After It's Over (9 page)

“It’s over, Kade. I don’t love you anymore.” Paige felt her heart split in two.

Her words were a punch to the gut; he doubled over briefly. Slowly, he nodded and turned away from her. He walked several steps and stopped. He looked over his shoulder as he spoke.

“Let me know when you decide to come home.”

Paige didn’t watch him leave. She knew if she had, she would have lost her nerve and gone after him. She sobbed in the dirt until one of the groundskeepers picked her up and gave her a ride home. The world became a grayer place that day. Kade was her port in every storm; he offered up hope at the end of every dark road, and he could always be counted on to laugh at her jokes, whether they were funny or not. He was more than her boyfriend—he was her best friend. Every guy that came after him was just a poor substitute for the original.

***

“Miss?”

A sharp knock on her window yanked Paige back to reality. She turned to see an annoyed security guard standing outside her car. She rolled the window down.

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I was just lost in thought.”

I was just sitting here wondering why I lied to the love of my life and told him that I didn’t love him when he’s the only guy I have ever truly loved.

“You can’t park here, ma’am. This is a private road and you need to either move on or turn around and exit,” he said with a sweeping motion of his hand.

“Sorry. I’ll get going right now.”

Paige rolled up the window, put the car in gear, and backed out slowly. She maneuvered out to the main road; she was grateful the car didn’t die in the process. Paige drove back to Ben and the kids, her mind filled with thoughts of the man she’d always loved.

Does he still think about me?

CHAPTER NINE

Kade stood outside Katie’s Flower Shop, waiting for Katie’s granddaughter, Erin, to open the door. He had to buy flowers before getting to the station. If he was lucky and there were no major crimes, he’d be able to take them to their destination on a short lunch break. He checked his watch and frowned; Erin was late.

“You do know it’s Monday, right?” a female voice asked.

Kade turned to see Erin holding a cup of Starbucks with a sullen expression on her face.
She’s still pissed about last week.

“Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it the other night. Work was really busy and time just got away from me.”

If I tell her that I’m just not interested, she will never sell me flowers again.

“Whatever. Your loss.”

Erin glared at him, shifted the messenger bag that was slung across her shoulder, and motioned for him to step aside. She unlocked the door and walked inside. The heavy antique door slammed shut behind her; it narrowly missed the end of Kade’s nose.

“Yep, she’s pissed,” he muttered. He flung the door open and went in.

A visit to Katie’s Flower Shop was the equivalent of stepping into a time capsule. The shop was dated, being one of the few remaining buildings in Tacoma from the 1950’s. The tiled floor was chipped and the woodwork was in need of refinishing, but the store had a distinct charm and warmth—like a visit to Grandma’s house. There were several flower shops closer to Kade’s house, but he only shopped there. Katie had been a close friend of his grandmother and her store was one of the few to carry the yellow rose that Mrs. Birch had deemed her favorite flower.

“Yesterday was the fourth Sunday of the month, so I had your roses waiting and like last week, you never showed,” Erin said. “What happened to you?” She reached into her bag and pulled out a muffin.

“I had a stakeout, got hungry, bought a tamale out of a guy’s trunk, and spent the rest of the night crouched behind my car, vomiting up everything I’ve ever eaten.”

Erin looked at the muffin in her hand and set it down. “You could have just said you were sick.”

Kade tried not to smile. He scanned the well-stocked shop for the bouquet of yellow roses that she had earmarked for him.

“So, where are they? I need to get to the station.”

“I sold them.”

“You what?” His mouth dropped open.

“I sold them. It was almost closing and you hadn’t called or texted, so I sold them to a guy who needed something to cheer up his wife after he suggested she join Cross Fit.”

Erin put an apron on and pulled her long, blonde hair back with the rubber band she had around her wrist.

“I don’t understand.” Kade looked around for the flowers.

She’s kidding.
She didn’t really sell them. She’s just trying to torture me.

“Well, she assumed—based on his suggestion—that he was really saying she was fat and flipped out. He said he couldn’t handle another night on the couch and needed something special. Your flowers fit the bill.” Erin smiled smugly.

Kade shook his head. “I meant that I don’t understand why you sold my flowers.”

“Because you didn’t show up.”

Erin’s double meaning was not lost on Kade.

“So pull out a few more yellow roses, wrap them up and I’ll be on my way.”

“We’re all sold out. There was some festival in Puyallup and they took our entire inventory. How about some nice daisies instead?” She held up a daisy that seemed to be an afterthought just lying on the counter.

“No!” Kade growled. He was tired and in no mood for her ditzy routine. “Yesterday was her birthday and yellow roses were her favorite. It has to be yellow roses.”

I have to keep this promise. It’s the only thing still connecting me to Paige
.

“I always wondered who you wanted those flowers for, but my mother said it was none of my business. But I have to know—who is
she
? Some chick you met in a bar?” Erin’s cheeks colored. She was just as unhappy with him as he was with her.

“No one you know.”

We’re not even dating and she’s jealous. Good grief. I don’t have time for this.

Kade rubbed his head. In fourteen years, this was the first time he’d go to her grave empty handed. He turned on his heel and yanked the shop door open. The little bell above the door swung so hard it didn’t ring. He stormed out; Erin called to him.

“Head to Safeway. Their flowers go over well with the low-end crowd!”

Kade ignored her, got in his car, and headed to the station. The drive passed in a blur; he was furious that he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise.

***

“You’re late, Sheriff,” Joan said as he entered the station and passed her desk. His overweight secretary peered over the top of her glasses at him.

“I had an errand to run,” he replied.

“That’s no excuse to be late.” She took a sip from a large mug that read ‘I’m the Boss’.

“Didn’t you give me that mug last Christmas?”

“Yeah, so?” she replied.

Kade grunted at Joan and headed toward the back of the station. He walked past the friendly eyes of a new female deputy, ignored the highway patrolman camped out in the corner, and went into his office. He shut the door and drew the blinds. He needed a minute to rest his aching head and collect his thoughts. Kade put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He thought about the yellow flowers.

Mrs. Birch always kept a vase full of them on her kitchen table.

His tired mind receded into the past, recalling the last time he had been in that kitchen.

***

“I made dinner, so you two can clean up,” Mrs. Birch announced, standing up from the table. She patted her short black hair and took off her apron. “I wonder where your father is.”

“Go relax, Mom. Kade and I can handle a few dishes,” Paige said. “You take pots and pans, and I’ll load the dishes.”

“Can’t we just load the pots and pans into the dishwasher?” he asked.

Mrs. Birch clasped her arthritic hands together and shook her head. There was a worried look on her face and concern in her eyes. Kade chalked it up to her being rather OCD.

“We don’t put pots and pans in the dishwasher,” Mrs. Birch said.

“I know! We scrub them. Go already. Kade and I can figure this out.” Paige practically pushed her mother out of the kitchen while he cleared the table.

“She seems more worried than usual,” he said.

“Yeah, my dad’s been worse lately, if you can believe it.” Paige filled the sink with warm water and half a bottle of dish soap. “Let’s not talk about them. Let’s talk about something happy.”

“Okay, I aced my Biology exam.”

“Awesome! You are totally going to get into med school, and I’m going to get into law school and we will live happily ever after.”

“Shouldn’t we go to college first?” Kade asked. He playfully smacked her on the butt. Paige pushed his hands away.

“We’re so brilliant, I thought we’d just skip ahead a few years.” She pulled on his shirt and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“If only. It’s going to take a lot of money to fund med school. My folks are pretty tapped out as it is these days.”

“Ye of so little faith.”

“Yeah?” Kade raised an eyebrow.

Paige handed him a pot to wipe. He methodically dried it.

“Yes! Be concerned, but don’t worry because worrying shows a lack of faith.” Her hand went to the cross around her neck. “That’s what Mom always says.”

Kade smiled. “Okay, I won’t worry. I’ll just be really concerned.”

“Seriously, it’s all going to work out for us. I can feel it.”

The moment was getting too serious for the light-hearted Paige. Kade knew this because in the next instance she squirted him in the face with the dish hose and giggled.

“Oops.”

He responded by grabbing a handful of suds and throwing them at her.  By the time Mrs. Birch walked in a couple of minutes later, they were in a full-blown water fight. Kade and Paige were soaked from head to toe.

“Oh dear, that’s quite the mess you’ve made,” Mrs. Birch said, surveying the wet kitchen floor.

“We’ll clean it up, Mrs. B.,” Kade said.

Paige snapped a dishtowel at him. The end of the towel caught him in the butt and he jumped forward, slipped on the wet floor and landed on his butt.

“Are you okay?” Paige asked, helping him to his feet.

“Mostly.”

“Kade, let Paige clean the floor up. I’d like a word with you, please.”

“Sure thing, Mrs. B.”

“Please, call me Maria. I would so prefer that to ‘Mrs. B’.”

“I’ll save some pots for you to dry!” Paige said as they walked out of the kitchen.

Kade’s chuckle faded as he followed Mrs. Birch into the family room.

“I really am sorry about the mess.”

“It’s fine. I know you two were just having fun. It warms my heart to see how happy Paige is with you.”

“Well, she’s great. Best girlfriend that a guy could ask for,” Kade said.

His jeans dripped water onto the carpet, and he was conscious of the wet blotches that appeared at his feet. Mrs. Birch was a devoted housekeeper and there was never so much as a couch cushion out of place. The last thing he wanted to do was make a mess.

“But she’s more than just your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that my daughter is someone you can see building a life with.” Mrs. Birch’s brow was creased and her hands shook slightly as she spoke. Her olive complexion seemed paler than usual.

“Are you alright?” Kade asked.

“I’m afraid I’m not feeling well, and I’ll need to lie down soon. But before I do, I wanted to speak to you and possibly discover what your intentions are with my daughter.”

“Intentions?” Kade gulped hard. He suddenly felt very nervous.

“Yes, your intentions. What are they?” Mrs. Birch put a hand on the couch and leaned on it.

“Um…I’d like to continue to date her?” He didn’t mean for his response to sound like a question, but it did.

Mrs. Birch smiled patiently. “Let me try a different approach. You make my daughter very happy. I see how she looks at you and how you look at her. That kind of happiness is a rare and precious thing. Something to be cherished.”

“Okay,” Kade scratched his head. “I do kind of love her.”

“I know, and there’s something I want you to have.” She reached into the pocket of her slacks for something. She opened her hand to reveal a canary diamond ring in an antique setting.

“This ring has been in my family for generations. The story goes that it comes from a conquistador who stole it from a king. It’s always been passed down from mother to son, but in this case, I don’t see a long, happy marriage in Drew’s future. So I want you to take this and when you finish medical school and Paige finishes law school, you’ll give her this ring.”

Kade stared at it with his mouth open “That’s years away. Why are you giving this to me now?”

A chill ran up his spine. His grandfather had started giving things away right after the doctor told him the cancer couldn’t be cured.

Mrs. B doesn’t look so good.

“There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must put their house in order,” she replied.

Kade looked around. Mrs. Birch’s house was immaculate. He wondered if she’d been drinking.

She has to be in order to trust such an important item to a teenage boy.

“Well, I can’t take that.”

“You can, and you will because you are my daughter’s soul mate. You may not realize it now and she may not either, but you are. You two were destined to be together if ever there was such a thing.”

With that declaration, Mrs. Birch grabbed Kade’s hand and thrust the ring into it. She patted him on the cheek and walked out of the room. He stood with his mouth gaping open until Paige emerged from the kitchen.

“Um, hello?” She flung the dishtowel over her shoulder and folded her arms across her chest.

“What?” Kade quickly shoved the ring into his pocket.

“I could use some help with the dishes.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m coming,” he shuffled towards her.

Did that really just happen? I am so freaked out I could bolt and not look back.

“What did my mom want?” Paige asked, as they walked back into the kitchen.

“Nothing. She just asked how school was going.”

“Yeah?” She handed him a pot to dry.

“Yeah, I got the impression she doesn’t want our relationship to get in the way of our education.” Kade wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

“Well, it won’t.” Paige kissed him lightly and went back to scrubbing dishes.

They fell into a pattern of washing, wiping, and putting things away. Kade shrugged off what Mrs. Birch had said. He had to; otherwise, he would have freaked out and ran screaming from the house. Marriage was the last thing on his mind.