Gideon went over to the front door and locked it before taking out his phone and calling his agent.
“Gid is god. How are you doing?” Scot Arundelson answered the phone the same way he talked if standing face-to-face with someone.
He screamed every conversation like he wanted everyone to be in on it. It surprised Gideon that his mother approved of this man as his agent.
“A man who talks like that has nothing to hide,” Queen Elizabeth said. “I never trust a man who is great at whispering.”
“Scot, what the hell is going on? Coach Brick was here and said I’m on the injured list. What gives?” Gideon paced.
“Formality, Gid, my man. The Wolves have to look out for themselves. They have to list you that way to cover their assets.” Scot’s easy Southern drawl never appealed to Gideon, but the man knew about sports and making great deals.
“Am I cut? Brick said I’m still on the roster.”
“You’re not cut. You are still a Wolf. However—”
That pause forced Gideon to swallow hard.
Scot continued, “There’s nothing that says we can’t explore options elsewhere. I mean, you’re a Super Bowl-winning MVP quarterback.” He released a loud scream. “Other teams would pay out their noses to have that on their roster. As far as I’m concerned, the Wolves made a mistake. You can pretty much write your ticket to go anywhere.”
“I want to be a Wolf. I want to stay in Virginia Beach.” With his mother’s condition and the business, Gideon didn’t see himself going anywhere else.
“Gid, don’t close off your options. Although I don’t think the Wolves will drop you, I do think this is a great opportunity for you to test the waters elsewhere.” Scot paused. “It’s late and I have a special friend coming by. By the way, great angle to get viewers interested in you.”
“Angle? What are you talking about?”
“You and that small-business owner. The picture online is grainy, but she looks cute. You hitting on her shows people that you’re approachable.”
“Scot, I wasn’t hitting on her.” Not exactly, Gideon should have added.
Janelle had seen right through his line about her husband or boyfriend. He and Gunnar had used that trick back in high school. Janelle showed she wouldn’t be falling for any tired lines, something else that made her appealing.
“Whatever, man. You are trending right now with the hashtag ‘Eliza Doolittle’.” Scot released a boisterous laugh.
Too bad Gideon didn’t get the joke. “Who’s that? That’s not the shop owner’s name.”
“I guess you’re not a musical-theater geek. That’s the name of the female lead in My Fair Lady. Yeah, fans like that you’re bringing this small-town girl up to your level.”
Gideon shook his head. “I have to go. I have an appointment tomorrow to see an orthopedist.”
“Good! That’s good. Let me know what he says. We’ll get through this. Until then, do some talk shows. The two late-night Jimmys keep calling me.”
Gideon disconnected the call. He had a lot more to think about than talk shows and his trending pattern. Janelle had been right. Since he’d come to town, he had thrown a monkey wrench into her daily life. He knew how to fix it.
* * * *
Janelle checked her bank account as soon as she got to the office. The cash from her deposits had been credited to her account. The few checks she’d received had not, and the credit card payments slowly trickled into her balance. She, at least, had enough to make one emergency order of roses, baby’s breath, and vases.
“The natives are restless.” Penny looked almost scared as she walked into Janelle’s office. She split her attention between Janelle and the front door. “I’ve never seen so many people here.” She scanned the place. “We still don’t have any flowers. What are we going to do?”
Janelle closed her laptop. “Open the store and take orders like I said. That’s all we can do. I’m not going to close the store.”
“I hope the rush orders come in soon.”
So did Janelle. She’d never been in this predicament. It would seem like being sold out of all inventory would be a good problem to have. Not with Valentine’s Day right around the corner.
Janelle strolled to the front door. She saw a bevy of people—men, women, children—all with phones aimed at her to take her picture or video. Since her scare last night, she’d started to notice the number of stares she now received.
She unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Welcome to Flowers Galore.”
The crowd rushed into the small store only to stop a few feet around Janelle to take her picture.
Janelle sighed and tried smiling through the odd ordeal. “Unfortunately, I’m completely out of inventory right now. I sold out last night.”
No one moaned or seemed upset. The crowd continued to stare at her like an oddity.
Trying to keep her composure, Janelle turned to the front counter. “We have a binder filled with different arrangements if you would like to order something special for Valentine’s Day. Penny and I would love to accept your order.”
No one spoke. A couple of flashes illuminated the room.
Penny eased her way over to Janelle. “This is like Night of the Living Dead shit, only they don’t want our brains,” she whispered through her teeth. “If you had given your boyfriend some flowers, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Janelle snapped her head around to glare at her best friend. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“So where is Gideon Wells?” one customer asked.
“Yeah. Does he come in later for lunch or something?” A woman aimed her sideways phone at Janelle.
“Is he as hot in person as he is on TV?” A thin, young man raised his eyebrows while the crowd around him did the same gesture. He scanned their expressions. “What? I’m gay and he’s hot. Don’t trip.”
Janelle heard a loud bang at her back door. “Oh, hell. Now what?” She started for the door and then stopped. She turned to Penny. “Keep the masses entertained. If anyone gets out of hand, call the police.”
Janelle had a business to run and these people kept her from doing that. As she stomped toward the door, thoughts ran through her mind at who could be on the other side. Maybe that jerk photographer stood out back, waiting for her to arrive. She grabbed a lead pipe she had in her office before she went to the door. She’d planned on using the pipe to straighten out one of her plants. Guess she would be using it to sort out whoever dared to cross her.
Once at the door, Janelle took a deep breath and pushed it open. “You picked the wrong day to mess with me!”
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the large white delivery truck backed up to her door.
A burly man jumped out of the driver’s seat. “Never mind. Someone just came out,” he called over the truck.
“Wow. You all are fast. I just placed the order a few minutes ago.” She looked at the back rolling door of the truck.
She noticed the name of the company. She knew of the company as one that sold the very top-of-the-line flowers, plants, and other products that she wished she could afford. She hadn’t placed an order with them.
“Excuse me. I think you all have made a mistake.” Janelle held the pipe down beside her to not look too confrontational. “I didn’t order from you all.”
The driver unhitched the door and threw it up. Janelle noticed the container looked half full. It also held more than just roses and baby’s breath.
The driver worked some controls on the side to lower a platform. “Lady, I was told to come here with this.”
“By who?”
He pointed behind him as he got on the platform and raised himself up to the truck.
Janelle turned and dropped her pipe when she saw Gideon Wells coming around the side of the building. He looked better today than he had yesterday. In the morning sun, his blond hair glowed. His eyes looked so bright and blue. In his heather-gray sweater an
d dark denim jeans, he could have passed for a model. All pornographic thoughts about him filled her head until she had to avert her gaze to keep from blushing too much.
“I was going to go to the front door until the driver said you were out here.” He smiled.
The frost that had hardened around her heart as soon as the vultures had descended on her started to melt. “What are you doing here?” She looked into the truck. “And what is this?”
“Victor, the lovely man I work with, has been following some social media story online about you and, well, me too. Someone has already posted that you announced you were out of flowers like we were. I assumed your delivery truck hasn’t arrived yet. So instead of taking this full order, I took half and asked the guy to bring the rest here.”
“That’s very nice of you but—”
Gideon held up his hand. “Hold that thought. I’m not truly altruistic. You did agree to have coffee with me last night. I believe your stipulation was that it couldn’t be at my house.”
He stood directly in front of her and smiled. She stared at his kissable lips. She wanted to touch them, kiss them, have him kiss her all over her body.
“You can’t do that, Mr.—”
Gideon shook his head. “Please do not call me Mr. Wells again. You’re making me feel old. I can’t be much older than you. I’m twenty-seven.”
Janelle smiled. “So am I.”
“And I’m not getting any younger.” The truck driver lowered himself along with several cases of flowers. “Where do you want these?”
“Please, I really can’t—”
“Yes, you can. And I apologize for interrupting you, but you make it hard to not want to stop you from being stubborn.” Gideon went to the door. “Will you unlock this so that he can deliver these flowers for you?”
She stood still for a moment, not used to having someone take care of her. After a beat, she went to the door and unlocked it. She propped it open the same way she would if her delivery driver had arrived. She placed a huge rock against it.
Janelle leaned her head into the door. “Penny!”
After some stomping footsteps, her friend showed up to the back door. “Yeah?”
“Show this gentleman where to put this inventory.”
Penny looked at the delivery driver and then peered over Janelle’s shoulder. “Whoa. Uh, yes, ma’am. You handle your business out here.”
When the driver and Penny disappeared, Janelle turned to Gideon. “Thank you for doing this. You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did. I came to town to help my family. I never meant to cause you any distress.” He approached her.
She remained in her spot, powerless to do anything else but keep her stare on him.
He continued. “And since you wouldn’t meet me for coffee, I had to come here.”
“People are talking.” She dropped her gaze for a moment. “They think we’re dating.”
“The paparazzi will make up a story to sell magazines or keep the hits on their Web sites up. I pay no attention to it. Thank goodness, someone in my life does look at that crap. I wouldn’t have known that you needed help.” Gideon brought his hand up almost like he wanted to touch Janelle’s face. He stopped himself and crossed his arms over his chest.
“How’s Queen Elizabeth?” Janelle chewed her lower lip.
“Good. Waiting for her surgery date.” Gideon took another step closer to her.
She lowered her voice. “And your brother?”
“Released from the hospital and home.” He peered up at the store when the driver and Penny appeared again to get the remaining load. “I know you’re kind of busy right now, but I would really like to take you to lunch.” He paused. “Or maybe dinner.”
Her heartbeat sped in her chest until it bounced off her sternum. Janelle snaked her hand to the back of her neck. Even in the cold of February, it felt sweaty and hot.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I have a store full of people who are taking my picture and filming me because of you.” She wrapped her sweater around her body and wished she’d worn something different, something more formfitting.
“People are going to talk whether you go out with me or not. Might as well have fun.” He smiled.
This time when he took a step closer to her, Janelle peered down. She noticed something around his leg. At first she thought he had one of those gun holsters around his muscled thigh. On closer inspection, she recognized he had on a hinged knee brace.
“Are you hurt?” This time Janelle moved closer to him.
Before Gideon could answer, she heard a clicking sound from behind him. She looked around him and noticed a photographer. Damn. She didn’t know Virginia had this many paparazzi in town.
“Don’t say anything.” Janelle shook her head.
“What?” Gideon’s eyebrows drew together.
“Photographer right behind you. I’d better go.” She started to pivot when she felt a hand clamp down on hers.
Janelle peered down at her hand first. When she saw Gideon had a hold of it, she took the time to pan up his long arm to his broad shoulder up to his face.
She didn’t know what to expect when she arrived at his expression. He looked more surprised than angry. Then he lowered his eyelids. Lust filled his gaze in a millisecond as soon as their stares connected.
“No one has ever looked out for me like that.” Gideon pulled her in, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pressed his lips against hers.
Janelle should have been offended. She should have pushed him away, slapped him, called the police. The way he genuinely stared at her and looked so grateful, the thought never entered her mind that he may be using her for publicity. She took his impromptu gesture to mean that Gideon felt grateful that she’d looked out for his interest instead of her own.
Right now, she enjoyed feeling this man against her body. His hard body pressed against hers for what seemed like hours but could only have been a few seconds.
When Gideon sank in deeper, allowing his tongue to part her lips and dive in her mouth, Janelle sobered to the situation, but not to stop him. When he upped the passion on the kiss, it felt familiar. Janelle touched his arm and felt his muscles through his jacket. The memory brought her back ten years ago to when a shy girl had her fantasies realized by a passionate boy at a community-center dance.
Gideon broke from the kiss and stared at Janelle. “I know you, don’t I?”
Janelle felt her mouth move but she couldn’t say anything. He would call her crazy if she admitted she thought he’d kissed her back in high school. She couldn’t admit that his one kiss had forced her to compare every man she dated after to him.
She unlaced her fingers from his and got out of his grip. When she peered around him, she noticed a second photographer had joined the first. Both couldn’t erase the smiles from their smug faces.
“You had better go. I’m sure this will end up on some site or tabloid somewhere.” Janelle started to retreat into her business.
“Wait. Can we talk?” Gideon started to go after her.
She shook her head. “Thank you for the supplies. Have a good day, Mr. Wells.”
As she closed the back door, she heard him say, “Shit.”
Exactly.
Chapter 10
As Gideon ascended the stairs in his mother’s home, he couldn’t get Janelle out of his mind. He shouldn’t have kissed her. He couldn’t help it. For the last few years of his professional life, everyone around him, except for his immediate family, wanted something from him. Endorsements, a winning season, fame, his money, sex. Gideon had had to look out for himself…until today when an angelic woman had put his needs first.
He got to the top of the stairs and went into Gunnar’s old room. Since coming home, his older brother had been hell-bent on leaving.
“Hey, bro.” Gideon, who hid his new knee brace under his jeans, leaned against the door jamb.
He didn’t
want to wear it, but after his appointment that morning, the doctor had insisted. Opting to not have surgery on his ACL, and instead agreeing to months of physical therapy didn’t sit well with the doctor. Gideon had to be the rock. Being sidelined for months would prevent him from being that glue.
Gideon hadn’t expected Janelle to notice the brace. His heart still melted from her concerned reaction. He couldn’t take the worry and judgment from his family. As soon as the delivery driver dropped off all the supplies, Gideon went back to Pick ’N Clip, ducked into the bathroom, and put the brace under his clothing. As long as he could keep his walk straight, he wouldn’t alert his family about his newly diagnosed condition.
When Gunnar continued packing, Gideon filled the silence. “Mom hates that you’re not talking to her.”
“She lied to me.” Gunnar shook his head.
When he told Gideon about Eboni’s miscarriage from ten years ago, Gideon had to pick his jaw up from the floor. After his initial shock, he brought home some reality to his brother. It had only been the three boys and Queen Elizabeth together for years. Gideon convinced his pigheaded brother that their mother would never do anything to hurt him on purpose. Bottom line, Gunnar needed to make amends with her before her surgery.
When Gunnar agreed, Gideon allowed him some time to be alone with Queen Elizabeth. Plus, he needed the privacy to try and call Dennis again.
The phone rang once, twice, and at the third ring, someone answered.
“Go to hell!” The line disconnected.
As Gideon started to redial Dennis again, his phone rang. He saw on the caller-ID screen that Dennis called him this time.
“Don’t hang up on me again.” Gideon knew his friend.
“Kiss my ass!” The line disconnected again.
Gideon paced the hallway upstairs. He felt his heart beating in his head. What the hell had made Dennis angry? Had he been put on the injured list too? Did he have months of physical therapy ahead? Was he unsure about his place with the team?
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