Stoned

*

I had a busy Friday. The pageant was at six. And I worked from ten until five. Anna would pick up Keni at 3pm, take her home and get her fed (I'd left dinner in the fridge). I would then have to rush to get her showered and changed into her white shirt, black skirt and black shoes. We had to be at the school by 5:45pm at the latest.

I was walking quickly from the building with my baby girl, rehearsing her line with her (which she was still messing up), when I looked up and noticed an amazing charcoal gray car parked right outside the entrance to our building. It was a very nice, very pretty, and probably very expensive car. I had no idea what type of car it was other than to note it didn't seem to belong in our neighborhood. I reached for Keni's hand and picked up the pace. We only had 15 minutes to get to the school and the teacher had clearly stated if we arrived late our child would not be a part of the pageant.

We were about to pass the car when the driver's side door opened and a large person unfolded themselves from the interior. I probably shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. She was dressed in all black again, another suit this time. It fit her frame nicely.

"Georgia."

I didn't even stop walking, not bothering to do more than glance at her, "I'm in a rush. We're late."

"Georgia."

The deep, raspy command should have stopped me, but it didn't. She'd placed my child in harm's way. She couldn't be sure the woman wasn't a psychopath. And even if she was sure, it was my call. My decision. Everything about Keni was my decision. She'd had no right.

So I kept walking, trying to reign in my anger once more. I wasn't sure if she followed or not and I didn't really care. She'd tried to do something nice, I got that, but...I couldn't let it go. And "my bad" simply was not enough recognition that she'd overstepped an important boundary.

We arrived at the school with seconds to spare. Keni was whisked away to the backstage area. I was given a program (printed on plain white paper and folded in half...the teacher could have done better). It had a fuzzy picture of Martin Luther King on it, the year he was born and the year he died, as well as a quote from him.

I glanced at the inside of the program as I made my way toward the front, hoping I could get close enough to get a picture without getting up, groaning internally at the amount of nonsense I would have to endure before my baby hit the stage. Of course the front rows were mostly taken. I had to squeeze past quite a few people to get to one of the only two seats available. I put my purse in the empty seat, changed my phone to camera mode, and finished reading over the program. There were a few songs scheduled by the choir, the band would also play a few pieces, and there were three of his speeches that would be given by other classes...God it would feel like forever. I smiled at the thought. Nothing like an elementary school pageant to make you feel like you're dying a slow, painful death.

The lights were dimming as I saw someone moving past the same line of seated people I'd just passed. I removed my purse from the empty seat as I looked up, surprised to see who was settling in beside me. I frowned, but didn't say a word. If she wanted to repent, sitting through this pageant would be a good first step. The band was striking up the first few notes, which sounded painfully like a bunch of animals being slaughtered (or what I imagined that would sound like), and I shifted to avoid touching her as she sank her large frame into a seat that was designed for a much smaller person. For a few minutes she didn't say a word. Then...

"Georgia."

There was something about the way she said my name. My real name, not the nickname I insisted everyone call me. But I was still too mad at her to process the feeling.

"Shhh," I scolded instead.

She waited another minute, "how long are you going to be pissed?" She semi whispered.

"Longer than a few days," I hissed, and added another "shhh" for good measure.

She was silent for another few minutes as everyone pretended not to wince at the noise the band was making.

"I need to know how much time and energy to put into this," she said.

I turned to look at her. Really? Was I something else to be checked off her long things-to-do list?

"You don't have to put any energy or time into it," I snapped.

That got us both a "shhh" from the people sitting behind us.

I harrumphed, glaring at her for a moment, before turning away to face the stage again...another few minutes passed.

"Can I talk to you outside?" She whispered close to my ear.

I ignored the shiver the feel of her warm breath on my ear caused, "no."

The band finished their song and launched into a second number. I was expecting her to get tired of waiting and leave...and I was right. She stood, generating a number of softly spoken complaints. But I didn't anticipate her snatching the purse from my lap and then locking her hand around my upper arm quite tightly, lifting me up from my chair, and basically dragging me from the cramped space with her. I sputtered, tried to remove my arm from her grasp (which didn't work at all), but was still compelled to follow her lest she pull my arm out of its socket. She ignored the complaining parents, dragged me into the aisle and then unceremoniously hauled my ass into the lobby. She let me go once the auditorium doors closed behind us, but I noticed she kept my purse. I folded my arms in front of me and stared at her like she was insane.

"I'm sorry."

Two magic words, said in her clipped, deep voice, that actually seemed to melt some of the ice in my veins. I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed, then looked at her again without saying a word.

"I did not mean to scare you. I apologize. That will not happen again."

She watched as I struggled to accept her words, those sky blue eyes settled on me in a most uncomfortable way. Finally, I sighed and nodded.

"I have to get back," I said.

She nodded, but before I could turn to go back into the auditorium, she grabbed my hand, lightly, her fingers strong and warm against my flesh. I looked down at the connection, a little surprised by the warmth that spread up my arm at just a simple touch from her, certainly something that had never happened to me in the past, before looking up into those amazing blue eyes. Such a beautiful oddity in such a plain brown face...

"We good?" She asked softly.

I hesitated, realizing it seemed important to her, before nodding. "Thanks for Anna," I said. I'd been so upset I'd forgotten my manners.

She smirked, "yea. No problem."

I tilted my head to the side, registering that I liked that smirk...and liking the feel of her hand holding mine, however lightly.

I watched as those intense blue eyes scanned my face, taking in my smile...but then she frowned before letting my hand go, handing me my purse, turning, and leaving the building. I watched her, more than a little confused, before hurrying back inside to see my baby mess up her one line...which, of course, she did. I laughed as I recorded it.

***

Thank goodness the first graders were not asked to participate in the pageant for Valentine's Day. However, our store had to prepare for the day. We decorated heavily, carried some specialty flowers from local growers and stocked exotic candies from overseas. So, we were always busy for this holiday. Anna turned out to be a blessing, allowing me to work a little later and increase my hours, resulting in a nice bump in my paycheck. My boss still had not promoted anyone to head cashier, but I was confident I was the frontrunner. Honestly, I believe Anna made securing the job more likely because my boss had always complained about my hours.

Because we were so busy, the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day seemed to pass quickly as I ran around trying to impress my boss, doing just a little more than my job required, and making sure I was still able to spend time with my baby girl every night. Perhaps that was the reason I didn't think much about Vince. Not that I never thought about her, I just didn't have the time, or energy, to obsess.

On the big day, I arrived at work early. The store was already packed. One of the other cashiers had called out, so there were only two lanes open. Translation? There was a long line waiting for me and I didn't have a moment to spare. It was early enough in the day that most customers were still in a good mood. Most of our merchandise had been purchased during the last two weeks (except the flowers), but we still had enough to keep people happy. And, of course, some of the customers were there just to buy groceries.

Half my shift was over when things finally started to slow down. Dave signaled for me to take a break and I sighed with relief. I grabbed a Mountain Dew, a candy bar, and headed to the break room. I was almost off the floor when one of the other cashiers called my name. I turned and saw a delivery guy making his way toward me. He handed me a long, white box. I raised a brow, taking it with me into the break room. Louise was already in there and she looked over with interest.

"Who is that from?"

I shrugged, opening the box to reveal an exquisite, single, long-stemmed, blood red rose. I searched the box for a card, but didn't find one.

"So?" She asked again.

"No card," I told her.

"Nice. Secret admirer."

As lovely as that thought was, I was too tired to really process it. I put the flower in an empty vase sitting on one of the counters, dropped onto one of the uncomfortable sofas, and proceeded to try to relax for a few minutes.

The rest of my shift flew by and by the time I dragged myself home, I really had to put on a show of enthusiasm for Keni. My feet hurt, my head hurt, my back hurt...I think my fingernails hurt. I just wanted to take a piping hot shower and crawl under the covers. But I pushed myself to chat about my baby's day. She told me Vince had stopped by the school with Valentine's Day gifts for her and Panda. She showed me the small, heart shaped box of chocolates and I felt guilty. I hadn't bought anything for Keni. But Keni didn't seem to mind. I then thought to ask how often she saw Vince at school. She told me at least once a week Vince brought them lunch. When I asked what she did with her lunch if Vince brought lunch, she said she gave it to a student that didn't have lunch. My baby girl was sweet and generous...I adored her.

Again, I didn't have time to process the information about Vince. We ate dinner, went over her homework (she didn't have any mistakes, Anna was great about that), and then Keni was off to take a shower. While she was in there, someone knocked on the door. Vince crossed my mind for a moment, but I hadn't heard from her in quite some time...

When I opened the door...my heart began to flutter. Flowers. Dozens of them...arranged in bouquets, boxes, decorative vases...someone had cleaned out a florist! Or maybe three! And these were not left over, last minute flowers. Clearly the order had been put on hold. Which must have cost a little extra considering most florists were closed already. I started to laugh as the three deliverymen put them anywhere and everywhere...and then told me to hold on, there was more in the truck! When they went to retrieve the rest, I looked around. There were flowers in every nook and cranny! Every type, every color...it was beautiful. And they smelled great. And they were gorgeous...and I simply couldn't stop my eyes from filling with tears.

Once they were done and I tried to tip them, they told me it had been taken care of. The last thing they handed me was a long, white box. Very much like the one I'd received at work. I closed the door behind them, opened the box, and found another exquisite, long stemmed, red rose. This time there was a card. 'Happy V-Day. Vince.'

People saw this type of thing in movies and read about it romance novels...but it didn't happen in real life. I just stood in the middle of the room, forgetting about dishes, about lunches and about little girls in the shower just for a moment. Just a moment. I was touched. Absolutely touched. It was thoughtful, generous...and just plain sweet. And I didn't care that it would take me forever to throw out all these flowers. Or that I would have 50 vases I didn't need afterwards. Or that eventually the smell of things dying would overwhelm the apartment. I didn't care about any of that. I just smiled, and cried, at the thought of a woman thoughtful enough to do this...kind enough to make sure I smiled, genuinely, at least once today.

"Mommy! Oh my God! It's so pretty!" My little girl screeched.

Strike that, she'd managed to touch both of us.

Vince...

Amazing.

*

As I sat in the waiting area outside her office the next morning, I started actually thinking about Vince...finally. The fact that she'd stopped by when she knew I'd wanted to talk to her. Her concern about making things right when I was angry with her about Anna. The fact that she took time to bring her 1^st grade cousin lunch, but was thoughtful enough to bring lunch for my baby girl too. Anna's assumption that we were dating. And then there were the flowers. Who did that? Who bought that many flowers for anyone? And what did it mean when they did?

And just like that, I started to get nervous. Was Vince interested in me? Was she...courting me? Was I clueless about her intentions? And...if she was trying to pursue me...was I interested? I had never dated a woman before. I mean...I wasn't repulsed by the idea. When I'd first met Vince, she'd struck me in a...well...let's just say I'd noticed her. The way I would notice a man I was interested in. That was the reason for my idiotically rude questions. Sometimes I tended to make a fool of myself when I was interested in someone...hence the baby daddy that ditched me when he learned I was pregnant. Who slept with a guy and didn't know his last name? I did. Not very often, but it happened that way for me sometimes.

I hadn't processed my feelings toward Vince because...well, she was a woman. And...well..."connected." And...I didn't feel like processing the feelings. Since I'd had Keni, I hadn't been with anyone. That was, obviously, six years ago. So...I think I was also out of practice. And, perhaps it was also because she was intimidating and out of my league...not just her size, which was impressive enough, but her money, her "career choice"...those damn amazing blue eyes...I had no room in my life for someone like that...right? Right.

I looked up as her office door opened, but it was just the huge Italian guy who was almost always with Vince. The nice one, not the ass.

"Hey Ms. Adams," he started.

I raised a brow. Since when was I Ms. Adams?

"She's tied up right now. Wants to know if she can stop by around 10 tonight?"

Vince at my apartment after Keni went to bed? Considering how my eyes filled with tears every time I saw the flowers, and knowing I would be emotional enough to sleep with the woman before I was sure I even wanted to, I shook my head.

"Just ask her if she's free for lunch some time this week. Tell her to text me, okay?"

He nodded and I stood.

"What's your name, by the way?" I asked.

"Johnny."

I stuck out my hand, "nice to meet you Johnny. I'm Gia."

He smiled a toothy smile at me and shook my hand.

"Yea, I know who you are. We've met."

I shrugged, "not officially. Take care."

I could feel his eyes on my back as I walked down the stairs. Minutes later, I was standing in front of the corner store, thinking it would be a good idea to walk the mile or so to my job. I needed the fresh air...and I needed to think.

*

Not surprisingly, Vince did not listen. She didn't text. I didn't hear from her all day. And I was watching some inane sitcom on the television in the living room, having checked to make sure Keni was finally sleeping, surrounded by all my beautiful flowers, when someone knocked on the door. This time I pretty much knew who it was. I stood, a little apprehensive, wondering if I should change out of my sweatpants and tank, knowing I didn't have time to do so, thinking I should not change who I was for her anyway as I walked through the small apartment to open the door.

It was, of course, the woman herself. Dressed casually this time, in jeans, pricey sneakers, and another thick sweater, royal blue this time. No coat. She never wore a coat, although it was February and quite cold.

"I've never seen you in a coat," I blurted. Like I said, I went in the rude, idiotic direction when I was around people I found attractive.

She raised a brow, "in the car."

I smiled, amused that she would answer, stepping back so she could come in. A part of me was hoping she would say she was busy, on her way to another meeting, something. But that didn't happen. She glanced down the hall toward the elevator, letting Johnny know she was staying, and then entered my tiny apartment, closing the door behind her. She swallowed up the space with her presence, a space made even smaller by the dozens upon dozens of flowers she'd sent. That reminded me...

"The flowers are beautiful. Thank you."

She smirked, but didn't say anything.

I fidgeted, shoved my hands in the pockets of my sweat pants, and then went into full idiot mode.

"Are you trying to court me?" I blurted.

The smirk deepened and then she chuckled. I made a note that I liked the chuckle more than I liked the smirk. She started to approach me then, and as she did I backed up until my back was against a wall. She stopped mere inches from me.

"Court you?" She teased. "What does a girl who didn't graduate from high school know about the word court?"

I raised a brow, my hackles raised.

"I read a lot...and how do you know I didn't finish high school?"

The smirk again as she stepped an inch or two closer, definitely invading my personal bubble. I couldn't ignore the fact that my pulse spiked.

"I know a lot about you," she murmured in that deep, raspy voice of hers, leaning forward just a little more, her fingers brushing a strand of hair from my cheek, causing a tingle to spread through my body. I tried to remember how to breathe.

"Good," I countered softly. Not at all able to think clearly I blurted the first thing that came to mind, "maybe you can find the asshole who took off when I told him I was pregnant?"

"Michael Thomas. Works downtown Manhattan."

She could see she'd totally surprised me. Shocked, I just stared at her.
"How--?"

"You don't sleep around. Wasn't too hard to ask a few questions and track him down." Her fingers were brushing my cheek now...

I swallowed, "oh."

She moved an inch closer and my pulse went from thumping to dancing.

"Back to the courting question," she teased.

I stared into those beautiful blue eyes and went into idiot mode again.

"You have such pretty eyes," I whispered.

That got me another smirk...before she leaned in just a little more and pressed her lips gently against mine...

Wow...my body just...wow...it was like someone had mainlined a powerful drug directly into my veins. Her lips...the feel of them...gentle...tasting...teasing...a warmth spread through me...making my heart race...making me lightheaded ...making me feel loopy, off-balance and...and...

She didn't take it too far, or too deep, stepping back a few moments later to stare down at me. I, of course, went back to the 'land of idiot.'

"You kiss great too," I whispered.

She chuckled again and then took another step back.

"Dinner Friday?" She asked softly.

"I work," I answered just as softly.