The Hibiscus Heist

by C L Bauer

  “Give me the photo,” Jan requested. He studied it, looking up occasionally. “I will get some icing. If you have enough flowers, the clusters should be placed in strategic areas so that it won’t fall apart.” He pointed to one of the sides. “Look at that bulge. Maybe we build a little flower arrangement on the table to hold up that side?”

  Lily nodded. Actually, she would sacrifice every flower she had in the bucket to resurrect life out of this bakery humiliation. The bride wanted a cascade of flowers from the top to the bottom. Jan showed her the weaknesses as she began placing the blooms carefully on the cracking cake.

  He left, returning with icing to smooth out some of the edges. On the very top, he covered the gouged-out hole. “Lily, just a couple small blooms here and here,” he directed. He continued icing.

  Over thirty minutes later, Abby was almost finished with the tables, and Jan and Lily stood in front of the cake studying their work.

  “So, if we do that little arrangement here to support that bulge and one in the back to mirror it, I think the design might look like it should?”

  Lily looked up at him. He was sincere. “Yah, right, but it does look like a wedding cake now. Before it looked like a bad prank.”

  “So, let’s finish this.”

  Only ten minutes later, Abby sat in a nearby chair watching a disaster become a dream.

  Lily had one hydrangea left in the bucket. Jan announced they were finished. Lily reached in and grabbed the last bloom. “For you. Thankfully, she’ll never know how bad it was.”

  “Let’s hope her aunt only did it by accident and not on purpose.”

  Lily cringed. “Yikes, now that would be something. I think I’d move very far from my family if I were the bride.”

  “I will tell the staff to cut that cake immediately. We can’t wait for that thing to fall apart. I’m afraid it will.”

  Abby and Lily were packing up when the bride and groom entered the ballroom. Thankfully the muck of a cake was now a masterpiece.

  The bride began to cry as she came toward Lily. Oh crap. She hates it. And then she saw the smile through the tears. The bride grabbed Lily’s hands.

  “Oh Lily, what you’ve done is something else.”

  “That is a good thing?” she asked apprehensively. The groom nodded as he looked around the room.

  “The entire room is just magical but the cake, well you have performed a miracle.”

  Lily only smiled. She looked over at Abby whose eyes were crossing in amusement. It wasn’t a water into wine miracle, but Jan and she had saved the pastry day.

  The bride walked closer, pulling her florist with her. “Just look at every blossom. When I saw it this morning, I just didn’t know what to think.”

  Abby stood up and walked toward them. “You saw it this morning?”

  The bride laughed. “Oh yes. It was just awful. I mean it was leaning over there and the bulge on the left, oh that’s gone now.” She lightly touched the makeshift dam of flowers bolstering the inadequacy. “This is an engineering job.”

  Relieved, Lily finally talked. “You can thank the hotel pastry chef, Jan, for that. He told me where to place the flowers and he added support here and there, plus his icing finished everything off. So if you knew it was so bad why didn’t you call me?”

  “Well, everything else was going so badly I didn’t know where to start. I couldn’t have you fixing everything.”

  “You’re right. I don’t do hair or makeup. Have you seen me?”

  “You look like an angel to me.” She hugged her florist.

  The groom finally spoke as he rounded the back of the cake. “My dear wife’s aunt is suffering from Alzheimer’s, early stages. She wanted to make the cake. On her good days she is an amazing decorator and baker, but on the bad days she thinks it looks fine when it really doesn’t.”

  “I had to take the chance that she was going to have a good day, but when I saw it earlier, I knew it wasn’t. In her eyes it looks just like I wanted it, but her vision is clouded.”

  Lily could see the heartbreak in the woman’s eyes. This was her wedding day. She had been willing to sacrifice perfection to have her aunt’s participation. What a girl. This groom was lucky, but there were some minor problems in the family area.

  “I’m so happy we could do this for you.” Lily hugged her, bringing her close to whisper, “You are so very special.”

  “But you saved the day. Where’s the chef? I need to thank him too.” The bride broke her embrace and headed into the kitchen.

  Lily smiled at the groom who continued to look at the cake.

  “Wow, I can’t believe you all did this. She’ll remember this the rest of her life and her aunt, well if she’s having a good night, will think she gave the greatest gift. Thanks, Lily.” He pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. “I kind of thought a catastrophe might happen. Please have dinner on us. It’s the least we can do.”

  On cue, Lily’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since this morning. Oatmeal just didn’t last all day like it used to when she was younger. Besides, she was happy right now; of course, she was hungry.

  “Thanks so much. We are so happy we could do it for you. Have a wonderful night and a better marriage.”

  An hour later, Lily and Abby were sipping on cocktails during happy hour at one of their favorite restaurants.

  “What are you thinking?” Abby asked as her boss became very quiet.

  “About that bride and how sweet she was even though the day was sour. The rain, the hair, the makeup, her sister, her mother, the cake, her aunt’s illness, well that was a lot.”

  “I know the look on your face and you’re not just thinking about all that.”

  Lily looked straight at Abby and stuck her tongue out. “Well, aren’t you the smarty. Dev called.”

  “Great, what is the very special agent up to?”

  “He was worried about my safety, again.” Lily took another drink from her multi-colored, fruity, rum-filled glass. She picked up the glass and studied its coloring closely. “Abs, do you ever feel like you’re a hamster?”

  “Oh, all the time.” Abby laughed. Just the other day her nitwit boyfriend who now was acting less and less like a nitwit had accused her of being the same said little furry animal. “I have my own personal treadmill and it’s not at the gym.”

  “No, I’m talking about week after week doing the same thing. I do my calls, my emails, my orders, my deliveries and then we pick up flowers and then we do the weddings and then sometimes, if I’m lucky, I go out or I clean my house. But week after week it is the same.”

  “Do you think it would be better if Dev were here all the time?”

  “No, it would be the same, but Dev would be here. He has this entire secret life I know nothing about. He’s not a hamster.”

  Abby laughed out loud. “He is definitely not a hamster, a race horse maybe.”

  Her boss’s glare stopped her additional comments. But then Lily did smile. Other descriptions would go unsaid. She thought about Gretchen’s description. Dev was delicious. Lord, ladies, get a grip. He was just an attractive man. She smiled. He was a nice looking man who seemed to like her very much. Maybe she didn’t have just bad luck.

  Lily nodded toward their server for two more drinks before happy hour ended. “Abby, do you want to do this the rest of your life?”

  “Whoa, where did that come from, boss?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it more and more, of what life could be with Dev and without Dev.”

  Abby gulped down the remainder of her drink as the new one came. “What’s it like without him?”

  Lily placed both drinks in front of her. “Sad, just sad. But I need to prepare myself for the inevitable, for what might happen.”

  Their flatbread pizzas and calamari finally came to the table allowing Lily’s last statement to linger on the air. Abby took a couple of bites before she demanded an answer.

  “Why? Why does it have to happen?”

&n
bsp; “Because it always does and always has. My track record, well it’s hard for me to believe we can work it all out.”

  “Maybe, but you two could work out the logistics.”

  Lily shook her head. Abby was so naive. And so young. “I’m not talking about logistics, I’m talking about our entire relationship.” Her lack of self-esteem crept into her psyche. “Well, he is delicious as some have said and I’m, well, I’m an appetizer at the airport. You need something to eat before you catch the plane and it seems a reasonable menu item. Then you take that first bite and it’s cold.”

  “Lily, stop it. You need to quit the disbelieving and begin to believe. Believe that Dev isn’t just a handsome face and a drop-dead body.”

  That statement elicited another glare, but Abby kept talking. “I know the alcohol has gone to my head, but that man is built. He has a crazy sense of humor, and he’s smart. Most importantly, I believe he loves you.”

  Lily ate the pineapple on the side of the glass. “I gained back two pounds last week, did I tell you that?”

  “Who cares?”

  “I do. I can’t measure up to his standards.”

  “Don’t make me come across the table and slap the crap out of you. Geez, what matters is that he thinks you’re perfect. And he does.”

  Lily smiled. “What if it does all work out? What if I end up with this amazing man? What do I do with him?”

  Abby spit out her drink. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

  Lily said nothing. Her face told her assistant everything as a thin wry smile crossed her lips. That would be delicious.

  “Do we want dessert?” Abby asked hopefully.

  “Did I tell you I gained two pounds?”

  “Yes, so what do we want?”

  Lily thought for only a second. “Oh we want the creme brulee and the carrot cake.”

  “Yes, we do. On that we can agree.”

  “I think I’ll sleep in tomorrow and not go to church.”

  The desserts came and the two women dug in with great zeal.

  “Lily, you will go to church tomorrow. You always do.” Abby took another bite of cake. “You know, maybe that’s what Dev loves about you.”

  “That I go to church?” She snorted at the idea. “I sincerely doubt that. I’ve never heard that on any man’s list.”

  “No, that you are normal. You are solid. Maybe you’re that rock he’s never had to hold onto.”

  “So, tonight I’ve gone from hamster to a normal, solid rock. I’m a bloody chia pet,” Lily described. She was laughing out loud now. “No, no, no, I’m a pet rock. Because of his schedule he can’t have a dog, so he has me, his very own pet rock. Lovely.”

  “What would he name you?”

  “Knowing Dev, probably Rock. Not much imagination with that boy.”

  “I don’t believe that, Lily. My mom always said to watch out for the quiet ones. She used that old cliche, quiet waters run deep. That man is the Mississippi, and doesn’t that go all the way down to New Orleans?”

  Lily looked perplexed. “What the heck are you talking about?”

  “Well, I’m talking about government on the outside, party on the inside.”

  Lily knew she was suddenly blushing for some reason. “You need more coffee, and I will go to church tomorrow to pray for your soul.”

  “Thank you. I may need it, the coffee and the prayers.”

  Lily just shook her head. It had been a long day filled with the beauty and the beast of her life. She’d seen an amazing act of selflessness from her bride; she’d voiced her inadequacies and fears out loud. Maybe normal might not be a bad thing, only with Dev beside her.

  Chapter Ten

  Dev was making more and more lists lately. Everytime he completed a task, he crossed it through and smiled. He thought about Lily constantly. He missed her laughter, even when she snorted. He missed how she balanced her glasses on the edge of her nose. He missed how she could be quiet as they both sat in a room together. He enjoyed disagreeing with her about rock groups. He missed the scent of her hair. He missed her. Yet, he questioned why she was the one who was in his thoughts constantly. God help him.

  Now that Alise and Angelica were in his life in Miami, they had filled the void he felt whenever he missed Lily. Carlos visited almost every weekend. Next week everything would change when Alise and he became a couple. They needed to do a little more detail work today without Carlos before that playacting began. Besides, he could have a little down time and play with a certain little girl.

  “Hi Angel.”

  “Dev, it is you!” The little girl ran toward him as he walked up the sidewalk. She jumped up into his arms, examining him carefully. “I like your beard.” She touched and petted. “I’m not sure your girlfriend is going to like it when you kiss and stuff.”

  He looked into his littlest friend’s large brown eyes. “How old are you? You don’t need to know about kissing and stuff.”

  She giggled and pushed against him to drop her to the ground. “What’s that in your hand? Is it for me?”

  “You know it is, Angelica. It’s a book about a giraffe who doesn’t like being tall.”

  Her giggle was infectious. “That’s just silly. Mommy is inside. Come with me.” She grabbed his hand and drug him into the house.

  An excited Angelica ran to her mother but was quieted instantly. Alise sat at her computer, her headphones on her head.

  Angelica came over by Dev and sat him down in a chair, climbing up into his lap. “Momma is working. We can’t bother her right now. So, how’s your girlfriend? She’s the nice florist that Grandpa J knew, right?”

  Dev furrowed his brow. “You are asking way too many questions.”

  “So, is she? I need to make sure.”

  Dev shook his head in defeat. “Yes, and she is fine.”

  “When are you two getting married and having babies? You like kids; you like me.”

  “Wow, you are something else, Angel. I don’t know, and I don’t know.”

  Angelica pulled his face with her small hands. Her eyes were within inches of his. “But you do want to have babies with her, right?”

  Dev looked at her hope-filled face. He didn’t want to disappoint her. Did he want babies with Lily, he wondered. Was it too late for both of them?

  “Angel, I’m not sure.”

  She lightly touched him on the nose. “You better get sure. Babies need a lot of care. You have to feed them and change them and burp them. They’re a mess.”

  Dev began to laugh. “So why do you want me to have them?”

  “Because you need them and you need her. I know these things. She likes you so much.” She nodded her head as though she were a genie granting a wish.

  Thankfully, Alise turned from her computer. “Dev, I’m so sorry. I had to finish that last call, and now I’m done for the day.”

  “Absolutely fine. You’re working on a Saturday?”

  “Just finishing up so we are good for next week. We are still on, right?”

  He looked at Angelica and then back at her mother.

  “Oh, right, Angelica, you need to play in your room for just a little while, and then you can visit with Dev more.”

  He kissed his small fan club member on the forehead. “We are going to order pizza as soon as mommy and I finish our work.”

  She slowly climbed down and turned back toward him. “You aren’t going to leave, are you?”

  “Nope, go play while mom and I work, and then I have the rest of the day with you.”

  “Yayyyyyyyy,” she screamed as she ran to her room.

  “Wow, that little girl is something else.”

  Her mother smiled, coming over to the chair across from him. “Every day there is something new. She is such a good girl. I don’t know what I would do without her.”

  Dev sat on the edge of the chair. “But what would happen to her if something does go wrong, and God forbid, she’s left alone?”

  “I’ve prepared for that. Y
ou may not like my idea, but it’s what I want to do.”

  “I don’t understand. What’s up?”

  “I met with an attorney right after I decided to help you with your case. I want to tie a big bright bow on this entire drug package and take them down. They destroyed my brother and he died. I almost died with my drug habit and the world they placed me in. My father was killed for my sins. My mother died because she lost the love of her life. There is no one left for my little girl, but me. I want this ended.”

  Dev took her hands in his. “I’m just worried about Angelica and her future.”

  She smiled. “Oh don’t you worry. If something happens to me, she’ll have a great future. I know it.”

  “Good. That’s what I want too.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear,” she admitted, relieved at his answer. “I’m leaving her with you and hopefully that little florist in Kansas City. My baby has been in love with you since the moment you sat down on the hospital floor with her that awful day when my daddy died.”

  Dev’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “You heard me. You. She loves you. You are her hero, her knight, her everything. When you aren’t around, she talks about you. When she knows you’re coming, she wakes up early and walks around in her room deciding what outfit she’ll wear. She knows your favorite color is blue.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Nope, that is love, pure and innocent. It’s the perfect kind.”

  “My job isn’t the safest.”

  “Then she lives with your little florist. My dad loved that woman, and since you love her, Angelica loves her too.”

  “Alise, it isn’t that simple.”

  She pulled her hands from his. “Do you really want to argue with the woman who is going to get you into the inner circle of the bad guys you want to take down?”

  “About that, you are sure?”

  Alise’s eyes were cold and distant as she thought about her family, the members who were all gone now. “Absolutely. I’m tired of these people getting away with murder, literally. It’s time they go away in reality and in my nightmares.”