“You could have told me this the last time we talked.” Gideon gritted his teeth until his agent answered him.
“I didn’t want to worry you. I thought I could smooth it all over.” Scot grunted. Gideon guessed he’d missed a shot.
“It was a rough game.” Gideon stood and undid his pants. A hot shower would cool his nerves. “Of course I’m going to have some aches and pains. Did you see the guys on the Sharks team? Every one of their guys wanted to take my head off. I held up through the game.”
“I know. I reminded folks about that. I also talked about the fact that no one had to carry you off the field. And most importantly, you still have your good looks.”
Gideon snickered. “Yes, that’s the most important thing.” Now he felt like a piece of meat. Then again, he hadn’t picked Scot because he came off as a humanitarian. The man knew the business and how to get results. “Any truth to the rumor that they’re deciding between me and Dennis?”
“The team’s camp is being quiet about that. I can’t get Dennis’s people to talk. You have a contract, buddy. They can’t just cut you out. If they do”—Scot cleared his voice—“I have a contingency plan.”
Gideon dropped his underwear. If he was about to be screwed, he should be prepared. “What’s that?” He removed his knee brace and threw the strappy device on his bed.
“I’ve been talking to the folks with the Coyotes.”
Gideon froze on his way to the bathroom. “As in the Portland, Oregon Coyotes?”
“Yes. They’ve been interested in you since you were a Tar Heel. They’re willing to make a lucrative offer.”
“I need to stay here in Virginia, at least a team on the East Coast. My brother and mother, they need me.” Gideon could hear his mother in his ear screaming to stop playing the glue that kept the family together. His decision had more to do with how far he could be from Janelle. He couldn’t admit that to Scot.
“Dude, I can hire a full-time live-in nurse for your mother and brother if you want. Don’t say no to these opportunities. They may not come around again, and you’re not that young.”
“I’m twenty-seven.”
“Walk like it.”
Asshole.
“Work on the Wolves. Talk to you later.” Gideon disconnected the call and stomped to the bathroom.
As soon as the water flowed through the showerhead, he ducked under the icy-cold stream. He didn’t care. The water would warm up. His team would keep him. Janelle would come back to him. Something in his life had to work.
After his shower, Gideon wrapped a towel around his waist and went back to his bedroom, water droplets still dripping down his body. He picked up his phone and dialed the one person he wanted.
“Flowers Galore. Janelle speaking.”
“Don’t hang up.” Gideon kept his feet planted on the floor to give himself some stability. “Are you alone?”
Chapter 18
Janelle hadn’t expected to hear Gideon’s voice. Business had been steady that morning, keeping her busy enough to keep him out of her thoughts, but not completely. She kept envisioning his incredible eyes. Her body retained the memory of how he’d touched her. Hearing his voice released the waterworks between her legs.
“Um, let me check on that for you,” she said as a way to get away from Penny and the customers in the store. She ducked into her office and closed the door behind her. “Hi.”
“Hey.”
She heard him release a long sigh.
“I had to hear your voice,” Gideon said.
She grinned. “So you do need me.”
He laughed. “Every Batman has to have his Robin.”
“Am I Robin in this scenario?” She sat behind her desk and crossed her legs.
“You would look better in the tights,” he said.
“I don’t know. I’ve seen you in your football uniform. You don’t do too badly in your little pants.”
He released a loud laugh that forced her to laugh with him. “How are you doing?”
She nodded. “Good. No, that’s not true. I’m not good. I’m conflicted.”
“You don’t have to be. My house is safe. It has a guard shack and photographers can’t get past them.”
Janelle thought about going back to Gideon’s house. For such a large space, she felt safe there. It might have more to do with the man who’d slept beside her than the structure itself. She did like his home.
If she stayed around him, Jules would be able to build a bigger story. Gideon didn’t deserve that.
“How’s your mom? Are you still at the hospital?” She had to get on another topic or this discussion would drive her crazy.
“She woke up this morning. They took her breathing tube out. She looked good. I never thought I would say this, but she’s getting color back in her skin. I didn’t realize how much color she’d lost from her heart issue until the bypass surgery.”
Janelle breathed a sigh of relief. “Wonderful. Can she have visitors? I’d like to see her today.”
“I think she can, but no flowers for now.”
“I understand. Penny and I can—”
“I want to see you. I didn’t mean to cut you off.”
She swallowed hard.
He continued. “It’s insane for us to not see each other, unless you don’t want to see me.”
She ran her hand over her head when sweat formed on it. “What I want and what should happen are two different things. I don’t want to ruin your reputation.”
“With who?”
“Your fans. Your team. Your image.”
Again, he released a large belly laugh. “You let me worry about that. Tell me what you want.”
She opened her mouth but nothing came from it.
“You want to see me?” he asked again.
“Yes,” she finally said once she’d mustered enough strength.
“Good. That takes care of—”
“But I can’t.”
“You can.” Gideon’s voice had an edge that almost pushed her to acquiesce.
“You don’t understand. I can’t.”
“Did you like the plant?”
Janelle’s heart pounded when she thought of it. “It’s beautiful. You didn’t have to do that.”
“So let me do the math. You like the plant, right?”
She tried suppressing a smile but couldn’t. “Right.”
“And you like me.” His voice dipped down.
“You’re okay.” She snickered.
“Ah, okay. I’ll take that. By the way, I just got out of the shower and I’m only wearing a towel. Is that doing anything for you?”
Heat rose from her chest to her face. “You do not play fair.”
“It’s the gift of a good quarterback. Know your opponent’s weaknesses.”
“You think your wet body is my weak spot?” She chewed on the inside of her cheek.
“I’m still waiting to explore all the spots you have that make you weak.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “How’s your knee? Did you set up an appointment yet to have the surgery?”
Silence.
“Not yet. But we can talk about that if you come over to my house tonight.”
His enticing offer almost had her buckling. “Thank you for the plant.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You are not blowing me off again.”
She almost imagined him pacing in his bedroom as he spoke to her. “I have to get back to work.”
“Janelle, give us a chance.” His tone didn’t sound pleading. He made it sound like a demand.
She thought about his request. She thought about a lot of things. Her financial situation. Her love life. Her business. If she asked her mother, Gideon Wells could solve all of her problems. Janelle didn’t want to be that woman.
“Tell your mother hi from me. I have to go.” She disconnected the call.
Before she could resume her work, she had to
collect herself. She had to think about what she’d done. She had a smart, compassionate, sexy man who wanted her, needed her, craved her as much as she ached for him, and she’d not only turned down his offer to go to his mansion, she’d cut him out of her life completely.
Anyone else, particularly man-hungry Penny and her money-hungry mother, would call her crazy. The longer she thought about it, it did seem ludicrous to reject him when he had done nothing but have a profession that made him easily recognizable and popular.
She stood from her desk and opened the door. When Penny nearly fell into the office, Janelle knew what her wayward friend had been doing.
“Oh, hey.” Penny straightened herself up and plastered a fake smile on her face. “Awful long call in there.”
“Did you need the phone?” She held up the cordless phone.
“No. I was curious about you and who you were talking to. Was it Gideon?”
Janelle glared at her friend. She handed her the phone. “I’ll take care of these customers.”
Penny stepped in front of Janelle to block her path. “Really? I thought we were friends. We always talk about our men with each other.”
“If there was anything to tell you, I would.” Janelle stepped around Penny. “Let’s get back to work.”
The less she said about Gideon Wells to anyone, the less likely she would see him aligned with her. The additional people she had in her store every day didn’t always equate to new business. She caught quite a number of people there to take her picture like some zoo oddity.
At the end of the day, she and Penny cleaned the place in companionable silence. After she placed an order for more supplies, now a daily occurrence, she put on her coat and grabbed her bag.
She picked up an envelope from her desk and handed it to Penny. “Here’s your pay.”
“Cool. I love this day.” Penny smelled the envelope as though she could sniff out the money. “Want to spend your money? There’s a bar with our names written all over it.”
Janelle shook her head. “Not tonight. Feeling beat. Maybe another time.”
Penny stuffed her check into her purse. “Suit yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Janelle sat in her car and allowed it to warm up a bit before she drove home. The extra business had allowed her to get caught up on her bills. She still owed her landlord rent for a month, but at least she didn’t owe him for four months like before.
When she pulled up to her home, she noticed right away a trail of potted plants going up the stairs to her apartment. She got out of her car and picked up the first potted plant. She didn’t have to look at the card identifying it as a yarrow plant.
Janelle plucked the card from the holder and read it. “Y. Why all the plants? To see you smile.” She peered up the stairs and saw that at least two plants sat on each step. “Oh, my.”
She grabbed another plant and headed to the top. Once she got into her home, she placed the two plants by her front window. She went back down the steps to the bottom and grabbed three more. If she could have carried more, she would have. When she got them all into her home, she would read each funny card. Right now, in the freezing cold, she wanted to get her new babies into the warmth of her apartment.
She made a few more trips down the stairs until she got the last ones inside. She closed her door and quickly made herself a cup of coffee. While it brewed, she arranged her plants in alphabetical order. She’d gotten the plant starting with the letter A before she’d left for work.
As she identified each plant, she figured out what Gideon had done. When she found the begonia, she knew that was the next in the series. In that card, he wrote, “B—Beautiful like you.”
Calla lily came next. “C—Crazy for us to fight this feeling.”
Each card had something endearing, funny or sexy. After half an hour, she had all the plants arranged and cards read. No man had ever tried so hard to get her attention, to get her. A knock sounded on her door.
Janelle looked at her spread and realized that Gideon had only gone up to Y. The Z plant must be on the other side of the door. She opened the door and had two surprises. Gideon stood on the other side holding a zinnia plant, a card, and a bag of food that smelled so good her stomach started to growl.
“Delivery for Janelle Gold. May I bring it in?” Gideon’s smile weakened Janelle’s knees.
“How can I say no?” She stepped to the side.
* * * *
Gideon had hoped Janelle wouldn’t take his plant and food and simply sent him on his way. As soon as he stepped into her apartment, he saw how she’d displayed the other twenty-five plants. She’d put them in a semicircle under her large window. He placed the zinnia plant he carried next to the yarrow.
“Wait. I didn’t get to read the card for that one.” Janelle pointed to the plant on the floor.
“No card on it. I have the last card.” He held it up to her. When she seemed reluctant to accept it, he said, “You read, and I’ll set up dinner for us.”
She took the card. He strolled toward the open kitchen. He stopped in his trek to wrap his arm around her waist and kiss her.
He pulled back from her and stared into her eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that for the last couple of days.”
To steady herself, she held his arms. “Glad to oblige.”
Gideon went into the galley-type kitchen with a breakfast bar on one side and a counter on the other. The fact that it had a bar and not a wall kept the space from feeling too cramped. Definitely not like the kitchen at his house, but he liked that. The kitchen and the whole apartment reminded him of the place he’d lived when he attended college. He’d shared a small apartment off campus with three other guys, Dennis being one of them. How times had changed.
As he opened each cabinet, looking for plates and cups, he discovered a little about Janelle. She only had four sets of plates, saucers, cups, and bowls. They all matched and looked very expensive. Another cabinet hit a few old school metal lunch boxes. One box had Peanuts characters with Charlie Brown and Snoopy on several sides. The one with Wonder Woman had him laughing.
“What’s so funny?” She strolled to him as she carried the card he’d given her.
“Wonder Woman?” He pointed to it and brought down two plates.
“What can I say? She was an inspiration to me as a kid. A woman who can protect men and women. What little girl doesn’t want that for herself?” She took the plates from him and placed them on the counter. “But those two weren’t my favorite.” She opened a cabinet above it. She picked up a pastel-colored metal lunch box and handed it to him like a mother handing over her baby. “Holly Hobbie. I loved this one.” She pointed to various pictures on the small, metal case. “If you notice, almost every picture has little Holly with flowers or a plant or trees.”
Gideon stared at the little lunch box. He looked at the image of the small girl in profile holding flowers she’d plucked from a meadow. He ran his hand over the top and felt the raised image under his fingertips.
“I remember having this same lunch box as a kid.” Janelle didn’t remove her stare from it as she spoke. “After my grandmother died and I moved in with my mother, it got lost in one of the moves. It was like losing my best friend. I remember crying so hard, which is crazy.” She looked up at him. “It’s a stupid lunch box, right? I wasn’t a little kid anymore. I was sixteen at the time. My mom said that I needed to grow up. Stop holding on to things.”
“So if you lost it, how is it that you have it here?” He held up the box and shook it, letting the plastic and metal handle jiggle.
“A lovely little place called eBay. The first bit of money I earned, I bid on it. I couldn’t believe I won it.” She smiled at her gain. “I remember camping out by our mailbox every day until it came, because I knew if my mother saw it, she would laugh at me or try to throw it away again. In my mind, I imagine that this is the box I had as a kid. Someone found it in the trash or at one of the places we li
ved, saved it, and put it up for sale.” She brushed her hand over the metal. “I saved it.”
“Gives you hope that your childhood wasn’t lost or a mistake.” He understood her need to mine something good out of something so horrific.
He also now understood her need to hold on to things. Although she’d claimed when he’d asked her for some of her inventory the first time they met that her refusal had to do with losing an employee that day, he now knew the truth. Janelle couldn’t take any kind of loss…period. When you had nothing, you learned to hold on to everything. Knowing her struggle made her even more endearing.
She wiped her face and took a couple of steps back from him. “I bet you looked up to Superman, right?”
Gideon shook his head and handed her back her precious find.
“Batman? Regular guy with a great utility belt.” Janelle returned the lunch box to its resting place and closed the door on her past.
“Nope.” He reached in to the bag and pulled out each container.
“Who?”
“Underdog.”
She shook her head. “Should have figured. That or Mighty Mouse.” She strolled to a doorway in between the living room and kitchen area. “Would you mind if I took a quick shower? I feel like I have fertilizer and dirt all over me.”
He fought the urge to invite himself into the shower with her. “Of course not. I know you just got home from work. And you had to carry all of these plants up to your place.”
“That’s right. You owe me big for that.” She peeled off her sweater.
He came around the counter toward her. “I’ll definitely pay you back.”
She continued backing into her bedroom. “Make yourself comfortable. I won’t be long.”
“So no help getting to those hard-to-reach places?” He removed his jacket and put it on the back of one of the barstools.
“Cute. I think I’ll be fine.” She stopped moving and put her hand to his chest. “Trust me. I’ll be much more responsive on a full stomach. Then we can talk.”
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