Wicked Flower

by Carlene Love Flores

  “Hi, I’m Daisy. I love your hair, by the way. Hi Dani.” Daisy smiled and touched the ends of Will’s mohawk that were pulled back in that ponytail-knot hybrid. She was like this with everyone, Dani knew, but poor Will looked like he’d just been mugged. “Come on in. Sorry for the mess. Oh, is that for me?” she asked once she’d literally stood behind Will and urged him inside with a hand to the small of his back. “Oh, that’s a great shirt,” she gushed.

  Oh God. Will, the last person on the planet she’d think as capable of murder, was going to kill her. She figured Daisy would take Will in and treat him like she treated everyone she met, but this was clearly more than he was comfortable with. How did he handle being the object of all the Sin Pointe fans’ affections? Surely he’d starred in many of their dreams with the killer arms and sexy smart glasses.

  “So,” she piped in before Daisy had Will blushing or worse, escaping the small and yes, messy apartment. “That is indeed for you. And this is my friend, Will. He helped pick it out.”

  Dani looked at them both. It would be hard to tell if Daisy was affected because outgoing was just her nature. Along with touchy-feely and free-spirited. Will, on the other hand, could double as the poster-boy for affected if the stiff smile he hadn’t let slip in the past five minutes was any indication.

  “Oh my god, I love it. Thank you guys!” Daisy nearly shouted over the music and took special care to unhinge the toaster box from Will’s fingers. “I love red. Don’t you, Will?”

  “Um, yeah, it’s great. I’m glad you like it,” he said quietly, bashful almost.

  Dani knew then and there that she needed to have a quick word with Daisy. Out of earshot of poor Will. She went over to her sister, grabbed her in a hug and whispered into her ear. “I need to talk to you in another room.”

  “Okay,” Daisy said and led them to the bedroom where the three girls managed to sleep somehow. “Be right back,” she offered Will whose chin dipped but pressed smile never faltered.

  “He’s cute. And really sweet,” said Daisy, fingering Dani’s much more conservative neckline. “Did he really pick out that toaster for me?”

  “Yes, he did. And the blender that’s in the bag he still hasn’t set down yet. They’re a matching set.”

  “Oh my God! Where did you find him and why do you have him? What about Thom? Did you two break up? He was nice but…”

  “Daisy. Please. Focus. Will is a friend of a friend. Actually…”

  “You know who he kind of reminds me of?” Daisy said, interrupting.

  But she wasn’t a huge Sin Pointe fan and as far as Dani knew, either hadn’t cared or was just too young to remember that Stefan was actually a family friend of theirs, removed and remote as the connection had become over the years. The young could be flippant that way, especially her twenty year old sister who fled the house at eighteen when she graduated, the same year their mom had died. “Who?” Dani asked, curious.

  Instead of answering, Daisy ran and picked up a catalogue from the hammock strung between two walls that was her sister’s bed. “This guy.” She pointed at a male model wearing skinny jeans and a grey t-shirt. His hair was the same shade of light brown as Will’s. “Isn’t he gorgeous? I love his tattoos. But he looks so depressed.”

  “The model or Will?”

  “Hmm, the model. I have to get a better look at Will now. I think I scared him.”

  “I think you did too.” Dani started to finish what she’d been ready to share earlier. That Will was a friend of Stefan’s who was Gina’s son and currently staying with her. But she decided against that, suddenly protective of Will’s privacy and remembering the heartbreaking reaction he’d had in the car ride here. Even though she could see Daisy getting lots of laughs out of Will. “Let’s go a little easy on him. I think he’s shy.”

  Daisy’s face lit up and Dani knew she’d said exactly the wrong thing. “Oh my God, that’s so sweet. Is he single? Please tell me he’s single.”

  Oh geez. She couldn’t ignore Daisy because Daisy would just go out and ask Will flat out herself. “Yes, I believe he is currently single. But hey, before you go out there and ask him to marry you, I need to tell you something. It’s serious.”

  “Oh-kay. I’m listening.” Daisy adjusted the piles of black curls atop her head and then put her hands on her hips. The serious pose, as serious as she could be barefooted. But Dani couldn’t help but smile at the white and black manicure of Daisy’s fingers and toes. “Come on, tell me already.”

  “What, or you’re afraid Will will get away?” She had to tease her baby sister.

  “Maybe. No. Come on, you said it was serious. Is Gina okay? Wait, is Thom okay? Tell me he didn’t get hurt over there,” Daisy asked, reminding Dani that Daisy was young but not completely wrapped up in herself. Her kid sister had a huge heart which was why she’d moved out when Mom died. It would have hurt Daisy too much to stick around. Dani was just happy Daisy didn’t remember losing their dad. Since Daisy was three years old, it had always been just the girls and it hurt that Dani couldn’t share the pregnancy news with her. Not until she told Mrs. C first. Daisy’s heart was big but so was her mouth.

  “Mrs. C is fine. And, so is Thom. Look, this is really embarrassing and I’m only telling you because I’d rather get this over with now and I know you’d get it out of me eventually.”

  “If Gina and Thom are okay, what’s wrong?”

  Yeah, that was pretty pathetic. Even buoyant Daisy had deduced the smallness of Dani’s world and reach. She blew out an over-the-top breath and sat down on of all things, a bean bag. It was pink so it must belong to one of her sister’s roommates. “Thom broke up with me and he did it in an email. Which hurt, but I’m over it and I wanted you to know so that when he comes home, you don’t assume we’re still together.” Daisy was one of those with a knack for running into people in the craziest places and striking up the craziest conversations. Dani would be mortified should that happen with Thom and his acquaintances.

  “He dumped you?” she screeched. “In an email?” She somehow managed to screech that part even louder.

  “Shh.”

  Too late. To Dani’s surprise, Will popped his head in the room. Daisy started for him but Dani shot her a look that said to stand down. So Daisy didn’t grab his hand and tug him in further, but tempered it down to going and standing beside him in the doorway, close enough to hold hands if they were to accidentally collide. Will blinked.

  “I heard screaming. I got worried. Also, some dude is at the door asking for you, Daisy.” He said her sister’s name so quietly. “And I got a phone call, Dani. For you. Um, so, yeah.”

  Daisy’s eyebrows lifted and the doe-like brown depths of her eyes took Will in for the whole room to see. Surely if Dani had seen that, Will couldn’t have missed it. “Hold on, I’ll go say hi.” Daisy left the room quickly. Will actually smiled, a little less stiff this time.

  “I’m sorry,” Dani mouthed to him. “She’s a handful. I might have forgotten to mention that.”

  “Nah, she’s fine. Just young.” He winked with great tact, and Dani loved him all the more. “So, Stefan called. He’s gonna swing by here later and pick you up.”

  “For that dinner?” She sucked in too much air. “Are you gonna come too?” She asked, a little too fast.

  Will’s hand was on her shoulder in that very second. “He said not to rush your visit with your sister. And no pizza dinner for me. When he gets here, if you don’t mind, I’ll drive your car back to the house for my date with Mrs. C. You don’t mind riding with Stefan, right?” He didn’t get to finish, if there was more, because Daisy tugged him by the elbow out of her room and the two disappeared. Dani didn’t follow. She needed a minute. All she could hear was Daisy’s excitement bouncing off the apartment walls. To answer Will’s question, the thought of riding alone with Stefan in his Mercedes did what all thoughts of Stefan did to her. First came the thrill, then came the fear. Then the wish that he was just a guy and she was just a gir
l and all this other crap didn’t exist between them.

  “These are perfect! Thank you so much! This one’s gonna go here and this one’s gonna go over here.” Daisy’s voice boomed happily and reached down the hall.

  Then it got real quiet and the next thing she heard was Will’s voice, deeper than she’d ever heard it. “Um, you’re welcome. You’re, um, very welcome.”

  Something had happened and whatever it was warmed Dani’s heart, even from Daisy’s bedroom. She knew Will wouldn’t stand a chance. No one ever did. To have that kind of effect on someone. Distantly, the thought snuck up on her that Daisy’s carefree lifestyle would allow her to pick up and leave if someone like Will asked.

  What Dani would give for a cup of that. She’d use every last ounce on Stefan Calderon which is why she knew better than to wish for it. The night he’d said done, he’d meant it and turned off his feelings for her. Feelings she knew he had. She’d been so stupid to insist they couldn’t be close which is why his dinner invitation had her twisted, all inside and out.

  Had she been so dumb as to have missed what this dinner could very well be about? Was Stefan just being nice and telling her goodbye like every other guy she’d ever fallen for? Maybe now that he’d had a reprieve with her being out of the house, he’d found it was easier. Telling her over pizza in a public place was almost as safe as cutting ties over an email. Would he turn on that cocky playfulness and let her down easy so she barely even felt his rejection?

  Dani stood in Daisy’s bedroom doorway and looked carefully toward the small kitchen, holding in her nerves the best she could. There they stood. Daisy tried out several different locations and plugs for her new appliances. She flitted from one side of Will to the other, picking up random pieces of fruit, tossing them into the blender, and gathering dirty cups then washing them quickly in the sink and filling them with her concoction.

  Will just stood there mesmerized.

  What did mesmerized look like on a guy? The same way Stefan had looked at her when she’d boldly told him to prove it in the stall. Their eyes got bright. And they tried so damn hard not to smile that a heart-stealing grin slipped out in its place. That’s what she saw on Will right now and what she missed on Stefan.

  Dani fell back into Daisy’s room. She rubbed her belly, not feeling well at all. She tried not to freak out over the fact that Stefan was coming here to pick her up but couldn’t keep the hold over her emotions.

  For a few minutes, Dani thought about the whirlwind of the past week. How things felt so surreal, so wrong and so right at times, often within minutes of each other.

  Timing was a tricky little thing.

  Stefan rolling into town on the day Thom dumped her was the hardest to understand.

  Will, who Stefan swore would have nothing to do with another woman for as long as he lived, was out there being charmed by her baby sister. The awkward silences and his stuttering short answers said as much. It had taken all of five minutes.

  Dani had technically known Stefan her whole life yet in reality, they were strangers. Their reunion had been a short one but after the past week, she now felt like she really had known him her whole life. And he wasn’t a selfish jerk. Not in the least.

  Yes, time was tricky.

  Suddenly a tremor of fear caused her to suck in a deep breath. What if time ran out before she put on her big girl panties and did the right thing concerning her baby’s father?

  The unpredictability of time seized her thoughts. She pulled out her phone to compose an email and wiped the screen with her shirt, clearing fingerprints and cheek oil from the phone’s face. Dani took another deep breath and began typing. If she was going to face Stefan, the real Stefan because they’d be alone, she needed to face Thom first.

  Hi Thom,

  Sorry it’s taken me a few days to get back to you. I hope you’re doing okay, staying safe. Wanted you to know that I was surprised by your email but I understand. Won’t lie, I was hurt, but I’m glad you were a man about it and told me. The reason I know how hard it must have been for you to do that is because this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to write. I guess it’s my turn to be a woman and let you know that, I’m pregnant. Didn’t want to tell you while you’re deployed because I worried about distracting you. But the truth is, you deserve to know, now. I’m looking forward to meeting your sweetheart one of these days. From the bottom of my heart, if you love her then she must be a wonderful person. We’ll talk more when you get back.

  Take care and be safe. Oh and Thom, thank you.

  ~Dani

  She thought about it for a minute and then hit send. The pink bean bag on the floor caught her weight as she sank down into it. The thought of a broad chest covered in white with a guitar strapped across it comforted her head as it thudded heavily against the bedroom wall.

  Maybe men could be super heroes after all. More importantly, maybe women could be too.

  “Stefan, please go easy on me tonight,” she whispered to the empty room and rubbed her belly. She closed her eyes and rested, welcoming the soft bits of laughter she heard filling her sister’s small kitchen. Stefan had been a good friend to her. If tonight was an early goodbye, Dani was at least thankful he’d respected her wishes. Respected her. If he was capable of nothing else for whatever reason, his respect did more for her than he could ever know.

  She spent a few minutes stalking her phone’s inbox for a response from Thom.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Mom?” Stefan poked his head outside and found her sitting in her rocking chair. “Hey Mom, how are you feeling?” Stefan sat in the chair next to hers and it rocked back with his weight.

  “Oh, better now. The yard looks wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Stefan looked at his watch. He’d told Will he’d drive out and meet them around this time but it had been a rough day. Mom’s dizzy spells had scared him but not as much as trying to take her blood pressure. He’d squeezed the damn cuff on too tight and she’d let out a yelp. “You’re sure you’re feeling better now? Are you dizzy at all?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. It happens from time to time. It’s the blood pressure. It’ll even out. I’ll be fine. Why don’t you and Will go do something in town? Have some fun.”

  Downtown Moonlight wasn’t exactly the kind of place he and Will would find fun. Besides he wouldn’t want to scare any of the folks gathering at the fire department for bingo. It was too warm to cover up his tattoos and Will’s shaved sides of his head. “That’s okay.”

  This next part was what he’d been putting off, not wanting to add any more stress to his mom’s already stressed day. But he needed her to know why Will would be coming back to the house alone and part of accepting there was something going on with Dani meant manning up with Mom. He reminded himself he was almost forty years old and a full grown man many years over.

  “I actually made some dinner plans but I don’t want to leave you alone for very long. And uh, I want to check on the house.” In a moment of craziness, he’d packed an overnight bag for Dani. Depending on how dinner went, she might need it. He had no idea how she’d react to being told about relocating with him to Nashville. Of course in his mind it went that she was thrilled and they spent the night together at his empty house.

  “Oh, okay. That’s probably a good idea. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Come to think of it, why don’t you meet up with Daniela and Will? I know you probably don’t like bingo but there’s some midnight bowling thing the younger kids in town are doing nowadays.”

  “Mom, I’m too old for that.”

  “Maybe so. Well, if I could still hold a bowling ball, I’d try it.”

  One day he’d love to take her bowling. From the truest place in his heart, he finally let the words out. “Hey Mom, my dinner plans tonight include Dani. Daniela,” he corrected. His mom’s face remained calm.

  “And Will?” she asked.

  Stefan cleared his throat and sat forward, t
oward the edge of his rocker. “Will is gonna come back here and stay with you. He’s not much of a night owl. Dinner will be just me and Daniela. I’m taking her out for pizza. She said she’s craving Mario’s.”

  Why did he feel so goddamned nervous? Something he said struck a note with his mom, he just had no idea what. He was just glad it wasn’t scorn that crossed her face.

  “Okay. Well, I think she will appreciate a meal out that she doesn’t have to cook. It’s a nice gesture to thank her for all her hard work. She could use some friends closer to her age than me.”

  Mom didn’t have to say much more to him. He heard that loud and clear. “Yes, I agree,” was all he could say.

  But then out of nowhere, she said, “Be careful, son. She has a lot going on right now, more than you might be aware of, and I love her like my own daughter.”

  Stefan just nodded, pretty damn sure his mom knew a lot more than Dani realized. Gina Calderon had always been a perceptive woman, excluding the shit with Amanda. Which meant his dumbass had probably been pretty easy to read all week too where Dani was concerned.

  He was about to get up and leave when she put her hand on his elbow. “Will you be taking Daniela to your house?”

  His neck tensed and he had the immediate need to laugh nervously or swallow deeply. “I’m not sure. Maybe.” He went ahead and tried to swallow naturally.

  Mom just nodded now. He couldn’t read what if anything that meant and kissed her on the cheek. She didn’t pull away but remained stiff. “Mom, let me walk you inside before I go, please.”

  She stood and let him take her arm. “Be careful,” she repeated and followed him inside.