Page 15 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
"Almost done. That'll be..." I calculate in my head. "$30," I say. "I'll give you a $10 discount for the wait." I smile kindly, knowing full well that my profit on the bouquet is no more than $5, because the geraniums have gotten really expensive to buy.
"I... um...," the elderly lady says, fumbling in her purse. "Now this is awkward. I must have..."
The door behind her opens, and the little bell I installed above it last year chimes. Both the woman and I turn around.
And my heart stops!
Not just that: goosebumps spread over my entire body, followed by a tingling sensation I can't place or don't want to place.
It's him.
Alex.
Ben's father.
He's standing in my shop.
What the hell is he doing here?
At least he seems just as surprised as I am, because he says nothing and just stares at me for several seconds. But he seems to recover faster than I do, silently approaching the counter, which is currently my only protection between him and me, and stands next to the old lady.
"You two..." the elderly woman says, pointing her index finger back and forth between us. "You know each other, don't you?"
"Barely," I say curtly as I notice Alex opening his mouth, and I shoot him a venomous glare.
"You should ask her out, she's such a pretty thing," the lady whispers to Alex, yet loud enough for me to hear every word. "But you should know one thing. She has..."
My heart stops again. She's not about to tell him about my child, is she? I have to do something.
"Twenty dollars," I say louder than I intended, hoping neither of them hears the panic in my voice, and slam the bouquet onto the counter in front of her. She stops talking and recoils slightly.
"Now, now," she says, scolding. "Not so rough."
"Cash or card?" I ask forcefully, hoping she'll be gone soon so that Alex and I... wait: there is no we. I don't know what he wants here either, but at least I don't want the old lady overhearing every word.
"I'm sorry... I... my wallet... I must have left it at home. I'll be right back, I just have to..."
"I can take care of that," Alex says, giving the lady his signature smile, which makes her giggle as if she were twenty years old again. That look. He's still got it, and he uses it whenever he pleases.
"That... would be so kind, young man," she says with a grin.
"How much was it again? Twenty?" he asks, pulling a wad of bills from his pocket, which brings back memories of when we first met and he paid for the gold leaf bouquet as if it were nothing.
"Thirty dollars," I say sternly, feeling my heart pound like crazy and my face flush, because of course they both heard me say twenty just a moment ago. But this man, who had me thrown out like that, he gets no discount. In fact, he gets nothing here, and the only reason I'm not kicking him straight out of my shop is because a customer is standing next to me.
"Didn't you say..." the old lady asks.
"It's fine. I'll get it." He then hands me one of his hundred-dollar bills. "Keep the change," he adds.
"Oh, thank you. You're a sweetheart," the lady says happily. A fleeting smile crosses my face as she takes her bouquet, genuinely pleased that Alex helped her out. But why is he doing this? Is he trying to show me how nice he is to people? It would have been enough not to dump me like trash and... whatever,that's in the past. The lady goes to the door, her hand already on it. The bell chimes, and as she's about to walk through, she drops her purse. "Oh," she says.
"Wait, I'll help you," Alex says, rushing over to her, picking up her things, and handing her the purse.
"Such a nice young man, isn't he?" she says, looking from Alex to me with a beaming grin. I force a fake grin and nod.
"Whatever's going on between you two, I just wanted to say you're cute together," the lady says, then turns, lets the door fall shut behind her, and leaves us both in the ensuing silence.
She did not just say that, did she?
