by C L Bauer
He smiled. The eyes were twinkling. She saw the fine lines around his eyes from years of the same smile and too much sun. His dimples were more “dimply” if that was possible. He was cute. He was handsome. He was a DEA agent there to protect her.
Keep focused, Lily, for your own sake. He’ll get everything closed out here and you will never see him again.
“Oh the flowers, I remember them,” he joked. “So what do we have this week, boss?”
She outlined her mental list of things to do and places to be. Her week was back on track.
They were back on track. What track that was, Lily really didn’t know but they were rolling again in the same direction.
Chapter Twelve
Loose Park was one of the prettiest locations in all of the Kansas City area. Lily had gone to high school just down the street and on those very few perfect spring days when students were let out a little early, they walked down to feed the ducks. A huge pond was the focal point of the park but the terraced greens allowed walkers, runners and picnickers the perfect spaces.
Brides thought the rose garden was the ideal location for their wedding. It was intimate except for the joggers, the runners, the walkers, the picnick- ers and the occasional loose dog on the run. It was accessible to everyone and was a pain for Lily.
Lily thought the rose garden was lovely and romantic but it was always a hassle finding the bridal party, walking the distance with boxes of flowers and enduring the usual heat. It was almost like a credo…have wedding in rose garden, must have blistering heat and humidity.
Today was to be no different. She had other reasons why she didn’t want to be there but those were her’s to keep.
“All right, so the bridal party is less than five minutes away,” Lily said to Dev as they sat in the van waiting. She had the air conditioning on full blast but the sun coming in through the window was negating the cool.
“Then what?”
“Well, we’ll meet them right over there in the circle drive. I’ll pin on the boutonnieres and you can get in the boxes to hand out the bridesmaids’ bouquets. Then we are done. We have nothing more to do at the reception since we did that this morning. I may check in with Abby but you can go on.”
He looked at her, one brow raised. “Really? I can go on?”
She snorted. “I really forgot who I was talking to, I mean, I was really treating you like an employee. Sorry.”
“Enough apologies for this week, please.”
He really did want to put Monday’s experience behind them. He still wasn’t sure what was going on in her head sometimes but there was enough activity to run a large corporation. She was always thinking, planning, proposing and moving. The woman needed to just be for awhile. He wasn’t sure she could do that for some reason.
“Oh, there they are.” She pointed at the brightly colored red and green trolley. Sweating men in their black tuxes were coming down the stairs.
Lily and Dev packed up their boxes and met them under one of the awnings. Lily did her Lily thing, smiling, laughing, pinning on flowers, commiserating on the heat as Dev unpacked bouquets and handed them out. She came over to make sure the girls knew how to hold them and to tell them how lovely they all looked. Lily took her photo of the bride and groom and wished them well. She motioned to him to grab the boxes and back to the van they went.
He noticed her shaking hands as she put the key into the ignition. “You ok?”
“Yes, sure.”
“You sure?” He motioned to her hands. “You’re shaking. You can’t be cold so what’s up?”
She sat back in the seat and stared straight ahead as she watched the bridal party move down into the garden.
“It’s so pretty here but it has some bad memories for me.”
He watched her face. The light and smiling Lily was replaced by pensive and brooding Lily.
Had it been a bad relationship? Had something happened here? His thoughts went dark to crime… maybe she had been mugged or attacked here?
A good friend lost forever due to some criminal activity?
He sat in silence as he continued to watch her. She needed to tell him; he didn’t need to interrogate her.
“My last wedding here, the last time I had to come here, I received the call my dad was dying.”
A sledgehammer hit his heart. He knew that feeling. He knew that call. He knew you could do nothing, absolutely nothing. Just do your job.
“Did you make it in time?” he asked softly. He wanted her answer to be yes. His answer would’ve been no.
“No, he was gone by the time I got there. I didn’t have Abby at the time. Some of my family was still helping, well, they were there and I had this wedding.” She stopped talking and then let out an uncomfortable laugh.
“Funny, but it was a day exactly like today. But I was alone.” She was realizing how heavy the conversation had become. She had to change it. “But that was before I had my trusty assistant boyfriend.” She punched him on the arm and laughed again.
He smiled but he could see the hurt. They had something in common, something that wasn’t that uncommon but it still hurt the same.
“Let’s go see Abby, boss,” he suggested. “I mean what am I going to do tonight? Clean my hotel room?”
“Funny, very funny.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lily opened the shop Tuesday morning and nothing was different about anything. Oh joy!
Everything was normal. She waved at John as she entered the shop. He was standing across the street talking to Garrett Notte, Mrs. Notte’s preppy grandson. Nothing unusual about that. John had known that boy since he was little. Mrs. Notte and her family had been well known in the Kansas City elite since the early 1920’s and now Garrett was taking his own place as an up and comer.
A few minutes later she heard the front buzzer. She looked up from the desk counter to see Garrett standing there.
“I don’t have anything for your grandmother this week, do I?” She was questioning and answering all in the same sentence. “I thought she was visiting your aunt in Hyannis.”
“She is and no, she didn’t have an order. I’m here for a different reason.”
He seemed serious. She grabbed her infamous pair of scissors as she stood up and came to the front of the store. “What can I do for you?” she asked as she hid them behind her back.
“Your assistant, Abby, is she around?”
“Not yet, what did you want?” Lily tightened her hold around the instrument.
“I wanted to ask her out on a date.”
Lily was totally relieved. He just wanted a date and she had thought he was a serial killer.
This would be the one time Agent Devlin Pierce was not hovering.
“Oh, Garrett, that’s really nice. Um, you should ask her yourself but I will warn you she is dating someone right now that she’s reconnected with, a guy she knew years ago but just found again.”
“So, when will she be in?”
He was confident and undeterred. Good for him, Lily thought. She would just give up at that point.
“She’ll be in after lunch today so you might want to come back then.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you.” He gave a glance around the shop and turned to depart.
Well, that was weird, Lily thought but maybe it was just because he was uncomfortable asking her about Abby. She needed to go back to work and get some things done before Dev came in. In an hour, she received a text saying he was going to be later today. One part of her hoped that his mission, the case was solved and over and that the right person in the Cartel got the message that she had nothing here but flowers. The other part of her was less than hopeful and sad that when it was all over her rather large world now would diminish into a minuscule existence.
She came out of the back room when she heard the buzzer again and there stood the mother of the bride for this week’s wedding.
“Lily.” She already had her arms outstretched to go in for a large hug. Lily f
ell into her and smiled at the other woman beside her.
“Carol? How are you?” Lily asked from over the shoulder of the other.
“I’m great. Theresa said she had to come and bring you the check and fabric for Anna’s bouquet so I thought I’d come with her to see you.”
“She’s always a tag along,” Theresa teased. “How are we doing for this week?”
“Great, never better. Flowers will be in tomorrow and then I start in.”
Lily had known these two clients for over ten years when she began doing family weddings for them. Carol Dimaio and Theresa Baldini had been childhood friends and then their children had been childhood friends so when you had one wedding, and if you did a good job, you had every wedding. She appreciated their loyalty and in return she was loyal to them. She’d do anything for these two women.
“Have a seat, if you two have time.” All three pulled up chairs and started gossiping about what girl was getting married next, what former bride was pregnant and who had more grandchildren. It was like being with family, only they paid you!
“Theresa told me it didn’t work out with that minister you were dating,” Carol said as she touched Lily’s hand tenderly. “You know there’s someone out there, don’t you?”
Before Lily could answer, almost with pinpoint precision, Devlin Pierce arrived with her favorite mocha coffee in hand.
“I thought you could use this,” his voice trailed off as six sets of eyes took him in.
Then the supposed knowing eyes began to move. Carol looked at Theresa, Theresa looked at Carol, Carol looked at Lily, Theresa looked at Lily, Lily didn’t look at anyone but Dev and then Carol and Theresa smiled taking all of Devlin Pierce in their gazes.
“Well, hello,” they said in unison.
Dev smiled and handed the drink to Lily. “Hello.”
“Nice, Lily,” Theresa said as she nudged her slightly in the ribcage.
Carol stood up and stuck out her hand. “I’m Carol, one of Lily’s former clients and you are?”
“Dev Pierce.”
“Dev Pierce, what?”
He looked over to Lily for guidance. She was not helping him one bit. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and she was smiling at his uncomfortable behavior.
“Um, well, Lily and I are getting to know one another.”
She nodded at him. Nicely done, Agent Pierce. Not lying to her clients was a nod in the right direction.
“Are you two dating?” Theresa yelled over.
“Well, we are going out, yes.”
Oh this was fun, Lily thought but she had too much work to do today to allow this to continue.
“So Dev’s sister’s friend knows my sister back east and they kind of put us in touch with one another online. Dev’s working here for a few months so we are enjoying the summer together.”
Dev’s eyes were twinkling, looking right at her. So, you can tell a little fib, Lily Schmidt.
Good on you.
“Nothing better than summer love,” Theresa announced. “Well, Carol, we better get out of these lovebirds’ space and get going on the rest of my errands. Lily, we’ll see you Saturday at the church.”
Carol shook hands with Dev one more time, waved at Lily as Theresa hugged her florist. “He’s nice, very nice,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t mind those shoes at the bottom of my bed.”
“Get out of here, lady. You have things to do,” Lily directed. Lily watched them pass in front of her window. They were blowing kisses.
“They are crazy but wonderful. I love them to death.”
“They love you. Apparently, a lot of people feel that way about you.”
Did they? Lily’s heart increased its beating. He was being charming again. She was acting foolish.
“That’s nice and it keeps me in business.”
“But it’s not always an act. You truly care about those two,” Dev said. “That’s a rare talent you have Lily. You really care. That’s also your downfall.”
“Mmm, thank you, Dr. Phil.”
“All right. I’m done. So what’s on the agenda? Apparently, that woman’s daughter’s wedding is this week?”
“Yes, the third of her family. It’s a big one and it’s an Italian one.”
“And that means?”
“Flowers, lots of flowers, and bling and cookies and bridesmaids.”
“Good or a bad thing?” he asked for clarification.
“A little of both. Come on, I saved the filling of the buckets for you.”
“Oh goody. Can’t wait.” It was going to be a long week for him. With no word back from their contacts, this mission was becoming a cloudy mess. Eventually he’d have to go back to DC, eventually they’d have to remove Lily’s protection, eventually they’d have to give up on whatever was going on here.
Dev woke at the sound of his phone by his bed. He looked at the time, 2:04am and the caller id.
It was Tom.
“A rock was thrown through Lily’s shop window. We’ve got it on surveillance but all you see is a hooded man, we’re assuming it's a man.”
“Jesus, why do that?” Dev was rubbing his eyes. She didn’t need that today. It was Saturday and that big wedding.
“Not sure. How you want to play this?”
“Can we get the window fixed before she gets there this morning? Let’s not even tell her and see what shakes out.”
“Sure, Dev. We can get it done. It’s just plain glass and no wording so, I’ll do it. What time is she coming in?”
He had to think. What was her pattern? Had she told him?
“Um, she told me eight so I’m thinking she’ll be there by six or seven.”
“I’ll get it done right now. I’ll text you later.” “Thanks Tom. I appreciate it.”
Dev laid back in bed and stared at the ceiling. The small green light of the smoke alarm was blinking in its usual intervals. Why throw a rock through her window? That wasn’t professional or something any drug dealer from Miami or South America would do. That was minor league chaos just meant to scare her for no good reason. She couldn’t produce drugs she didn’t have, but someone thought she still had them. He was completely confused.
The Cartel’s sophistication using flower shipments was genius. Who was going to check all those boxes, all those stems, preservative and ice packets one by one in customs? No one. At best, a box here and there was inspected. They just needed to grab the contact at the Miami Airport and to make darn sure the Cartel knew there was nothing here in Kansas City for them. Especially not Lily. This mission was more complicated than it needed to be and it all surrounded her for some reason. He didn’t like it one bit.
Now he had to lie to her again. Well, not really lie. This would be a lie of omission. How had a drug case become a mission about one little florist?
Lily took Dev and Abby for a beer and appetizers in the hotel’s bar after the set up of the reception was over. That was the least she could do. The three of them worked well as a team and she had needed every bit of help the entire day. With over forty guest tables to decorate there was more than enough work. Besides, they had a great system. Abby and Lily decorated as Dev delivered in more and more flowers. Nothing fazed him today but she noticed he didn’t look at her very much. Of course, why would he? He was working two jobs right now, and she was both of them.
“So, did you know Garrett Notte was going to come in and ask me out?”
Dev almost spit out his beer. “What? That little preppy guy that comes in with his grandma?”
“Yep.” Abby was laughing out loud. “Can you imagine me going out with him?”
Dev took the fifth and didn’t answer. He still didn’t have a true sense of Abby. Abby was just, well, Abby. She was happy, she was sad. She was flighty without a care in the world, but she was worried all the time about what her boyfriend thought.
“He came in and told me,” Lily admitted. “I told him you had a steady but he was pretty confident he could ask you and you would say yes.�
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“Well, confident isn’t the word. He was pushy. He wanted to hang out and you knew he had never used that term before. The boy doesn’t know how to hang out.”
Dev sat back in his chair and took another drink. What would a man, a boy like Garrett Notte want with a girl like Abby? Had he missed so much intelligence on interpersonal relationships while he was away in another part of the world?
“I know. I wanted to tell him that the two of you would have nothing in common, but I thought, well you never know.” Lily had thought it was unusual but who was she to judge. She hadn’t had a date in months, maybe over a year, or almost two? Oh Lord.
“Lily, how long have you known him?” Dev felt something was wrong. He didn’t know what or why.
“Since he was little. I’d help mom in the shop and he would come in with his dad or grandmother. Their family is a pillar in the city.”
“So he’s known everyone on the block then?”
“Well, yes, I guess. I mean, I don’t think he goes into the deli or the sports bar but he knows people and a lot of us know him. He’s been gone for awhile but now he’s here visiting his grandmother while his father is out of town.”
He looked over at Abby. “I think you dodged a bullet with Mr. Stuffy. He might have been too controlling.”
Abby and Lily did spit out their beer on hearing that comment.
“What did I say that was so funny?”
“Nothing, Mr. Stuffy. Absolutely nothing,” Lily answered seriously.
Chapter Fourteen
“I’ve gotta say this is becoming one of the most unusual missions I’ve ever been on.” Devlin Pierce continued to look around Swope Park as they began their walk into the outside theater.
“I’m really a mission? Great.” Lily still carried both tickets in her hand as security stopped them to look inside her purse. Right next to her was a federal agent who possibly had some small arms hidden on him somewhere but they were checking her Kate Spade purse. This was rich, albeit the humor was just inside her mind.