A Rose in Bloom Read online

  Play? What play? I was so sleepy, I missed half the conversation during coffee. “I’ll think about it, but I’m pretty busy. What night did you say it was?” She stood to walk him to the door.

  “In two weeks on Friday night—not next weekend, but the next. I hope you’ll come.” He gave her such an earnest smile he looked like a teenager.

  “She’s busy that weekend,” said Jaxon, still wearing the scowl that seemed to be a permanent fixture around Baron.

  "You don't need to answer for her, McCall. I believe Ms. Rose is capable of answering for herself." Baron's gaze never left her.

  Again, a man was trying to control her life, and she couldn’t hide her annoyance with Jaxon. “No, Baron, I’m not busy that weekend.”

  “Yes, you are,” Jaxon insisted. “You have a wedding. You told me about it at the hospital.”

  “I don’t remember having a wedding in two weeks.” Her stomach churned as panic threatened. She couldn’t remember anything about the event. Had she even ordered flowers? She racked her brain, but drew a blank. Maybe it was the concussion. “Did I mention the bride’s name, or the groom’s?”

  The corner of Jaxon’s mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “Yes, you did. It’s the Rose-McCall wedding.”

  Part 25: A Cup of Tea Cures All

  “I’M AFRAID I’m a little confused, Sweetie. Why were you so upset about this wedding he mentioned? Wasn’t it a good thing he reminded you?”

  “Rose-McCall, Aunt Lauren. He said Rose-McCall wedding. Don’t you get it? I’m Elyssa Rose. And he’s Jaxon McCall. He was talking about us!”

  “Oh… Oh my!” Aunt Lauren poured the hot water over the tea bags in the two cups. “But I suppose you were the one who suggested it after all.”

  “I didn’t suggest it.” Elyssa studied the delicate hand-painted roses on her porcelain cup. “Well, sort of, but not really.”

  “Didn’t you tell me you suggested the two of you should get married in two weeks?”

  “Yes, but of course I didn’t mean it. I was teasing. Or threatening. I was just paying him back for… for…”

  “Paying him back for rescuing you from the hoodlum who broke into your shop?”

  “No, I was paying him back for… for…”

  “For driving you across town at the last minute to get emergency ribbon?”

  “No, you don’t understand. He’s just trying to ingratiate himself to me so he can buy my building—the building Uncle Ray left me. You know how much that building means to me. He just wants to get his greedy hands on my building.”

  “But then why did he help you get the ribbon? And help you make the flower arrangements? And spend the entire day helping you with your big wedding? If he wanted your building, why would he help you out in a crisis?”

  “Because… because… I don’t know why.”

  “And why did he tell people the two of you were engaged if the two of you never even dated?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask him.” Elyssa stirred her tea with such vigor the string twisted around the spoon, and she struggled to untangle it. Her face burned with heat.

  “And why didn’t you ask him?”

  “Because… because I was too embarrassed.”

  Aunt Lauren froze before her cup reached her lips, her sharp eyes locking with Elyssa’s. “Why were you embarrassed? What aren’t you telling me?”

  “It’s nothing really, but… Well, after we got the ribbon, and we were working on the bouquets…”

  “Before the crazy guy broke into your shop?”

  “Yes, before that happened. Before Jaxon left, he sort of… he kissed me. Okay? I said it. He kissed me. And I liked it, but he didn’t. And why should he? He's experienced, and I was probably terrible at it. So it’s not really his fault, I guess. But that’s when I kicked him out of the shop. I was just too embarrassed to let him stay after that.”

  Aunt Lauren lowered her teacup to the table without taking a sip. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. Elyssa felt the intensity of her gaze, even as she averted her eyes.

  “So, what did you do when he mentioned the ‘Rose-McCall wedding’?”

  “I told him to leave, of course, and I told him to butt out of my life. And I told Baron I could probably go to the play, but I don’t think I’ll actually go.”

  “Well, I definitely think you should go out with Baron.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, of course. He’s got money and influence. And this Jaxon’s a nobody, right?”

  “Aunt Lauren! I can’t believe you said that! I don’t give a flip about money and influence. And Jaxon’s not a nobody. He’s a business owner, like me. And he works hard. He hasn’t had everything handed to him, like Baron, but that doesn’t make him a nobody.”

  “But Baron could really help your business with his connections. Isn’t that what’s most important to you?”

  “No, that’s not how I feel at all.”

  “Well, I trust your judgment. The way Jaxon’s taken advantage of you and used you and played with your emotions. Why it’s despicable! What a jerk!”

  “Jaxon’s not really a jerk, Aunt Lauren.”

  “He sounds awful.”

  “Don't say that! He’s not awful.” Elyssa struggled to control her anger. Why is Aunt Lauren attacking him? “Sure, he’s a typical guy who thinks I need someone to help run my life. But he’s actually really sweet and thoughtful. I didn’t even tell you about how he warned me about my deadbolt and gave me a place to stay until I got the lock replaced. And he may not have a lot of money, but he makes up for it in other ways. He actually fought with that creepy guy who broke into my apartment. And he was the one who called the police. And then he stood up for me against Scotty, and he worked all day at the wedding after going all night without any sleep. And after I had coffee with Baron… Well, it wasn’t really his business, but he was just being protective because he knew Baron’s history.”

  “I see.” Aunt Lauren let her mouth widen until her lips formed a smug smile.

  “What do you mean, ‘you see’?”

  “I mean I see that you like Jaxon, just as I suspected.” Aunt Lauren lifted her cup in her dainty hand and sipped her tea.

  “No, I don’t!”

  Aunt Lauren arched a single eyebrow.

  “Really, I don’t.” Elyssa lifted her hair and fanned her neck. “My gosh, Aunt Lauren, it’s burning up in here.”

  “Elyssa, isn’t it possible Jaxon likes you? Maybe even loves you?”

  “No, it’s not possible. How can you say that?”

  “It’s just that in my experience, handsome young single men don’t go around offering to marry girls they don’t love. They don’t even joke about it. They don’t even mention it. Now you tell me… Why do you think he would say what he said about the ‘Rose-McCall’ wedding? What could possibly be his motivation?”

  “I think he was desperate to keep me from dating Baron. He hates Baron Carrington.”

  “So let me get this straight. Jaxon hates Baron so much he wants to marry you in two weeks so you won’t go on a date with Baron?”

  “Yes… I mean, no… When you say it that way, I guess it doesn’t really make sense.” Elyssa sipped her tea, rattling the saucer as she set her cup down with trembling fingers.

  “Then you admit it’s possible he might actually care for you?”

  Elyssa’s vision swam as her eyes filled with sudden tears. “Even if he cared before, he doesn’t any more. That happened on Saturday night. It's Thursday, and he hasn’t even called me or come over to A Rose in Bloom to talk to me.”

  “Maybe he’s been out of town.”

  Elyssa took the paper napkin Aunt Lauren offered and blotted her eyes before wadding it into a ball inside her tight fist.

  “He’s not out of town. I’ve seen his car parked in front of the gym every day.”

  “Well… you did tell him to butt out of your life.”

  “I know.” Elyssa grabbed another napkin a
nd blew her nose. “So it doesn’t matter. None of this makes any difference. It’s over. If there was ever anything—and I guess there wasn’t—it’s over now.”

  “Elyssa, look at me.”

  Despite the inevitable discomfort, Elyssa obeyed. Her aunt was as unrelenting a force as Niagara Falls. Resistance was futile. A tear rolled down Elyssa's face to splatter on the table.

  “Now for once, I want you to be honest with me… honest with yourself. Do you want it to be over? Do you really want Jaxon to be out of your life? Or do you actually like him a little bit? Or maybe a lot?”

  “I don’t know.” She sniffed, dropping her eyes back to her china cup.

  “I think you do know. I think that’s why you drove all the way down here. You wanted someone to tell you what you already know, but I’m not going to do it. I’m going to wait patiently until you tell me.”

  “Fine! I admit it—I like him. I've been miserable all week. But it doesn’t matter, because I screwed up. I told him to leave me alone, and he did.” She could taste the salty tears running down her face.

  “You’re right. It’s over. You might as well give up. You lost. At least you tried your best, right?” She rose, picking up both saucers and teacups. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Wait, Aunt Lauren.” Elyssa sniffed, reaching up to grasp her arm. “Can’t you just commiserate with me? Even for a few seconds?”

  “Now why would we waste our time commiserating? Commiserating is for losers, and we Rose girls aren't losers.” Aunt Lauren returned to her seat and leaned forward on her elbows. “So what’s the plan?

  Part 26: Making Amends

  ELYSSA EXAMINED her reflection, twisting to check the appearance of her backside. The skin-tight yoga pants left nothing to the imagination, and her top wasn’t modest either. The fact the form-hugging clothing was the height of style did little to instill confidence in her appearance. At least her bottom half looked pretty good, with nice calves topping slender ankles, although her quads had lost the definition she’d sported during her soccer days. She raised her arms to flex her biceps, grimacing at the puny display of muscles. Perhaps visiting his gym wasn’t the best way to impress Jaxon after all. She would’ve chickened out if she hadn’t sworn on the Rose name to carry through with the plan. Her aunt would never let her live it down if she reneged.

  She frowned at the small portion of tissue stuck to her ankle. A last minute shave had removed a bit of skin with the hair, but perhaps the bleeding had stopped. She wet her finger and gingerly teased the Kleenex off, but a drop of bright red blood appeared in its place. With a sigh, she applied a new piece of tissue. Staring at her make-up free face, she lamented her almost-invisible blond lashes. She dug in her bathroom drawer, tossing items to and fro in an attempt to reach the bottom.

  “Ah-ha! Victory!” She grasped a discolored tube of brown mascara with the word ‘Waterproof’ printed on the label and deftly applied a quick coat.

  She squirmed as she adjusted her clothing, trying to ignore the feeling her thong underwear was attempting to slice its way through her body. Didn’t I used to wear these things all the time? How did I stand it?

  Satisfied she’d done her best to make herself attractive, she steeled her nerves and tromped down the stairs. With a sign on the door stating the shop would open at noon, she marched down the sidewalk to the corner curb. Facing the gym across the street, she almost lost her courage and retreated back inside.

  What have I got to lose? Just a little pride. He may not give me a second chance. But I’ll never know if I don’t try.

  With the determination born of stubborn refusal to accept defeat, she crossed the street and entered the gym.

  I am strong. I am invincible. I have a college degree. I started my own business. I can do this!

  *****

  “I can’t do this!” Elyssa groaned as her perky trainer, Sadie (whom she’d secretly nicknamed Satan), urged her to perform yet another set of crunches. Elyssa collapsed on the mat in a boneless heap, her eyes straying to the loft above where she’d been told “Mack” was secluded in his office. Two hours of exhausting exercise without seeing a single hair of Jaxon’s head. Was he spying on her through the opaque glass window? Was he laughing at her efforts?

  “Sure you can… I won’t let you throw in the towel.” Sadie bounced from foot to foot, as if expelling excess energy. “By the way, did you know you have a piece of tissue stuck to your ankle?”

  She turned her head to the side to examine her leg, catching her image on the mirrored wall from the corner of her eye.

  “Oh my gosh! I have raccoon eyes! Where’s your bathroom?” She struggled to her feet, her fatigued muscles protesting every movement.

  In the bathroom, she rubbed vainly at the dark brown smudges under her eyes. A wet paper towel verified the mascara was indeed ‘Waterproof’, however it had never made the claim of ‘Sweatproof’. She added soap to the wet towel, which disintegrated into small soapy shreds on her face. She felt the caustic sting of soap in her eyes, adding tears to the mix.

  “Ow! Ow! Ow!” She filled her hands with water, dousing her face to wash the soap from her eyes. In the end, she successfully removed the mascara and (it appeared) a layer of skin, leaving her face red and raw. And of course, her lashes had disappeared once again.

  Emerging from the bathroom, she thought to escape, but Sadie was waiting to pounce on her.

  “Ready to go again? I thought we might work on the rowing machine. It’s a really great all-around workout. Works the whole body—all the major muscle groups—and cardio, too.” Sadie smiled, her eyes round and bright. Elyssa fought the urge to knock a few of her perfectly aligned teeth out of position.

  “No, I think I’ve had enough for today.”

  “Oh, okay.” Sadie’s face fell, but then her grin returned. “We could schedule another session tomorrow. I have a lot of openings right now.”

  “I can’t imagine why,” Elyssa remarked. “This is so much fun.”

  “Oh, thanks!” Sadie beamed, obviously missing Elyssa’s sarcasm.

  “So, I was wondering where Jaxon is. Doesn’t he ever come out of his office?”

  “I don’t know. Here’s Nate… We can ask him. Hey, Nate! Do you know when Mack is coming down?”

  The shirtless man with a white towel draped around his neck turned his attention to Elyssa. She couldn’t help noticing his delineated chest and ab muscles, glistening with sweat, so perfect she was tempted to touch them to test their authenticity. Yet the appearance of his muscular body, while arguably as attractive as Jaxon’s, didn’t cause the same inner tingling she’d experienced in Jaxon’s presence.

  “I’m Nate Anderson, the manager. Can I help you?” He stuck out his hand, and Elyssa shook it.

  “No, I don’t really need help. I’m just… I’m a… friend of Jaxon’s. I kind of wanted to talk to him, if he had a minute.”

  Nate’s brows crept down across his eyes. “Aren’t you the owner of the flower shop across the street? The building Mack tried to buy before he got a contract on our new place? What’s it called? A Rose in Bloom?”

  “Your new place? You’re moving away?”

  “Don’t worry—it’s not that far away. You could probably still walk over to do your workouts. Or better yet, you could run. That way you’d get your cardio in before you hit the gym.”

  “No, I just didn’t realize he wanted to move the gym. I thought he liked this location.”

  Nate scratched his head. “Yeah, I thought the same thing. But Monday he told me he couldn’t handle being here any longer.”

  “Because I wouldn’t sell my building?”

  “I don’t think that’s it. He just said he had to get away.” Nate shrugged his shoulders. “Something about ‘not wanting to watch Baron Carrington destroy something.’ He’s got a bad history with the Carringtons. You’ve probably heard of them—they’re pretty influential around here. My guess is Carrington bought a historical building near here and plans to t
ear it down or something like that. I didn’t ask for details because he was in such a foul mood. But I’m sure it didn’t have anything to do with you.”

  “Right. I’m sure it’s nothing to do with me.” Realizing she was chewing her fingernails, Elyssa forced her hands down and clasped them behind her back. “So, does he always hide upstairs in his office all day? I mean, I figured he’d come down eventually.” She tried to keep her tone casual.

  “Oh, Mack isn’t here today. He’s out of town.”

  *****

  Jaxon shifted his weight and cleared his throat, waiting for the right words. He gave up.

  “Look… I’m sorry I left without talking to you. I know you’ll probably never forgive me, but…” He whipped his hand from behind his back. “I brought you flowers… daisies… your favorite.” He held the flowers out in front of him for a long moment, and then his arm fell to his side, still clutching the bouquet. “I love you. I always have. I never stopped.”

  “I know.”

  “Really? You’re not angry?”

  “I never said I was angry. You put those words in my mouth.”

  “Can you understand why I left? It was just too much for me to handle—seeing you. After the accident… and I’d already lost Mom and Dad… I just couldn’t handle it. It just reminded me of everything I lost. How alone I was. How alone I am.”

  “So you left everyone who loved you behind? And that was supposed to make you feel less alone?”

  “I know, I know. It doesn’t make sense now. But at the time, I just felt like I needed to get away.” He stared at his feet. “Can you forgive me?”

  “You haven’t talked to me for three years.”

  “I know. I’ve missed you so much. Believe me, I thought about you every day. We were inseparable back then, before the accident. Remember the plans we made? We were going to get a place together in the city? You were going to open a bakery and I was going to do your internet marketing?”

  “Dreams.”

  “Yes, but it could have worked. It would have worked, if not for the accident. We loved each other so much, and we never even had an argument. It could have worked. But then…”