Page 61 of Forever Fascinating

He was so incredibly thoughtful and found all sorts of little things to send her every time she turned around. He’d mailed her a clay fired small cup with a swirling design baked into the side. Next was a vial of rose oil that had taken her ten minutes to unwrap because of the bubble wrap around the glass jar. He sent her some ginger and turmeric tea that was strangely pungent, but she wasn’t about to complain in the slightest.

Jana mailed Matthew some socks and T-shirts because he had mentioned needing them – but had slipped a travel magazine for Greece inside along with a note. She also sent him some calling cards, a baseball and glove, a pack of cards, and a can of pressurized processed cheese with crackers.

Her parents came over with cheesecake and some curled candles for her twenty-seventh birthday – to which Jana had her parents take a photo of her blowing out the candles so she could share it with Matthew. She wrote him almost every day, sharing little tidbits here and there, and he wrote back.

She knew he was careful not to say anything about her brother – ever. The one time they had talked about it, Matthew explained why.

“I don’t want to say something that might cause hurt feelings, cause problems, or other issues. I work with him – very closely. We share the same living space, showers, etc.… so while I like the guy? He can be annoying, too,” Matthew began and grew quiet.

“I also don’t want to talk to him about his incredible sister and how fascinating I find her to be, because it would make things incredibly uncomfortable here for me. I’m not trying to be mean or hard-headed, but I need to keep personal things, personal – and I need to keep work separate from home. I hope you understand?”

“Probably more than you know…” she admitted.

Karen called or emailed every once in a while, asking how she was doing, if she was dating anyone, or if she was still talking with X-Ray. Jana did send a few small emails to her friend, but it wasn’t often. He was preoccupied with Emily - and frankly?

Jana was perfectly okay with that.

February was nearly gone in the blink of an eye. She was closing on three homes, had one on contingency, and was crazily busy every day of the week. One night, while picking up a few TV dinners and a pack of Cokes at the grocery, she realized that it was almost Valentine’s Day.

She spent twenty minutes in the aisle, picking out a card for Matthew and put another calling card inside – along with a few scratch tickets. It was pink, covered in epic glitter that got everywhere, so incredibly sweet yet absolutely and classically ‘them’. There was a masked bandit on the front holding a bunch of flowers, a mock safe that held a fake mirror on the inside, with big cursive writing.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Wish you were here,

Because I miss you!

(Shhh! It’s our secret!)

Jana signed it, ‘Your forever date, my darling’instead of using her name, and mailed it out that evening, hoping and praying that it got there before the fourteenth.

When Valentine’s Day finally arrived, she was expecting a phone call or something – only to hear a knock at her door. Opening the front door, she hesitated to see her neighbor standing there.

“Hey Jana, this was dropped at the house for you because the delivery man didn’t want to leave it outside. We’re under a freeze warning and this would just turn the leaves brown or cause them to curl. I told him I’d bring it by when I saw the SUV in the driveway,” the older woman explained, smiling broadly, and handed her a huge box that looked to be two foot long and exceedingly heavy.

“Cause the leaves to… ohhh! The box says FTD,” Jana balked, stunned at the realization of what she was hefting inside the house awkwardly. “These are flowers?”

“I think so. Do you mind if I take a peek when you open the box? My Henry used to send me flowers all the time when he was alive, God rest his soul.”

“Oh, of course,” Jana exclaimed, stepping back to let the older woman inside. “Do you want some coffee or anything?”

“Nope. Just nosy,” she smiled.

Five minutes later, they were both staring at a massive bouquet of roses and Jana was about two seconds away from sobbing in sheer joy.

A breathtaking cut crystal vase held a dozen pink roses in a variety of shades. Some pale, almost sheer pink, while others were hot pink or an orang-ish pink. There was a ton of baby’s breath flowers, greenery and a few curls of pink ribbon woven in the flora. The arrangement was nearly two feet tall and almost as wide, making her dining room table look perfectly petite.

“Looks like your fellow has excellent taste – in flowers and in people,” her neighbor said gently, patting her on the hand. “Happy Valentine’s Day, young lady.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Wilton,” Jana said softly – and hesitated. “Why don’t you take a few home with you. I know you are always working on your gardens, and maybe you can start a few cuttings?”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” Jana smiled, plucking one rose of each shade out of the vase. “There’s no reason two lonely ladies can’t both enjoy them this fine day, is there?”

“Lonely? Ha! Where’s your young man at?”

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