Forget Me Not (19 page)

As he stood midway up the stairs, she got a good look at him. She didn’t want to get any closer. He appeared to be about her height, maybe shorter. The white man couldn’t have been from around Virginia. His pockmarked face carried a healthy tan. Maybe he did the tanning-salon thing. A black knit cap covered his head, so she couldn’t see his hair color or even if he had any hair. His coal-black eyes caused her to shiver.

“I strongly suggest you turn yourself around and go back to wherever it is you came from.” She unlocked her dead
bolt first. Then she slipped the key into the doorknob.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, Janelle.” His high-pitched voice seemed in conflict with his menacing expression.

Janelle had expected to hear a man who sounded like he gargled rocks morning, noon, and night. He dressed in a black peacoat with black jeans and combat boots. He looked ready to go into battle or whack someone.

“Are you that same asshole who’s been following me around?” She turned the knob and opened her door, ready to get into the sanctuary of her home.

“I’m offended by the label, but, yes. I have been the one taking your photograph.” He tried taking a step closer, but Janelle opened her purse and dug in it to retrieve her can of Mace.

He wouldn’t be able to tell that she had emptied the can weeks ago when some teenagers had tried to break in to her car over the Christmas holiday.

“Why? I’m no one famous.” She kept her hand in her purse as soon as her fingers brushed over the can.

“But your friend is. So how long have the two of you been—”

She stopped him. “I keep telling you and everyone else that Gideon Wells and I are not dating. He runs a flower shop. I own a flower shop. That’s our only link.”

“I don’t know.” The photographer scratched his head. “I don’t go around kissing my colleagues the way he kissed you earlier today.”

Janelle swallowed hard. “I want to be left alone. If you continue to harass me, I’ll get a restraining order against you.”

The diminutive man shrugged. “Fair enough. You wouldn’t be the first person to do
that.” He started to turn and then stopped and returned his stare. “I’d like to make you an offer. That’s the reason I’m here. Give me exclusive details on Gideon Wells, and I’ll pay you a hundred thousand dollars.”

Hearing the figure choked Janelle so that she stopped breathing entirely. She had never earned that amount of money in a year working any job or with the flower shop. She could pay off her bills and get herself a bigger store, one with a greenhouse.

She shook her head. No. Using men had her mother’s MO all over it. Janelle wouldn’t go down that route.

“Get out of here. I don’t know anything about Gideon. Even if I did, I wouldn’t sell him out to you.” She placed one foot into her apartment.

“Fine. Five hundred thousand.”

Janelle froze. With money like that, she could buy a house. She’d always imagined her own place with a large yard, big enough for her to have great flower
beds and a huge vegetable garden.

No, no, no. Accepting the money would mean using Gideon. She liked him. She liked him a lot. She wouldn’t use him no matter the amount of money.

“You’re crazy.” She shook her head. “How do I know you’re not lying about the money? You could be saying that to get me to reveal some details and then never pay me.”

The man laughed. “You remember the video that came out that showed the R&B diva and her hip-hop mogul husband in the elevator when the diva’s sister punched and kicked her brother-in-law repeatedly? I bought that video and paid two million for it. You recall the British actor in all those romantic comedy movies who got caught on surveillance video with a prostitute? That one was a cool mil. I’m a man of my word. If you don’t believe me”—he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card—“go to my site. The testimonials on there are anonymous, but if you contact me, I’ll give you the people’s contact information to verify my claims.”

“That sounds stupid. You give me their information and I can go to some other media outlet to sell that information.” Janelle crossed her arms over her chest as she squared off with this shark.

“To use your line, that sounds stupid. For one, the people who gave up the story aren’t the real story. No one cares about them. The people care about celebrities and getting their dirt. They want to know why a championship athlete would drop everything to come home. They want to know why he dumped his smoking-hot
,
A-list star girlfriend and turned down a sexy She-Wolf cheerleader to be with the flower-shop girl.”

“I’m a woman. And for the millionth time, we are not together.” His inquiries had her thinking. Had he really turned his back on those women? What did she have that they didn’t? Couldn’t be money.

“Right.” He snickered. Then he placed his business card on the step in front of him. “My name is Jules. You can find my contact information on here.” He started to leave again, stopped, and turned back to her. “I was going to leave a note on your door about my business proposition, but I found this tacked to it.” He placed a red flyer next to his business card.

Janelle didn’t need to see it up close to see the large “
Eviction Notice
”
emblazoned across the top.

“Have a good night, Ms. Gold.” Jules strolled out of the apartment building.

Like the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders, Janelle slumped down to the top step. She stared at Jules’s business card and the eviction notice. No doubt about it, she would have to stay away from Gideon Wells.

Days had gone by and Gideon hadn’t seen Janelle. Each time he called her, she would say she had too much going on to talk to him. With it now being Valentine’s Day, he felt a stronger need to see her.

As usual, Pick ’N Clip had been nonstop busy all day. Gideon had hired temporary delivery drivers to help with deliveries.

“
Whew
.” Victor put his hand to his chest after finishing a transaction. “I cannot wait until this day ends.”

“Don’t wish your life away, my friend.” Gideon patted the man he saw as an uncle on his shoulder.

Although he gave Victor a positive line to keep him going, Gideon couldn’t wait until the end of the day too. He had plans. If they worked, he would be a very happy man.

At the close of business, with no inventory on the shelves, Gideon locked the door. “What a day, right?”

“I’m beat.” Victor started sweeping the floor while Gideon counted out the register. “You want me to take the deposit to the bank?”

“If you don’t mind.” Gideon handed him the bag.

“Of course not. It’s on my way home.” He finished cleaning the floor and put on his jacket. “Any big plans tonight?”

“Hoping so.” Gideon smiled. “Hoping not to make a fool of myself.”

“I’m sure you won’t.” Victor wrapped his neck with a red scarf in honor of Valentine’s Day. “Whatever you do, I hope you have a great time.”

“Thanks. Don’t forget. Tomorrow is Mom’s surgery. I won’t be in at all. You think you’ll be all right handling the store on your own?”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Of course. Tell Queen good luck. Good night.”

Gideon didn’t have a lot of time to waste. He went home as fast as he could, showered, and changed into a nice pair of black slacks, a white knit pullover
,
and black leather shoes. He wanted to look right for the night.

His phone rang. When he saw the number came from the guard station, he answered it. “Yeah?”

“I have a delivery for you. Do you want them to come through?” Pearl asked. She sounded like a pit bull that wanted to get off the leash to gnaw on a perpetrator’s leg.

Gideon had to admire her tenacity. “Is it a flower delivery?”

Pearl answered, “Yes, sir.”

He smiled. “Yes, that’s fine. Send them up.”

Gideon made the final touches to the dining room table to make sure it looked perfect enough for a dinner for two. He checked his gas fireplace and ignited it just as his doorbell chimed.

He smoothed his hands down his shirt and pants before he answered it. He wanted Janelle to be the first person he saw on the other side of the door. His heart did a stutter beat as soon as his gaze connected to hers. She stared back at him, her mouth agape.

She held a vase full of roses in one hand and a clipboard in the other. “Gideon?”

“Good. Right on time.” He took a step back to allow her and Penny entrance.

“This huge order came from you?” Janelle held on to the roses as she carefully crept
into his home.

“You’re too busy to take my calls. You turned me down for coffee several times. I figured this would be the only way I could see you.” He stepped closer to her. “And trust me. I do want to see you.”

Penny cleared her throat when the sexual tension in the air hung thick and heavy. “There are a lot of flowers to bring in and I have a date for tonight. Do you mind if we get this going?”

“Penny.” Janelle nudged her friend with her elbow.

“No, you’re right. Please put the flowers wherever there is room, except for the kitchen and dining room.” He stared at Janelle intently. “I have plans for those locations.”

In a not
so
quiet whisper, Penny said to Janelle, “And probably the bedroom.”

Janelle’s face ignited like the fire in the fireplace. “Yes, let me get the flowers so that we can get out of your hair.”

Janelle and Penny worked quickly and efficiently, bringing in all ten vases full of roses. When the last vase had been delivered, Gideon gave Penny a
five-hundred-
dollar tip.

“Have a great time on your date tonight.” He smiled at her.

“I will now.” Penny jumped up and down as she shoved the cash into her pocket. “And as we agreed…” She gave Gideon a salute and backed out of the room.

“Penny, wait. What are you doing?” Janelle went after her friend.

“Gid here contacted me a few days ago and asked if you had any plans for Valentine’s Day.” Penny’s smile stretched all the way around her head. “I told him no, but you’re too hot to sit at home. He agreed.” She peered at Gideon and gave him a wink. “So he asked for this order and requested it be the last order delivered for the day. Then he asked for one more thing.”

“What’s that?” Janelle’s voice lowered to a whisper.

Penny pulled the clipboard from her boss’s hands. “He asked that I leave you here after the delivery was made, and he would take you home. I thought that was a great idea.”

“No, no, no, it’s not. Don’t leave me here.”

Penny’s shoulders slumped. “Why not? What do you think will happen?”

Janelle looked over her shoulder at the man who’d planned a whole evening with her, for her. She turned back to Penny. “Don’t do this.”

“Look. Remember when I told you I had just gotten an order for ten arrangements of roses? Do you know what you said?” Penny took a step out the door. When Janelle didn’t answer fast enough, Penny filled in the gap. “You said a woman has to be really lucky to have someone care about her like that.”

Janelle rubbed the back of her neck.

“On the way to Gideon’s house, all you kept saying was how gorgeous this neighborhood is and, again, how lucky some woman will be to live here and have all these flowers on this special day.” Penny put her hand on Janelle’s shoulder. “Why can’t that lucky woman be you?”

* * * *

Staying in Gideon’s house didn’t make Janelle nervous because what he could do to her. Janelle knew that Queen Elizabeth had raised gentlemen. Gideon had treated her that way. She didn’t feel tempted to gather information on the man to report to Jules.
Although she’d picked up his business card, along with her eviction notice, she had no desire to do business with the devil. Janelle didn’t think her heart would be able to take getting to know this man and losing him.

Penny stepped out the door. “You will be fine. You have your cell phone. I know where you are if you don’t show up to work tomorrow.” She leaned forward and put her hand to the side of her mouth in preparation of a whisper. In an even louder voice, she said, “And I put some condoms in your purse.” At that point, Penny reached down next to the door and put her backpack and purse in Gideon’s home. “Good night. Have a wonderful time. Love you.”

“Hate you. Don’t”—the door slammed before Janelle could get out her request—“do this.” She turned to Gideon. “So here we are.”

“Yes.” Gideon clapped then rubbed his hands together. “So do you want to have sex now or later?”

Janelle wanted to run as soon as Gideon made his request. When she heard him laughing, she stopped and stared at him.

“I’m kidding.” He held up his hand as though showing surrender. “I only want to spend some time with you. I thought this would be the only way to do it. The only downside of my plan is that you had to work to get here.” He moved in closer to her.

Janelle felt powerless to move or react.

“I would much rather have you here willingly without you and Penny carrying in ten vases. If you really want to go, I’ll take you home.” Gideon stared into her eyes.

She started to open her mouth but closed it when she couldn’t talk. After clearing her throat, she found the strength to say something. “I feel like you tricked me to get here and manipulated my friend to leave me here. I should go home.”

Gideon remained quiet as she contemplated her choices. She could go home and do nothing but wonder why she’d ended up alone on this romantic day. Or she could stay and check out the possibilities.

She scanned down her body. In her standard jeans and oversize sweater, she felt underdressed and dirty. “I can’t have dinner with you like this.”

Gideon smiled. “I took that into account. Actually, Penny did. She said she would put some items in your bag for you.” Gideon strolled over to a side hallway. “If you go down there to the last room on the right, there’s a bathroom with a bathtub and shower. Feel free to use either one. Dinner will be a while, so you have time.”