by Zee Irwin
“Well, look at that,” Jace chuckled.
“A match made in Heaven, perhaps?” I quipped.
“Hm. With this female attention, Sammie might not want to leave.”
“Hello?” Simon rolled up behind us.
“Oh, Simon, this is Jace, Daniel’s friend, and the detective who visited the other day. Jace, this is Simon, my brother.”
The two men shook hands, and although they weren’t face to face, I couldn’t help but notice they sized each other up, all in the name of protecting me. Surely that was my romanticism coming into play.
“So you’re the detective who brought this big old cat to us? Looks like he’s found a nice pussy. He’s never leaving.”
“Ugh, Simon!” He could be so annoying.
“What? You can’t deny it. Jace knows I’m right. Guys are guys and we know a good deal when we see it. Sammie clearly found a comfortable place to lounge, female attention, two square meals a day, and plenty of treats. He ain’t ever leaving.”
I stormed back to the register. When Jace reappeared a few minutes later, my face still hadn’t returned to normal color.
“Sorry, Simon can say the craziest things. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Between police officers and the Marine Corps, I’m used to the shit dealt out between guys. I can dish it out pretty good myself, too. So, that’s your brother?”
“Yes. He lost the use of his legs in a car accident when we were younger. I’ve been taking care of him ever since.” I don’t know why I shared that, but Jace and this whole situation made me nervous, making my mind race.
“I heard that, Lils, and you don’t take care of me much anymore. Admit it, I’ve become pretty independent the past year.”
A huge party bus parked outside the door of the shop.
“What’s this?”
“It’s my friend’s bachelor party bash weekend. I told you about it, right?”
We all watched as the bus driver lowered a wheelchair ramp. Even inside the store, I could hear the hoots and hollers and the music blasting. “It’s a little early to party, isn’t it? It’s only noon.”
“Yeah, well, when one of your friends bites the bullet and takes himself off the market, it’s the perfect cause for a hell-raising good time. We have to give him one last taste of the single life. See you Monday.”
“Monday?”
“Yep. Don’t wait up.”
“Be safe, Simon, please.”
Simon turned at the door and gave me a shit-eating grin. “A paraplegic ice hockey team, a party bus, all the booze we could buy, and a weekend to party in Atlantic City? What could go wrong with that plan?”
My mouth gaped open, and I looked at Jace, who shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Lily. Young guys have to get all the partying out of their system.”
I grabbed a stack of books and started stuffing our store coupons inside the covers with a dramatic flair. “Isn’t it just like a man to side with a man? You don’t understand. His medical bills are already outrageous. It worries me when he and his friends go off and do stupid things like skydiving, or racing cars, or partying in Atlantic City. It’s like they have little death wishes and tempt fate every chance they get, all to prove they can even without the use of their legs, while I barely make ends meet as it is. I’ve always wanted to travel around the world. But I can’t afford to. Yet he has all these adventures. At least the hockey season should start up soon. If I can’t slow him down, maybe the curfew will.”
I slammed the lid back down on the last book cover and looked up at Jace. I didn’t mean to go off on him. It was really Simon I wanted to scream at.
He backed away toward the doors with a panicked look on his face. “Well, um, I’m sure it’ll be okay. Oh, before I go, I meant to tell you. I won’t be by tonight, but I’ll stop by tomorrow before you close.”
I nodded, and he exited, probably trying to figure out how to remove Sammie from me and my crazy shop.
Needing a moment to myself, I left the shop floor and closed myself in my office. Sometimes I simply needed to breathe and remind myself everything would be fine. The bookstore would thrive. Breathe in and out. The cats would behave. In and out. And Simon wouldn’t kill himself before he reached thirty. Exhaling with a whoosh, the only thing I wanted to think about the rest of the day was my date with Blue92.
I logged into LitForum, worried the only message waiting for me would be a disappointing one, with Blue92 calling off our date again. His track record wasn’t stellar up to this point.
The messages populated and, sure enough, a message from Blue92 appeared. My heart jumped, but I was wrong.
Blue92: Hey, Flower. Are you nervous like me? I hope so. I’d hate to be the only one sweating when we meet. Remember, I’ll be the one in the black turtleneck.
I rushed home after work to change and freshen up for my date with Blue92. If I hurried, I would be on time. But should I be on time? Maybe fashionably late by five or fifteen minutes would be best.
When I opened the apartment door, sounds of people talking hit my ears. Maddie and Daniel’s voices were perceptible. And the other was—Jace?
“Oh Lily,” Maddie started. “Glad you’re here. Good news. With Cassidy’s room being available since she moved in with Bronson, I found the perfect roommate. I’d like your input and approval, of course.”
She pulled me into the living room, where Daniel sat comfortably on our couch and Jace perched on the edge of a dining room chair. He straightened upon seeing me.
“It occurred to me this afternoon Jace needed a place to stay, and Maddie had a room available,” Daniel filled in.
My eyes darted to Jace. “You’ll be living here?”
“I came by to view the room.”
“That room has the biggest closet in the apartment. It would come in handy for all your books, right? You should see his paperback collection. You’d think a detective like Jace would read mysteries, but nope. He sticks to the classics.”
Maddie took me by the hand and led me to the kitchen. “Give us a minute to talk, guys.” Once out of their earshot, she spoke in hushed tones. “This is perfect, right? Cassidy left us enough money to get by for a couple of months. If Jace can live here, we won’t have to worry about finding another roommate.”
Dumbfounded, what could I say? “But you and I both roam the apartment naked under our robes. With a guy here, that’d be awkward. Not to mention our frequent pig out and wine sessions. How are we supposed to enjoy those with a man around? I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“What? Come on. Sure, we’d have to adjust, but Jace is a great guy. Maybe he’d be handy, too. I’ve been wanting shelves put up in the living room. He could change our light bulbs. Oh, maybe we give him trash duty.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.”
“I was even thinking of switching rooms, giving him the large bedroom with the ensuite. You and I can have the other two bedrooms and share a bathroom. I don’t mind him rooming here, but I don’t want to clean up after a man in the bathroom.”
“Do we have to decide this minute?”
“I think he needs a place to stay soon, so, yeah. What do you say? Yes?”
I slightly tilted my head, but she took that as a yes, reentering the living room. “Jace, we’d love to have you room here.”
It seemed Daniel and Maddie shot him hopeful looks, but then his eyes landed on me.
“It would mean I’d have to keep Sammie at your shop a little longer, Lily. If that’s okay?”
“That’s no problem, right, Lily?”
All three heads faced me, waiting for my answer.
“Sure. Yeah. Great.”
I already missed Cassidy, who had been my roommate since college. The friendship bond that grew between us and Maddie would have been difficult to replace with a new roommate. I didn’t expect Jace to join in our weekly face masking sessions, or our wine o’clock Saturdays, or many fun rituals my roommates a
nd I had enjoyed. Sometimes things change, people change, life changes.
Heck, Maddie had already changed so much while dating Daniel. While she stayed most nights at his place of late, I might as well be living by myself.
If only the apartment above my bookstore was livable. I could be there rent free. But there were Simon’s medical bills hanging over my head, and the bookstore spent more days in the black than in the red. Would my money problems ever go away?
Daniel stood up and put his hand out to Jace. “Welcome home, man.”
“Oh, sure. Hey thanks, Maddie and Lily. This gets me out of a pinch.”
“We should celebrate. Dinner for the four of us, on me,” Daniel continued to beam about this new arrangement he’d facilitated.
“Sorry, actually . . . I have a date.” All eyes turned to Jace this time.
“Oh yeah? Who is the lucky woman?”
“Someone I’ve been talking to online.”
Everything around me stopped. I froze and watched and listened to their conversation. It was the kind where the words slow down to garbled, drawn out mumbles. And my eyes, like a high-powered camera lens, zoomed in on one little detail. Jace was wearing a black turtleneck.
A flutter in my stomach grew, and I realized I hadn’t eaten all day. No, wait, this feeling was something else. Lightheadedness closed in on my brain, weakening my knees. Before I knew what was happening, I floated down, down, down. I’d soon reach the floor and let the world black out. Instead, I landed on two muscled arms, breaking my fall before I hit the ground.
My body floated up into the air. My hair fell in layers behind me with my neck in the crook of Jace’s elbow. While my legs dangled over his arm, my pink princess cut dress inched up my thighs. I fought for my breath. Was this what it was like to be in Prince Charming’s arms, and how lucky was the Princess?
My eyes locked with Jace’s. “Blue92?” I croaked out.
His brows furrowed. “Flower65?”
I closed my eyes against the spinning room around me, and everything went black.
Perennial Flower
Jace
The Lily, a perennial flower, planted once then returning year after year, like something reliable and loyal. Was Lily my Flower? She fainted, and I caught her before she hit the floor. I don’t how I sensed she wasn’t well, but before I knew what was happening, I’d crossed the room to her.
Now on the couch, under a yellow blanket, the color slowly returned to her cheeks. She took the water and banana Maddie offered her, sipping and nibbling, not looking at me. Daniel paced slowly between the kitchen and the living room, looking as uncomfortable as me.
I finally let the air escape my lungs and ran my hand through my hair. Thinking back now through our many chats, pouring over every bit of information I had collected about Flower65, little clues made sense.
Yep, there was plenty of talk about having multiple cats. There was her favorite brand of cat food, Seven Seas, which she’d talked me into feeding my cat when I complained about his skin issues. But most of the time we discussed literature, art, movies, and now I see why she was particularly astute at book discussions, when she had plenty of them at her disposal all day at her bookstore.
There was no doubt about it. Flower65 was Lily. There was a point where I was sure if I could have fallen in love with someone I’d never met, based on our chats alone, then I fell for Flower65, hard. Looking at Lily right now, words escaped me. I didn’t know what I felt.
When I thought about meeting Flower65, I focused on the little things. Sure, she said she had brown hair and blue eyes, and was into yoga. I imagined a toned woman with mousy brown hair and her nose in a book. Here was Lily, all five foot two of her, petite, and her hair had more light shining through it than a mousy brown.
This whole time, our chats didn’t prepare me for the clarity of her blue eyes, often giving her an innocent appeal under the frames of her quirky glasses. The online flirtations between us didn’t prepare me for the sexy dresses she wore that highlighted the curves of her waist and her ample chest, given her petite frame.
I imagined Flower’s voice being sexy and sultry. Lily’s range held a sing-song, sweet voice, only further adding to her innocent appeal.
Could I reconcile her online persona with the person I imagined in my head, with the real woman before me? She was far from from disappointing. I was more intrigued. Of course, what had she imagined about me? Did I disappoint her in the flesh?
“Um, Maddie, Daniel, can you give us a minute, please?” Lily sat upright, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
Maddie came around the couch and gave Lily a hug. “We’ll grab some dinner, sweetie. Text if you need anything.”
Daniel shot me a look as if saying Sorry to leave you alone in this, dude.
After they left, I pulled the dining room chair closer to the couch. I was a few feet away from the woman I thought I knew—yet didn’t know at all.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” She set the banana peel on the side table.“I imagined what our first meeting might be like so many times. This wasn’t it.”
“Do you faint often? Like a medical condition I should know about?”
“No, I’ve never fainted before. Some days are busy at the store. I’m lucky if I get to drink my tea before it gets cold and I rarely have time to eat until I get home at night. I think you took me by surprise, that’s all.”
We fell into a momentary deep stare, as if both of us searched inside our irises for something to hold on to. At least that’s how I perceived it, trying to make sense of this turn of events.
“So, it’s you. Flower65. I get the flower part, Lily, but the sixty-five . . .?”
“The year my mom was born.” Her hands fidgeted with the edge of the blanket. “And what about you—Blue? 92?”
“Blue, because I’m a police officer, a detective now. And ninety-two was my old football jersey number in high school. No real significance, simply the number I always had.”
“So you were a football player? I’m not much into sports. Well, I’m forced to watch Simon’s hockey games now and then, but . . .” Her eyes skimmed down my arms. The black turtleneck I wore covered most of my scars, but was tight on me, in a just right way, according to Marcie, and tucked into my black jeans. My black leather jacket and a pair of leather motorcycle boots finished my look. All of it given Marcie’s seal of approval when she insisted on helping me pick out what to wear tonight. I hope at least Lily appreciated the effort.
“Yeah, I was. Football was my life until I entered the military. I guess there're things we know about each other and plenty we don’t.”
“This is awkward. Not how I expected tonight would be.”
“What did you think it’d be?”
After a quick shrug of her shoulders, she said, “I don’t know. Something more romantic. We’d see each other across the diner for the first time. There’d be a knowing in our eyes. You’d have flowers for me. I had a book for you—”
“For me? Which book?” Why didn’t I think about giving her flowers? When Daniel called last minute, he insisted I come look at the apartment. I rushed around and wasn’t thinking about the one nice, romantic thing I could have done. I’m a complete idiot, or at least out of practice for dating.
“We chatted about the new Jack James’s novel a couple of months ago. I ordered it in a hardcover edition for you.”
Her eyes stared right into me. Right now, I couldn’t look away if I tried.
“I’m sorry I didn’t think about flowers. For the record, what is your favorite? Lilies?”
Her lips curved up, the first smile since she fainted. “No, actually tulips are my favorite.”
I nodded. “Noted for next time.”
“Will there be a next time?” Her question matched what I was thinking. I didn’t have an answer.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t even sure we’d get past the first meeting.”
“Why not?”
“I mean, um, you
know, it’s different meeting someone in person.”
“Yeah, and thanks to Daniel and Maddie, now we’re moving in together. Things are moving way too fast.”
I laughed at her wry humor. “Yeah, guess that’s not a good idea now?”
“If you need a place to stay, you could live here temporarily, but—”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll keep looking. I’ve thought about buying a fixer upper and remodeling it in my spare time, anyway.”
Her eyes widened. “You know about remodeling?”
I held up my hands, and her eyes followed. “These are working hands, Lily. My dad owned a large construction business and taught me how to build a house from the ground up. In fact, I helped Daniel remodel your kitchen over there before he moved out of the apartment so Maddie could move in. And I just finished helping my friends, Travis and Marcie, remodel their kitchen last month.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re an ex-military, book reading, house building detective?”
“Yeah, I guess that sums me up. What about you?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?” She waited with a hopeful look.
I didn’t know what to think. If I was talking about Flower65, my summary would have been a confident, smart, book reading, cat loving woman. But now, with Lily, my assessment would be quirky, bookstore owner, cat whisperer. Were we back to square one?
“My brain can’t wrap around the fact that you’re Flower? Maybe it’ll take some time getting used to this.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess.” Her head tilted and her eyes zeroed in on my scars. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.
My mind flew into a panic. “Guess the turtleneck doesn’t hide my scars enough for you.” I stood up to leave. Clearly, this would not work.
“Where are you going?”
“Lily, if you can’t look at me without seeing my scars, then what’s the point of taking this further?”