Читать книгу Forget Me Not - Crystal B. Bright - Страница 11

Janelle’s mother, Ida, could only be tolerated in small doses. Conducting her conversation with Ida by phone allowed Janelle an easy out when her mother got on her nerves. She rolled her eyes again, probably the fourth time during their chat, as she drove to her shop and listened to her mother give her advice on how to live her life…again.

“What you need to do is get you a rich man to pay your bills and get you out of this mess,” Ida said.

Janelle had made the mistake of not updating her address with her bank before they sent out a notification about her delinquent status. He mother had seen it and now felt she had every right to comment on Janelle’s personal affairs.

“Mom, I was able to get the loan on my own. I had the business idea on my own. I developed the business plan on my own. I don’t need a rich man to bail me out. As usual, I’ll figure out how to get myself out of this mess.”

“You mean without me, right?” Bitterness laced Ida’s words.

Janelle squeezed her eyes shut for a quick moment to collect her thoughts. “I have a plan to get Flowers Galore more customers.”

“Really? How’s that?” As usual, doubt filled her mother’s voice.

“There’s a flower competition. I’ll enter and win.” Janelle smiled as she thought about the plant she’d been cultivating for months.

“How much do you get for first place?”

“I don’t know. 350 dollars, I think.” Janelle believed she’d seen that amount on the application, but she hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it.

She knew what winning the prestigious Virginia Flower Show contest would draw true flower and plant admirers to her store. She would be taken seriously in her field. The new perception would give her publicity. Then she would be able to see the payoff. It had to work. She had no other options except close the store.

“So wait. Winning this contest won’t get you enough money to pay off your bills? Sounds like a waste of time.” Ida pushed a disapproving grunt through the phone.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Mom. Your plan for me is to find a rich guy. Coming from you, that advice is surprising. It’s not like you’re hooked up with Warren Buffet.” Janelle didn’t mean to hit her mother with a low blow, but Ida had been shooting down her dreams for as long as Janelle could remember.

“So you think your one and only boyfriend makes you some sort of expert? Men need to be used. They have no problem in using women, now do they?”

Janelle shook her head. Some traits she didn’t want to inherit from her mother. She’d already gotten her height, lithe body, and her huge backside. Janelle wouldn’t take on her hatred of men.

“You gave me your advice. I’m telling you what I’m going to do. As always, thanks for the support.” Janelle disconnected the call before their discussion ended up as it always did, in an argument.

Janelle pulled up to the store and parked in her usual spot at the farthest corner of the lot. She wanted to leave plenty of space for potential customers. She unlocked the door and scanned the contents of her place.

“I need a miracle.” Janelle went behind the counter and stowed her purse and coat.

Before Penny showed up for work, Janelle went to the back room where she kept her baby. With all the lights on and in a heated glass cabinet, sat her swamp hibiscus. She opened the door long enough to check the moistness of the murky, muddy water she had the plant’s roots in. Out of habit, she took a sniff from one of the closed buds. The fragrant aroma soothed her. This would be her ticket.

Janelle stroked one of the leaves. For its unappealing name, the petal tickled the pads of her fingers. This would be her salvation. She closed the cabinet door and checked the thermostat to make sure it remained at the right temperature. Everything had to be perfect.

Until something great happened, she would continue to work hard until…well, until the bank forced her to stop what she loved in this space.

* * * *

After a few hours of restless sleep and a long, hot bath, Gideon changed into something comfortable, got into his garage-kept car and sped down to the hospital. He didn’t drive anything fancy or special. As a matter of fact, he’d picked this crossover vehicle because it resembled a station wagon. He liked the wholesome feel he got from being in something that looked like his mother would drive.

What was he thinking? His mother had owned a Cadillac, and now had a small Mini Cooper. She could never be described as typical…thank God.

Gideon got to the hospital and approached the information desk. “I need to see Gunnar Wells.”

The older woman at the desk peered up at him over her wire-rimmed silver glasses. “Are you family? We’ve had a lot of fans up here looking to see the man.”

“Yes. I’m his brother.” He took out his Virginia state driver’s license and handed it to her, thankful that she didn’t know him as the Gideon Wells.

She handed his license back to him and then took his picture for his temporary visitor’s pass. She handed him the sticker. “Wear this while visiting him. He’s on the fifth floor in room 522.” She smiled.

“Thanks.” Before leaving the counter, he affixed the sticker to his shirt, not his jacket. He planned on being there for a while.

“Mr. Wells?”

Gideon turned back to the woman.

“Great game yesterday.” She gave him a thumbs-up sign.

His heartbeat slowed as he smiled back to her. For a brief moment, he had only been Gunnar Wells’s brother and no one else.

He loved being a football player. Yet he could never appreciate the notoriety that came with being a star quarterback.

Gideon got up to the floor and strolled down the hallway in search of Gunnar’s room. A couple of the nurses gasped as he made his way to the correct room. To lessen the excitement that could be generated with his presence, he didn’t acknowledge any of their whispers or looks. He kept his head up and continued walking until he finally came across the room.

With the door closed, Gideon knocked first before entering. His heart stopped for a moment when he saw his older brother, his hero. For all of Gideon’s life, Gunnar Wells had seemed invincible.

As children, Gunnar had been the one to protect him and Thane against their abusive biological mother and horrible foster families. Once they’d gotten with Queen Elizabeth, Gunnar had squared off against their adoptive mother’s former husband. Gunnar seemed destined to fight for the rest of his life. Seeing him now made Gideon think someone had taken out Superman.

Gunnar appeared to be sleeping. The big man’s head had been elevated in the bed. IVs had been hooked to his arm. A constant beeping greeted Gideon as he stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. Although the lights in the room had been extinguished, the opened blinds allowed the room to be illuminated in sunlight.

Gideon peered at the whiteboard across from him. He read Gunnar’s doctor’s name and the name of the attending nurse and nurse care partner taking care of him today. On the scale of his pain, Gunnar had listed it as a one, which meant for a normal human being, it would rank as a ten.

Gunnar never wanted to admit his pain or that he needed help, something Gideon understood. The throbbing in his knee hadn’t stopped at all since arriving in Virginia. He would have to see someone about it soon.

Gideon stood at the side of the bed and put his hand on Gunnar’s shoulder. He didn’t expect his brother’s eyes to flutter open, but it sure made Gideon smile when he saw Gunnar looking alert.

“Hey, man. How are you doing?” Gideon patted Gunnar’s shoulder.

“Been better.” Gunnar smirked. “Oh, shit.”

Gideon’s eyes widened. “What?” He searched for the nurse call button in case his brother needed medical assistance right away.

“I missed your game.”

Gideon exhaled. “Don’t worry about it. You’re all that matters.” He pulled up a chair next to him. “So what happened?”

Gunnar reached for a cup on a raised tray that had a bendy straw inside. He took a long sip before answering. “I got a message on my phone that the alarm was going off at the salon. I went down there, expecting to meet with the police. No one was there yet. I went inside—”

Gideon groaned and leaned back. “You should have waited for the cops.”

Gunnar rolled his eyes. “Now you sound like Mom.”

“She’s right. Look at you.”

Gunnar peered down. “I have seen better days, huh?”

“You think? You could have been killed.” Gideon grabbed Gunnar’s hand and held it. “Do you know who did this to you?” He balled his hand into a fist.

Gunnar shook his head. “Take that thought out of your head, man. We’re not about that life anymore. Let the police handle this.”

Gideon hadn’t gotten tied up with gangs like Gunnar, but he had no problem defending his family. If it required that he use his fists, he would do it. Gunnar must have recognized the intent behind his eyes and in his question.

“With everything going on with Mom, and Thane being”—Gideon looked at Gunnar and at the same time they said—“Thane.”

Gideon laughed along with Gunnar. At least the shooting hadn’t taken away Gunnar’s sense of humor.

Gideon became serious again as he talked to his oldest sibling. “I can’t lose you. Family is all we have.”

“I know.” Gunnar nodded. “That’s why you need to take care of Mom’s flower shop. Victor’s done a great job, but he’s been there alone.”

“Done.” Gideon ran his hand over his hair, which caused Gunnar to look up.

“You know Mom is going to hate that.” He pointed up.

Gideon smiled. “Yeah, she already warned me that a lecture is coming. I am ready for a change.” He rubbed his hand over Gunnar’s newly shorn head. “I see you got a new look. What’s up with that?”

“It was time for me to grow up, stop hiding, you know?”

Gideon knew all too well about his brother’s once-troubled past and his former mistakes. He’d seen the No Equal gang tattoo when Gunnar had gotten it done. Even back then, Gideon had called him an idiot and told him how great they had it with Queen Elizabeth. Until their mother had proved herself by putting herself in harm’s way, Gunnar hadn’t embraced their charmed lives.

“Mom told me that you and Eboni are together.”

Gunnar didn’t smile. He beamed. Everything on his face lit up like he’d won the lottery. His pale skin held some color now. He pressed a button on a controller on his bed to raise his head a bit more.

“Since we’re alone, I can tell you this. I bought her a ring.” Gunnar nodded. “Doing it right this time. I can’t let more time pass between us.”

Gideon stood as fast as he could with his bum knee and embraced his brother. “Congratulations.”

“Yeah, I had planned on proposing after your game but, well, you know.” Gunnar shrugged. “She’s perfect, man.”

Gideon sat down. “She was pretty special back in the day. I remember thinking how great she was to hang with you after all the stuff you had gone through with the drugs and the fighting and that gang. She never left your side.”

“I know.” Gunnar got quiet for a moment before looking at the window across the room.

Gideon peered down to give his brother a moment. He hadn’t seen him get emotional about much. Eboni really must have gotten to his heart more than before.

Gunnar wiped his eyes and sniffed before he continued talking. “What about you? Did you tell Mom that you and Hilary are over?”

Gideon nodded. “Told her yesterday before the game. She was disappointed, but what can I say? It wasn’t meant to be.”

“You have bigger fish to fry.”

“I know, like making sure you’re okay. Watching out for Pick ’N Clip. And—”

“Your knee.”

Gideon stared at his brother.

“Sorry for cutting you off, but you know I’m right.” Gunnar stared at him.

Gideon returned the look and tried not to blink. “I’m fine.”

Gunnar tilted his head. “Dude, if I recognized that you’re hurting, you know Mom will know. She knows everything.”

“That she does.” Gideon laughed.

The phone in the room rang.

“It’s been mainly the media.” Gunnar waved his hand dismissively.

Gideon had no problem telling off a nosy reporter. He answered phone that rested at the head of Gunnar’s bed. “Yeah?”

“Gunnar?”

Gideon recognized the voice but needed to hear a bit more. “This isn’t Gunnar. What can I help you with?”

“Is Queen Elizabeth there? This is Victor. I need to talk to someone about the store.”

Gideon relaxed back into his chair. “Hey, Victor. This is Gideon.”

“Oh, thank God. You’re in town.” Victor exhaled. “I need some help with some the business. Queen was way better at this than me.”

“I’ll come down there.” Gideon stood. The pain didn’t register to him this time as he thought about the store and his duty to his family.

“Good. Good. I’ll see you later.”

Gideon disconnected the call. “Victor needs help already. I hate to leave you so soon after getting here. I was hoping to see Mom and Eboni.”

“Hopefully, I won’t be here for very long.” Gunnar smiled like he wanted to reassure Gideon.

“If you want to stay with me at my house, you can. You know I have plenty of room.” Gideon embraced his brother.

“I know. But you know how Mom is. At least for now, I’ll stay with her.” He waved at Gideon as he walked out of the room.

He got into the elevator and made it down to the lobby. As he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Eboni going into a different one. He had to smile at her dedication to Gunnar. His brother had better treat her right this time.

Gideon walked through the lobby and went by the gift shop, where he noticed someone familiar. He walked into the store and stood behind a woman he recognized. As she admired a display of freshly cut flowers, he watched her touching a petal and smelling an open bud. He took a deep breath and caught her distinctive flowery scent. Even among the various bouquets for sale, her aroma brought Gideon back to his days of sitting at the kitchen table and inhaling every bit of food his mother produced and then some.

“Are you going to stand there or are you going to hug your mother?” Elizabeth said without turning around.

“How do you do that?” Gideon laughed.

Elizabeth turned and embraced Gideon. “Don’t you boys know that you can never get anything by me?”

As soon as he embraced Queen Elizabeth, Gideon felt like he had arrived home. His shoulders relaxed. His breathing slowed. Even the throbbing in his knee subsided. She made everything right.

“I’m learning. I saw Gunnar. I was going to stay but Victor called and said he needs some help.”

“Oh, no. I can go.”

Gideon shook his head. “No, you stay with Gunnar. Besides, I have a feeling he’s about to do something special.”

Queen Elizabeth cocked her head. “Do something special? What is he going to do? Walk on water?”

Gideon shrugged. “He might. You did raise us to be the best at whatever we do.”

She gave him a playful slap on his arm. “You’re cute. Good luck at the store, honey. If you need help, I have a friend who also owns a flower shop nearby. Her name is Janelle Gold. She owns Flowers Galore. Hold on.” She opened her purse and retrieved a business card from inside. “Here’s her information. See her if Victor can’t help you.”

Gideon blinked. “So the competition helps you? That’s like me asking Peyton Manning for tips. Doesn’t happen.”

Queen placed her hand against Gideon’s cheek. “Florists are way different than football players, darling.”

Gideon laughed again. “You are right about that. I’ll check out the store and hopefully will be back soon.”

“Good. If not, be sure you come by the house for dinner tonight.” She kissed Gideon on his cheek.

He wanted to spend more time with Gunnar and his mother, but duty called. He would handle it and get back as quickly as he could.

“Oh, and once you get done at the store, make an appointment with a doctor about your knee.” His mother smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. The silk purse that hung from a gold chain dangled from her arm.

Gideon remained quiet. He smiled and almost laughed off her assumption about his health. To stall for time, he said, “Mom, I got checked out by the team’s doctor. I’m fi—”

“Don’t lie to me. I apologize for interrupting.” She pointed down. “I know you haven’t developed a strut in your walk after twenty years. What’s going on with your leg?”

Gideon glanced over to the cashier area. When he noticed a couple of customers looking at him and whispering, he kept a cool head while talking to his mother.

“I love you, Mom. I’ll try to be by your house later for dinner.” He kissed her forehead.

“Love you, baby.” She patted his shoulder. “Remember to go see Janelle if you need anything, understand?”

Gideon nodded. He would have to school his mother on having public conversations about him. He had seen too many real and fake stories about him in the press. For once, he wanted to control his image.

As though on autopilot, Gideon got to Pick ’N Clip in record time. He parked in the back like he used to when he’d worked alongside Queen Elizabeth. Once he got out of the car, he realized very quickly that he no longer had keys to access the store from the locked back door. After his mother made him and his brothers sign power of attorney forms for her business, she’d tried giving him a set of keys to the store. Believing that holding the keys meant something bad would happen to Elizabeth, Gideon had refused. Now he would have to get that extra set while he stayed in town.

“Damn.” He circled the standalone store to get to the front door.

Nothing had changed about the place. Gideon’s mother had a way of making every place, including all of her stores, feel like home. The front of the all-white store with a black shingled roof created a great frame for the black wrought-iron trellis that surrounded the front door. His mother had ivy creeping up each to give the place a garden appeal.

As soon as he opened the door, a fragrant bouquet greeted him. As he scanned the inside, he realized not much had changed in here either. Roses, daisies, and lilies remained housed in lit glass cases. Vases lined the shelves behind the bouquet-making counter. Streamers of different colored ribbon came off rolls on both sides of the counter. His sneakers squeaked over the brick-colored tile floor.

“Oh, great. You’re here.” Victor put his hand to his chest as he came from the back room.

Except for the sprigs of gray hair, Victor looked exactly the same. The diminutive Filipino man embraced Gideon before taking a step back.

“The shipment came in.” Victor pointed to the storeroom.

Gideon glanced around but noticed that the glass cases and shelves still looked bare. “Did you have a good sales day or something? I don’t see any merchandise.”

“I received a shipment two days ago, and I put it all in the cases like usual. I didn’t know the thermostat stopped working.” Victor rushed over to one of the cases and opened a door. “Feel.”

Gideon strolled over to him. He put his hand in the case to feel the temperature. Hot air surrounded his digits. “That’s too hot.”

“No shit.” Victor covered his mouth. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to curse in front of Queen’s boy.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ve heard worse in the locker rooms.”

“I’m sure you have. I’m used to you being a little kid.” Victor put his hand up to his waist to illustrate Gideon’s height when he’d first started working with his mother at the store. “Anyway, I think one of the delivery drivers must have knocked the thermostat out of whack when they were putting away the merchandise. I didn’t discover it had been messed up until today. Every flower and plant in the cases has open buds or worse.” He went to a nearby trash can and picked up a long-stem rose.

It drooped down. To illustrate Victor’s point, a petal fell from the bud.

“I can’t sell any of these. Your mother has very high standards.” He slammed the stem back into the bin. “What am I going to do?”

Gideon put his hands on Victor’s shoulders. “First thing’s first. Have you called an electrician or heating and cooling tech to fix the thermostat? No use restocking it if it still doesn’t work.”

Victor shook his head. “No. Your mother keeps this place in tip-top shape. Any maintenance she’s done, she’s kept me out of the loop.” He pointed to her office. “There’s only a few things in her office that I can touch. I don’t go in the drawers.” He shuddered and shook his head.

“I’ll contact her to see who she uses.”

Victor gripped Gideon’s arm. “No, don’t. If your mother finds out that I couldn’t handle something like this, she’ll freak out. She’ll never trust me to run the store for her again.”

Gideon cocked his head. “You can’t believe that. You’ve worked for her for years. You’re like family. She would understand.”

He shook his head. “I let thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise get destroyed. I love Queen, and I know she loves me. But to let all that money go down the drain is something even I couldn’t forgive.”

Gideon found it hard to believe that his saint of a mother would be that irrational. Then again, Victor did have a flair for the dramatic.

“Okay, I’ll go in the office and see if I can find a number for someone to fix it. If I can’t, I’ll find someone to do it. Can’t be that hard.” He patted Victor’s shoulder. “Next, we’ll need more plants and flowers.”

“That’s the other thing. I called the vendor. They won’t be able to get us more flowers for two days. He said he may be able to bring something tomorrow, but it would be late.” Victor ran to the front counter and held up some papers. “We have orders that have to be fulfilled today.” His eyes widened as he stared at Gideon. “Maybe you can call them and tell them who you are—the great Gideon Wells, Super Bowl champion—and they’ll make an exception.”

Gideon counted in his head, a second time within twenty-four hours, before he addressed Queen Elizabeth’s employee. “No. I don’t work that way. You’ve been around my mother long enough to know that. We do things the right way every time.”

Victor shrugged. “Suit yourself. In the meantime, we’re out of everything, and one of Queen’s biggest clients is expecting their order tomorrow.”

“Let me see the orders. I’m sure there are plenty of greenhouses around that would be willing to help us out.”

Victor shook his head. “You’re going to have to make a miracle happen to get them to give up their stock. You know what time of year it is, right?”

Gideon slipped his hands in his pockets. A brief thought hit him to go to as many florists as he could to get what he needed. What his mother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. He had never betrayed her trust, and he wouldn’t be starting now.

His fingers brushed over a card. He pulled it out and read it. “I think I have an idea. I’ll be right back.”