Page 34 of The Love Duet
“And to think that ponytails are supposed to be an easy hairstyle,” I huffed, making sure that I kept my hands and fingers moving at a steady pace.
Back in high school, Roxanne used to tell me that I signed like a crack addict, so I did my best to tone it down.However, if I was excited about something, then all bets were off, though I still did my best to speak evenly for her to read my lips.
“Hey, Aunt Pepper,” Arden called out as his sweet face popped up next to his mother’s.“Hope all is well with all the birds and the bees.”
This kid.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?”I signed before signing to Roxanne what he’d said.
Arden just shot me a wink before disappearing from the screen, Roxanne signing, “He takes after his dad.”
Laughing, we spent the next twenty minutes catching up, and it felt good and familiar.Roxanne Cameron had always been a safe space for me, and I knew with all my heart that she’d always be that for me.Roxanne was rare in that she had a pure heart, and everyone that met her always came out a better person after the experience.
After hanging up, I slipped my phone back in my pocket, opened the door again, then got back to finishing my newest floral arrangement.Luckily for me, my artistic eye was a good one, and it was enough to keep our doors open on a steady basis.
“Pepper?”I looked up to see Laurie’s head peeking inside the room.“I have a very...uh, confident customer asking to speak with you.Apparently, she’s under the belief that only the owner is capable of getting her order correct.”
“Mrs.Grayland?”
Laurie nodded.“Yep.”
“It’s not hard to take down an order for five lilies,” I grumbled.
“Apparently, it is,” Laurie chuckled, and it really was just another day in the life.
Chapter 3
Pepper~
Unlike most modern towns, Macon was old enough that each house in most of the neighborhoods sat on a pretty sizeable lot, so you could probably fit two driveways between each fence, which went a long way in the name of privacy.However, it also left a lot of dark spaces in between, so I always made sure to lock all my doors and windows at night.Though crime was relatively low in Macon, I still refused to take any chances with my safety, or Leah’s when she was visiting.
It was also past my bedtime, though I had tomorrow off.Now, while most flower shops were open during the weekend, I was closed.Not only did the schedule fit better for Leah’s visits home, but it was exactly the kind of schedule that Laurie and Wilmar needed for their households, which meant more to me than the extra revenue that I’d get from being open during the weekends.Besides, love and appreciation were an everyday thing, so we got plenty of business Monday through Friday.
At any rate, my house was a two-story cottage-style home with a landscaped front yard and a back porch that faced the expansive yard.I also had a small shed that sat right behind the back wall of my garage, though I only kept yard equipment in it, not much more.
Now, while the front of the house was lit up plenty from the porch lights and the streetlights, the backyard was fairly dark once you got past the halfway mark of the lawn.It could look a bit creepy if you stared out into the darkness too long, but it was quite lovely during the day.
Peeking my head out to take one last reassuring look around, I wasn’t prepared when a large body sprang from out of nowhere, slamming me into the doorframe, making my heart leap into my throat.A scream erupted from deep in my chest, but it was quickly silenced when a slap across the face had me flying back into the house, my shoulder taking the brunt of my fall.I let out a shrilled cry as fear gripped my heart, and it really did take everything in me to keep my wits about me.
Praying that my phone hadn’t broken with my fall, I scrambled to pull it out of my jeans, but before I could get my hands on it, my attacker was reaching for my legs, then dragging me back towards the backdoor, and that’s when I began fighting with all my might.
However, as my fists did their best to protect me, the man was suddenly yanked backwards, and I could only stare in horror as the newcomer threw my attacker across the back porch, his body tumbling down the stairs.
My heart started beating wildly against my chest, and when the newcomer stopped to look back at me, it was clear to see that he was homeless as he yelled, “Call the police!”
He followed my attacker off the porch as I pulled my phone from my pocket to call for help, my fingers a trembling mess.As soon as the operator answered, I began rambling like a fool.“I need the police.Someone broke into my house and attacked me, but...but now they’re fighting in my yard.”
“Ma’am, what is the address?”
“1498 Crimson Street,” I rushed out.“It’s the white and blue house...oh, God, please hurry.They’re fighting.”
“Ma’am, I need you to calm down,” the dispatcher instructed, but everyone knew that ordering someone to calm down never worked.“Now, tell me who is fighting?”
“I don’t know,” I cried out.“When I was being attacked, another man appeared, and he...he saved me, and now they’re fighting.”
As I explained hysterically, my account of what was happening wasn’t exactly accurate.They weren’t fighting so much as the newcomer was beating my attacker rather brutally, and I knew that I needed to step in and stop him.The last thing that I wanted was for him to get arrested for saving me, and that was very possible with how violently he was beating the other man.
“Hurry up and get here!”I yelled before hanging up, letting my phone drop to the floor.
