board.

  Dani stepped outside and found that Daisy had now walked Will downstairs. She was practically standing on the man’s toes. Daisy, Daisy, Daisy.

  Dani enjoyed the nearly perfect nothingness that greeted her as she made her way down as well. No humidity, no strangling heat, just warmth. No rain. A gentle breeze accompanied her the whole way. She was in the middle of praying dinner wouldn’t be a disaster or end with her being humiliated just as his gleaming white convertible pulled up.

  And gone was her teddy bear Superman because in his place sat the man she’d seen on the cover of that magazine, minus the spikey hair and eyeliner. No doubt about it, this was the real Stefan Calderon. She’d been wondering when he was gonna show up. Holy shit, her knees nearly locked up on her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Thanks for spending the day with us, Will. And thanks for putting up with Daisy.”

  He hugged Dani and went to shake Daisy’s hand but yeah, her sister wasn’t letting him get away with that. Daisy lifted up onto her tiptoes and pulled him down for a hug. He just nodded bashfully and stepped back as soon as Daisy let go but he did toss her sister a kind wave goodbye. Then he left them to join Stefan who stood by his Mercedes.

  “Dani, why didn’t you tell me you had a hot date with—” her sister started to say.

  “Zip it. Not going there right now,” Dani said out of self-preservation.

  “Fine but I want to hear all about him. If not tomorrow morning, the next day at the latest. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me who—”

  She flashed her sister another warning to zip her lips while she watched Will and Stefan and tried to guess when she should make her way over there. When the guys slapped each other on the back, Will came back to her and she handed her car keys over to him. He nodded and eventually ducked into the driver seat and pulled out of the driveway.

  “Okay hon, we’ll talk soon. I love you and I had a good time with you today, even if you did spend the entire time assaulting that poor man.”

  Daisy just smiled. “I really like him.”

  Dani shook her head and hugged her sister goodbye.

  Stefan stood by the passenger side door, waiting for her. Geez, you’d think she was either walking down the aisle for her wedding or death row by the choppy steps she took.

  Completely unexpected, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before he opened the door and waited for her to sit down. “So that’s your baby sister. She’s cute,” he said.

  “Oh, you have no idea. Will probably hates me right now.”

  “Now that I see her, I’d have thought so too but he seemed okay,” Stefan said as he sat down in his own seat and started up the Mercedes engine. “Were you playing cupid? He hates that shit. Speaking from personal experience.”

  The nerves rolling around her tummy were still there but nowhere near where they’d been five minutes ago. As long as she remembered not to stare too long at her first glimpse of his drop dead beautiful face without the beard, she might be okay after all. “Scouts honor I was not playing cupid. I even told Daisy to back off.”

  “Yeah sure you did.”

  “No really. She’s probably got four or five boyfriends right now and I’m pretty sure one of them showed up today. Daisy’s just Daisy. She loves guys, especially cute, sweet ones like Will.”

  Stefan checked his phone’s GPS and turned onto the state highway. The wind did its best to blow her hair right off her head but she’d been prepared and pulled it back with her thickest band, knowing who was picking her up and his propensity to ride topless. She grinned at that and he saw her and responded. She held the ends of her ponytail and enjoyed the air hitting her face.

  “So, other than torturing Will, how was your day?” he asked her as they drove the familiar streets that would take them back to Moonlight.

  “It was nice.” She had to acclimate to being in this type of situation with him. It felt strange after their week of pleasantries. “Obviously, Will was a great sport. And even with Daisy being Daisy, I forgot how infectious her energy is. Mine was running low and feeding off her for a while was good.”

  “Great. That’s great.” But she noticed his face turn down. There was no beard to hide his chin and jaw which looked tense.

  “How was your day?” she asked, still stiff and awkward and wondering if it was her fault that they seemed stuck on pleasantries. She’d grown to expect and appreciate his humor but her grand idea had stripped him of it. But there was no way she could have that kind of power over a man. Especiall
y one like him. The thought simmered through her spastic mind until his hands tightened over his steering wheel.

  “It was okay.”

  That was way too short of an answer. “How’s your mom?”

  His sideways glance, very uncharacteristic of him, had her worried.

  “Stefan? Was everything okay with your mom?” she asked as they drove. He took a familiar Moonlight exit and drove them through the quiet streets that would lead to the older section of town.

  “It was fine.”

  She’d thought he’d be an excellent liar. Turned out he sucked at it. They drove on in silence and she kept her mouth shut until twenty minutes later when they pulled into Mario’s parking lot. A couple other cars were parked there too but Sunday night wasn’t a big eating out night for most in these parts. Folks traditionally stayed home and prepped for the work and school week. That was probably good considering Stefan’s unpredictable mood and his lack of a beard. Clean shaven, he stood out. Literally, stood out about as much as if the real Superman had come strutting down Moonlight’s streets in full on red and blue costume and cape. Something about his smooth, chiseled face was just as dazzling as his fancy car and the million dollar grin she wished he’d flash now. There was nowhere to hide his emotions without the beard. She frowned trying to figure out what was going on.

  “We’re here. Let’s go inside.”

  He didn’t feel real. Didn’t sound real. Something was messing with his dark, thick beautiful head. She hadn’t needed to know him longer than the one week to pick up on that. But she followed him inside, trying not to gawk and be dazzled too much when even through his obvious funk, he opened her door and led her inside the restaurant first.

  “Have a seat anywhere you’d like. I’ll bring water,” said the young man acting as host. Stefan led her past several empty booths and settled on a table in the very back. He pulled out her chair and then took his own seat. Her phone startled her with a text from Daisy so she put it on silent.

  She sipped her water and watched him ignore his. “I don’t mean to push you on this, but how was your day with your mom, Stefan? I only ask because I’ve had some rough days with her but I’ve also seen her bounce back.”

  A gust of air rushed from his mouth. That he was frustrated was clear.

  “I don’t know how you do it, Dani.”

  But just then the waiter came by to take their order. She hadn’t looked at the menu but didn’t need to. Already her mouth started watering at the thought of her favorite Mario’s pizza.

  “For the lady?” asked the waiter.

  “I’ll have the Hawaiian please.”

  “Personal size?”

  She was going to say yes even though she could have easily scarfed down at least a medium all by herself when Stefan spoke up. “Bring us a large. I’m having the same. And I’ll have whatever you’ve got on tap.”

  “Yes, sir. And for the lady to drink?”

  “Nothing on tap for me. I’m fine with water.” Her hand naturally fell to her stomach and she rubbed it. It was the first time she’d acknowledged in a public place other than her OB checkups that she was pregnant. Stefan watched her carefully although his eyes looked so tired she nearly reached over and rubbed his brow for him.

  “Oh hon, what happened?” she asked as soon as the waiter left. “Come on, it’s me.”

  A buzz came from her phone but she ignored it. Daisy would keep this up all night. Dani watched as he blew out and rubbed his jaw like he really just wanted the pizza to get there. Why? He’d invited her here and didn’t seem to be kicking her to the curb. But when the waiter returned with a tall glass of beer, Stefan took a long drink and then she started getting her answer.

  “She was dizzy all morning. We checked her blood pressure. I didn’t know how tight to squeeze the damn cuff. I wanted to drive her to the emergency room to get it checked by a professional but she’s so stubborn. Wouldn’t go. I squeezed that damn thing on so tight, I saw her wince.”

  “Hey, I’ve done that too. Her arms are too small for the adult cuff but not quite right for the kiddy one.”

  “Yeah, well I bruised her skin. I saw the marks...”

  Stefan’s eyes darkened and then he looked away. Something was not right. “Hey, what are you not telling me?”

  “I saw the marks because I had to help her into the shower this afternoon. She needed a shower in the middle of the day because while I was messing around in the backyard, she got dizzy and fell in the mud. All the damn rain lately. Fuck, I felt like total shit that I let that happen.”

  “Stefan, hey, I know this might not make you feel any better right now, but I’ve had worse days with her. Okay? In the grand scheme of things, yes it was tough, but she’s gonna be fine.”

  “She could have broken a bone, Dani.”

  “Then it’s a good thing she landed in the mud.” She hoped he’d smile at that.

  It nearly worked but he kept blinking his eyes. “She uh, she used her last Depends today. I think you need to add that to your shopping list. And her teeth were giving her problems. Something about the stuff that’s supposed to keep them stuck in place. She could barely eat anything I made. Fuck, Dani. It was a tough fucking day. I was gonna call you and say we should eat another night.”

  But he hadn’t. So either he wanted to be here having a meal with her or he needed to be here to cut the ties for good.

  His eyes started to shine and she didn’t know what she’d do if they teared up all the way. He rubbed at them like he was soothing a tension headache but she could guess the truth.

  “Hey,” she said, completely unprepared for him like this. She reached out and without thinking, grabbed his hand and held it. “It’s okay.” He let her hold it but not for long. That was the strangest feeling of all when he pulled away. She didn’t know how they were going to get through this meal. Not now that she’d seen this side of him and all she wanted was to comfort the man. There was no teasing in him. Everything he’d had inside, all that playful joy she loved watching, today had wrung him clean of it. The man sitting across from her was all that was left.

  ****

  Half an hour later and she was full. Stefan could tell because she leaned back in her seat like she was stretching to make room for the food to go down. Mario’s pizza was as good as he remembered. Stefan was still exhausted. But the food in his stomach and the beer and her company had helped. They had the place to themselves. They could talk, now that he wasn’t so on edge.

  “Hey, sorry for the Eeyore imitation earlier. I guess all the stuff with my mom just got to me. But I’m glad you came tonight.”

  “Me too. And you don’t have to blow off how hard today was. I wouldn’t lie to you about your mom, though. She’s gonna be fine. In fact, seeing how good she looks tomorrow will probably mess with your head more than today did. It’s just one of those things. You get used to it. It gets easier.”

  Her phone must have buzzed again because every time he heard the vibration, she patted her dress pocket. He almost wished she would just answer it but the fact she ignored it for him flattered him.

  Stefan felt like shit for being so grumpy through the pizza portion of their meal. He decided to shake it off and enjoy the rest of their night. He had a lot to get to.

  “So what are we having for dessert?” he asked. When she kept her head bowed low, he knew she was hiding a smile because he could still see her cheeks bunch up at the tops.

  “I shouldn’t … screw it. Cannoli, please. What about you?” she said.

  That’s right. She had the sweet tooth and he did not. “I’m not really a sugar guy.” Her face fell. “But I’ll have a bite of yours.”

  “Okay,” she said and held him with a look in her eyes that said all this polite date-like stuff was just as awkward to her as it was to him.

  The waiter took their cannoli order and disappeared.

  “Hey, I haven’t had the chance to compliment you on your new look,” she said.

  Stefan rub
bed his jaw between his fingers and thumb. He preferred the feel of his skin over the whiskers and the thicker they’d gotten, the itchier. He was glad it was gone and happy she wanted to give him a compliment over it.

  “Oh yeah, you like?”

  Her head dipped. She must have heard him try to be himself for her just now. “I do. You look completely different though. I’m surprised you shaved it off. I thought it was your vacation disguise.”

  “It was but turns out yard work makes a guy sweat which makes a beard itch like hell. So good different?” Falling back into the easy playful way they’d talked those first days started coming back and rolling off his tongue. It didn’t hurt so much to take a breath.

  “Handsome different.”

  “Handsome? I was looking for something more like hot.”

  She bit the bottom of her lip, failing to suppress the smile. “That too.”

  “I like your new look too. It’s hot. I’m not a wimp like you. I’ll say it. Sexy hot.”

  She looked down at her dress and tugged her windblown ponytail. She didn’t say anything because she obviously thought he was lying. But the long summer dress clung to her body while managing to look comfortable. He could see all her curves which was all that mattered. He wouldn’t tell her right now, but her baby bump showed. “But if you’d rather, I’ll just say you look very nice tonight, Dani.”

  A soft, comforting smile opened Dani’s cheeks. “Thank you. Daisy found it for me in one of her roommates’ piles of clothes.”

  The waiter showed up with her cannoli and her smile broke loose, wider than he’d seen in a while. He could watch her dote on Mom for hours and could bet that if he didn’t have her out of the house, that’s exactly what she’d be doing right now. She cut her cannoli down the middle and offered a half to him.

  “Here you go.”

  He hesitated because he only wanted a very small bite but she held it out to him in her fingers. Well, if she was offering, he was taking. That had been the deal he’d secretly made their first day. Stefan leaned in and bit from the one end as she held it. A big bite that nearly nipped her fingertips. She obviously hadn’t been ready for that because the flaky crust crumbled and cracked under his bite. They each tried to scoop up what was left but his half was a lost cause.