In Full Bloom [Second Chances 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Michelle Roth

  Over the next few hours, he unpacked the kitchen and the books. Deciding he could sleep in tomorrow, he tackled his office, too. He was only going to his sister’s tomorrow.

  He needed to pick up the flowers that he’d brought with him now that he had a place to put them. He really hoped that she’d been misting them like he asked. The climate change from Seattle to Los Angeles would be a shock for them. The air was much hotter and much drier here.

  By the time he finished with the office, it was almost two in the morning. He took the broken-down boxes down to the Dumpster. When he surveyed the apartment, it was mostly put together now. He needed to unpack some clothes and stuff, but the majority of the boxes were gone. He’d tackle that tomorrow though, he thought, as he crawled into bed.

  Evan woke to the sound of loud voices and even louder thuds in the hallway. Groaning, he lay there a minute then rolled out of bed. He looked through the peephole and saw a hideous blue sofa in the hall way.

  Opening his door, he saw Taryn standing there watching delivery men drag out the offending sofa. She spotted him and had the grace to look somewhat apologetic as she said, “Sorry. This was the only time they were available. We’ll keep it down.”

  Despite the fact he was running on five hours sleep, he felt his lips twitch. He scrubbed a hand over his face and said, “Point made, Princess. Are we done with this now?”

  Nodding, she said, “Yep.”

  “Good. Going back to bed,” he said.

  “Sweet dreams,” she said, giving him a little wave as he closed the door to his apartment.

  He shut the door with a little more force than necessary in response. Unable to help himself, he had to laugh, though. He’d not been expecting that at all.

  As he moved back to bed, he acknowledged that scheduling the greenhouse delivery that early had been kind of a dick move. He’d totally deserved that. And hey, at least she’d waited until the sun was up. He’d done her a favor if he’d somehow hurried along her purchase of a replacement sofa. That thing was ugly.

  He briefly considered going back to bed, but realized he was wide awake now. Over the next few hours, he managed to unpack the rest of his apartment and run to the grocery store. Since it was eleven now, he deemed it appropriate to call his sister.

  Picking up his cell phone, he dialed. When she picked up, she answered, “Hello?”

  “Teeny, it’s Evan. You gonna be home? I wanna come get my plants.”

  “I’ll be home,” his sister said. “Ya know, you’re the only one that still calls me that. After all these years, you’d think you would know how to say my name right.”

  He hadn’t been able to say Christina when he was younger, so he’d called her Teeny. The nickname had ended up sticking. Most of the family had stopped calling her that when she became an oncologist.

  “Maybe one day,” he said, smirking. “Can I bring donuts?”

  “Please don’t,” she said, sounding a little desperate. “The kids don’t need sugar.”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “Bad idea. See you in a little bit?”

  “Sure thing,” she said. “You may want to hurry. I threatened the twins under penalty of death if they touched your plants. That usually only works for a couple of days at most.”

  “On my way,” Evan said, picturing the twins plucking leaves off of his beloved orchids. “See you in twenty.”

  Twenty minutes later, he pulled into his sister’s driveway. When he got out of the car, three screaming children ran toward him. The smallest of the group, Maddy, flung herself at him and squealed, “Unca Evan!”

  He easily caught the two-year-old bundle of energy and placed her on his hip. He greeted his two nephews, ruffling their hair. When he’d dropped off the plants, Christina had been at work and the kids were at day care. He’d put the plants on her back porch and left.

  He looked up and saw his sister in the doorway, grinning. He walked over and pulled her into a one-armed hug. She squeezed him and said, “Great to see you, Ev.”

  “You, too. It’s been too long,” he said.

  “Now I know where you live. Expect that to change,” she said, chiding him.

  “Gladly. Where’s Doug?” he asked as she led him inside.

  His sister rolled her eyes and said, “Golf.”

  Evan opened his mouth to respond, but Maddy tapped his shoulder and said, “Down, please.”

  Grinning, he let her down and watched her take off.

  “How’s the move going? Have you finished unpacking yet?” his sister asked.

  “You know me. I compulsively organize, so yeah,” he said.

  “Be sure to get some rest. You’re looking a little rough.”

  Smirking, he recounted the story about the greenhouse and couch deliveries.

  Wincing, his sister said, “Yeah. That’s really early to deliver something the size of a small house, Ev. I feel like you kinda earned that.”

  Laughing, he nodded agreeably and said, “Yeah. I did.”

  Studying him, Christina finally said, “I’m sensing an undercurrent here.”

  Evan made a face but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t exactly deny it.

  Raising her eyebrows, she gestured for him to continue.

  Uncomfortably, he said, “She’s too young, and also a tenant.”

  “How young?” Christina asked him warily.

  “Twenty six,” he said, wincing.

  Waving him off, she said, “That’s not too bad.”

  “Tenant.”

  “You didn’t see your face when you were talking about her,” Christina said, a grin spreading across her face.

  Sliding his chair back, he stood and said, “All right. I’m getting my plants and going. That’s enough prying for one day.”

  She walked with him to the sliding glass door and said, “I’m glad you’re home, Ev. Did you go and see Mom yet?”

  He pulled her in and gave her a hug, then said, “Yeah. I stopped by on my way down. I’ll go visit again next weekend, maybe. Once I get settled.”

  When he saw his plants, he winced. One of them lay on its side. The moss and wood chips that had been in the pot lay scattered on the ground next to it. Evan bent down and started to scoop them up.

  Christina said, “Dammit. I am so sorry. I told them not to touch it.”

  Evan waved her apology away and said, “It should be all right, I think.”

  He gave a start when his sister bellowed, “Steven! Cory! Out here now!”

  Picking up his plants, he made his way out to his SUV and loaded them in the back. He really hoped the one that had been tipped over would be okay. Orchids were finicky.

  When he came back inside, two very sad voices said, “I’m sorry, Uncle Evan. I hope we didn’t kill your plant.”

  He found it difficult to be mad at them, but he knew his sister was trying to make a point. He frowned and said, “I forgive you guys, but you should listen to your mom.”

  Reaching down, he gave them both hugs and said, “See you guys later.”

  Picking up the last plant, Christina gave the boys one last stink eye and then walked with him out to his car.

  When they reached the back of his SUV, he took the plant from her and placed it in the back. Closing the trunk, he said, “Thanks for watching my plants.”

  Wincing, she said, “Sorry about the one. I hope it doesn’t die.”

  “I don’t think it will. Don’t worry about it. They’re kids. That being said, the greenhouse is off limits to them forever,” he said, grinning.

  He reached out and pulled her in for another hug. As she squeezed him, she asked, “When will you go see the rest of them?”

  Resting his chin on top of her head for a minute, he said, “Donnie and Patty, tomorrow night. Will and Michael on Tuesday. I haven’t gotten a call back from Maureen yet. Jamie is coming to help me paint on Thursday night. I promised him beer and pizza.”

  “I love her, but Mo can be a bit of a flake. Keep on trying,” Christina said.


  Giving her one last squeeze, he said, “I’ll call you this weekend. You can come by and see the finished product. I should have the sign up, the repairs done, and the paint finished by then. I think, unless I have any unforeseen repairs, I should be able to open on Monday.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it. Drive careful and keep me posted on your new tenant.”

  Narrowing his eyes, he said, “See ya later, Teeny.”

  Chapter 3

  Taryn’s muscles ached, her head pounded, and she was utterly exhausted. She knew that being a vet for the zoo would be rough some days. She just hadn’t realized that it would be her first day on the job. Last night, or early this morning she guessed, she’d gotten a frantic phone call from her boss, Mike. Shelby, the pregnant Asian elephant, had started to go into labor so it was all hands on deck.

  Fifteen hours later, dead on her feet, she walked home from the bus stop. Biting back a yawn, she noticed the door to the flower shop was open.

  Poking her head in, she saw that Evan had taken up the old linoleum and that he’d added wood in its place. She was startled when she heard his voice behind her.

  “Hey, Princess. How was the first day?” he asked.

  When she turned around, his eyes widened slightly. She held up a hand and said, “Please don’t say it. I’ve been up since two in the morning. Our very pregnant elephant decided she was going to give birth. I’m only running on about three hours sleep.”

  “Ouch,” he said. “Did it go well?”

  “It’s not even done yet. Elephants usually take two or three days to actually give birth. We’re going to be on twelve hour shifts ‘til Wednesday, I think.”

  She gave him a smile and added, “The floor will look nice when it’s done.”

  “Thanks. I thought it was nicer than what was in there before. Hung the sign, too.”

  “Wow,” she said, yawning. “I totally missed that.”

  Stepping around him, she looked up at the front of the building. Sure enough, there was a new sign hanging. Grinning now, she said, “It looks nice. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done.”

  He took her shoulders and steered her toward the side entrance. “Go upstairs and sleep, Princess. You look dead on your feet.”

  She nodded and yawned, “I am.”

  Walking through the side entrance, she made her way up the stairs, groaning with each step. She briefly considered whether she wanted a shower first or whether she was just going to sleep. Peeling off her work clothes, she tossed them in the general direction of the laundry basket and decided a shower was most definitely in order.

  She caught sight of herself in the mirror as she walked into the bathroom. Her skin was incredibly pale, and she had dark smudges under her eyes. Grimacing, she turned the shower on and stepped inside, not caring that it wasn’t warm yet. After the brief shock, she groaned as the tension began to leave her shoulders.

  She stayed in the shower until the hot water heater finally gave out and the water cooled. Wrapping herself in a towel, she flopped facedown on the bed and passed out.

  When she woke around two in the morning, she felt like a new woman. Her sleep schedule was going to be totally jacked up for the next few days though. As she ran the brush through her knotted hair, she shrugged. It was totally worth it, though, every time someone called her Dr. Michaels.

  After she had gotten dressed, she realized she hadn’t eaten in roughly twelve hours. Pulling the leftover carbonara out of the fridge, she warmed it and opened a can of Coke. Sitting down, she managed to finish both just as her cell phone rang. That must be Gene, she thought.

  She answered her phone and let him know she’d be right down. Quickly, she pulled on her socks and tennis shoes. Grabbing her purse and phone, she locked the door and went downstairs.

  Luckily, she’d been able to talk one of the lab techs into coming to pick her up today. She’d had to take a cab last night since the buses didn’t run to the zoo at that hour. It had been a total pain in the ass. She really needed to get her car situation straightened out. In a few paychecks, she’d go shopping for something small and economical.

  Opening the passenger door, she said, “Thanks so much for picking me up.”

  “Not a problem,” he said. “I remember being a broke college kid once. Riding the bus was rough. You should be able to fix that pretty soon though.”

  Nodding, she agreed, “Yeah. A couple paychecks under my belt and I’ll go car shopping.”

  “I just checked in with Mike and he said Shelby was starting to go into her second stage of contractions. I think we’re gonna get to see an elephant give birth today,” Gene said, grinning. “Paula asked me to take pictures.”

  Taryn made a face and said, “Does she realize how messy it is?”

  Gene just laughed and said, “She had two of her own. I’m sure she has some idea.”

  “I don’t understand why people wanna tape that either, Gene.”

  He just continued to laugh.

  By the time they reached the zoo, she was eager to start her rounds. She wanted to make sure she’d have enough free time to watch the baby being born. It was something that she’d seen online, and studied, but it would be really exciting to watch it in person.

  Parting ways at the gate, she thanked Gene again.

  * * * *

  Taryn was just finishing her shift when her walkie beeped. Turning up the volume, she heard Mike say, “We’re about to have a brand new baby elephant, folks. She’s close now.”

  She and the three other people in the office dropped what they were doing and moved quickly toward the elephant pen. They’d put Shelby in a small area in the back, away from the public. With half of the staff gathered to watch, they were all crammed in pretty tightly. Mike must have seen her trying to work her way to the front of the group because she heard him call her name through the walkie. She moved around the group to the entrance of the cage where he stood.

  He said, “Watch this, Taryn. One day it’ll be you standing here instead of me.”

  “Thanks,” she said, grinning. “I couldn’t see anything in the crowd.”

  He nodded at her and went through each stage of what Shelby had gone through, and what she’d need to look for in terms of signs of distress. She took notes furiously and tried to take it all in. It was hard to maintain professional distance, though, when she was so damned excited.

  Forty minutes later, Taryn rode the bus home, a smile still on her face. The elephant birthing process was completely demystified for her now. It had been the most beautiful, disgusting thing she’d ever seen. She had taken a few pictures of the baby elephant. She couldn’t wait to show Cora. She could only imagine how disgusted she’d be.

  She texted her the pictures, grinning. Her phone immediately buzzed back.

  Cora responded, “Sick. What is that?”

  Laughing, Taryn said, “A baby elephant!”

  Immediately her phone buzzed again. “Oh! The elephant was born! Awesome. He looks…gooey.”

  Sending her another picture, this one showing the somewhat cleaner calf nursing, Taryn said, “It was disgusting and beautiful at the same time.”

  “I’m leaning toward disgusting, myself. But, what are you doing Thursday after work? I’m going to need a status update on your job so far. And Sexy McHottie Pants.”

  Snorting, Taryn typed, “Hanging out with you, apparently. Can you pick me up from the zoo?”

  Cora responded, “Yes. I will see you Thursday at five. Everyone in my study group is giving me the evil eye. I have to go. Talk to you later!”

  Putting her phone away, she realized she was almost to her stop. Pressing the button, she waited for the bus to slow down. Giving the driver a wave, she walked the remaining block to her apartment. She was exhausted again, but nothing like yesterday.

  Seeing the door to the shop open again, she saw Evan on a ladder hanging crown molding. The floor was finished. She didn’t know what other cosmetic changes he had planned, but the store already
looked better.

  “Hey,” she said, not wanting to startle him.

  He turned around and asked, “Hey. How’s your baby elephant?”

  “Born just about an hour ago,” she said, grinning.

  “Oh good. I assume from the smile that it all went well?” Evan asked, stepping down off the ladder.

  “Yep,” she said, taking her phone out of her purse. She flipped through the pictures she’d taken to one that didn’t have much goo.

  Holding out the phone, she said, “Here he is.”

  She watched as a wide grin spread across his face. Handing the phone back to her, he said, “He’s a cute little guy.”

  “He is. The process was so gross though,” she said.

  “Thanks for sparing me the details,” he quickly said, holding a hand up.

  “No problem,” she said, laughing. “I wasn’t actually in the mood to relive them. The place is really coming together. The floor looks great and the crown molding will be nice when that’s all done.”

  He looked around the empty space and nodded, “It is coming together. Most of what I did was in the back today. There was a floor drain back there. What I pulled out of it. Unspeakably disgusting.”

  Laughing, she said, “There was a huge amount of clutter in here. She didn’t exactly strike me as someone who kept up with the cleaning. I ended up doing a lot of my own repairs and maintenance.”

  Frowning, he said, “You shouldn’t have to do that stuff. If something’s broken, come to me. I’ll fix it or get it fixed.”

  Waving her hand as if to say it wasn’t a big deal, she said, “I learned valuable life skills. Minor air conditioning repair, plumbing. But yes, I’ll happily let you take care of it from now on.”

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and said, “Oh shit. I’m glad you stopped by. I’m supposed to be across the valley in 45 minutes. What do you think my odds are?”

  “Dressed like that, or were you planning on changing into something not covered in sawdust?” she asked.

  “I don’t think my brother would care, but I could just picture his husband’s face if I tracked sawdust into their house,” Evan said, grinning. “Might almost be worth it.”