by Lisa Dyson
Instead she recognized Gino’s handwriting immediately. His nearly illegible scrawl was difficult to read, but she could tell he’d tried his best.
My Dearest Poppy,
These roses have nothing on your beauty, my love. Please accept this small token as an apology for hurting you. You mean the world to me and I can’t go on without you in my life.
All my love,
Gino
By the end of the note, Poppy could barely see through the tears in her eyes.
“I’m glad you got the flowers.”
She whirled around to see Gino standing in the kitchen doorway.
She swallowed her emotions, but her words came out choppy. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
He nodded and began speaking in a serious tone. “I know calla lilies are your favorite, but red roses signify love. And showing you how much I love you was my goal. That’s why there were three dozen roses. One for our past, one for our present, one for the wonderful future I anticipate we’ll have together.” He cleared his throat. “I was hoping the flowers would be the beginning of my apology and that you’d agree to spend the evening with me.”
“Gino—”
He held up a hand to stop her. “I know you’re still mad at me. I’ve had a lot of time to think about how to make things right between us. I might have an idea that could work.” He paused. “If you’re willing to listen.”
She loved this man with all her heart. The past few days had been torture. She owed it to herself—and to him—to hear him out. “I’m willing to listen.”
Gino let out a huge sigh. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure what I’d do next if you said no.”
“I’m only agreeing to hear you out. This doesn’t mean everything is okay between us.”
Gino nodded. “I understand.” He reached for her hand and she allowed it. “I appreciate the opportunity to make things right.”
“So now what?” she asked.
Gino smiled. “Now you finish making that dinner so everyone else can eat. And as soon as Tyler gets home to be with the girls, you and I are going to dinner.”
“You’re in luck. I’m free tonight.” Poppy touched her hair and realized she had no makeup on. “I need time to get ready. I must look a fright.”
Gino took a step closer. “You look beautiful.” He touched her cheek. “But if you insist, go get ready and I’ll finish dinner.”
Poppy laughed. “You cook? That’s a good one.”
“Yes, I know how to cook.” He shrugged. “Okay, a little. I’m not great, but I can get by.” He looked at what she’d been preparing. “So what do I do with this?”
She chuckled and nudged him aside before explaining how to finish the meal in the oven. “I shouldn’t be too long. Just let me know if you need help.”
“Go! I can handle this.”
Poppy hurried upstairs. She wasn’t sure what to wear to dinner. She should have asked Gino. Pretty sure he wouldn’t be changing out of his gray slacks, white dress shirt sans tie and black sport coat, she dressed accordingly.
“You are stunning,” Gino told her a short time later when she met him at the bottom of the stairs.
Her face heated at his compliment. She’d chosen black pants and a teal blouse that she knew nicely accented her coloring. “Thank you.”
Tyler’s voice, as well as his daughters’ giggles, could be heard in the kitchen. “Sounds like the girls are taken care of.”
Gino nodded and offered his bent arm. “Are you ready to go?”
She took his arm and they left the house. All the while she wondered what his solution might be.
“I thought we were going to dinner,” Poppy said when Gino pulled into the parking lot behind the Lincoln Hotel. She tensed at the mere sight of the building.
Gino pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. “We are. Just wait and you’ll see what I have planned.”
She did as he requested, hoping it was the right decision. They walked into the hotel through the unlocked front door.
“Don’t you keep the building locked?” she asked. “What if someone found out and decided to come in here and cause damage? You know there are people out there who do things like that.”
Gino laughed. “I know, I know. Don’t worry. I keep the building locked when no one’s here.” He winked. “But the building isn’t empty.”
He guided her to the elevator and pressed the up button. Poppy was more confused than ever. Was he going to give her a tour of a construction zone? Should they be wearing hard hats?
She remained silent on the elevator ride while Gino hummed to himself and then smiled at her when the slow-moving elevator finally came to a grinding halt. They had arrived on the fourth level, which was the top floor of the hotel.
Gino exited first, putting his arm out to keep the elevator doors from shutting while Poppy disembarked. They walked down a hallway that looked like a typical hotel corridor until they reached a steel door with a sign that read Stairway on it. Gino opened the door and invited her through.
“I’m afraid there’s no elevator to where we’re headed,” he told Poppy. “But it’s just one flight up.”
Poppy was hesitant, knowing the building only had four floors. “Are we going to the roof?”
Gino grinned. “You’ll see.” Again, he offered her his bent elbow and the two of them ascended one more flight.
What she saw when she stepped onto the roof made her gasp. There were white lights strung from everywhere, barely visible even though the sun had already set behind the large trees on the west side of the building. In the middle of the area was a round table, set for two with fine china and crystal on top of a floor-length, white-linen tablecloth. On either side, two chairs were covered in matching white linen. Soft music played, nearly drowning out the noise of the cars going by on the street below.
“What is all this?” she asked.
“This is all for you,” he replied. “Come, have a seat.” He stepped quickly to the table and pulled out a chair for her.
She walked hesitantly to where he waited, in awe of the trouble he’d gone to. She sat and he took the seat across from her.
“Champagne?” He lifted a chilled bottle from a standing silver wine cooler beside him.
“Okay.” She felt tongue-tied and off balance. As if this was a movie set or maybe she was dreaming.
Gino poured them each a glass of the pale fizzy liquid and he lifted his glass in a toast. “To us.”
Poppy froze. “I thought you brought me here to tell me about some compromise.” She gestured to their surroundings. “A romantic interlude like this isn’t a compromise. I can’t drink a toast to us. Not with the way things are right now.” She put her glass down on the table and was about to push her chair back to leave.
“Wait, wait!” Gino cried. “Let me explain.”
She stayed where she was, waiting for him to do just that.
“I got ahead of myself,” he said. “I’ll save that toast for later.” He seemed jittery, not quite himself. He was usually so calm, so in charge. He held up his glass again and looked her in the eye. “Cheers!”
She smiled slightly. She couldn’t help it. She held up her glass and repeated his toast, “Cheers!” They lightly touched their glasses together and each took a sip.
“Would you like to begin with appetizers?” Gino had his phone out. “I only need to send a text and they’ll be delivered.”
“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble,” she said. “And a little food sounds wonderful.” She didn’t want the champagne to go straight to her head.
“Good.” He sent a text and then put his phone down. He reached for her hand. “Any effort it took to put this all together was worth it. You’re worth it.” He squeezed her hand and she squeezed his back.
“Thank you.” She took a sip of her champagne. “Now, can we talk about this compromise?” She wasn’t about to let him suck her in with a little wine and ambience.
Gino sighed. “If you i
nsist.”
Just then the door opened and two men in black pants and crisp white shirts stepped onto the roof. They carried trays and a folding stand that they placed next to the table.
One server pointed to a platter. “These are coconut shrimp.” He pointed to another platter. “These are crab-stuffed mushrooms, and the ones on this plate are bacon-wrapped dates with a chutney and honey dipping sauce.” He gave them each a small plate.
“Thank you,” Gino told them. “Everything looks delicious.”
The men gave a slight bow and left the rooftop.
They served themselves, tasting everything, and Gino spent an inordinate amount of time talking about the appetizers until she finally stopped him. “You’re avoiding the real subject,” she reminded him.
“You’re right,” he admitted freely. “I am.” He was quiet for several seconds. “I just want to do this right.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Do what right?”
As soon as he got up from his seat and reached into his pocket, she knew what he intended. Her blood pressure rose and her pulse pounded in her temples. “Stop right now.”
He halted midstride.
She continued to speak. “If you’re about to do what I think you are, then don’t.”
“But, Poppy—” He’d pulled a small black box from his pocket.
She shook her head. “Asking me to marry you isn’t the solution to our problem.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “I can’t believe you’d even think that’s the answer.”
“I think it can be a good start.”
“If that’s all you have, then I need you to take me home.” She turned to go.
“But, Poppy—”
“Do you have a compromise or not?” When he didn’t respond, she repeated her request. “Take me home.”
He must have finally realized his mistake because he stopped trying to talk her into staying.
They were both silent all the way back to her house. He pulled to the curb and she unbuckled her seat belt.
“Don’t go,” Gino said.
She turned to him, giving him one more chance.
“I love you, Poppy.” The well of emotion in his voice was nearly her undoing.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I love you, too, Gino. But I need you to respect me.”
“I do respect you. I wouldn’t want to marry you if I didn’t respect you.”
“Then why are you still planning to compete with my business? Why aren’t you taking that seriously?”
He stared at her. He obviously had no answer.
Sadly, she opened the car door and went into her house, straight to her bedroom, and flung herself onto her bed for a good long cry.
*
TYLER COULDN’T IGNORE the fact that Callie was going out of her way to avoid him. She hadn’t liked his opinion about telling her therapist everything that had happened the other night. She’d spent the evening in her bedroom with the door closed, even taking her dinner upstairs rather than eating with him and his daughters.
Allowing her time to cool down—even though she had been freezing him out rather than getting angry—he took the girls to visit their new house. They hadn’t seen the progress being made for several weeks.
He didn’t question why it was so important to him, but he’d also really wanted to invite Callie to see how much work had been done since she’d first been there. He craved her approval.
“This is magical,” Madison said as she stepped inside the front door to see the new chandelier, as well as the newly refurbished hardwood floors and intricate stairway with wrought iron balusters and handrails. “Our own castle,” she said on a sigh.
Tyler chuckled. The girls and their princess fantasies.
“I love this house, Daddy.” That came from Alexis, sounding like she was in awe. “When can we move in?”
He was pleased that they were as excited about moving into the house as he was. “Not long now. I’m thinking we can paint your bedrooms this weekend and move your furniture out of storage.”
The girls jumped up and down and then took off to see the rest of the first floor.
Standing alone in the front foyer, the truth of his situation hit him. He was redoing this house for the three of them. This was their fresh start. They’d be a family here.
Not that they weren’t now, but this would be their first home where it was just the three of them.
Neither of the girls had even mentioned their mother to him in weeks.
They chattered on about a lot of people, especially Miss Callie. But their mother was no longer one of them.
The girls ran past him and headed up the stairs. He could hear their footsteps on the hardwood floor. He needed to get some area rugs to keep the noise down. They sounded like a herd of wild animals up there.
He smiled and began walking around the house to check out the work that had been done. After giving Callie the tour, he’d realized how much still needed to be completed and how little free time he had to get it all done. So he’d contacted his contractor and asked him to take on more of the project.
As he inspected the work that had been done in his absence, he was very pleased. The last thing he checked was the powder room, which had been completely gutted when he’d last visited. Everything he’d ordered to finish the space had been in the garage, ready to be installed.
He was amazed when he opened the powder room door. It had come out exactly as he’d pictured it. As with the work his contractor had done everywhere else in the house, he couldn’t be happier.
“Daddy, Daddy! Come quick!” the girls called to him from the upstairs hallway.
“I’ll be right there.” They were probably excited about their rooms and their new bathroom that they’d share.
“Hurry, Daddy,” Madison told him. “It’s a ’mergency.”
He took the steps two at a time. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
The girls led him to their bathroom. “Don’t go in, just stand right here,” Alexis instructed him.
Then Madison chimed in. “We didn’t do this, Daddy. We promise.”
He stuck his head into the newly finished room and saw that there was water all over the floor. Probably a half inch or so. The flooring outside the bathroom was dry, but only because they’d caught the leak just in time and the threshold held the water back from the hallway. “Did you girls use the toilet or turn on the water?”
Both shook their heads vigorously. “No, Daddy.” They spoke in unison.
Alexis explained. “I took a step into the bathroom and my shoe got wet.” She lifted her foot to show him. “So I didn’t let Madison go in.”
“Good thinking. Can you girls go downstairs to the dining room to see if the ceiling is wet down there?”
“Sure, Daddy.” They ran off, leaving him to call his contractor. He didn’t pick up, so Tyler left a message.
Knowing help was not on its way, he took off his shoes to step barefoot into the bathroom to figure out where the leak was coming from. He’d turn off the water in the entire house, only if he couldn’t stop the leak by turning off the water to the bathroom.
“Ceiling looks okay, Daddy!” Alexis yelled from the first floor.
“Okay, thanks! You guys stay down there until I get this figured out.” He’d used the job of checking the dining room ceiling as a way to get the girls out of his way. They tended to want to help him whenever possible.
He found the leak under the sink and turned off the water there. After he had stopped the water from rising, he needed a wet vac to get rid of the water on the floor. He wasn’t sure there was one in the house.
He had one in his storage unit, which meant he’d need to take the girls with him. He sighed. Was this how it would be when it was just the three of them in the house? He’d been used to having his ex-wife around, and then living with his ailing father, and finally with Aunt Poppy. There had always been another adult to help with the girls.
He blamed Rebecca for putt
ing him in this position. If she hadn’t mistreated their daughters, she’d still be around and he wouldn’t have to rely on Aunt Poppy’s generosity. They’d still be married and his girls would have a mother.
*
CALLIE HAD KEPT to herself most of the day. She’d been pulling together information she thought essential for not only women but for everyone to know when it came to financial matters.
At a little before nine o’clock, when she came out of her room to take her dinner dishes to the kitchen, she was surprised at how quiet the house was. She and Tyler hadn’t spoken since he’d dropped her off after meeting with Norma at the diner. She didn’t like that he was pushing her to tell her therapist about what had happened at her dad’s. What good could it do to go over the experience again?
Once had been enough, thank you very much.
She hadn’t taken notice of anyone else’s doors left open or closed, but she assumed Tyler’s daughters were in bed by now. Tyler was nowhere to be found, so maybe he was in his room. Poppy had gone out for the evening, so not seeing her anywhere wasn’t such a mystery.
The front door suddenly opened, bringing with it several voices. Callie looked to see who was coming in and was surprised to see Tyler and the girls.
“We’ve been to our new house,” Madison told her. “And we had a mess to clean up.”
Callie looked at Tyler for more information. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “There was a leak under the sink in the girls’ bathroom. We had to get my wet vac out of storage and then clean it up.”
“You should have called me. I could have helped.”
He gave her a look that reminded her they hadn’t left things very cordial between them.
“Go get ready for bed, girls. I’ll be up in a minute to tuck you in.” Tyler waited until they were out of earshot before speaking to Callie. “I wasn’t sure you wanted to hear from me.”
“I’ll admit I didn’t like you badgering me the last time we spoke.”
“I’m sorry I pushed the issue,” Tyler said.
“Apology accepted. And I’m sorry I got so upset.” Her mouth turned up in a hint of a smile. “Can I get you a beer? Sounds like you had a crummy night.”