by Kimi Flores
“That’s so odd that hers is the only one.” His brows creased while Abby’s heart fluttered with the concern he had for his daughter.
Tearing her eyes away from his handsome face, she glanced back to the lima beans. “It really is bizarre. It’s fairly common to have several that don’t sprout, and I did explain at the beginning of our lesson that they don’t all grow, but when there’s only one that doesn’t then that’s hard for a child to understand. The upsetting part is that I read one of my favorite children’s books to them beforehand. It’s an adorable book by Brent Ching called The Little Lima Bean. The moral of the story is that no matter how small you are, you can do big things. I can only imagine how crushed Madison must feel after hearing such an inspiring story and her seed being the only one that didn’t grow. I know life is filled with disappointment and kids need to learn how to deal with letdowns, but I feel extremely sorry for her. I hope you don’t mind, but I told her we could try it again outside of school. I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m giving her special favors, but she broke my heart today when those chocolate eyes filled with tears.”
“Welcome to my world.” He snickered. “No, I don’t mind if you do it another time with her. It’s actually really sweet of you.” Staring into her eyes, he lifted his lips into a smile. “Really sweet.”
Without hesitation, her cheeks warmed, and she just knew they turned pink. “Um well, she is really sweet, and even though I’m not supposed to say this,” getting just a tad closer to him, she whispered, “She’s my favorite.” Slowly, she put her index finger to her lips, which is exactly where his eyes wondered. “But shh, don’t tell anyone.”
As if he was mesmerized, he gazed at her mouth until Madison came running in interrupting them. “Daddy, Daddy, did Miss Abby tell you that I get to plant another lima bean?”
When he scooped Madison into his arms, Abby backed away and tried to catch her breath. “Yes she did, but we are going to keep that between us since we aren’t going to do it at school. We don’t want the other kids to feel sad that they only got to plant one seed with Miss Abby.” He turned and gave her a wink. Reminding herself to breath, she thought that was quite possibly the sexiest thing she had ever seen, a man holding his beautiful child and winking at her. “We better let Miss Abby go; I’m sure she has other things to do.”
Not knowing why she was telling him, Abby explained, “I’m helping Leah with the flowers for her cousin’s wedding this weekend, so we are putting some things together tonight at her shop to prepare for tomorrow.”
“She has a flower shop in town?” Gently, he put the wiggly child down, who in turn ran back out to the playground.
“Yes, she owns Sassy Stems on Mission Street.”
“I know the place. It’s been there for a couple of years now.”
Wondering whom he would have sent flowers to, Abby mentally scolded herself. “Yes and she does remarkable work. I love to help when she does weddings, but it’s a bonus when it’s for a family member because I get to see everyone’s reactions too.”
“Are you going to be there late?”
“Probably, sometimes we pull all-nighters and then are dead on our feet for the wedding the next day.” She giggled nervously. Thanks to the magnificently attractive man in front of her, she found herself giggling more and more each day.
“Okay, well I should let you go then. I’m sure you need to get lunch, and Madison needs to eat too. I’ll see you later. Enjoy the wedding.” Grinning, he lifted his hand to her in farewell.
Abby watched his behind as he exited the classroom to collect his child. That man sure does know how to wear a pair of jeans, she thought to herself for the second time since meeting him.
“Leah I’m telling you, he winked and my heart stopped. What is wrong with me? The poor guy’s wife died, and I’m drooling all over him.” Ashamed of her growing attraction, Abby didn’t understand what she was feeling. Why was she so drawn to this man who’d lost his wife?
“Honey, she passed away like four years ago; it’s not like you are stalking a dying woman’s husband.” Pausing to gauge her reaction, Leah continued. “It’s so good to hear you get excited about a guy. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you get flustered about someone before.” Leah sprayed the flowers she had just arranged with a mister.
“I feel like I’m a teenage girl when I’m around him, and it just isn’t right. It’s downright uncomfortable.” There was a quick knock on the backdoor, startling Abby, and causing her to prick her finger on a rose thorn. “Ouch!” She’d done that several times already. She questioned, “Are you expecting someone?” before sticking the bleeding finger into her mouth.
“No. I have a sign on the front that says we closed early today. Come with me to the door.”
The two women crept to the back door slowly opening it to find Caleb standing there with bags in his hands. “Do you ladies normally open the door to strange men after dark?” He chuckled.
“Nobody’s ever knocked on that door after dark before.” Leah breathed a sigh of relief.
Focusing on Abby sucking her finger, Caleb eventually moved his eyes to the bags and cleared his throat. “I hope you girls are hungry. Someone told me that you might have to work late here tonight, so I thought I’d bring dinner by.”
“Starving! Come on in.” Leah stepped aside leaving Abby standing there gawking at him. He walked in and passed by them, looking for a place to put all the food. As usual, he smelled so delicious. His own masculine scent tickled her nose as well as the yummy food he was carrying.
Behind his back, Leah gave Abby an oh-my-gosh look and Abby mouthed “I know.”
Caleb turned to them, eyeing each suspiciously. “Did I miss something?”
“Nope.” Abby giggled as she did every time she saw him, then she looked at Leah as if she knew she had just committed a massive no no in the big girl’s guide to getting a grown man.
“Abby, I know you are a vegetarian.” He turned to Leah. “I assumed since you eat with her all of the time that you don’t mind that kind of food either so I got Chinese.”
It took a moment, but Leah finally spoke up. “We both love vegetarian Chinese food. This was very nice of you, wasn’t it Abby?” Leah threw the ball back into Abby’s court.
“Yes, very nice. Thank you.” Staring at the bags of food, she reddened. Freaking A, again?
“So I know I’m kind of crashing your party here, but I also wanted to offer my help. My feelings won’t be hurt if you just want it to be the two of you but if you can use my...”
Leah answered before he even had a chance to finish offering. “Oh you can stay. Not a problem. We have a ton of work ahead of us and can use all of the help we can get, especially to move the heavier arrangements.”
“Do you mind if we eat first? I was hoping I would be staying and didn’t eat dinner yet.”
“Grab a seat and let’s dig in.”
The conversation was easy and comfortable during the meal, and while they put the flower arrangements together. Leah was extremely particular about how she wanted everything to look, and he was happy to oblige. Caleb thought he was doing a fine job especially since it was his first time arranging flowers.
Initially he wondered if this was stepping over some kind of line when he first thought about bringing dinner, but he was tired of playing things safe. Something was stirring between Abby and him. He hadn’t had any type of romantic feelings for another woman since Rene died but with his mother-in-law’s suggestion, he decided to throw caution to the wind for a bit and see what happened. Caleb also knew how close Abby was to her best friend and thought this would be the most comfortable situation for them to get to know each other a little better.
Enjoying himself, he thought about how much fun Leah was. He understood why the women got along so well. They had all indulged in a couple of bottles of wine by the time they were finished and joked that the flower arrangements might appear to be a little crooked the next day.
As the
y cleaned up, Leah asked the magic question, “So Caleb, do you own a suit?” and then eyed Abby who looked horrified.
“Why yes I do Leah; why do you ask?” He had a feeling he already knew.
“Well you see, if you are free, we’d love for you to join us at the wedding tomorrow. You can see the fruits of your labor and save my friend here from the humiliation of my cousin Manuel trying once again to get her to go out with him. You can be her date.” Leah bounced a little on the balls of her feet. Caleb didn’t know which idea terrified Abby more, the prospect of the cousin or the suggestion Leah just made.
“I would love to join you guys if you would like me to Abby. I’d hate to leave you in an awkward situation with Cousin Manuel.” Uh oh. He recognized that look on Abby’s face. She really was mortified. Did she not want him to go or was she just embarrassed because her friend put it out there? It looked like tears started to well up in her eyes. “I don’t have to go if you would rather I don’t. I know it might be odd because you are my child’s teacher, but I’d enjoy being friends as well.”
Abby shyly muttered, “Actually, it would be nice if you went. It may be awkward for you since you only know Leah and me, but it would give us a chance to get to know each other better. As friends.”
“Can I walk you ladies to your cars?”
“Leah lives upstairs, and I’m just going to stay with her tonight, so we are fine.”
“What time should I meet you tomorrow?”
“The wedding is at 4:00.” Abby started then Leah interrupted, “Which is Salvadorian for 6:00.” She giggled, a little tipsy.
“We need to get there early to set up so we should leave here by 12:00.”
“Can I get your number in case I need to call you?” Hopeful but again, not wanting to cross any lines, he waited for her answer.
“Sure, here you go.” She passed him her cell phone so he could call his and in turn have her number on the caller ID.
“I can’t believe you just did that to me. How embarrassing.”
“What? I got you a hot date with a guy that is drooling over you as much as you are over him, and now you have his cell number.” Her best friend gloated.
“He is going to think I’m totally lame. I couldn’t even put a couple of words together to form a complete sentence when he was around.” Placing her hands on her face, Abby still couldn’t believe Leah asked Caleb to be her date.
“No, my favorite part was watching you giggle. That was so cute. I’ve never heard you giggle so much.”
“Oh be quiet.” She gave Leah a light push. “Now I’m going to see your family with this handsome guy as my date. They are never going to let it go.”
Holding her stomach, Leah cackled. “I’m sorry amiga; I didn’t even think about that. Well it will be better for them to focus on your date then on all of the flaws they can find in me.”
“I don’t know how you put up with that Leah.” Several of Leah’s aunts were just brutal with their comments. It would start out with them asking the girls about boyfriends, and then move on to the fact that they were not the thinnest girls around, and if they would take better care of themselves, they might find men. It was absolutely ridiculous.
Leah mentioned her sisters and the reception they would get from the older women too. “Luckily for Elena, she’s married. Even if she happens to have an ass as a husband, at least the old ladies leave her alone. Poor Dani gets the brunt of the insults. They attack her right away so let’s stick with her, especially if she doesn’t bring a date.”
“Deal.”
“For the millionth time, you look incredible, Abby. Stop fussing.”
Abby loved her new green and black lace cocktail dress with matching green rhinestone-adorned strappy heels that Leah helped her pick out a couple of weeks prior. “How do I smell? I can’t stop sweating; I’m so nervous.” Lifting her arms, she started to flap her hands, fanning her damp underarms.
“You smell fine, but I think you should go put some of my deodorant on. That eco stuff you wear doesn’t last very long.” Her best and most honest friend scrunched her nose as though something did, in fact, stink.
Although Abby normally appreciated Leah’s honesty, paranoia began to set in, and she shot Leah a dirty look. “Do I normally smell, and you don’t tell me?”
“No ding-a-ling, you are always complaining about it running out too soon and having to reapply. It isn’t sexy when you keep your nose in your pit, asking if you stink all of the time.” Leah laughed at her own sarcastic joke.
Smelly pits were no laughing matter, especially when a super-hot guy was about to pick her up and she most certainly wasn’t confident in her choice of deodorant.
“I know, but I try to stay away from all of those chemicals. The natural stuff needs to be put on over and over, but you’re right; I will use yours today.”
“I don’t see any panty lines, so I assume you took my advice, and wore the cute, lacy chonies.”
“What is it with you and underwear? That and shoes. I bet you walk around in only undies and heels when you are alone.”
“Well matching undies, bra, and heels.” She snorted at Abby’s scowling face just as the knock came.
“Oh my gosh Leah, he’s here. Are you sure I look okay? My hair is okay up like this?” Panicking, she quickly waved both hands in front of her as if swatting something away from her face.
“Yes, now go put some decent deodorant on before you sweat all over that beautiful dress. I’ll let Prince Charming in.” She strolled toward the door while pointing in the direction of the bathroom.
Abby’s heels click-clacked on the tile floor as she ran into the restroom. Finding the deodorant, she applied as much as she could without it clumping. Scared of what she might find, Abby looked at herself in the mirror then blotted her face with toilet paper. She was a sweaty disaster. Rummaging through the cabinet, she found a hair dryer. She plugged it in, put it to the cool setting, and then ran it all over her face, hair, and body, including under her dress. There was no way she wanted that area to be a sweaty mess. Once she was dry, she spritzed on a little of Leah’s perfume. There. She was finally ready.
Taking a deep breath, she went back into the living room. Spotting him, her feet instantly turned to walk back into the bathroom. “Are you ready? We need to get on the road.” Leah gave her friend a pointed look, but Abby couldn’t pay attention to her. She’d twisted back to them and was too busy staring at the dazzling man in a suit and green tie standing in the living room. His eyes, in turn, were glued on her.
“Abby, you are breathtaking.” He exhaled heavily as though she literally did take his breath away.
Her mind went blank. She couldn’t tear her eyes off him or think of a response. “Caleb cleans up pretty good too, doesn’t he Abby?” Abby knew Leah was just trying to save her, but she turned bright red again.
“Yes Caleb, you look very handsome.” There she got it out, but she sounded like a robot. It didn’t come out naturally at all.
“Your tie matches Abby’s dress. How did you know?” Leah pointed out.
“Lucky guess. You wear a lot of green, brown, and pink, so I took a shot and wore the green tie.” He’d noticed the colors she wore. Swoon!
“Those colors bring out the green rings around her blue irises,” Leah proudly said, because she was the one that pointed out so many years ago that those colors were the best for Abby.
“I agree.” His grin widened.
Yes, she was going to pass out if they didn’t get going soon. “Are we ready?”
“Yep, the van is loaded. We’re all dolled and dressed up; let’s hit the road.” Leah headed for the door when Abby caught Caleb gawking again. Damn she was glad she’d put on the extra strength deodorant after all because she was perspiring like crazy again. Feeling as if blotches covered her skin, Abby hoped her face wasn’t full of red spots. Maybe that’s why he was staring at her. She chanced a look down at her chest, and the skin looked fine there.
Cale
b placed his palm on the middle of her back, leading her out of the door. She was going to have a difficult time concentrating with him around, and if he continued to touch her, she would be a goner for sure.
The drive to the wedding was full of funny conversation thanks to Leah. Abby was so grateful for her hilarious friend. She was also thankful she’d prepared herself ahead of time with a panty liner because she peed a little when Leah shared a story about them in college that included the time they showed up to their first frat party in footie pajamas. The flier had said the party had Jammie Jam, and Abby misunderstood when she told Leah about it. It turned out, that was the name of the DJ. They were nicknamed the footsie twins the rest of that year. Caleb tried hard not to laugh out loud from the backseat, but he couldn’t hold it in for long.
They pulled up to the church with plenty of time to spare. Cousin Manuel came out of the double doors of the Catholic Cathedral before they even opened the van doors.
“Mi Amor. You are taking my breath away. You look beautiful mi vida.” Abby rotated quickly to find Manuel had already opened her door. Extending his hand, he offered to help her out of the passenger seat. She spun to find the backseat empty. Completely ignoring his outstretched hand, she pushed herself up without any assistance. As soon as she stood, Manuel was in her personal space, wrapping his arms around her. She hadn’t had a chance to react. His arms stayed firmly around her waist as she tried to lift her face from his chest to grasp for air.
Caleb stood behind Manuel with a look she’d not seen on his face before. That was weird. She felt his quick, firm taps on Manuel’s shoulder, and then he lowered his voice a few octaves, the way guys did when they met other guys. “Nice to meet you. I’m Caleb, Abby’s date.”
Manuel turned abruptly, practically knocking Abby over in the process. Caleb reached behind Manuel and pulled Abby protectively to his side. “Sorry. My bad. Abby has never brought a date before. I didn’t realize.” Manuel’s shocked look was not what Abby had hoped for. Great. Now Caleb knew I was so unsavory that I couldn’t even get a date without Leah’s help. Turning to look at him, she was surprised to find him smiling at this little piece of information.