by Ava Wood
“Dios mio. I told you this was a bad idea.”
“Shut up, Reina. I don’t remember you putting up a fight,” Camey retorted.
A death glare was promptly sent in Camey’s direction.
“This isn’t helping anything,” Landon spoke from the base of the stairs; his duffle clutched in his hands.
Talia turned her back to him. She couldn’t bear to look at the lie she’d been living with for the last couple of months. “Landon, please leave.” It was said through a whisper, but the shop was suddenly so achingly quiet that every ear heard what she’d said.
“Please, Talia. Don’t do this.”
“Just go.” Her voice cracked as she tried to push the words past the giant lump in her throat.
The shop sat silently except for the sound of Landon’s feet shuffling behind her as she stood steadfastly in place. His large hands came to rest on her shoulders and she gasped as he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
“I’ll always love you.”
His words started a new wave of tears. She didn’t have the strength to face anyone any longer so she tore up the stairs, locking herself inside of her apartment.
“Why did you tell her?” Camey lunged in front of Landon.
“I didn’t mean to. It just slipped.”
“What do you mean it just slipped? How do you let something like that just slip?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me. I just wanted her to tell me what was going on and she kept telling me nothing was wrong. It was killing me that she couldn’t just tell me the truth. I was practically begging her to talk to me and it just came out.”
“So you’re leaving?”
“It was her choice, not mine.”
“Well, what do we do now?” Sara cried, still staring up the staircase after her sister.
“I can’t tell you that. All I know is she’s hurting and she’s going to need all of you, no matter how hard she tries to push you away, so don’t let her.”
The girls silently agreed as Landon prepared to leave.
“I really do love her. I just wanted you to know that.” It was the last thing he said before he left the shop behind.
“Hey, bro. You come by to get some more stuff?” Dawson walked into Landon’s apartment unannounced.
“No.” Landon was holding a piss warm beer in his hand. It was the fourth he had in just over an hour.
“What’s going on?” Dawson sat down on the opposite end of the couch.
Landon held up his beer in response and gawked at a speck of missing paint on the wall, the same speck he’d been focused on since he sat down with his first beer.
“What are you doing, Landon?”
Landon realized his brother must have just noticed the near empty six pack sitting on the floor next to him. “Drinking.”
“Why?”
“I feel like it.”
“What happened?”
Landon knew his brother wasn’t going to stop until he got a real answer. Even through the start of a drunken haze he could sense it. “Talia kicked me out.”
“What? Why?” Dawson stammered.
“I’m an escort.”
“No, you were an escort. Now you deliver flowers.” Leave it to his brother to bring up the flower shop.
“Not anymore.”
Dawson snatched the beer from Landon’s hands. “Landon, quit this shit.”
Landon snorted. “You better watch your mouth. Mya’s gonna have your ass.”
“Damn it, Landon.” Dawson got up and left the room.
Landon let his head fall against the back of the couch, closing his eyes to try and avoid what was left of the miserable day. After what seemed like seconds, he could smell coffee brewing. “What are you doing?”
Dawson rounded the couch and handed Landon a mug of coffee. “Here. Drink this. We’ll talk more when you’ve sobered up some.”
“I’m fine. I just don’t feel like talking.”
“Drink the damn coffee, Landon. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Fine.” Landon sipped at the coffee, burning his tongue on the first swig. “Shit.”
“It’s hot.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Landon scowled at his brother, holding the warm mug in his hands. The burn to his taste buds had him finding his way out of the fog. Neither one of them said anything while Landon sipped at his coffee. Nearly ten minutes of miserable silence passed while he nursed the molten liquid and visions of Talia’s tear-stained face continued to burn into his memory. He could swear the sound of her crying echoed in the walls. When his mug was empty, he carried it to the kitchen to test his sobriety, rinsing it and placing it in the sink, then leaning over the counter, doing everything in his power not to scream. “What am I going to do?”
“Well, you can give up and turn into a worthless heap of crap like our father or you can fight for her.”
Landon turned to lean against the counter and found his brother standing across from him, their mother’s eyes looking back at him. “How am I supposed to fight for her? She told me to get out.”
Dawson carried the remaining contents of Landon’s fourth beer and dumped it down the drain. “If the answer was easy, do you think you’d have to fight to get her back?”
“Damn it.” Landon pushed off of the counter and stumbled to the living room. “I ruined everything.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe she just needs some time to cool off, time to process. You don’t know what she’s thinking right now.”
“I know she didn’t need this today.” Landon faced his brother, consumed with the anger he felt for leaving her in such a fragile state. “She found out her ex-fiancé and his girlfriend are expecting. And from Talia’s reaction, I’m guessing it happened while they were still together.” Landon paced to the opposite side of the living room. “Why couldn’t I have kept my damn mouth shut?”
“Quit beating yourself up. Use your anger to figure out how to get her back.”
Landon nodded, going through a dozen scenarios of how to do just that. “I’ve never had to work this hard for a woman in my life.”
“Then she must be the one.”
Landon laughed. He knew his brother was right, because he couldn’t imagine going through this with any other woman. “How did you know Mya was the one?”
“When Mom died, I shut everybody out. My friends tried to get through to me, but I stopped answering their calls or showing up to … anything. They all gave up on me, but Mya never did. When I wouldn’t take her calls, she showed up on my doorstep. I knew she was it when she stepped inside my door and didn’t leave.” Dawson stood next to his brother and very softly said, “And I realized I would’ve done the same for her if she needed me to.”
“I’d do anything for Talia, but I don’t know how.”
“You’ll figure it out. Come Monday morning, you’ll know exactly what you have to do to get her back.”
At that moment, a light bulb flashed on. “That’s it.”
“What?”
“I’ll show up to work Monday morning. After all, she didn’t fire me. She’ll need me for deliveries. I’ll get some work in and convince her to listen. I’ll make her see how much I love her and that I’m not giving up that easy.” A smile erupted on his face. “Thanks, Dawson.”
“Sure.” Dawson left the apartment scratching his head.
Landon had just under thirty-six hours to figure out his plan of attack, but one way or another, he had to win Talia back.
Chapter 16
Cold As Stone
“Did you talk to Talia?” Camey questioned Sara when she walked in the door Monday morning.
“No.” Sara looked at the staircase, listening for any noise from above.
“Do you think she forgave Landon?”
“I think the better question is, did she forgive us?” Sara stood at the base of the stairs, gawking at the apartment door when it opened and Talia appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Why
are you just standing around? Get to work,” Talia barked from her apartment door.
Sara turned for the cooler and ducked inside. She was certain Talia hadn’t forgiven them yet.
“Shit, Sara. This is going to be worse than the break-up with Mason.” Camey had followed her into the cooler, slamming the door behind her.
“Just keep your head down and steer clear of her for the next few days. I’m sure this will all blow over.”
“That’s what you said last time.”
Sara remembered the break-up with Mason. She recalled thinking that whatever bug had crawled up her sister’s ass would surely find its way out before long, but it never did. Suddenly, she grew very aware that this time around would be much, much worse. Her sister hadn’t just lost her boyfriend, she’d lost all trust in them as well. Sara was inspecting flowers for an order she was putting together when Talia stormed in. Her shoulders immediately tensing up at the sound of Talia’s angry footsteps.
“Why are you still just standing around? Damn it, Sara, if you weren’t my sister I would’ve fired you by now.” Talia grabbed a pot of daisies that were just starting to wilt and threw them out. “Where are the new daisies I ordered? Why isn’t anything getting done around here?” she grumbled and burst back out of the cooler.
Sara dropped her shoulders, trying to relax now that Talia was no longer in the vicinity.
“We are so screwed.” Camey grabbed a small arrangement she’d thrown together and carried it to the showroom.
Sara was putting the finishing touches on a delivery when she heard Talia yelling in the workroom.
“What are you doing here?”
Sara stuck her head out of the cooler to see what was going on. She was certain Mason had showed up to stir up trouble but was even more surprised when she found Landon ducking in the back door.
“I’m here to work.”
“What part of get out didn’t you understand? I don’t want you here anymore. AT ALL!” Talia’s voice grew louder with every word she spoke.
“Talia, please. Can we at least just talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. GET OUT.”
Talia ran up the stairs, back to her apartment. It was a replay of Saturday afternoon, but at least this time she wasn’t crying.
Landon stood looking helpless at the bottom of the stairs when Camey walked up to him.
“She’s still pissed.”
“Obviously.” Landon’s hand ran through his wheat-colored hair as he fell against the worktable. “I can’t lose her, Camey.”
Sara listened to Landon pleading, surprised that she felt sorry for him. Sure, she had helped bring Landon into Talia’s life, but he wasn’t what she wanted for her sister long term, so it came as a huge shock when a pang of sadness hit her. She could see he truly loved her and deep down, she knew her sister loved him, too. That was what made this all so unbearable now. It would have been so much easier if no one cared, but she knew they all did.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Camey was running a consoling hand over Landon’s bicep. “I’ll call you later.”
“Thanks.” With his head hanging low, Landon left the shop.
Sara watched him go, her heart a bit heavier when he was out the door.
“What are these doing here?” Talia hoisted a large pot of blue roses into the workroom where Camey and Sara were hard at work. Reina had called in sick for the last two days and Talia was very close to firing her if she called in sick again. She couldn’t deal with any more incompetence in her life.
“They are for an order I took yesterday.”
Talia scowled at the guilty look on Camey’s face. “Don’t take any more orders for blue roses. I don’t want these damn things in my shop anymore.” She rotated to find the picture of her blue rose still hanging on the wall and recalled the first night she brought Landon into the shop. His unforgettable sapphire eyes haunted her dreams. They were the same color as that damn blue rose. She ripped the photo off the wall and chunked it into the trash can, the glass of the frame shattering when it hit the bottom. “I don’t want to see another blue rose for as long as I live.” She walked to the front of the shop when a customer entered, halfway listening to Camey and Sara whisper in the backroom.
Marisa breezed in smiling brightly. “Oh, Talia, I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful flowers at the wedding. I’m still getting calls from people asking who put them together.”
Talia coerced a smile. “That’s great.” She said the words, but there was no enthusiasm behind them.
“Is everything okay?”
Obviously Marisa hadn’t heard about all the commotion in the hall at her reception. Talia couldn’t explain how in one day she went from telling Landon she loved him to kicking him out. She still didn’t know why she ever allowed herself to say the words. It was a mistake on her part. “Everything’s fine.” She compelled another fake smile. “Thanks for coming by. It’s always good to know people love our work.”
“Of course.” Marisa’s smile had disappeared. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
“Yeah. We’re great.” Talia tried to raise her voice an octave, hoping to sound perky.
“Okay.” Marisa’s fingers drummed on the counter before she added, “I guess I ought to go. Ronald and I are leaving for our honeymoon tonight.”
“Have fun.” Talia wished she could drum up some sincerity. It just wasn’t in her. “We’ll see you when you get back.” She watched Marisa wave and go. She wanted to muster up a little bit of happiness, but there was just none left. Miserable and tired since sleep continued to elude her, she decided to head out for some coffee and try to put a little life back in her for the remainder of the workday.
A massive bouquet of blue roses sat on the counter festooned with purposefully placed violet Hyacinths. Talia took one look at the bouquet and knew it was from Landon. She wished she’d never told him her favorite flower, or that flowers had meanings. She should have known he wouldn’t give up that easily. She carried the flowers to the workroom and placed them on the counter in the corner. The card attached was hidden near the base of the flowers, but she found it as she set the bouquet down.
Getting to unfold the mystery is something I’ll never forget. I’ll wait all my life for your forgiveness.
-Landon
Talia threw the card in the trash as she passed and took a seat behind the register, grateful for the phone order that currently occupied Izzy. She wasn’t up for talking and she knew the second Izzy sat down next to her, the banter would never stop. The shop had been swamped with work since Marisa’s wedding, and she was thankful, but she detested it at the same time. Trying to put together happy flower arrangements when she was miserable was just plain torture. Landon’s unexpected delivery didn’t help her mood. The only thing she could think to do was interrogate the guilty party, get some answers on why she did it. She found Camey loading up the van for another delivery and stopped her in the alley.
“Why did you help him?” Talia hadn’t thought she could feel more betrayed after finding out the girls had hired him, but now, with this? Camey was talking to Landon behind her back and arranging flower deliveries. It just wasn’t right.
“He’s miserable, Tal. He just wants to talk to you. He was hoping you would hear him out after you saw the flowers.”
“Yeah, well he can forget it. I have nothing to say.” Talia started for the back door, but decided to add, “Why are you on his side? I mean, I know you guys hired him, but he’s a whore. Is that really okay with you?” She was fighting tears. She had been doing that way too much lately. She never had to fight the tears this much after Mason.
“That’s not who he is anymore. It’s not who he wants to be. He just wants you, Talia.”
Talia could swear Camey was close to tears as well. “How does none of this bother you?” She thought back to all the times Camey went home with different men and realized she wasn’t like Camey. They worked differently. “I guess I can’t expect you
to understand.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Forget I said it.” Talia kicked at a rock near the back door. “I just wanted to feel special for once and honestly, I feel like nothing more than a piece of trash. Was anything he said to me special?” She fell against the brick wall behind her. “I guess I’ll never know.”
“Just talk to him,” Camey pleaded.
“I can’t.”
“Why not? Maybe you wouldn’t have all this doubt in your head if you just heard him out. Give him a chance to explain.”
“What is there to explain? I get it. I know he said escorting is in his past, but I just can’t get my head around it. I just keep seeing him with countless women charming the pants off of them.” Talia rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I can’t do this.” She stormed back inside, defeated. She could understand why everyone sided with Mason after she left him. They didn’t know what he’d put her through. But they all knew who Landon was and they still took his side. There wasn’t a single soul who understood how she felt. It was agonizing. As much as drowning herself in work usually helped, she just couldn’t do it this time, not with all of the girls looking at her like a wounded dog.
She needed to escape, but everywhere she went, Landon was there. He was in her bedroom, the shop, even her favorite diner. She knew he was gone, but she didn’t think she could ever really get his memory to go away.
It was nearing the end of the day, so she snuck to her apartment a little early in search of a bottle of liquid amnesia. It was the only solution that sounded half worth trying, even if the pain only subsided for a little while. It was the only way she’d get any sleep tonight.
She found a bottle of tequila underneath the kitchen sink and curled up in her father’s old recliner, downing the bottle sip after miserable sip. Soon Landon’s face wasn’t dancing right before her eyes. His voice wasn’t keeping her awake. The pain didn’t hurt so badly. When she’d consumed nearly a quarter of the bottle, she passed out in her father’s chair.