by Ava Wood
“Did she say anything?” He paced in a small square.
“She wanted to know where you were.”
Landon’s fingers clasped behind his neck. “God, she’s never going to give up.”
Camey stepped in front of him, halting his movement. “Actually, I don’t think we’ll be hearing from her again.” She smiled slyly.
“What did you do?” A logical answer didn’t come to mind when he tried to imagine Camey actually harming someone.
“I told her you were fired for taking advantage of company time with your extracurricular activities.” She chuckled, raising her eyebrows.
Landon shook his head. “She must have been real pleased with herself over that one, realizing she convinced someone we’d slept together.”
“Actually, she looked pretty upset. I don’t think she was happy you lost your job.”
Landon rolled his eyes. He’d picked up the habit from Talia and caught himself doing it from time to time. “I guess I owe you big time.”
“Eh.” Camey shrugged her shoulders, still smiling up at him. “I never imagined the types of lunatics you meet in your line of work.”
“That’s not my line of work anymore. I’m done with that life.”
Camey’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
“Don’t look at me like that.” He leaned against the metal table in the center of the cooler. “I couldn’t go back to that life once I met Talia. She means too much to me.” He couldn’t believe he was spilling his guts to Camey. With his voice lowered, he muttered, “I’ll never be that man again.”
Camey stood before him, motionless. This was the first time he’d told any of the girls how he really felt about Talia. “Do you love her?”
Landon dropped his head; his feet suddenly his main focus. “I do.”
She moved alongside him and placed her hand on his bicep. “Then we’ll do whatever it takes to keep her happy.”
“That’s all I want.” His hand brushed through his hair as Camey joined him, leaning against the table. They were standing there smiling when Talia opened the door.
“Lunch.” Her genuine smile made his heart soar. Life would be so much easier now that he knew he had Camey on his side.
A week after Landon’s run-in with Lady Vanna, he found himself outside the shop when a delivery boy arrived carrying a ridiculously large bouquet of calla lilies. Landon’s heart plummeted into his stomach as the boy neared, his only thought being Lady Vanna hadn’t believed Camey’s story and she wasn’t giving up. When the delivery boy tripped over the curb, Landon found himself reaching out to steady him before he fell to the ground.
“Thanks, man.” The fair-haired boy mumbled while opening the front door. Landon thought he couldn’t be more than seventeen, which explained why it appeared his nerves were getting the best of him.
Following the boy in, Landon watched him set the bouquet on the counter. “Can I help you?”
Digging deep in his pocket, the boy retrieved a wadded up form. “Flowers for Tal-e-uh uh…” he struggled to pronounce her name.
“It’s Talia.” Landon signed for the flowers, breathing a sigh of relief that they weren’t from Lacy after all, but now he was filled with questions of who the flowers were from and why they had been sent. Anyone who knew Talia had to know that calla lilies were one of her least favorite flowers.
“Thanks.” He snatched the delivery form from the counter and ran out of the shop, clearly nervous to be in a rival’s store.
Tucked haphazardly inside the bouquet, Landon saw a small envelope with Talia’s name scribbled across it. He was tempted to find out who was sending her flowers, but he couldn’t force himself to invade her privacy. He decided to let her tell him who sent the arrangement on her own, leaving the lilies on the counter and walking to the backroom to look over the delivery chart for the day. He only had one delivery and the arrangement hadn’t been put together yet, so he found small tasks around the workroom to keep himself busy and out of the girls’ hair.
When Talia emerged from the cooler, Landon watched her saunter into the front room, pausing at the pass through when, he assumed, she spotted the flowers. He heard the vase scrape across the counter and then he saw her lugging the flowers into the backroom, setting them on the workstation. She was examining them, unaware that he was in the corner watching her every move. Pulling the envelope from the bouquet, she extracted the card from inside. When she’d read the contents she stared at the lilies momentarily before she hefted them off of the table and very impressively launched them at the back door. The flowers scattered through the air as it flew and on contact, the vase shattered into a million pieces.
“Damn it.” Talia grabbed a broom and dustpan from the closet beneath the stairs and made her way to the debris, still seemingly unaware of Landon’s presence. When she neared the back door she stopped and yelled, “Shit.” Hopping away from the mess, Landon raced to her side.
“What happened?”
“I guess I didn’t think that through.” Talia hung onto the counter, keeping her weight on her left foot.
When Landon approached, he immediately saw what the problem was. Talia was wearing sandals and a sliver of glass was hanging in the side of her arch. He reached for her, but she staggered away from him. “Let me help you.”
“I got it.”
“Talia,” he reprimanded. “Stop being so stubborn.”
She looked crossly at him, but he persisted, lifting her away from the wreckage and placing her on the worktable. Kneeling down, he got a better angle of the glass, gently pulling at the sliver until it was free of her foot. He grabbed the first aid kit from the wall behind him and prepared to open it, but Talia stole it from his hands.
“Thank you.” She gingerly hopped off the counter and hobbled up the stairs with the first aid kit tucked beneath her arm.
When she was inside her apartment, Landon began cleaning up the mess, disposing of the shards of glass and discarded flowers. After he had swept away all of the debris, something on the counter caught his eye. It was a card, presumably that which had been attached to the flowers. He lifted it from the counter and read:
I’m so sorry. I’ll never do anything to hurt you again. Please don’t make me live another day without you.
-Mason
He was still clutching the card when Talia returned downstairs, trying to hide her faint limp, with tennis shoes on her feet.
“Want to talk about it?” He held the card up for her to see.
Talia rolled her eyes and snatched the card from his hand before dropping it in the trash.
Landon followed her to the front of the shop, where she was digging through files underneath the sales counter. “Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She didn’t look up as she continued digging.
“If you won’t tell me what this is about, please talk to one of the girls. You shouldn’t be holding this all in.”
She looked up from her rummaging to bellow, “There’s nothing to talk about, Landon! I’m fine.” She looked back at the files, pulling a manila folder from the lot, and began to type on the computer.
Understanding his dismissal, Landon took his cue and returned to the workroom. He was mulling over her withdrawal from him, not understanding how she could be so different from the women he was used to, women who threw themselves at him, never hesitating to share their sorrows, fears, and dreams with him. Talia never wanted to talk about anything that was bothering her. He hated that she would go to such lengths to shut him out. He knew she was hurting, he just wished she would tell him what this was all about. While he was lost in thought, Sara came out of the cooler with his delivery in hand so he took it and left the shop, thankful for some time away to give Talia time to think things through.
Talia closed out the register and put away the files she’d been going through as busy work to avoid any more interrogation from Landon. She didn’t want to explain who Mason was or what he did. She didn’t want to waste any more time
on Mason. He definitely didn’t deserve it. When Landon had brought the displays in from outside, he headed up to the apartment without a word, leaving her to lock up alone. As she made her way upstairs, she was consumed with worry over what she would find. It wasn’t much of a surprise that he was in her bedroom with his duffle bag laid out on the bed. “You’re leaving?” She’d tried to keep her voice calm, realizing that the discussion they’d had the night before hadn’t softened his anger when the Mason issue arose.
“I wasn’t planning on it, but if it’s what you want, I’ll go.” He didn’t look up at her, he just kept digging in his bag.
“No, that’s not what I want.” She walked over to him, gently touching his arm. “I’m sorry.”
He pulled his hands from the bag, dropping a prescription bottle on the bed, and turned to look at her. “I just want you to talk to me. I want you to trust me enough to want to tell me everything. I feel like I’m failing you when you don’t tell me what’s bothering you.”
Talia dropped her head, looking at the pill bottle. “Are you okay?” She didn’t want to dwell on the skeletons in her closet.
“Just a migraine.”
When he returned his attention to retrieving his medicine from the container, Talia knew he was done talking. “Landon, I’m sorry. I just don’t see any point in rehashing my past. It doesn’t matter. Those flowers should have never even been sent.”
Landon stood frozen, clutching his pill in his hand. “It matters to me.” His voice was nearly inaudible.
“Please don’t let this come between us. I can’t let Mason ruin this relationship too.”
Landon pivoted to look at her, taking hold of her shoulders. “I don’t want this to come between us. I just need you to trust me.”
Talia nodded, but when she didn’t say anything in response, he left the room. She followed him out and found him filling a glass in the kitchen. “Landon, I’m sorry. Please just give me a little more time. I’m not used to having to depend on anybody. I’ve been taking care of myself for so long now, it’s not easy for me to confide in anyone else.”
Landon threw his head back to take his pill and faced her. “Sharing my life with someone isn’t in my nature, but I’m trying, Talia. I was hoping you would try to do the same.”
“It’s hard for me to be that vulnerable.” She crept to his side and continued, “I don’t want you to see that side of me, to see my flaws. I don’t want to be that girl anymore, but I will try for you.”
“I’m here when you’re ready.” He kissed her cheek and returned to the bedroom, leaving her standing alone.
Chapter 14
Only You Can Love Me This Way
Talia woke in pain, having fallen asleep in her dad’s old recliner, suffering from a spring or two poking into her back. She tried to adjust for a more comfortable position, fairly certain after last night’s conversation that Landon wouldn’t have wanted to share the bed with her. She could have slept in the spare bedroom, but after hours of contemplating whether or not she would join him, she fell asleep in that old lousy chair. The chair’s only saving grace was knowing how much the stupid thing meant to her dad. It had actually become a fixture that she couldn’t imagine parting with.
While wishing sleep would take over again, Talia heard the sound of her alarm clock buzzing in the bedroom and she snuck in to shut it off. She hoped she’d silence it before Landon woke, but as she pressed the snooze button, a rustling startled her from behind.
“What are you doing?”
Talia turned to find him rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry. I was hoping the alarm wouldn’t wake you.” She watched as he surveyed her clothes, the ones she’d worn the day before, then looked to her side of the bed, which was still made.
“You didn’t come to bed last night?” His brow wrinkled.
She leaned against her dresser and replied, “No.”
“Why not?”
Her head turned to look toward the wall, avoiding Landon’s scrutiny.
“Talia,” his voice grew commanding. “Where did you sleep last night?”
She still refused to look at him, never answering his question.
“You did sleep last night, didn’t you?”
He is relentless. Talia grumbled, “Yes.”
“Petal.” Landon crawled to the edge of the bed and grasped her hand. “Why didn’t you come to bed?”
“Because, I’m no good for you. I’m not sure I ever will be.”
Turning her hand in his, Landon kissed her palm, never letting her go. “You’re perfect for me.” He laid her hand against his cheek and continued, “I didn’t know what perfect felt like until you.”
Talia suppressed her tears as she shook her head. How can he say that? She knew he wouldn’t feel that way if he knew about her past.
Standing from the bed, Landon took her head in his hands. “I know it’s hard for you to see right now, but there would never be anyone more perfect for me. You’ve made me so much better. You’ve turned me into someone that my family might one day be able to be proud of. It’s me who’s not good enough for you.”
Talia continued to shake her head, but his hands stilled her.
“I’m not worth a damn without you.”
She clutched him to her, so confounded by what he could possibly see in her. She was certain he imagined it all. If she was so good, why had Mason betrayed her so easily? She’d spent every day trying to be perfect for him and it hadn’t made a bit of difference. “Why do you love me? It doesn’t make sense.”
Landon’s forehead fell against hers. “It makes perfect sense to me. If I’d never met you, I’d be someone else right now. I’d have continued being a huge embarrassment to my family and throwing my life away.”
His eyes were intensely locked on hers. She was prepared to ask what he meant when she heard the door leading from the shop to her apartment open and shut again.
“Talia?” Sara called from the living room. “Talia?”
Talia walked out of her bedroom, wondering why Sara had come in so early and ready to confront her for barging in when the look on Sara’s face dumbfounded her.
“Did you sleep in that?”
Talia instantly remembered she was still wearing yesterday’s clothes, but she didn’t want to answer to her sister for it. “What do you want, Sara?”
“You have a phone call.”
Confused, Talia commanded, “Take a message and I’ll call them when I make it down.”
Sara shook her head. “Nu-uh. You need to take this call.”
Talia huffed and rolled her eyes. “Who is it?”
Sara shook her head. “Just come downstairs.”
“Ugh. Let me change and I’ll come down.” She watched her sister leave before she jumped to action and returned to her room. Landon was sitting at the foot of the bed, dressed and tying his shoes. She knew he heard the conversation. Marching to her closet, she grabbed the first thing she found and threw it on.
“I’ll see you downstairs.”
Landon’s voice surprised her. She looked to his solemn face and shrugged her shoulders.
“Okay.”
Talia pushed his look of desperation from her mind and quickly changed into a spaghetti-strap, Bohemian-style print dress, then ran downstairs.
Perched behind the counter, Sara sat bouncing next to the phone that lay on the counter, a dark velvet box sitting next to it.
Talia gave her sister a questioning look before picking up the phone. When Sara remained within earshot, Talia shooed her away with the wave of her hand. Once Sara was out of sight, Talia finally spoke, “Hello?”
“Tal?”
Talia’s mouth went dry as a wave of intense anger swept over her.
“Baby? Are you there?”
“I told you never to contact me again,” she seethed.
“Are you still playing that game? Come on, baby. It’s been months. I know you miss me.”
Talia tried to keep her voice down as her anger grew. �
�No, Mason, I haven’t missed you at all. In fact, you’ve been the furthest thing from my mind.”
“Come on, baby. Don’t kid yourself.”
Exasperated, Talia tried to change the subject. “What do you want, Mason?”
“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. What I did, well, it was an accident, a stupid mistake. Surely you can forgive me for a stupid mistake.”
Trying to stop him, Talia blurted crossly, “Mason.”
“Now, Talia, I’ve given you plenty of time to come to your senses. Your ring is there so put it back on and we can pick up where we left off at Marisa’s wedding tomorrow.”
Talia laughed ironically. “You must be kidding.”
“Baby, you don’t want to embarrass yourself by showing up alone.”
“I won’t.”
“That’s better.”
“No, Mason. I won’t be showing up alone, but I won’t be showing up with you either. I will never let you humiliate me again. Ever.” Talia had kept her composure together until now. “Don’t you dare call here again and leave my sister alone. We are through.” Before he could rebut, Talia ended the call and set the phone back in its charging station.
“What the hell, Talia? You’re throwing everything away.” Sara appeared in the pass-through.
“Mason threw everything away, when…” Talia was about to tell all when she spotted Landon over Sara’s shoulder. “Here.” Talia shoved the velvet box in Sara’s hand. “I don’t want to see this fucking thing ever again.”
Dejected, Sara took the ring. “You don’t deserve him. You never did. Mason was a prince and you’re just some sleazy whore slumming it with the likes of him.” Sara thumbed over her shoulder toward Landon.
“Wait a minute!” Landon bellowed from the backroom.
Talia stumbled backward against the counter, completely taken aback by her sister’s lashing tongue. “How dare you take his side! You’re my sister.” Her shoulders trembled while she stared daggers into her sister.
“Just because we’re blood doesn’t mean I would sympathize with your idiocy.” A darkness fell over Sara’s eyes as she stepped closer to Talia. “Do you have any idea how many people Landon has slept with? He’s a…”